Happy Lunar New Year! 8 Ways To Channel The Metal Ox In Your Home & Life

The Ox in the Chinese Zodiac is known for loyalty, humility, hard work, diligence, and steadfastness—making this year a fabulous one for creating solid foundations and committing to goals. It's also a good time to look at ways to cultivate more grounded, consistent, and positive energy in your home and your habits. Here are a few practices to help you channel that Ox-like energy at home, this year and beyond:

The saying, "What you focus on will grow," really resonates when I think of the Ox year. One great habit you can pick up any time is logging all the positive moments of your day into a journal. This is a way to fully acknowledge that good things—big and small—can happen, even in challenging times.

Then, I'd recommend finding a "goal buddy" to keep you on track. Have a weekly meeting with a friend where you celebrate each other and also support each other. This is always an incredibly valuable practice but especially now that it's been so hard to feel focused and socially connected.

If you could use some help in the sleep department (most of us could!), decluttering your bedroom and closet is an excellent first step. Then, vow to start logging off electronics an hour or two before bed. If you can, keep all electronics shut off and far from your bed. Even if you already sleep well, these tweaks can help supercharge even more excellent, clearheaded rest.

Take a step to organize the chaos by starting a file system—real paper files if needed, and definitely lots of digital files—to put everything in its place where you can easily find it again. 

My clients have raved to me about the Pomodoro Method, which breaks the day into small chunks of concentrated work mixed in with short and long breaks. There are phone apps to help you to get into the rhythm of it. 

Beyond bringing the outdoors in, getting outside in nature and deeply connecting to the Earth can bring on inspiring benefits. Recommit to doing it more this year, and always.

In feng shui philosophy, bowls of fruit are fabulous for boosting your home's energy (and, you know, providing a healthy snack). Citrus fruits are particularly prized, but every fruit you love is an excellent pick.

While these themes of the Year of the Metal Ox may not seem wildly and glamorously thrilling on the surface, they can lead to real results and abundance. Not only is this a great time to shore up new habits that will always serve you, but it's also an excellent time to celebrate yourself and every step you take in the journey of making amazing things happen in 2021.