Waterford — Sandra Wheeler started out her home-organizing business a decade ago after fellow former co-workers at Pfizer Inc. started calling her for help in de-cluttering their lives.

After a session with Wheeler, they would inevitably suggest that she turn her obsession with organization into a business. And so she did, calling her home-based enterprise For Peace of Mind.

Now, Wheeler has added a new dimension to her business with feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of organizing spaces to better deploy chi, or positive energy. She just completed her certification in the field from the New England School of Feng Shui.

"Chi is energy flow," Wheeler said. "Imagine a river flowing into your house. You don't want it to get stuck."

Wheeler said feng shui was a natural layer that she could add onto her organizing business since it involved many of the same ideas of simplifying and de-cluttering. She uses a grid (or bagua map) with different life aspects — prosperity, love, education and creativity, for instance — to develop ideas for how to arrange certain rooms.

"A big part of feng shui is getting clutter out of the visual sphere," she said.

For instance, she said that feng shui practitioners teach that people who leave a lot of stuff in their basement are anchoring themselves in the past, while those who keep too many items in their attics can be blocked from aspiring to loftier heights.

Another aspect of feng shui, she said, is leading people naturally to the places they need to go. So she has arranged the entrance of her Quaker Hill house in such a way that visitors naturally gravitate to the main door thanks to the artistic use of a colored glass insert to gain attention.

Wheeler said much of her business still revolves around personal organizing, especially for baby boomers who are faced with downsizing after their children move out.

"What do we do with all this stuff," she said is a typical cry of despair from a client. "Moving is a biggy."

She helps them to sort through all the clutter, asking them to keep both what they love and what they use, throwing away most of the rest. She also gives parameters, wondering aloud whether they really need those 96 pairs of yoga pants and 36 pairs of sneakers.

Clients typically find her through word of mouth from friends' recommendations, she said. Many clients are frustrated by some aspect of their life, whether it's a relationship, health or other issue, she added.

"Usually it is the small things that make a difference in a space, but it needs to fit with a person's lifestyle and who they are," Wheeler said.

Wheeler tries to group like things together, and likes to soften sharp corners with plants. Inviting nature into a room always adds good energy, she said.

"I love having flowers on my desk," she said, "things that make me smile."

But when it comes to viewing clients' houses, she prefers that they don't put much effort into cleaning up before she arrives.

"If I can see where the problems are, it's easier for me to help you," she said. "I don't make people get rid of anything — that's up to them. ... A lot of what I do is bring it to people's attention. I'm a second set of eyes."

Wheeler said she believes her work has helped clients get a better handle on their lives. And she believes strongly that small improvements can lead to major changes.

She pointed to an incident a few years back when she told her husband, local builder Nort Wheeler, that a sidewalk near his business was too narrow. He decided to spruce up the area, and three days later got a call from Matt Lauer of "The Today Show" that he was going to use the Mystic River Building Co. as a stopover on a bicycle tour he was filming.

"There's something to it," she said. "I do see the impact it can have on people and places."

l.howard@theday.com

Name: For Peace of Mind

Owner: Sandra Wheeler

Website: www.ForPeaceofMind.biz

Email: forpeaceofmind@sbcglobal.net