I recently had a conversation with a friend about clutter. She shared that at times there was so much clutter around her home that she simply concluded her home was in a stage that she referred to as CHAOS or Can't Have Anyone Over Soon. We talked further and what she has discovered is that when there is too much stuff in a space, clutter simply cannot be organized. Of course eliminating our belongings can be quite a challenge. Words like, "I may need that sometime" can quickly come to our mind and shut down the activity. Eliminating clutter is not necessarily an easy process if you haven't done it much in the past. What are the top ways to ease the process of eliminating clutter?

1. Identify Criteria (Or Rules Of Thumb) For Sorting Ahead Of Time

This will make the process more of a logical, step by step sorting process without getting emotions involved. Identify how much you want to eliminate -- reduce by 50%, 25% etc. Other criteria examples include if you don't love it or it has not been used in last 6 months, it goes. Things that are used at annual events such as New Year's or Halloween etc. may need some specific criteria for what stays and what goes.

2. Create The Uninterrupted Time To Do It

If you get distracted, you may hesitate and give up.

3. Remind Yourself Of Your Desired State

This is the environment you would rather have. If your vision for this goal isn't very strong, you may begin to feel overwhelmed. Simply recall your desired state and charge back at your clutter!

4. Know What You Are Going To Do With The Stuff That Goes Out

You may donate to a charity, host a garage sale, or take items for recycling. If you know what you will do with the things that you will get rid of, and you can see that someone else will benefit more from the item than you will, it can be much easier to let go.

5. Celebrate Your Success

Recognize that each small step is very much a personal success that deserves to be celebrated. By eliminating (or significantly reducing) the clutter, it can help you feel more positive and energized and that's definitely something worth celebrating.

(c) 2004 Donna P. Lendzyk