Declutter Your Life

Reduce Stress, IncreaseProductivity, and EnjoyYour Clutter-Free Life

By Michelle Stewart

Declutter Your Life: Reduce Stress,Increase Productivity, and Enjoy YourClutter-Free Life / by Michelle Stewart

Copyright © 2012 by Unique VisionPress. All Rights Reserved. Published in

the United States by Unique VisionPress. First Edition.

You are welcome to use a short excerpt

of this book for review or critiquepurposes.

Visit the Blog:LifeIteration.com

Other books by Michelle Stewart

De-Stress Your Life

The Frugal Life

The Beautiful Home

Find them all atMichelleStewartBooks.com

Table of Contents

A Clutter-Free Life Starting Today

The Truth About Clutter

The Origins of Clutter

The Cost of Clutter in Your LifeThe Cost in ProductivityThe Cost in DollarsThe Cost in Physical HealthThe Cost in Mental Health

The Psychology of ClutterWhy We Keep Things

Declutter Your HomeCreate a PlanTips for Decluttering Each Room

Declutter Your OfficeOrganizing Your DeskOrganizing Filing CabinetsDeclutter Your Computer

Declutter Your Life and ReduceStress

Dealing with Mental ClutterDeclutter Your Social LifeDeclutter Your Media

How to Maintain Your Clutter-FreeLife for the Long Haul

Three Steps You Can Take Right NowCreate a PlanChoose a SpaceReward Yourself

The Office Has a Floor: ADecluttering Success Story

Share Your Success

Other Books by Michelle Stewart

A Clutter-Free Life StartingToday

I have a friend who recently lost herhusband in a tragic accident. Her friendsand family rallied around her, but shewas reluctant to let people into her homeso they could help her. People offered tocook, clean or simply spend some timewith her, but she was very selectiveabout accepting the offers of help andmany people did not know why. It wasonly weeks later that I learned that shehad been feeling ashamed of the state ofher house. There was clutter throughoutthe home and outbuildings, and it wouldtake her months to go through it all.

Perhaps you have a similar situation. Ifyou are reluctant to invite friends overfor dinner or scared to look in your owncloset, then you might have a problemwith clutter. You should not be ashamed,however. Clutter is a very commonproblem and can arise in almost any areaof our lives. The key is acknowledgingthe clutter, creating a plan for dealingwith it, and taking immediate action, aswell as consistently guarding againstclutter in the long-term.

The Truth About Clutter

Often, we think of clutter in terms ofphysical stuff. We see books andmagazines spilled across the coffeetable, extra dishes stacked on thecounter, and clothing draped over thedresser, the treadmill and any otheravailable surface in the bedroom. Thetruth is that clutter can also be anemotional, mental and social issue. Ifyou have trouble getting to sleep becauseyour mind is crowded with competingthoughts or you are exhausted by jam-packed weekly schedules, then you mayneed to deal with clutter of a differentsort.

To define clutter, first you need to knowwhat clutter is not. Clutter is not dirt.You can be the best housekeeper in theworld when it comes to mopping thefloor and scrubbing the tub, but stillsuccumb to the problem of clutter pilingup on your shelf and desk.

Clutter is not hoarding. Hoardinginvolves an often unhealthy process ofbeing reluctant to part with unnecessarystuff. Clutter generally involves anunintentional collection of itemsthroughout your space or home.Hoarding may require outsideintervention, while clutter requires acommitment to organization.

Clutter is not necessarily the same thingas a collection. My husband’s auntcollects odds and ends from around theworld. She displays them in cabinets oron shelves. Although her house is full ofcollectibles, it does not have a feeling ofbeing cluttered. This is because the wayshe displays her items is organized andshe does not keep them in walkways orareas of common use such as kitchencounters or the dining table.

The Origins of Clutter

Before removing clutter, it is a goodidea to find out its origin. You would notscoop rising water from your basementwithout first closing off the source of theleak. Clutter comes from every personliving in a home. Kids create tons ofclutter by leaving toys out, dragginghome small goodies from parties orkids’ meals, and collecting sets of toyslike Barbies and Legos.

Adults similarly generate clutter. Weoften think we are too busy to putsomething in the proper place, so we setit on the dining table to deal with later.

Those things add up and before youknow it, a small pile is growing. Youmight also gain clutter through junk mail,catalogs and magazine subscriptions.

The key to organizing your clutter isrecognizing that you play a role increating it. Often, families never make itthrough a decluttering process becausethey are too busy blaming each other forthe problem. By admitting that everyperson plays a role in contributing toclutter, you can move forward to findinga solution.

The Cost of Clutter in YourLife

Whether or not you realize it, clutter hasa price in your life. It could be costingyou in areas of productivity, finances,emotional well-being and physicalhealth. Everyone deals with clutter intheir own way, and each person’s clutterthreshold is different. For example,when I was a teenager, my mother wouldsay, “You have got to clean that room! Itis a mess and there is stuff everywhere!”What was chaos to her ended up being acouple of pairs of jeans thrown overfurniture and several books scattered onthe floor. On the other end, my husband

had a small office in our home. Forseveral years, you could not even reachthe farthest wall due to stacks of paperand boxes of electronics. His clutterthreshold is obviously higher than mymother’s, but there is a happy mediumbetween absolute order and reigningchaos. It is in that happy medium thatmost people will find the best state.

The Cost in Productivity

One of the most common costs of clutterhas to do with productivity and time. Ifyou lose five minutes every morningsearching for something that is not in theright place, then you are giving up over

30 hours per year. If that does not seemlike a lot to you, here are some thingsyou can enjoy or do in 30 hours:

Watch 15 movies,Read three to six books,Take an overnight trip, orEarn 30 hours of overtime at yourjob.

Clutter at your office desk can costminutes every day and can even result inlost work. Social clutter may cause youto overbook appointments or waste timewith poorly made plans. Mental cluttercan slow you down and even causeanxiety that keeps you from necessarytasks. No matter how you slice it, clutter

interferes with your ability to get thingsdone.

The Cost in Dollars

Clutter can hit your wallet and you neverrealize it. The kitchen in our home isgalley style with minimal cabinet andcounter space. My husband repurposedthree old cabinets and put them in thebasement to act as an overflow pantry.The space quickly became cluttered,mostly because I did not feel like goinginto the basement to check on our cannedgood needs every time I shopped orcooked. Additionally, one of thecabinets was out of my reach and

required a stool for access. It was aperfect breeding ground for clutter, andwe did see a financial impact. I oftenbought items we already had and usedthings that were out of date. The resultwas that we threw away expired food onseveral occasions before wereorganized our food storage.

Other ways you might see a cost indollars include buying replacementitems for those that you cannot find orthat are damaged in the clutter. If you dofind an item that was part of a pile orunorganized shelf, you might find that itwas damaged and that you need to payfor repair costs. However, the cost ofclutter is not only related to the

accumulation in your home or office. Itcan also generate from the actions thatlead to clutter in the first place.

Buying items that you do not need, do nothave a place for or are purchasing on animpulse can lead to clutter. They alsocost money that you could spend onthings you really need or save for a rainyday. Retail establishments play to ourimpulses by creating attractive displaysat the end of aisles, putting things on saleand using a variety of provenpsychological methods to increase thenumber of items customers bring to thecheckout. One of my weaknesses isbuying things that are on sale for a greatdeal. If an item is regularly $20 but is

marked down to $11, I think I save $9.My husband is quick to point out that wedid not need the item or plan to buy it.Thus, instead of saving $9, we spent$11.

The Cost in Physical Health

Some people suffer physical ailmentsdue to clutter in their living space oroffice. Clutter causes an accumulation ofdust and other particles, leading toproblems with allergies. Excessiveclutter provides a breeding ground forrodents, insects and other pests. Youmay not realize that pests are buildingnests or leaving biological waste

throughout your home, but your lungswill eventually catch on. In addition todiseases that can be carried throughinsect or flea bites, excessive cluttermay increase the chance of developingor aggravating respiratory problemssuch as asthma.

Even if you do not have such an excessof clutter that it would allow pestproblems, there is still the potential forinjury. My husband collects vintagehome audio and video equipment. Attimes, this equipment sits in one of ouropen spaces while he waits for parts ordetermines where to put it. I havewalked around a piece of furniture andstubbed my toe or banged my knee on a

number of occasions. Luckily theseinjuries were minor, but when clutterexpands into the walkways of yourhome, you increase the risks ofdangerous slips and falls.

The Cost in Mental Health

At the beginning of this book, I sharedthe story about my grieving friend. At atime when she was already undergoing agreat deal of stress and emotionaltorment, the clutter in her home addedmore. You do not have to be in a tragicsituation to suffer mental costsassociated with clutter. One of the mostcommon emotional or mental issues

associated with clutter is stress. Often,this occurs when you consider havingpeople over, but you want to present anice home. Rallying the family to lastminute cleaning can be a difficult andstressful task, lessening the enjoyment ofa social gathering.

You can also experience clutter-relatedstress simply because you are constantlyaware of the stuff around you. Perhapsyou would prefer a more organizedhome, but you cannot find the time todeclutter your space. In these cases, weoften enter a dangerous mental cycle. Weavoid thinking about the problem for aslong as possible. Then, something occursthat brings the problem to the forefront.

We might have company coming, or thesearch for a needed item makes us latefor work. We resolve to fix the issue, butcannot find time. Many people start todevelop feelings of guilt regarding thesituation and that turns into burying theproblem again. As time goes by, suchmental hijinks can lead to anxiety ordepression.

The Psychology of Clutter

If any of the costs of clutter discussed inthe above section resonate with you, thenyou may want to declutter your spaceand stop paying those prices. Before youcan create a plan for ongoingorganization and declutter, you need tounderstand some things about thepsychology of clutter. Understanding thethought processes that lead to clutterwill help you stop it from occurring overand over again. After all, clearing awaythe mess only to allow it to increaseagain meets Einstein’s definition ofinsanity.

Insanity is doing the same thingover and over again and expectingdifferent results. – Albert Einstein.

Why We Keep Things

Physical clutter arises because we keepitems in our homes or offices. One of thekey aspects of conquering clutter is tounderstand why you keep the things youdo. Generally, we keep extra orunneeded items around because webelieve we might need them in the future;we have a sentimental attachment tothem or we perceive a value in theobject that makes it hard to throw away.

A Possible Future Need

It is amazing what we keep because wemight need it in the future. My husbandkeeps all sorts of cardboard boxes andcontainers. He might need to storesomething or ship something. I have aproblem with hanging on to bits andpieces of craft supplies. I will keep atiny ball of yarn because I mightincorporate it into a future crochetproject. It matters very little that I rarelyhave time to crochet anymore or that I donot like the color. I perceive a possiblefuture use, so I am hard pressed to tossout an otherwise useless item. In ourbasement at this moment, we have

several half-used cans of house paint, astack of old carpet squares and a fewodd bits of plywood. We have no plansfor using these items in the immediatefuture, but we still hold onto them.

The trick with evaluating items like thisis that you very well might have a usefor them in the future. It would be ashame to toss out perfectly good andcostly wood, and then realize you wantto build a shelf. My husband’s familytells a story of how his father got sotired of the craft supply collection intheir home that he went on a cleaningspree. As he swept random paper andother items into the garbage, heinadvertently tossed out a pair of real

diamond earrings. They also tell a storyabout how my father-in-law hid all hisbaseball cards in a special location inhis boyhood home. Years later hismother threw out a box of mint-conditionand valuable cards because they lookedlike junk to her.

It takes a well-disciplined mind toevaluate items in the clutter pile todetermine if they truly have a futurevalue or use. To keep yourself fromgoing to either extreme, carefullyconsider each item with others in yourhome. Ask these questions:

Is there a concrete plan to use theitem within the next six to twelve

months?Is the item in good working order?Is the item of significant monetaryvalue?

If you can answer yes to at least two ofthe above questions, then the item maybe worth storing. Otherwise, you shouldstrongly consider getting rid of it. Thereare ways to decrease the struggle it takesto get rid of an item. I reduced most ofmy yarn stash by giving it to a younglady who was learning to crochet. Shewas delighted with the abundant yarnchoice and quickly put almost all of it touse.

Sentimental Collections

There are some things that are simplyirreplaceable due to sentimental value.Old pictures capture favorite memories,family heirlooms harken back to ourhistory and small mementos remind us ofgreat events. It can be hard to get rid ofsentimental items, so you may want toconsider a more organized storageoption. Pictures can be scanned into thecomputer and stored on an external harddrive. Not only will this reduce clutter,it will also preserve your memoriessafely.

Collections and heirlooms can be kept inwell-organized cabinets or spacedthroughout the home as tastefuldecorations. Remember what I said

about my husband’s aunt? Because she isorganized, her collections do notactually create clutter.

When keeping things for theirsentimental value, you do need to ensurethat they are irreplaceable and reallyevoke personal emotions. Plasticsouvenirs from your latest beach tripmight not make the cut, but a smallmemento from your honeymoon is oftenworth keeping.

Monetary Value

If you paid good money for an item, youmay find it difficult to throw away, evenif you know you have no use for it. In

cases like this, it is best to give the itemto a friend, donate it for a tax break orsell it online or in a yard sale. It is mucheasier to part with such items when youare receiving some sort of value inreturn.

Declutter Your Home

Once you take stock of your cluttersituation and understand where yourclutter is coming from, it is time to beginworking on the problem. You havealready learned that clutter takes onmany forms and will differ from personto person. Almost everyone has somesort of clutter in their home, so thissection provides a step-by-step look atdecluttering your home.

Create a Plan

Before you take action, you shouldcreate a plan. An organized approach to

clearing clutter ensures that you do notmake mistakes such as tossing outdiamond earrings. A plan also allowsyou to approach clutter in a systemicfashion that reduces feelings of anxiety.By tackling small sections of your home,you reduce burnout and create workabletasks that can be completed over time.

Your plan should define the locations ofclutter in your home, divide the workinto smaller rooms or areas, and ensurethat all necessary individuals participatein the work. Including your family in theplan creates a corporate environmentthat will make it more likely that youwill remain organized in the future. Italso ensures that valuable items are not

thrown away. My mother is known forquick and efficient cleaning, but she isalso known for tossing out items that arevaluable to someone else. If there areother people living in the home, then youneed their input.

Create, Keep, Throw, Give Away andSell Piles

As you tackle each space in your home,you need to know what you will do withthe items. Moving them from place toplace simply prolongs the time you livewith clutter. Instead, create piles foritems that you want to keep, throw away,give away or sell. Once you are done

with an area, make sure you take care ofeach pile immediately. Find anorganized way to store or house all theitems you are keeping. Place the items inthe throw away pile in a large garbagebag and haul it to the curb. Makearrangements to give away or sell theother items as quickly as possible. Thelast thing you want to do is create fourpiles that become long-term clutter.

Tackle Small Jobs

Decluttering an entire house can takehours or days. Likely, you do not havethat kind of time. Instead, you can spenda couple of hours each week on

decluttering by tackling small spaces. Asingle bookshelf, closet, under the bed,or a wall of the garage are all greatareas to start with. You will alsoincrease your motivation byaccomplishing each job. You may notrealize it, but breaking tasks into small,easily achievable chunks is a provenmental motivator that increases yourenergy and willingness to complete theentire project.

Tips for Decluttering EachRoom

Kitchen

Go through your dishes, pots andutensils and consider getting rid ofduplicates or extras. You mighthave saved a plate or two from anold set, but if you do not use theitems regularly or can make dowithout them, pass them on tosomeone else or donate them. Dothe same with all other items inyour kitchen to make some room inyour cabinets for betterorganization.Go through your plastic ware andmatch tops to bottoms. Do not keepmismatched pieces. Create anorganized storage area so that youcan easily grab matching pieces

when needed.Avoid keeping plastic butter,whipped cream or other similardishes unless you have a specificand immediate use for them.Use small pieces of wood to buildshelves in your cabinet or pantryfor canned goods. Store cannedgoods in rows of like items with theoldest food in front to avoid tossingitems that are beyond the expirationdate.Browse your pantry and fridgeprior to shopping to create a list offoods you actually need. Shop onlyfrom the list.Store items in the refrigerator insee-through plastic or glass

containers to help your family knowwhat foods are available.Convert bulky boxes of cereal orpasta to air-tight plastic containersthat are easier to stack and store.

Bathroom

Use small baskets or dividers tomake the most of available drawerspace. Divide items by use. Forexample, cosmetics could go in onebasket, items used for tooth care inanother and items that you may onlyoccasionally use in another.Arrange extra bottles of shampooand other personal items in an

orderly fashion on a shelf to keepyourself from buying supplies youdo not need.Use plastic milk crates to makeextra shelves or storage spaces inlarge cabinets.Buy a small caddy for each personin the home. They can put theirpersonal shampoo, conditioner,razor or other items in the caddyand pull it out when it is time for ashower. This will keep the bathtubfrom collecting a dozen bottles.Make use of open shelving to storeitems in attractive baskets or tostore stacks of color-matchedtowels instead of decorativeelements that provide no

functionality.

Bedrooms

Avoid shoving items under the bedwhere dust and other particlesbuild up. If you must use under bedstorage space, purchase shallowplastic tubs to hold items. This is agreat way to store seasonalclothing, because it keeps the fabricclean, dry, and protected frommoths.Make it a point never to leaveclothing on the bed or draped overother furniture. Put clothing awayimmediately and use a hamper or

basket for dirty items.Make your bed each day toautomatically enhance the look ofyour bedroom and motivateyourself to keep it clean.Make sure dressers are anappropriate size for your clothingand avoid stuffing them full. Gothrough your clothing periodicallyand get rid of anything you have notworn in over a year.

Living Area and Dining Room

Avoid the temptation of flat spaces.Any flat space in your living area islikely to gather items. However, if

you put a few decorative items onthe top of shelves or tables, itmakes it a less obvious place forlaying down burdens.Spend ten minutes every dayclearing clutter from the couch,living room floor and spaces likecoffee tables, end tables or diningtables.Buy a small basket or bin foreveryone in the family. Label themwith names and stack them in acorner. Go through the living anddining spaces daily and place itemsin the appropriate basket. Eachmember of the family is thenresponsible for returning their ownitems to the appropriate place.

Be careful with decorativeelements. There is a fine linebetween aesthetic value and clutter.If items are getting in the way ofeveryday living, then you may needto relocate or get rid of some ofyour accents.Clear the dining table after everymeal and wipe it down. Leavingsmall dishes or unused items on thetable can create an ongoing cluttersituation.

Garage

Install shelves along at least onewall of the garage to keep clutter

off the open floor.When possible, avoid storing itemsin cardboard boxes. Use clearplastic or labeled bins to storeitems in a safe, organized way.Install ceiling and wall hooks orpegs to store bikes, sportsequipment or tools.Keep balls and other small itemsaway from the parking area byinstalling a mesh sports hammockin one corner.

Basements and Attics

Avoid storing items on the floor ofthe basement to reduce the chance

of water damage. Use plastic binswhen possible and build shelvesalong the wall.Provide each person their ownsection of the basement or attic andrequire that everyone label theitems they store. This will helpduring family decluttering days.Schedule two days a year when thefamily goes through the basementand attic to determine what shouldbe kept, and reorganize anycluttered areas.Keep items that will be accessedregularly in the most convenientlocations, and store seasonal orless frequently used items at thetop, back or bottom of storage

areas.When possible, make use of thewall or ceilings to hang items forstorage.

Closets

Hang all clothes with the hookfacing out. When you wear an item,hang it back in the same place andturn the hook in. After a year orother appropriate time period, getrid of any item with the hook stillfacing out.Use hanging racks or bag-storagesystems to store shoes and othersmall items.

Keep linens and other items inplastic storage bins on shelves.This keeps them from hanging downand getting in the way, makes themeasier to stack and protects themfrom bugs and dirt. Do the samewith seasonal clothing to lengthenthe life of your items.Use vacuum-seal bags wherepossible to reduce the amount ofstorage space you need. However,avoid using such bags for items youneed more than once a month, as itcan be tiresome to retrieve andrestore these things.Avoid storing items directly on thefloor of any closet. If there is

enough floor room, put a shelf inthe closet or use plastic bins orcrates to create additionalorganization.

Declutter Your Office

One of the areas where there is a highproduction cost related to clutter is inthe office. Whether you work from home,in an office or in a cubicle or sharedworkspace, clutter can reduce efficiencyand create an inhospitable workenvironment. Clutter in a business officecan even cause problems for others orreduce the efficiency of your staff.

For years, I had a boss who was knownfor the clutter of his desk and office. Itwas common knowledge that you neverleft anything of value on his desk, and ifyou gave him a document, you always

made a copy first. We were working ona high-level project with a tight deadlineonce, and he asked one of my employeesfor a copy of something that was sent tous only in hardcopy. Like a goodemployee, she immediately handed itover and he lost it. It cost numeroushours in phone time to get another copy.To avoid causing this type of frustrationfor yourself or anyone else, it is vital tokeep an organized workspace.

Organizing Your Desk

I always thought that a desk with a ton ofdrawers and several bins or traysoffered the best chance for reducing

clutter. Although that may be true forsome people, over the years I found thatdrawers just offered another place toshove paper I probably did not need, andinboxes and outboxes were hardly everused appropriately. On the other hand, agood friend of mine created a space withcarefully labeled file drawers, dozens ofsmall baskets and bins and a four-traypriority system for paperwork. Her deskwas full, but never cluttered, and thatsystem worked for her. What I am tryingto say is that the most important thing inreducing clutter in your office is findinga system that works for you.

If you are an organized and detailedperson, then keeping up with numerous

drawers and bins may be easy.Otherwise, you may provide yourselfwith extra work and stress because youhave to take time out of your busy weekto put your desk back in order.Regardless of the method you choose,here are a few important tips for keepinga clutter-free and organized desk space.

Label your filing system and bins.When you are away, other peopleshould be able to locate importantitems with minimal searching.Prioritize your work and get itdone. A main reason for deskclutter is putting off work. As itsits, other things pile up on top andyou may find yourself losing work

or missing deadlines.Operate on a trash, pass or actmentality. Every piece of paper thatcrosses your desk should beevaluated. Is it something that isneeded, or is it junk mail orsomething that is already availableon the computer? Trash things youdo not need. Is it something youwill handle? If not, pass it onimmediately to the proper person. Ifit is something you need to handle,act on it immediately.Use a follow-up filing system tokeep track of work when you arewaiting on a reply or action fromsomeone else. An expandable fileor file drawer works great for this.

Label your folders “Today,”“Tomorrow,” “This week,” “Overa week.” Paper clip items for eachday together and put them in theappropriate folder. Go through thefolder labeled “Today” at thebeginning of each day. Move the“Tomorrow” contents to the todayfolder and the first paper-clippedpacket of the “This week” folderinto the “Tomorrow” slot.Avoid letting other people createclutter by labeling a single bin ortray for incoming items. Go throughthat tray several times a day tohandle or file items. If you can putthe incoming bin on a wall or

outside your door, it reduces cluttereven more.

Organizing Filing Cabinets

It is sheer irony that the filing cabinet,which was designed to help organizeoffices, is one of the easiest places tocreate clutter. If you have a filingcabinet, I bet if you start going throughthe paperwork, you will find items fromyears ago. My husband and I recentlywent through a small filing cabinet in ourhome office. The bottom was filled withrandom items like a stapler, cassettetapes, cords and old cell phones. Thetop was stuffed with hanging folders and

paper. I found files full of maintenancetickets on cars we no longer owned andbank records for accounts my husbandhad more than twelve years ago.Although the cabinet looked organizedfrom the outside, the inside was full ofclutter.

Regardless of whether you keep filingcabinets in your home or work space,there are some things you can do toreduce paper clutter.

Always use labeled, hanging filefolders and ensure that you putitems in the proper place. Thismakes it easier to find informationlater.

Create proper categories for yourfiles. We had files for every pieceof home equipment when a singlefolder labeled “Home manuals andwarranties” would have sufficed.Remember the expert requirementsregarding data. Financial data canbe shredded after seven to tenyears, depending on your industry.Warranty information can bescrapped once the warranty datehas passed.Invest in a scanner and externalhard drive to minimize the amountof paper you need to keep.Although you do need to keeporiginal birth certificates, social

security information and anythingwith a certified seal, you can createelectronic copies of a lot of otheritems.Clear out the filing cabinet at leastonce a year. Set a date each year tosit down with anyone elseconcerned and go through filingcabinet contents. If you havelabeled and dated everything in anorganized way, it should not takelong to clear out the oldestpaperwork.

Declutter Your Computer

Like the filing cabinet, the computer is a

secret habitat for clutter. One of my firstjobs was as a legal secretary for a smalllaw firm. The attorney I worked for andhis paralegal had a detailed hierarchy offiles with requirements on file names.Each case had a folder. Within thatfolder were subfolders with titles suchas “Correspondence,” “DepositionTranscripts,” “Deposition Summaries,”and “Trial Notes.” If I typed a letter toan opposing counsel named Smithdictated on January 2, 2012, I wouldsave it Smith_Ltr_010212 in thecorrespondence folder of theappropriate case. If I typed a Motion toDismiss dictated on August 14, 2012, Iwould name it MotionDismiss_081412.It might seem like an extremely detailed

system, but it did not take extra time tosave the document with these details andanyone in the legal office could find thefile if they needed it.

Create a similar file system fordocuments on your computer. If youmanage others who share files, ensurethey understand how to name each fileand where to save them. You should alsogo through old files periodically anddelete or archive any that are not useful.

Declutter Your Life andReduce Stress

So far, we have only covered clutter ofthe physical or electronic spaces. Youcan also have clutter in the mental,social and media areas of your life. Thisclutter can be much more difficult todeal with, because it is hard to identify.It is not something you see, butsomething you feel. Because of this, youmay not realize that you are feelingcluttered. Often, life clutter results instress and anxiety. In some cases, it canlead to anger, depression and otherserious mental health conditions. Thissection will deal with tips and

instructions for reducing life clutter anddealing with the effects of clutter on youremotions and mental functions.

Dealing with Mental Clutter

You know that feeling of beingphysically exhausted but having a racingmind when you lie down for the night?That is a symptom of mental clutter. Theinability to relax or to concentrate on asingle task often arises because you havetoo much going on in your mind. Mostpeople cannot simply shove theirconcerns and responsibilities aside, butthere are some things you can do to dealwith these issues and create a more

functional mentality toward life.

Relaxation Techniques

One of the most fundamental relaxationtechniques is proper breathing. Whenyou become overwhelmed or anxious,your breathing quickens. This increasesyour heart rate and throws the amount ofoxygen you take in out of proportion.Taking a moment to concentrate solelyon your breathing to return it to a slow,rhythmical pattern calms the fight-or-flight reaction in your body and willhelp you consider issues more clearly.

Movement is often a way to expungenervous energy and relax your mind.

Short and vigorous walks, a couple ofrounds up and down the stairs, somestretching exercises or a turn on thetreadmill are all great ways to reducestress. Add some music via headphonesand an MP3 player to help redirect yourmind from the clutter of problems orthoughts occupying center stage.

For a quick mental getaway from anylocation, practice visualizing imagery.Imagine a restful place using all of yoursenses. Think about how it looks,sounds, feels, tastes, and smells. Using aplace you know well can help bring itrealistically to mind, and concentratingon all of the sensations will take yourmind away from the current task and

provide a soothing mental break.

There are many ways to achieve arelaxed or calm mindset. I personallyfind online or phone app games likeBubble Pop soothe my mind and calmmy breathing. My husband likes to ventto a friend or family member as a way toget the mental kinks out, and one lady Iknow finds a hot cup of tea and a fewquiet moments to be the perfect remedyto a stressful afternoon.

Learn to Let Go

Sometimes, mental clutter arises becausewe hold all of our responsibilities closeto our chest. Often, we can delegate

some of our tasks to others or ask forhelp. It can be difficult to let go of workor obligations, but over committing isbad for you and bad for the people youare trying to help. Learn to delegateappropriate tasks and trust capablepeople to handle them. You can alsodelegate in your home and social life.Do not snap up every volunteeropportunity that comes your way, andask the kids to carry some of the burdenof housework. By allowing people tohelp, you free yourself up to providequality time and effort to tasks that youcannot delegate.

Single-Tasking

The constantly connected, fast-pacedworld of today has made everyone amultitasker. As a business manager, Ioften saw applicants list multitasking asone of their strengths, probably becauseit was a keyword that they thoughtinspired confidence. While multitaskingis certainly necessary in many aspects oflife, there are times when you need toshut out the clamor and concentrate onthe task at hand. Allowing the weight ofyour to-do list to interrupt work, play orother activities can diminish yourproductivity or enjoyment.

Get in Touch with Nature

The natural world provides plenty ofideas on how to live a less cluttered life.You do not see wildlife bounding aboutat madcap paces to pay the bills andsocialize. Instead, they go about theirwork with a steady pace meant to seethem through the winter. Getting out intothe world and enjoying its beautifulsights and sounds is also a great way toclear your mind and separate yourselffrom the clutter of your life. Go on ashort walk in the park, take an afternoonhike or bike ride, or get away for aweekend cabin stay in the woods.Musician Jeremy Camp writes in hisbook, I Still Believe, that he often soughtsolace and prayer time in the woods

when he was confused or depressedwith life. Getting away providesperspective and allows you to see whatshould and should not be in your life.

For more tips and advice on living a lessstressful life, check out my book, De-Stress Your Life: Reduce Anxiety,Increase Energy, and Enjoy Your Stress-Free Life.

Declutter Your Social Life

An excessively busy social life can bethe fast track to mental clutter. I am notproposing that you become a hermit ordevelop antisocial habits, but I do think

there is something to be said formoderation in all things. Take a look atyour day planner or calendar. If the daysare nothing more than swirls of ink andpenciled-in tasks, it is possible yourweek is cluttered beyond reason. If youdo not have a calendar or planner, thenyou may have a cluttered social lifewithout even realizing it.

Keeping a Calendar

One of the first steps in decluttering yoursocial life is getting a visible look atyour activities. You do not need tosplurge on an expensive leather planner,but purchasing a reasonably priced

pocket calendar or planner is a goodidea. I find that buying a small planner inAugust is the best method. Schoolplanners make perfect life planners, andyou can generally find a quality itemduring back-to-school season forbetween $3 and $10.

Planners are a personal choice, so youwill need to experiment with whatworks best for you. I like a small bookthat includes at least five lines for eachday of the week. I also prefer that theplanner is already filled in with monthsand dates, because I have consistentproblems with filling them in myself. Afriend who pastors a small churchprefers to use the electronic planner in

his smartphone. He must make on-the-spot commitments and found he wouldnot always have his planner with him.After double- or triple-booking his timeon several occasions, he startedrecording everything in his phone. Theadded benefit is that the phone providesan alarm chime for each appointment.

Find a method of calendaring that worksfor you. My mother uses a simple wallcalendar on the fridge to recordappointments and important dates. I usea more detailed planner to keep track ofappointments, social events, due dateson jobs and more. The key isconsistency.

Learn to Say No

Once you look at your schedule in aplanner or calendar, you will see howbusy you really are. If there is little roomto write anything else in a given week,you may need to back off some of yoursocial engagements. Many people have atendency to never say no to things. Theydo not want to miss out on good times,social climbing, networking or importantjobs. A good friend is fond of saying,“People always say they do not haveenough time. Well, everyone has thesame amount. Everyone has 24 hoursevery day.”

The key to reducing social clutter is not

gaining more time. It is prioritizing yourtime appropriately, and that meanslearning to say no. If the family has beenon the go all week, say no to the Fridaydinner invitation so everyone can getsome needed downtime. Make it a pointto spend a certain number of evenings inevery week at home and schedule theother evenings carefully. You shouldalways be gracious when declininginvitations and try to avoid turning thesame friends down every week.However, if a friend cannot understandthat you are tired or need somenonsocial time to relax and rejuvenate,then he or she may not be a friend youwant to keep close.

Quality Over Quantity

Another detrimental aspect of living in afast-paced world is the common habit oftrying to fit more in a day than 24 hourscan reasonably accommodate. Busypeople want to do it all. They want toperform well at work, shine in socialsettings, be good parents, spouses orfriends and have a little me-time left atthe end of the day. While all of these arenoble goals, fitting everything in everyday may not be possible. Even if you domanage to schedule it all, the time spenton each activity may be forced, rushedor confusing. Instead, choose to dofewer things, but do them well. Instead

of striving to spend two hours of familytime every night, spend four awesomehours on Saturday. Instead of saying yesevery time a friend suggests an activity,pick only those things that you willactually enjoy together and that do notimpinge on other obligations.

Keep a Group Calendar

As my son grows older, my family ismore likely to make plans that do notcoordinate. As soon as he hit middleschool, I created a white board system inthe hall off our kitchen. There aresections for him to write down projectsand test dates, social events and items

that he needs from us. There is also asection for us to write down things weneed from him. A small calendar hangsnext to that board and everyone writestheir appointments and social events onit. This little area in our hall ensures thatno one schedules an event that is at oddswith someone else’s, and that we are allaware of what we need to do to ensuremy son does well in school.

If you have several children in school,you might consider providing each asmall whiteboard or bulletin board. Youcan also choose a door or wall in yourhome and paint it with whiteboard orchalkboard paint. This converts theentire space into an easy-to-access

message and planning board.

Declutter Your Media

When you hear about decluttering andorganization, media probably nevercrosses your mind. The truth is, manypeople’s lives are full of unnecessaryelectronic media such as television,social networking and video games. I amnot one of those hardcore folks whowant you to toss out the big screenbecause television rots your brain.However, I do think many people spendfar too much time in front of a screen ofsome sort and this can have an impact ontheir entire life.

Recent statistics from StatisticBrain.comindicate that the average child in theUnited States spends more hours in ayear watching television than they do inschool. The average person watchesapproximately 25 hours of television ormovies each week. That is a massivedrain on time and we have not evenincluded Internet use. You could bespending 40 or 50 hours each week onthese pursuits. That is equal to a fulltime job. By cutting back on electronicmedia activity, you free up yourschedule for quality time with friends,productive work, and other activitiesthat will help you achieve goals.

Declutter Television Habits

Think about how you watch television.Are there times when you sit in front ofthe screen and watch whatever is on outof habit or inertia? You are alreadythere, so you just tune in to the nextprogram. There is a difference betweenpassive television viewing like this andwatching a show you really enjoy. Thereis a value to watching something that isentertaining and touches your heart ormind. Our family enjoys watchingcertain programs together because ofthis. Here are some things you can do toimprove your television habit, so thatyou are watching programs you really

enjoy and cutting out all the time-eatingfluff.

Decide how much television youcan afford to watch each week.Make a list of shows to watch andstop when you reach the allottedtime. This will force you toprioritize.Record shows on a DVR or TiVoand fast-forward throughcommercials to reduce the totaltime spent on a show.Purchase or rent shows on DVD toincrease your family’s control overwhen and how you watchtelevision.Designate a certain time each

evening for television. Our familywatches television between 7:00p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weeknights.When you start watching a show,evaluate how you or the familyfeels about it. Never keep watchinga show just because you started it.Your time is valuable, and youwant to fill it with entertainmentyou truly enjoy.

Declutter Social Media Habits

How many social media accounts do youhave and how often do you check them?As a freelance writer, I struggled withtime management for several months. I

could not figure out how so many hourspassed by, but I did not get much workdone. As I took stock of how I spent thetime, I realized that I was habituallychecking Facebook every time I used mybrowser. I was not spending a great dealof time during each session, but a fewminutes were wasted every time. Itprobably added up over the course of aday to two hours or more.

Take stock of your social media habits.You may be filling your time withTwitter, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedInand more. In addition to reducing yourproductivity, social media use might addto your mental clutter. I found that when Iread updates from numerous friends

every few hours, my mind becameoccupied with things other than the taskat hand. From worry about sick friendsto envy over someone’s newest vacationpictures, I was being distracted.Decluttering your social media habitsinvolves recognizing that they are a badhabit. Once you can do that, here aresome tips for keeping social mediaconnections without having an impact onyour productivity and mentalconcentration.

Unless you need multiple accountsfor business networking purposes,choose one or two accounts thatyou use regularly and where youcan interact with the most friends.

Avoid liking, friending orfollowing every person youencounter online. Keep your listsmanageable, and subscribe only toitems you really want to read abouteach day.Keep social media buttons off yourmenu bars. If you have to type theaddress in, you are more likely tothink about what you are doing. Iwas habitually clicking on theFacebook button and navigatingsocial media before I realized whatI was doing. Sometimes, I did noteven mean to go to social mediaand instead, meant to conductresearch online!

Do not make use of “keep melogged in” options. Again, if youhave to type in your user name andpassword each time, you willrealize how much time you spendaccessing social media.Set times for accessing socialmedia. I check mine in the morning,at lunch and in the early afternoon.My friend uses Facebook as areward. Each time she completes acertain amount of work, she sets atimer for five minutes of Facebookuse.

How to Maintain YourClutter-Free Life for the

Long Haul

Decluttering your life is not easy, butmaintaining a decluttered state is evenharder. It is not impossible and shouldnot be stressful, but it does take workand a commitment to the process.Obviously, you need the continued buy-in and support of the entire household.Support from close friends andcoworkers is also helpful, especially ifyou share work or living spaces. Youneed to create a plan and commit to it.Clutter will not stay out on its own, andyou will periodically need to devote

time to reorganizing or cleaning acluttered area.

The number one key in maintaining aclutter-free life long-term is motivation.We all know people who have spenthours cleaning, organizing andredecorating a room. Perhaps we arethose people. We present the stunningresults to family and friends and we takepictures. I always take pictures of aroom I just redecorated or organized,because I have the secret thought that itwill never look that good again. This isthe wrong way of thinking. Instead, Ishould commit to keeping things clutter-free. Here are a few tips for developingthat thought process.

When you declutter, create an easy-to-maintain organization. Simple,easy-to-access organization is thebest way to ensure everyone willcontinue to use the system.Spend ten to twenty minutes eachday putting your area back into itsproper order. This is where basketswith names come in handy. Makeeveryone responsible for puttingtheir own things away.Reinforce the idea that adecluttered space is more livable.Note how easy it is to work in aspace, find things you need and livein the space.Never be too hard on yourself. If

the dining room table collects someclutter, you have not failed. You aresimply living in your space. Justmake sure you clear it away at thenext appropriate time.

Three Steps You Can TakeRight Now

I’ve provided a lot of information in thise-book, and you may be overwhelmed.Take a moment to look back at thechapter on relaxation and just breathe.Dealing with clutter should reduce thestress in your life, not add to it. You canbegin with simple and small tasks suchas the three easy steps below.

Create a Plan

Get a pen and a notebook. Make a list ofall the areas in your life where youwould like to see more organization and

less clutter. This is the beginning of yourplan. Do not try to tackle every area atonce. Instead, divide each area intosubsections. Your home might bedivided into a living room, dining area,bedroom, closet and kid’s room. Youroffice would be divided into desk, filingcabinet and bookshelf. You could evenmake further divisions for easier-to-conquer tasks, such as top desk drawer,left desk drawer, top filing cabinetdrawer, and so on. Next to eachsubdivision, write the names of anyonewho shares that space or is responsiblefor that space. You will need to meetwith that person, explain why declutteris necessary and develop a cooperativeplan of action.

Choose a Space

Choose only one space to work on,depending upon the time you haveavailable. If you have fifteen minutesbefore leaving the office, clear out thesmall desk drawer. If you have fourhours on a Saturday, tackle the diningroom or a closet. Circle that item andmark it out when you are done. Circlethe next item on your list and tackle it thenext time you have a few moments orhours.

Reward Yourself

To increase your motivation for the job,do not forget about rewards. If you havedecluttered the bathroom, you mightenjoy a relaxing shower in the newlyorganized space. You could also relaxwith a cup of hot tea, read a good bookfor half an hour or splurge on a candybar. Positive motivation will increaseyour willingness to move forward withthe long-term project.

The Office Has a Floor: ADecluttering Success Story

The downstairs bedroom in our funky A-frame home was a running joke for manyyears among our extended family. Whenwe moved into the home, my husbandoccupied the space as an office. At thetime, he was working at home and I wasnot. Over the course of a year, the spacewas filled with boxes, filing cabinets,peg boards and miscellaneous items. Bythe end of that year, you could only seethe floor in a slim path from the door tohis chair. After my husband startedworking outside the home again, theoffice simply sat without change for

several years. He could make it to thecomputer and seemed to be able tolocate necessary supplies, but it wasalways a hassle.

After several years, I started working athome and we decided the office neededto be a shared workspace. There was noway I was working amid piles of boxesand paperwork, even if I could see away to clear a space for my small desk.We made a shared commitment toclearing the office. I thought the jobwould take days, but my husband said,“It has to be done Friday night. It is theonly time we have.”

With that looming deadline in mind, we

went to work. We even had my son helpsort papers and organize trash. Over thecourse of four hours, we threw awaytwo garbage bags filled with paper,discovered that my husband was noteven using the small closet, and sortedthrough two filing cabinets full ofancient documents. We placed a shelf inthe unused closet to increase our storagespace and cleared the entire floor. Wealso divided the space. I have one walland he has the opposite. We placed a binnear the door labeled “To be filed,”because my husband is fond of tossingpaper to the side for later. My desk is asimple table with a single small drawerto prevent me from indulging my habit ofstuffing drawers full of stuff. You can

see that we addressed each person’sclutter habits in the design of the room,and it has been easy to keep clean since.

My brother-in-law walked into theoffice shortly after we organized it andcried, “My goodness! There’s a floor inhere!”

Unclutter your “floors” today and makethe best use of your space, time andmental energy. Begin taking steps todeclutter your life, reduce stress andmeet goals with increased productivityand motivation.

Share Your Success

If you found the information in this bookhelpful for your life and would like topass on any of these tips to your familyand friends, I invite you to share thebook on your social media pages. I alsoinvite you to review the book onAmazon.com. Feedback is alwaysappreciated, and I would love to hearwhich advice was most helpful to yourlife.

MICHELLE STEWART

Other Books by MichelleStewart

The Frugal Life: The Simple Path toLiving a Good Life on a Budget

Author Michelle Stewart delivers acommon sense approach to living asimple, frugal life. With tips that includehow to save money in almost any area ofyour home, how to cut back onentertainment costs without giving upfun, and how to incorporate your entirefamily into the process, The Frugal Lifeoffers advice that will work for busymoms or anyone trying to save money forthe future.

Michelle Stewart goes beyond tips aboutsaving a few cents with coupons orcutting back on unnecessary spending.Through real-life illustrations, she looksat the reasons people spend too muchmoney and outlines some steps for

changing the way you think aboutfinances. Anyone can save money, paydown debt, and live a more peacefullife; they just need to be willing to makesome basic changes in how they dealwith money.

Get the book:www.amazon.com/dp/B00B6EFPEK/

The Beautiful Home: DecoratingIdeas on a Budget for Your DreamHome

Author Michelle Stewart brings apractical approach to home decorating in

The Beautiful Home. Drawing on herprevious work in Declutter Your Life,De-Stress Your Life, and The FrugalLife, Stewart approaches decoratingwith an eye toward enhancing overallhealth, saving money, and presenting abeautiful home.

Home decorating is a fun hobby forsome, and a worrisome chore for others.Many people never get started withdecorating, because they are afraid theywill mess everything up. Stewartpromotes decorating tactics that canalways be undone, and advises newbiedecorators to avoid permanent changes.She explores how little things can makea big difference, and provides

introductory tips on how color, themes,organization, and creativity can becombined to create a stunning room.With a combination of broad tips,inspiring full-color photographs andinstructions for detailed projects, TheBeautiful Home offers information aboutdecorating that anyone can put in motion.

Get the book:www.amazon.com/dp/B00C107DLQ/

De-Stress Your Life: Reduce Anxiety,Increase Energy, and Enjoy YourStress-Free Life

Michelle Stewart uses her professionaland personal experiences, as well as

current research, to deliver a short,concise and common-sense book aboutdealing with stress in your life. De-Stress Your Life is full of tips forlearning to deal with negative thoughts,keeping work-related stress from takingover your life, and dealing withrelationship and social stressors.

The first step in dealing with stress isadmitting that you are stressed andlocating the root of the problem. Manypeople fail to admit to their stressbecause they feel it will show weakness,lack of control, or an imperfect life.Michelle Stewart does a great job ofsharing relevant examples from her lifethat show the truth about stress. Whether

you are dealing with money matters, thework place, your home, or your ownmental worries, stress is completelynormal. De-Stress Your Life offers basicand easy-to-use advice about dealingwith a normal problem in a healthy,positive way.

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