Are you feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by mounting clutter and are not sure where to start? Would you like to activate your decluttering rhythm? If so, think mini projects. Each tiny step you take will help you feel lighter, less stressed, and happier. Using short, quick energy bursts, focused on easy projects, will result in the “voilà” factor.

Are you curious about the “voilà” factor? It’s that sense of satisfaction and positive energy surge we experience when a task is completed and we stop to appreciate the results.

I’ve identified five mini projects for areas that clutter collects. Try one and let me know what happens.

5 Quick Decluttering Tips

1. Pencil Cup – Is your pencil cup overflowing with writing utensils that don’t work or you don’t like? Time to declutter.

• Grab a piece of scrap paper.

• Empty the cup of pens and pencils. Test them.

• Let go of the ones that don’t work. Sharpen the pencils you like.

• Refill the cup with only your favorite and working pens and pencils

• Voilà! You’re pencil cup is functional and clutter free.

2. Magazine Bin – Do your magazines enter your home and rarely leave? Time to declutter.

• Set a date parameter for how many back months of magazines you will keep. For example, “I will only keep the last 3 months of magazines.”

• Empty the magazine bin.

• Separate the last 3 months of magazines into one pile.

• Recycle all the rest. Refill the magazine bin.

• Voilà! Your reading time will be more focused and your bin is now clutter free.

3. Handbag – Is your handbag so full that you can’t find what you need? Time to declutter. Empty the entire contents. 

• Gather the obvious tossables first, like used tissues and food wrappers. Release them. Set aside any items that you want to keep, but don’t belong in your bag. Route them elsewhere.

• Of the remaining items, group like things together (cosmetics with cosmetics, snacks with snacks) into pouches or an organizer such as the Purse Perfector.

• Arrange the keepers back into your bag.

• Voilà! Your bag is organized and clutter free.

4. Clothing Closet – Is your closet so full that it’s difficult to get dressed? Time to declutter. This might seem like a huge project to tackle. For now, just focus with the basics. At another time, continue to the next phase.

• Remove all extra hangers. Recycle, giveaway, or reroute hangers that don’t belong. Pickup your clothes from the closet floor. Hang them up or reroute to laundry, dry cleaners, or giveaway.

• Set the timer for 10 minutes and quickly remove clothes that you absolutely no longer want. Reroute them to giveaway.

• Voilà! This is a great beginning. Your closet feels more spacious and on its way to being clutter free.

5. Email Inbox – Are you inundated by incoming email? Time to declutter.

• Focus only on the “junk” email.

• Unsubscribe to as many as possible.

• After unsubscribing, delete them.

• Voilà! You are on your way to a clutter free inbox.

Come join the conversation. I’d love to hear about your “Voilà!” moment. What quick decluttering tips work for you?

Clutter can infiltrate all areas of our lives or just a corner. We can be comfortable with our clutter or overwhelmed by it.

Are you looking to make some changes? Below are ten of the most common areas that clutter collects and some simple strategies to manage them.

10 Most Common Clutter Areas & Solutions That Will Help

1. Paper Clutter – Be honest. Do you have to keep as many papers? If released, could you easily replace them IF you needed to? Statistics show that we only retrieve 20% of the papers we file.

2. Clothing Clutter – Be ruthless. Clothing clutter management begins by asking good questions. Does it fit? Do I feel fabulous wearing it? Does it look good on me? When was the last time I wore it? Can it be donated, consigned, or given to a friend?

3. Toy Clutter – Less is easier. How many trucks, dolls, superheroes, balls, or magic wands are enough? Fewer toys mean easier maintenance, better organization, and less overwhelm for you and the kids.

4. Electronic Clutter – Establish boundaries. With 24/7 potential access and availability, setting limits about how much electronic noise you allow during the day is essential. Protect yourself and your time by turning off beeps, taking “tech-less” hours, and minimizing the sources of digital input.

5. Mind Clutter – Release thoughts. Our minds can feel as cluttered as our spaces. Too much activity “upstairs” can make us lose focus and feel frazzled. Try a brain download by transferring thoughts onto paper, computer, or voice recorder.

6. Calendar Clutter – Evaluate schedule. The “too busy” syndrome is often a function of saying “yes” without considering how that affects our stress level. If you’re overwhelmed by overscheduled days, consider these questions: What is on my “yes” list that I can convert to a “no?” What can be delegated? How much downtime do I need or want in a day?

7. Gift Clutter – Move on. Receiving gifts that we don’t like, want, or have room for is another clutter source. You do not have to keep them. Let go. Remove the guilt and the clutter by permitting those gifts to move on. Exchange, donate, or re-gift.

8. Handbag Clutter – Quick sort. An assortment of things collects in our handbags, from empty wrappers to expired ticket stubs to receipts that need to be filed. Take 5 minutes at night to do a quick clutter check. Remove all items that are expired, no longer useful, or belong elsewhere.

9. Space Clutter – Reclaim control. Excess clutter can cause stress. It’s no fun to hunt for hidden items, trip over paper stacks, or negotiate through overflowing closets. Pick one area to begin organizing and decluttering. Determine use for that area. Re-route things elsewhere that don’t belong. Be ruthless about the remaining contents. Release what isn’t useful, you no longer want, or has overstayed its welcome.

10. Someday Clutter – Don’t postpone. Keeping things because you “might” need them someday are a source of clutter accumulation. When you hear yourself uttering the “someday” phrase, ask these questions: Is it worth taking up space? Is it worth the mental energy? Is it likely I’ll actually need or use it? Is my focus on “someday” preventing me from fully living and enjoying now?

Taking action and working on just one of the cluttered areas can significantly reduce your stress and restore some balance. What area is calling your attention? Share your thoughts, tips, or other clutter challenge areas.

Our oldest daughter just graduated from college. As we returned from our trip, it became clear that an integral part of any transition, whether it's graduation or otherwise, often involves clutter reduction and management.

Clutter can be overwhelming. If you need some help, consider experimenting with some of these seven practical tips.

7 Practical Tips for Reducing Your Clutter

1. Clear Slate

Return things to square one. That might include putting away the dishes, clearing off your desk, or placing dirty clothes in the laundry basket. This will help to maintain clutter and promote mental clarity as you begin your day. When returning from our trip, it felt great to come home to a clutter-free space.

2. Think Less

How much is enough? The less stuff you have, the easier it will be to manage and maintain. While away, I was amazed by how many things I didn’t need.  I only packed a small portion of my belongings, of which not all were used. Remember the 80/20 rule. In general, we only wear 20% of the clothes we own. We only reference 20% of the papers we file.

3. Complete Cycle

Develop an awareness of what you are doing. If you have just entered the house with groceries or purchases in hand, take time to put them away. The few minutes spent doing this minimizes clutter that might otherwise collect in hallways, corners, and floors.

4. Create Homes

When things have no place to go, they start to gather in piles. Establishing a place to put your things helps reduce clutter. Make sure that what you keep is “home worthy.” Is it useful? Do you love it? Does it fit? Do you need so many? Is it time to let go? Ask the questions before putting things away.

5. Pass On

What if the clutter represents things no longer wanted? Do I really want to keep my marble collection or pants that no longer fit? Is it time to reroute them? Many people would appreciate them. Can you donate to a local charity or give it to family or friends? Many charities will pick up clothing, linens, furniture, and household items. Especially during transitions, we may find that our things “no longer fit” who we are or where we are headed. This can be a clutter-reducing motivator.

6. Use Minutes

Clutter management doesn’t have to involve hours. Doing periodic ten-minute sessions can be less overwhelming. Unpacking from our trip included clearing out my travel folder. Some items were filed, and others were recycled. I used additional minutes to look through the four-year-old college folders and clear out papers that are now irrelevant.

7. Purchase Consciously

Before purchasing, consider whether you genuinely need it and where you will store it. Factoring in this aspect of purchasing habits will prevent clutter from entering your home.

What are your favorite ways to manage and reduce clutter? 

Clutter occupies our thoughts. We wonder:

• Do I have too much? 
• Where does it come from?
• Will I ever get it organized?
• Why does other people’s clutter consume my space?

While all these questions are useful to ponder and solve, right now I’m thinking about the other side of clutter. What happens when we’ve answered those questions? Where are we then?

This spring in particular is a time of transition. Recently, I made a connection with this period of time to clutter. Our oldest daughter is about to graduate college. The four years have zoomed by. To acknowledge her journey, I created a photo album for her. As I looked through and selected the images, what I saw was a life full of “good clutter.” Spaces were filled, but not with physical clutter. Instead, they housed the most important things like family and friends sharing lively conversations, wonderful meals, laughter, love, and tears.

Like the de-cluttering process, these past years also included letting go.  We let go as both daughters went off to college. We became empty nesters. Letting go had its challenges, but it also provided the opportunity for growth.

The other side of clutter is about making room in your life for what is most important. What do you value? When you think about the clutter that takes up your space, your thoughts and your time, is it blocking you from getting to that other side? Perhaps you also are going through change. It’s a natural stage to rethink your clutter, release the extraneous, and open the door for something wonderful. What’s possible for you on other side of clutter?