Is your home, office and car full of clutter?  Is it hard for you to relax?  Are you disorganized?  If you can answer yes to any of these questions then it is time to de-clutter; get organized and relax!  If you want to live a clutter free life, be more organized and de-stress, it is easier than you think.  Take the first steps today and you will be reducing stress in your life almost immediately. 

If your home is cluttered, somewhat disorganized or overstuffed, relaxation can be virtually impossible.  Living in a cluttered home can create constant low-grade stress and subtly, but steadily, drain your energy.  The good news is…a few simple strategies can put you on the path towards managing your clutter and stress.  Remember organization is not a one-time deal…it requires a hands on daily routine to bring calm to your household and your time.   Here are some how to declutter tips:

• Survey your belongings – examine what you have and how you store it.  Sell or donate what you don't use.  If you have forgotten you had it, it is time to get rid of it.  This is a great time of year for a garage or yard sale.
• Keep things you use frequently in easily accessible places.  The adage 'everything has a place and everything in its place,' is a good one to adhere to here.
• Get boxes or containers for items you use only seasonally or will be storing such as holiday decorations or sports gear.  Set up a box for items that need repair (and get them repaired within a 6-week time frame or toss it).
• Keep important papers ( birth and marriage certificates, real estate deeds ) in a fireproof safe box.  Create a file for personal documents such as insurance policies and Social Security cards and the like.
• Develop a finance file for unpaid bills, bank statements and income tax papers.
• Store home-maintenance papers ( warranties, receipts, manuals ) in another place. Like in a folder kept in a desk drawer designated for just such things.
• Create consistent, regular "systems" for who will do what and when.  Dived household chores, and schedule when they should be accomplished.
• Assign certain days for paying bills.  I highly recommend taking advantage of online or computer-bill paying.  It is a terrific time saver.
• Manage your time efficiently by planning activities on a calendar and making to-do lists.  Take advantage of days off or weekends to plan meals for the week ahead, and complete your grocery list at the same time.  Keep track of all family activities and rehearsals, practices and work schedules on one master sheet.
• When you get your mail each day, immediately eliminate what is junk and put each correspondence in its place (remember to shred and recycle paper).  If you take care of mail as soon as you get it now…don't start a pile that you'll 'deal with' later.  That leads to clutter.
• Emails – take the same approach as outlined for regular mail…touch it or read it only once.  When you open your email assign it a home, either 'needs attention' or 'action completed' folder.  Make an effort to handle email at certain times a day rather than throughout the day.
• Get into the habit of cleaning up after yourself.  Put things back into their place right away.
• Take a few minutes at the end of the day to plan for the next day.  You can fix lunches for the next day while you're fixing dinner today.  You can lay out clothes for you and the kids before going to bed.  Keep a box by the door where children leave their gym bags, homework, or book bags so everyone knows where their things are during the morning rush.  All these tips help keep things calmer in the morning.

As you develop stress relieving habits in your daily life, you should be able to handle the stress you do experience, leading to a happier, healthier life.  Just remember a cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind.  If you can de clutter your surroundings and get organized, it will lead to stress reduction.  I promise you that if you start organizing clutter you will be reducing stress in your life.  Start living a clutter free life today! 

If you have any tips on how to declutter or some stress management tips or on how to get organized, we would love to hear them.  Hope to hear from you!  Enjoy Life!!!

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