We are always trying to cut down on the amount of clutter in our house. It is pretty hard for both my wife and I as we were both raised by pack rats. There are several TV shows showing how bad someones house can get when they don't keep the clutter down. However these shows rarely show how difficult the job is or if the people highlighted on the show actually keep the clutter away. These shows have lots of workers they never show and are compressed into under an hour. Here are some real practical tips to help you cut the clutter and organize your home.
- Start small - Tackling too large a job is a sure way to fail. Start with a draw or a closet. Make a list of all the areas you want to organize and work on the list for 2 hours every week. Eventually you will catch up.
- Get Rid of Stuff - If you haven't used something in over a year you probably don't need it. It can be hard to get rid of sentimental items, but try taking several digital photos of the items to remind you of them. The memories are what's important, not the item itself.
- Make a Place for Items - Make a special place for your keys, purse, wallet, watch, cell phone or anything you seem to loose. Once you have the habit of always placing your items in the same place you will always know where to find them.
- Use Drawer Organizers - You can buy a simple drawer organizer at the local office supply store or Wal-Mart for under $5. Once you have your drawer organized resist the temptation to place items that don't fit into one of the bins.
- File Your Bills - Buy a file organizer and some hanging files. Label a file for each of your bills and place them into the file when you pay it. This will really cut down on the mail clutter and save you a lot of time next time you need to find a bill.
- Throw Away Junk Mail Right Away - Junk mail is your enemy. You can stop most junk mail by going to optoutprescreen.com or you can call 1-888-567-8688. Until the opt-out kicks in be sure to throw way the junk mail everyday to keep it from piling up.
