When we arrange significant photos or items carefully, surround them with pretty things like candles and sentimental odds and ends, we’re creating a space to honor the people and memories the items invoke. A lot of us do this without calling it an altar. This isn’t clutter. I’m going to say that again. It’s NOT clutter, but… without the intentionality, these spaces of honor are clutter magnets. 

An email account littered with excessive promotions, unread newsletters, and unnecessary notifications can make the important stuff hard to see.  Do this little sequence instead of scrolling the next time you're waiting in line and watch the numbers dwindle to zero.

I hear from folks that a big barrier to decluttering is having to deal with the unwanted stuff afterwards. What can be recycled and what can’t? What might be worth selling vs. what can be donated, and where can I take it or who might want to pick it up? There's a lot of mental energy required for this step in the decluttering process, so give yourself some grace if this is step trips you up.

Last month I promised to make September's decluttering challenge an easy one, but the difficulty level of any challenge is pretty relative. I consulted one of my siblings about the sock sorting plan since I know she’s a collector. She gave me a tsunami sized eye roll and then...

One of my favorite things to do when a visitor is at my home, is to offer them a cup of tea. It sounds like a normal thing to offer a guest, but there’s an ulterior motive which is not to make sure everyone is properly hydrated, even though that is important. It’s really so I can act out this little sequence.

Ohhh, you might hate me for this... This month’s decluttering challenge is DESKS! In the spirit of Back-to-School season, refreshing your work space and clearing all the desk detritus will actually reduce your overall stress, help you focus, and create a place where you want to sit down and work. Read on if you don’t know where to start and want some detailed help to sort it all out.

BAGS! There’s so many types of bags and they have a tendency to pile up over time, smooshed into the back of closets, trunks of cars, and under the sink. They hold our stuff when we need to go somewhere and function as temporary organizing systems when we’re at home. But our needs evolve over time and many of us end up with a LARGE collection of bags that we rarely use.

How many bottles of sunscreen are cluttering up your bags and hiding under the bathroom sink? Let’s talk about why it’s a good time to throw some of those away.