Most people regard piles of paper, an overstuffed closet and boxes in the attic as nothing more than your regular old run-of-the-mill junk. If these items inhabit your space, it’s merely more evidence that you are indeed a packrat – a hopeless, helpless collector of stuff. But if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a clutter crusade, you know how hurtful (and intimidating) it can feel when people pressure you to trash it all.   

It’s November. And along with cold weather and shopping trips, this is the month when all the parties begin. When time is tight and you have guests coming for a party you don’t want to exhaust or stress yourself by trying to make your house perfect.  But you do want your home to be welcoming, and to feel confident having people over. The best way to achieve that is to focus on spot organizing key areas of your home which your guests are most likely to see—each area should take no more than 30-60 minutes to get in shape.

Are you ready to get organized but don’t know where to start? Whether cleaning out a closet, kitchen cabinets or kid’s room, follow my S.P.A.C.E. formula to make the task manageable, methodical and rewarding. The key to succeeding with the SPACE formula is to do every one of the steps, and most importantly, to do them in order. Attack and complete one room at a time for the biggest sense of accomplishment and success. 

Nothing piles up faster than the paper in our lives, nor is anything more satisfying to clean out. Make it easier on yourself by following a few simply rules to do a quick-sort and weed. Purging Paper: Speed up the process by getting a shredder and follow these simple rules.

Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter reduces housework by 40%!  When someone refers to things in their home as “collecting dust”, they’ve hit the nail on the head!  Having lots of stuff around—like knick-knacks, piles of mail, stacks of grocery bags, and newspapers does more than clutter up a room.  It makes cleaning much more difficult and provides the ideal place for dust and it’s allergens to accumulate.

But…where do you begin?

I’ve always been viewed as more of a Clutter Whisperer, than a Clutter Buster.  I don’t advocate the “tough love” approaches that make for entertaining TV—or that people hear from genuinely well meaning friends, family, and even from inside their own heads: “Don’t think, don’t hesitate, get rid of that junk!  Come on….it’s time to move on! What good is that stuff doing you?!  Throw it all away!”   

Spring is here! Time to SHED those winter blahs and lighten up! Are you getting ready for some spring cleaning? If so, I want to challenge you this year to think beyond the physical stuff that you might deep clean, dump or donate.

There are actually three categories in your life where you can look for clutter to SHED this spring: physical clutter, time clutter and habit clutter...

Now, I’m sure you’ve been meaning to create order in your home for a while. Maybe it was one of your New Years’ Resolutions that you didn’t quite keep. Then, you figured, in honor of Spring Cleaning, you’d conquer the piles…but you never quite got it together then either.  Don’t worry—when it comes to decluttering, everyone procrastinates, and summer is another fresh-start opportunity. 

You know what's great about summer?  Time. The days are easier, the kids don't have homework, and the sun stays out till 9:00pm. Time slows down. We're more relaxed, have more energy and more time to spare. 
 
This summer think about using the extra time on your hands to finally declutter -- to rid yourself of all the stuff weighing you down, getting in your way, and stealing your energy rather than fueling you when you try to relax at home. ...........

This week on CBS Sunday Morning, I had the privilege of working alongside organizer Fern Silvernagle to help contributor Nancy Giles, have an “aha moment” in taming the chaos in her house.  As she confronted the mountains of clutter that had overtaken her hallway closet, she observed that “organizing is a process…it’s a lot like therapy.”  It was fun to work with Fern, a protégé of my inside out method, who believes in helping people find their own motivation for clearing out the chaos.

I’ve always been viewed as more of a clutter whisperer, than a clutter buster.  I don’t advocate the “tough love” approaches  that make for entertaining TV—or that people hear from genuinely well meaning friends, family, and even from inside their own heads: “Don’t think, don’t hesitate, get rid of that junk!  Come on….it’s time to move on! What good is that stuff doing you?!  Throw it all away!”   ........

50 years ago, spring cleaning may have meant beating the rugs, throwing open the windows, and getting rid of the dust bunnies under the bed.  But today--with our complex and challenging lives, it’s time to take Spring Cleaning to a whole new level. It's time to clear the obsolete from our lives to generate the space and energy to move forward with vigor!

But.... where do you begin?  Getting started is the hardest part for most people....so I've created a 2 part Spring Fling Challenge to jump-start your efforts....