A clear space can clear your head

OK, so you want to reduce the stress in your life … but all the junk keeps getting in the way.
Instead of letting it become a roadblock, do something about it. The path toward a simpler, more serene life may just be hidden by all of your papers, books, mail and other clutter.

Stress relief could be as simple as straightening out your desk or as big a task as reorganizing your house.

“People don’t eat well because their kitchen isn’t functional, and they don’t sleep well because their beds are piled with stuff,” Lynne Johnson, president of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization told the New York Times a few years ago.

The task can be overwhelming at times, but the feeling of relief from clear spaces and knowing where to find the things you need are worth it. Experts advise taking it slowly, working no more than four hours in one declutter session. “Getting rid of clutter is like losing weight,” says Stephanie Schur, a professional organizer. “The 10 or 15 pounds that you need to lose seems impossible, until you divide that amount into smaller goals, like losing 2 pounds a week.”

Some starting points:

1. Buy baskets/holders. Have a designated place to put the keys, papers, coins and other little items that build up into a mess. Set up hook for keys, a tickler file or in-box/out-box for papers, a shelf for often-used books — address your clutter danger zone with an organizing tool.
2. Keep what you use close to where you use it. If something on your desk, your dining table, you kitchen counter doesn’t have a reason to be there, move it. If an item does not have a place, it’s clutter.
3. Rearrange your knickknacks. Instead of scattering them here and there as accent pieces, group items in one spot. Bare wall space gives your brain a break.
4. Sort mail every day. Throw out the junk.
5. Tackle the closet. Clear a space for sorting and divide everything that’s been shoved out of sight into piles: keep, give away or sell, fix and discard. Then follow up. donate usable items that you no longer need to charity, or hold a yard sale. Be brutal about throwing unusable items away.