I had probably walked past that closet a hundred times, each time telling myself how badly it needed cleaned. But each time I had an excuse. A good one too, I’d get to it next weekend. Finally, after many weeks of putting it off I opened the door to my youngest daughter’s closet. It had been declared a hazardous area, I would need special equipment before moving in. Armed with my 13-gallon trash bag I took a deep breath and ventured in. What a mess. A half hour into the task I wondered if there was an end to the mounds of Barbie shoes, jewelry beads, crayons, (hey, these are brand new crayons!), Barbie clothes, doll house furniture…

You get the idea.

About 3 hours and 5, yes 5 trash bags later, I was finished. The closet had been seized and conquered. I had won one more battle over clutter. I wondered if I’d ever win the war. I decided that I could. I’m going to show you how you can too. Clutter is a monster that grows and multiplies without warning and appears when we aren’t looking. Clutter is a thief of peace and balance. It takes up space in our homes, and our hearts. Clearing the clutter out of your life is surprisingly liberating. Even after cleaning a small space like a drawer in your kitchen you will suddenly feel lighter. Choose today to restore energy and vitality to your life by clearing away the clutter.

Here are 5 easy ways to get you started.

1. Define Clutter. What does clutter mean to you? In order to defeat something you have to know what it is you’re fighting.

2. Take one area at a time. Sort through your stuff, clean and dust as you go. Get rid of things that no longer fit who you are.

3. Do regular clutter maintenance to keep it from getting out of control. Create a schedule for major clutter clearing, like spring and fall, or every New Year’s day.

4. Create a space for everything.

5. Decide what areas won’t be clutter free. Unless you live by yourself or with someone who is very neat, you have to deal with other people’s clutter. If we let it, clutter can cause many the argument, heartache and headache. To alleviate the stress of trying to control someone else’s clutter accept that some areas will always be cluttered unless the person or people creating the clutter changes or cleans it up. This is okay. Every where we have lived my husband has created a spot where he puts everything he brings into the house and leaves it there. Magazines, mail, tools, you name it. In the past I would let this frustrate me and I tried my best to change it, after over ten years of marriage it still hasn’t changed. I don’t think it ever will, so I have learned to live with it. When I’m in the mood I clean it up. When I’m not, I leave it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dietta L. Stewart is the Editor of the monthly newsletter Balance Boosters and the author of The Balanced Woman: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Balanced Living. To subscribe to her Free newsletter send a blank email to mailto: or visit her website at http://www.balanceboosters.com New subscribers will receive her latest Report "52 Ways to Balance Your Life" free.