While I am always maintaining my home and office there are times when clutter gets out of control. I have my system that I follow, but life happens and sometimes we need to prioritize. When I need to tackle a space this is my process:

• First I take a deep breath.
• I start in one corner of a room, closet, desk, other surface or container, then work my way around clockwise.
• I work with small sections at a time to avoid a big mess at the end of my session. This way I can stop at any time if necessary.
• I start with sorting and purging.
• My “piles” (either containers or section of the room) include Trash, Recycle, Shred, Donate and Keep.
• I use black trash bags for donations and white ones for trash to avoid confusion. For fragile items being donated, I use boxes or bins.
• I never purchase organizing products until everything is sorted and purged. My goal is to avoid buying new products and use containers I already have on hand.  Plus it is important to know what sizes are...

Clutter is simply anything you don't love or need.

You may find that answer too vague so when determining what items (and this includes digital items or tasks on your to-do list) ask yourself the following questions:

Do I love it?
Do I need it?

If the answer to both is no, let it go. Some of you will answer "I may need it one day",  If so then I would have you answer these questions:

Would it be difficult to find again?
Would it be expensive to repurchase?

If the answer is yes to either of those questions and letting go of the item will cause you stress, keep it. Just be sure to find an out of the way, proper storage area and revisit the item at a later date.

What about all those gifts that you hold onto out of guilt? I am giving you permission to let them go! Your loved ones whether they are still alive or have passed on wouldn't want you to be stressed.

If some gives you a gift that isn't your style or you don't need it. accept it with grace and let it go. Of course, if someone...