Sometimes, it seems you just can’t keep up. No matter what you do, clutter just seems to be getting the better of you. Your cupboards are bulging with all sorts of bric-a-brac, just about every surface seems to be covered with things that have nowhere to go, and there is even a four-foot high stack of magazines sitting in the corner. Clutter isn’t just about your house being untidy, it’s a state of mind that leads to anxiety and a sense of helplessness. So, what can you do about it? Fortunately, there are a number of things that can help, but it does take discipline and perseverance.

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If clutter is a way of life with you, then getting rid of clutter has to become a way of life as well. You need to change your routines so that clutter gets taken care of on a regular basis. For example, set aside 10 minutes each day for you, your spouse and the kids to go around the house getting rid of clutter. Agree that everybody is going to spend this 10 minutes picking up their own belongings and putting them away. See if you can come up with inventive ways of making this enjoyable, or even a game. You’ll be surprised by what difference just a little time each day makes.

One of the reasons that we leave things out all over the place is that there is nowhere to put them. Therefore, you need to spend some time making space for things. One of the best ways of doing this is to go through things and ask yourself do you really need them. If the answer is no, then throw them out, give them to a friend who can actually use them, or even hold a yard sale. If there are things that you really do want to hold onto, but only use once in a blue moon, then consider hiring some place to keep them. For example, if you live in Southern California, take a look and see what storage units San Diego has to offer. You’ll be surprised how affordable storage is, and if you get somewhere close to home, it can be extremely convenient as well.

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Another thing that’s important is not to procrastinate. Most of us try to put off until tomorrow things that we should really do today, but this makes things pile up both figuratively and literally. For example, when the mail arrives each day, don’t open it up quickly and then put it on the kitchen counter and say you will take care of it later. You may not have time to deal with it in detail, but weed out all the junk mail and throw it away. Then, set up a little filing system for the rest, where you can put unpaid bills, things you need to respond to, and so on. This can be as easy as a three-ring binder with a number of transparent pouches inside, which you should be able to pick up at somewhere like Staples.