When you’re knee deep in clutter, decluttering and actually organizing can seem an impossible feat. However, it’s not too hard if you follow some basic steps…
1. Make a plan:
You CANNOT get organized (not truly and forever) without a solid plan. If you willy nilly organize, you’re more likely to willy nilly keep it up – and we all know what willy nilly behavior can lead to. Or maybe I just like to say willy nilly? Hmmm. In any case develop your perfect organizing plan by reading:

One of the first things you should do before organizing your house
Three ways to motivate …read more

Happy hearts day folks. I know decluttering and organizing is probably the last thing on your mind today – and neither is the most romantic idea BUT if your special someone is heading over later tonight, you might want to consider picking up. At least a little.
Eight easy and fast ways to sparkle up your house today:

Clean the sinks – all of them folks.To make it easier, spray some water in the sinks, sprinkle baking soda, allow it to sit, and later go wipe them out.
Clean out any and all expired food in the fridge.
Grab a box or bag. Wander …read more

You shouldn’t get rid of ALL your half-used items. Waste not, want not right? However, there are some mostly used items you should sort up and out of the homestead.
For example:
Any liquor bottles sitting around less than 1/4 – 1/8 full. In most cases, 1/8 is not even enough for a mixed drink, it’s just a bottle taking up storage real estate. Use the 1/4 rule to double check alcohol you hate. If you’re not gonna drink this stuff ever, recycle the bottle and save some space.
Kitchen food jars. The fridge is one of those places in your home, that …read more

Fact: if you need an organizing system for your organizational tools, you’re bordering on too many organizational products.
How this happens: A well meaning individual who want to get organized heads to the stores and scoops up organizational products without a plan.
What happens next: The well meaning individual from above gets home and now has a pile of bins, file folders, kitchen containers, and hanging closet racks with no rhyme or reason.
The end result: The well meaning individual now has two organizational issues – getting the house organized, and figuring out what to do with all this stuff they just bought. …read more

To kick off your new year right, I’m going to do a small series this week – a room by room guide to getting organized and decluttered. Of course, a real, in-depth organizational system and deep decluttering takes a lot, but this series should get you started.
Before we get going, I wanted to post some basics tips. These posts linked below are some of the basics we’ve seen here at Declutter It, and they should get you thinking about how you’re going to go about organizing and decluttering your whole house.

What exactly is clutter?
One of the first things you should …read more

Dead space is a tiny, or not so tiny spot in your home that’s just sitting there, not being useful. Most people have lots of dead spaces, yet are always thinking, “Where can I put this?”
To use dead space:
Make a list: Trot around your house and make a list of dead spaces. Types of dead spaces include inside cabinet doors, above bookshelves, under tables, and some wall space.
Make a second list: Your second list builds on your list of dead spaces. For example; you see that you have a dead space in your hall closet. When you open the closet …read more

Clear out your cell phone clutter. You’ve got numbers you don’t call, old text messages, and who knows what else lingering in your cell phone.
Get rid of numbers you never call, people you now don’t like, and any other useless numbers. Go through your pictures as well. Transfer keepers to your computer and delete the rest. This entire task will only take about an hour (give or take) but it will make you feel all refreshed. It’s a small thing during this busy season that can help you stay clutter free.

Uncluttered lives tend to be simpler than cluttered lives. Uncluttered lives also tend to be full of smaller things – smaller rooms, smaller collections, smaller items in exchange for big ones. Why? Smaller is just easier to clean, organize, and keep clutter-free. It’s not hard and fast, we’ve all seen people living in small rooms, who have overwhelming clutter, but in most cases learning to live small can help you stay clutter-free and buy you more life hours – hours you won’t be spending organizing and cleaning.
Small living rules: 

Some bigger tasks, or tasks that happen frequently can be accomplished in bulk – as in do more than the bare minimum, to save more time in the long run.
4 ideas… 
Buy every single greeting card you’ll need all year, at one time. Make a list of all the birthdays and holidays you know of during the year, and spend one good afternoon choosing them all. Bonus points if you go sans cards and simply send digital greetings – not AS BIG a time saver, but no driving to the store and it’s a nice eco-friendly choice.
Make all the dinners for …read more

Now is a good time to get down to business when it comes to decluttering, simplifying, and clearing out your house. Plenty of the items you own, but no longer need or use can be donated. If you donate before December 31st 2008, you can claim these deductions on your taxes. Wait to long to organize and you’ll have to wait until next year.
So hop to it. Need help? Read:
Organizing by Simplifying
How To Start Getting Rid of Stuff – Get Rid of “Maybe” Items
Clutter Confessions and Denial
The Case Against Deep Storage
What exactly is clutter?