That's it! It's time to deal with your stuff.Do you collect things? Have a habit of holding onto things? Maybe your plan is a little cluttered?

If you’re listening to this podcast, something’s not working in your relationship with your stuff.

Clutter is a constant to-do list. It raises your stress level. You have to get a handle on it so you can move on with your life.

Tips for Decluttering

• Start three steps back from your catch-all space. Why are things landing in the catch-all space?
• Do you have room in your closet for your sweaters or in your garage for your holiday decorations? Make space for the things you’re going to put away.
• Set aside the time to work on decluttering. It’s too easy to put it off if it’s not scheduled.
• Have your tools handy. You need a garbage bag, a box for donations, water and snacks.
• Know it will be work. Set yourself up for success with realistic expectations
• Give spare stuff to people in your immediate circle. Donate leftovers to local charities. It’s easy to let things go when you know they’ll be put to good use.

Five Ps of Decluttering
1. Pull everything out of the space you’re tackling. 2. Put it together. Sort things into piles by similarity. You can see how much of everything you have. 3. Purge. Be honest with yourself about what you use and don’t use. Don’t feel guilty about the money you spent on stuff you aren’t going to use. 4. Put everything back that you’ve decided to keep. Make sure you have a place to store what you kept. 5. Peace of mind is yours.

Clutter doesn’t happen overnight so it’s going to take time to declutter. Go easy on yourself and focus on small spaces. You’ll have to do maintenance on spaces as you bring more stuff into your home.

Listen as organizational expert Tracy McCubbin joins Melanie Cole, MS, to help you declutter your life.