10 Strategies to Conquer Clutter in 2015

1.      Create a permanent home for items

· Have a permanent place for everything: keys, batteries, cleaning supplies, magazines, documents, donations, cords & cables, memorabilia………  

2.      Sort mail on a daily basis

3.      Dispose archive documents and solicitations by implementing a system

· Ask your Accountant or CPA how long to keep supporting tax documents. (Rule of thumb is 7 years)

· Create a file labeled “Considering” or “To Decide” and toss contents after 30 days

4.      Reduce the amount of papers you keep

· Utility bills - Why are you keeping them?

· Receipts – Again, Why are you keeping them? Keep if you purchased a big ticket item i.e. television, furniture. Keep home repair invoices. Keep tax related receipts and receipts for items under warranty. Toss the rest.

5.      Dispose of electronics you no longer use

· Free IT Athens Visit their website to view a list of computer items that they accept. 

· Best Buy recycles electronics and old televisions ($10 fee but you get a $10 gift card) and HP.com

· ACC Landfill accepts broken electronics but does not take televisions.

6.      Purge items on a regular basis

· Active file cabinets should be purged annually

7.      Give away or sell items that don’t serve a purpose (clothing, organizing products, furniture, etcetera). 

· Donation container kept in a closet or garage. 

8.      Mind Clutter

· A spiral notebook next to the phone works great for jotting down important information from phone conversations. 

· Email or text yourself

· Set Reminders on your digital calendar or write a to do on your paper planner

9.      Important Life Clutter

· Do you have a Will, Living Will, Power of Attorney, and/or Trust(s)? If so, are they up to date?

10.  Financial Clutter

· Pay your bills before they are due and save money on late fees and emotional stress.

· Review your bills, line by line. I have saved client’s hundreds of dollars by conducting a review of their bills. A few of my clients were paying for the same service from multiple companies.

· Every 2 years review your home and auto insurance by obtaining multiple quotes from different companies.

I’m sure you can see a theme here. Creating a home for items, getting rid of items you no longer want or use and purging items on a regular basis. These are the main tenants to stay clutter free.  

More organizing advice: use 1 calendar to store all of your appointments (personal and business). Schedule a weekly planning appointment in your calendar and keep it. Spend this time planning future projects, creating to do lists and reassessing current and future goals. Planning sessions are essential to keep yourself organized and on track. Remember, getting and staying organized requires effort.

Adele Tusson-Gross
Chief Executive Organizer
Simple Solution Organizing
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