Three Clutter Zones in Your Home, and How to Tackle Them

Clutter that piles up in communal spaces like tables often signals that we're gravitating to already-messy, easily accessible areas when tired, and once a space is broken in, it becomes an easy drop-off spot. Rather than changing your behavior completely, bend your organizing system to what you're already doing: if mail piles up on the table, place a basket there as an inbox; if purses land on the tabletop, hang a set of hooks nearby instead.

A desk deluged with papers is often a sign of procrastination. Take 10 minutes each week to separate papers into "keep" and "recycle" piles, then divide the keepers into "file," "follow-up," and "figure out." This way nothing builds up until bills are past due.

Hiding clutter out of sight suggests holding on to items you believe may be useful one day, even if they're not serving a purpose now. Before you worry you'll need something later, ask yourself: could I just borrow this in the future? Often the space an item takes up is more valuable than the item itself. When you do clear things out, remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle: clean clothes, furniture, and household items can be donated to a local thrift store, some of which even offer pick-up service (keep a list of what you donate and its value for tax deduction purposes).