Heloise's 6 Top Clutter-Busting Secrets

"Clutter, clutter, go away; don't come back another day." Don't you wish that's all you had to say to keep your life in order? It seems like no matter what you do (or, rather, don't) clutter is always present — and my home is no exception! But clutter wastes more time than you might think: Five minutes spent searching for your address book here, 10 minutes hunting for the insurance papers there adds up — and eventually eats up time you could be spending on yourself!

So take the first step toward becoming clutter free and constantly ask yourself: "Why am I holding onto this?" If you can't answer, pitch it (or give it to charity). Then repeat this mess-less mantra: "Things taking up space and time that aren't important to me will prevent me from enjoying things I want." Here, my six favorite clutter-busting tips to help gain back time.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/heloise/heloise-clutter-busting-secrets

Focus on one task at a time

Or, you might find it easier to clear clutter from one area of your home and then move on to different rooms over time. Check out my room-by-room guide.

2.

Always put things in the same location

How long does it take you to find your keys, cell phone or purse? Try my 10-second "guesstimate" quiz: Would it take you longer than 10 seconds to find these items or to tell someone where they are? If so, you need to rethink their locations. Then commit to always putting away such items in the same place. (Make sure other family members do, too.) A wicker basket by the door for keys or a tray in the bedroom for reading glasses can be great locations for frequently used items. The more often you use an item, the closer it should be to where you use it. Infrequently used items should be stored farther away, in the garage or attic.

3.

Organize your closets

Keeping storage areas tidy will save you countless wasted hours. Hang blouses and shirts according to color, for instance, so you can quickly find matching clothes in a rush. Or, hang color-coordinating pants, shirts and socks on one hanger, making it easy to grab an "ensemble" from the closet in the morning. Also, store items such as sweaters, shoes and handbags in see-through plastic crates on shelves. Then just pull them out like drawers when you need something. Milk crates are also fabulous in children's rooms: They stack easily and can hold small toy parts and puzzles.

4.

Make snap decisions

Let's take the mail, one of the worst clutter-creating culprits. Better yet, let's toss the junk. Each day as you open letters, stand over or sit near the trash can. Separate important mail into two categories — one to read (personal letters and your favorite mail-order catalogs) and one to file (bills) — and then throw out the junk mail immediately! Store "must-read" papers and bills in a nearby basket, folder or drawer to look through on a regular basis (about once a week).

Don't know where to put coupons or your kid's soccer schedule? Create a "junk drawer" near the telephone and clean it out regularly. Here's an easy way: Sort through a few items when a phone operator, say, puts you on "eternal" hold.

5.

Ditch the useless

If you're constantly misplacing things in your house, you probably have too much space-hogging, closet-cramming stuff. On a day when you're in a good mood to organize — or a bad mood that makes you want to toss things out — purge broken or outdated items and give whatever you can to charity. Place things you just can't part with in a bag or box and mark it with the date. In six months, sort through the contents, and if you didn't go looking for these items in the meantime, toss 'em. To rid yourself of computer clutter, find out if your Internet service provider offers spam-filtering features. This way, you don't have to waste time sorting through junk emails when you check your online messages every day. Also, ask friends not to send jokes. Not only is this a big time waster, but it could cause problems: In your anxiousness to delete unrequested mail, you may inadvertently get rid of important messages.

6.

Solicit help

Most people don't create all the clutter in their homes single-handedly! So eliminating the mess shouldn't be delegated to one family member (read: Mom). Give specifics to your kids and spouse every day — please, pick up all the newspapers or magazines, bring the towels to the laundry room, put the pens and pencils in the container.... If need be, write the "request" on a note and post it on the refrigerator, phone or family message center as a reminder.