Clutter is a compulsive collection of things, most of them meaningless and useless. To de-clutter is to willingly take steps that will remove all or most of the clutter in your life. Because de-cluttering should be a practical and systematic process we can look at various aspects of your life:

Mind Clutter:

Noise and other issues compete for our attention. It’s possible to de-clutter the mind in a variety of ways, for example:

• Prioritize by determining the difference between urgent and less important.
• Learn a relaxation technique.
• Let go of the past and all it’s baggage and stop fearing about the future.
• Slow down. Speed is a key partner in cluttering. Speed gives you the false luxury of picking and storing things to be enjoyed later.
• Identify the essentials and eliminate the useless.
• Eat well, exercise more and make sure you sleep and rest well every night.

Home Clutter:

A cluttered home is evidence of a cluttered life. To de-clutter your home:

• Set a timer for five minutes and blitz the house with cleaning in that time.
• Fill a bag once or twice per week and pass it to a charity shop.
• Create more storage areas in your home like a closet or bookshelf.
• Get the family to tidy up after themselves
• Check the fridge and cupboards. Throw out the stuff you’ve never used and probably never will.

Relationship Clutter: 

Relationships are meant to be meaningful, fulfilling and mutually beneficial. If they aren’t then it’s time to de-clutter your relationship life:

• Set limits and boundaries.
• Keep in contact with friends who you have related for more than 5 years.
• Don’t accept unnecessary baggage from friends.
• Patch up old arguments with people who were long-standing friends.

Work Clutter:

Clutter in all the other areas of your life will tend to be expressed at your place and work. You’ll look more professional and you’ll feel better if you:

• Organize your desk and only leave the minimum on it.
• Re-read your letter of employment and your job description and focus your work-life in line with these documents.
• Cultivate and maintain the habit of arriving at your work place 5 minutes early.
• Finish all responsibilities that day. Try not to put things off.
• Have a to do list and stick to it.
• Take your break entitlements.
• If all else fails, change your career to something more fulfilling and challenging. 

De-cluttering your life in these four areas will help you to live a simpler, more streamlined and less stressful life.