Do you struggle with tackling clutter in your life?

As I work with more and more women in a personal coaching

format, I know this is a common struggle. This is a common
struggle among single women, married women, those without
children, those with children, those who work inside the home,
those who work outside the home, and more! 

If you find yourself in this group, be assured that you are not there
alone!

As I get older and as my family continues to grow in size and in

age, I find clutter to be something that continues to escalate if left
unchecked. For this reason, the way I tackle clutter is something
that I am continually tweaking in my life, especially as demands,
seasons, and dynamics change.

I created the ideas in this guide for myself, initially. Then it

became something that I used as a building block with clients who
came to me for one on one coaching. 

What is it about clutter? I’m not sure that there is anything more
annoying in my home than clutter. It is also the thing that I think
sits atop a slippery slope more than any other. Much like sitting
on the top of a steep hillside, the amount of wiggle room you’ve
got to stay on top of the clutter is very, very small before you slide
right down into the abyss of clutter overwhelm.

For the purposes of this guide, we will be attacking the clutter in

the eight most common areas in the homes among the women I
polled. I have to also agree with these eight hotspots. 

The thing about clutter is that the more people who are trying to
coexist in one place as well as the size of the area they are trying to
live in is directly related to how fast clutter collects. As someone
who lives with nine other people, I know this is the case firsthand.

Print off this guide and work through it now, and then, as needed,
make changes, make updates, and add and subtract things as life
changes around you as we all know it will.

Use this as a foundational tool to really take control of the clutter

in your life and then to maintain it as well.

The more honest, thorough, and thoughtful you are as you answer
the questions the more valuable this guide will be to you. 

Assuming that tackling clutter is best done from the “staying on

top of it” standpoint, let’s talk about how we can manage the
clutter in these eight areas before it seems to manage us!
 ✔ Area One: The Kitchen

They say the kitchen is the heartbeat of the home, and I can say it
certainly is in mine. Because it is the heartbeat of the home, it is
also one of the hotspots in a home. In my case, the kitchen is also
the area that we walk through when coming in the house, which
makes it an easy place to just drop whatever we have in hand.

When referring to clutter in the kitchen, let’s address the counters

since this is the flat surface where stuff will just seem to multiply
while we’re not even looking.

With this in mind, answer the following questions:

When I look around at my kitchen as it is now, what is

the overall feeling that I get, peace or overwhelm?

Since you were interested in a workbook about clutter, I’m

guessing it is overwhelm. 

Let’s start with the basics and the thing that will give us the most
bang for our buck.

Of the things that I keep on my counters, how many of

them do I use on a weekly basis and what are they?

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Of things that I keep on my counters, how many of them

do I use on a daily basis and what are they?

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If I could only keep three things on my counters that are

listed above, what would they be?

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Sometimes we keep things on our kitchen counters because we

just haven’t put forth the effort to find a better place for them.
This isn’t really a valid reason for keeping them there.
Can I commit to finding better homes for the other
things not listed above in the next week?

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I love the one-year rule for all kinds of things as it relates to

clutter. When I am in the process of de-cluttering, I force myself
to get rid of it if it is something that I haven’t done anything with
in the past year.

In keeping this in mind, what do I need to get rid of?

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Which of these things do I want to sell?

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Which of these things do I want to donate, and where do

I want to donate them?

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If the kitchen is the heartbeat of your home as well as a hotspot, it

is best to proactively admit that things will collect there. Things
will collect there, and there will be times that we can’t get to
putting those things where they belong right away. 

For this reason, it is important to designate an acceptable place in

your kitchen for random stuff to collect at times. 

This should be a small area to avoid it becoming a stuffing place,

and there should be a way to organize the stuff that goes there.
This could be accomplished with a small “junk drawer” that has
bins or organizing trays in it. 

If your place for stuff to collect will be visible, it should be kept in

something that looks nice like a small basket or bin. I like a
magazine file on my counter so all the papers, mail, and things
like that can go there. Then, I also have an organized junk drawer
with an organizing tray in it. For the most part, everything
belongs there, and I always know exactly what is in it.

So if things are going to collect in my kitchen, where is a

small place that I can designate for this, and how can I
ensure that it will look nice and not be overrun?

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Finally adopt the one-touch rule. Everything should be touched

only once – meaning – everything should be put where it belongs
right from the start. 

For example, when you finish your morning coffee, put your cup
directly in the dishwasher rather than on the counter near the
dishwasher to take care of later.

Adopting the one-touch rule in your home and training your

family to use it as well will greatly help reduce the clutter in so
many areas of your home!
 ✔ Area Two: Floors

The floors are another hotspot in my home and in the homes of

everyone I asked. Of course this is most likely because it is such an
obvious place to drop stuff. 

Clutter on the floor is nearly impossible to miss since what

happens when it’s there? We manage to step on whatever is there!
I can speak from experience in saying that stepping on a Lego
piece while carrying a baby across the room in the middle of the
night is not the most pleasant experience!

If you have a houseful of little ones, believe me, I know how easily
the floor can become cluttered. At the time of this writing, I’ve got
three boys ages six, four, and two who can completely trash a
room with toys in the time it takes for me to make breakfast for
them.

Because the floor can become a disaster so quickly, it is so

important to remain vigilantly proactive in cleaning it up often
throughout the day. 

I use two different methods to do this.

First, putting everything away where it belongs. This is

what we do three times a day in our house. We have a clean up
before lunch, a clean up before dinner, and a clean up before bed.
At these times we are picking up the cluttered floors and putting
things where they go.

In adopting this method, answer these questions:

Do I have a specific place for the clutter in each room to
go?

Are these specific places easy for everyone in my family

to use? For example, expecting little kids to open and
close lids on bins might be too difficult for them to do.

Have I trained my family to put their things away in each

room?

Do I make the time to clean along with my kids at times?

Do I set a good example with taking care of my own

things?

Is there something I can do or purchase to make

corralling clutter easier in certain areas of my home? Is
so, what and where?

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When would be the three or four most effective times of

day to put clutter away?

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The second method is to create a system that makes it

easy to get rid of clutter in a pinch. The idea is to create a
place to put things that clutter the floors temporarily until you
and others in your family can get to putting things away right.

In my home, I have accomplished this by having three nice

looking lidded laundry hampers in various clutter hot spot areas
in my home.

With this in mind, answer the following questions:

Do I have a designated place to put clutter temporarily

that I am ok with?

If so, has this system been working well?

If not, can I adopt the above method for temporarily
containing clutter?

What are three hot spot areas that collect clutter the
most in my home? For example, in my home these are
the living room, the upstairs hallway near bedrooms,
and the steps going downstairs to our playroom.

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Will lidded laundry hampers work in these three areas?

If not, what would work better?

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When utilizing these three corralling areas for clutter, be sure they
are emptied during your regular clean up times that day to avoid
the clutter that collects there to become overwhelming.
If the answers to any of the above questions revealed some issues
that are only adding to your clutter headache, be sure to address
them!
 ✔ Area Three: Bathroom Counters

The bathroom counter is something that is easily cluttered.

Bathrooms often have multiple people coming in and out for
quick visits, which then means there are plenty of opportunities
for clutter to gather.
 
Cluttered bathroom counters tend to make me especially crazy
since you often get a double view of the clutter because of the
reflection in the mirror. Yikes!

Much like the kitchen counter, taking steps to eliminate as much

clutter as you can by keeping the counter clear of any non-
essentials is key.

With this in mind, answer the following questions:

Am I keeping things on my bathroom counters that I

shouldn’t be and, what should I get rid of?

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Where can I put the things I’m removing from my

bathroom counter?
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Is storage a problem in my bathrooms? If so, would

purchasing something alleviate these issues? For
example, a shelf over the toilet or a small cart in the
corner?

Finally, have an easy and convenient way to wipe up water,

toothpaste, soap, and other messes that seem to happen on
bathroom counters all the time. This would generally mean having
some sort of rag and cleaning product right there in the bathroom.
 ✔ Area Four: Closets

We can’t talk about clutter and not talk about closets. Closets are
wonderful storage areas, but because they are often out of sight
they also become out of mind. This makes them an easy place for
clutter to collect.

It’s time to take care of that closet clutter!

Answer these questions. Be honest, and be bold!

Are closets currently a clutter problem in my home and

why? Is it lack of time, lack of discipline, lack of
motivation, or something different?

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When was the last time I did a serious closet purge on

the closets in my home?

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Since you picked up a workbook on clutter, I’m going to guess that

your closets are in need of a purge. 

When can I schedule a purge on each closet of my home?

List each closet and a day that you can devote to working
on this.

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Here are some great questions to ask when purging

closets:

• • do I need it?

• • have I worn it?

• • have I used it?

• • is it difficult to store?

• • do I even like it?

 • • could it bless someone else more?

By honestly answering these questions you should have a really

good start on doing a closet purge. But also, don’t forget to keep
them clutter free as you move forward as well. I like to schedule a
purge every six months so it’s never a huge and overwhelming
job. 
 ✔ Area Five: Focus On Your Entryway

There is just something to be said for walking in the door to a

pleasing environment. I am also addressing the entryway because
it can easily become a place where everything gets dropped.

Your entryway is the place that makes the first impression not
only for others who enter your home, but for you as well. There is
nothing that stresses me out more than walking in the door and
tripping over shoes, backpacks, and all kinds of other clutter.

People who live in your home walk in the door and they are most
likely tired, maybe even rightfully so, but they can have a tendency
to just drop whatever they are carrying and seek a place to just
“be” for a bit.

In fact, you might even be guilty of this (I know I am at times). 

With this in mind, answer these questions:

Is my entryway currently a problem area for clutter?

Why is it a problem? Is there no place to put things? Is it

because things are there that don’t belong, people are
just mindlessly dropping stuff there, or because I’m not
enforcing where things belong that are collecting there?
It is something else?

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With an entryway that can easily become a place for

clutter, I have come up with these helpful hints:

• • have a place for coats

• • have a place for footwear

• • have a nice rug that stays in place to keep the floor

cleaner

• • have a basket, hanging organizer, bench, or something

that gives people a place to put the things that they are often
coming in the door with

• • keep as few things as possible in this area

• • everyone is allowed to only keep one of something

there…one pair of shoes, one coat, etc. Any extras are kept
elsewhere.

Which of the above suggestions will be the most helpful

based on my needs?

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If the above suggestions won’t work for me, what will

solve my clutter problem in the entryway?

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 ✔ Area Five: Kids Bedrooms

The key in getting control of clutter in any area is just getting in

there and doing it. If I spend too much time thinking about what
to get rid of, I never really seem to get to the decluttering part.

This is why I love checklists that are simple and to the point.
Another essential key in dealing with clutter is making sure that I
am putting the things I declutter in a bag right away. Otherwise, I
find it’s too easy to second guess when I’m getting rid of. The out
of sight, out of mind principle is huge for me. Amazingly, once the
items are in the bag, it’s such a freeing feeling.

Kids rooms can be downright scary when it comes to clutter. But

when it’s time to take care of that clutter like a ninja, here’s what
you need to do.

Clothing: Purge at least 5 clothing items that:

• are too worn
• don’t fit
• are missing an essential part (such as the match to a sock)
• just aren’t things your kid likes to wear

Toys: Purge at least 5 toys that:

• take up too much space in the bedroom
• make too much noise (toys that annoy you!)
• are too “babyish” for your kids
• are broken
• have missing parts

Books: Purge at least 5 books that:

• have missing pages
 • have pages that can’t be repaired
• your child isn’t interested in
• your child has outgrown

Trash: It is amazing at how trash can make its way into

your kids rooms. Now is a great time to look for trash:
• under beds
• in drawers, baskets, and bins
• in closets
• in furniture
• under furniture
• behind furniture
• anyplace else…think like a kid and you’ll find trash there!

Things that belong elsewhere in the house:

Kids have a way of dragging anything and everything to their
rooms. If they’ve got stuff in their room that doesn’t belong there,
throw those things in a separate bag and put them away at a later
time.
In the midst of a declutter project, remain focused on the main
goal, which is spring cleaning your kids rooms! Items that need to
be elsewhere can be taken care of separately.
 ✔ Embrace This Truth: Less is more

If you are a busy woman, it is essential to recognize that having

the time to deal with clutter is always going to be a struggle. I
know in a different season of my life I had all the time in the world
to deal with clutter, but my responsibilities were so few that I had
much more time than I do now.

If you are busy, this is a realization that you must come to as well. 

With this in mind, honestly answer these questions:

What is my primary reason for having clutter? Is it lack

of good systems, lack of knowledge, lack of discipline,
lack of motivation, feeling “bad” about getting rid of
things, or something different?

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What do I need to do to overcome this?

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Here are some ways you can help lessen the amount of
stuff that comes into your home:

• • give and request experiences as gifts rather than

physical goods

• • purge regularly 

• • remember that size matters…you have to store it! Think

about that when taking things in

Here are some great things to keep in mind as well:

• • have a designated place for everything

• • purchase what works best for what you need to store
• • change how things are stored as the needs change in
your home

Choose the right storage

As my home has grown to accommodate 10 people, the amount of

stuff simply increases. There is just no way around that.

As someone who is very bothered by clutter, I have come to

discover that one of the most common issues I have with clutter is
having to look at it, even when it is put away in the “right” spot. 
As I work with women individually, I know this is also common
for others.

For this reason, not all “right” spots are good ones.

With this in mind, answer the following questions:

Do I feel overwhelmed by clutter even when everything

is put away?

What are the three areas that I am most bothered by

clutter, even when it is put away?
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For years I answered the above question with “my living room.” It
is where we spend the most time, it is where the most people
always are at one time, which only adds to the feeling of clutter,
and it is where we have the most “stuff.”

Once I identified this, I knew that figuring out how to deal with
things better in my living room was key. In my case, that meant
that I needed to do some shopping for better systems. 
Here is what I discovered in my home:

• • storage shelves or units with doors hide a lot

• • baskets and bins with lids means less clutter to look at

• • when the things behind the doors and inside the bins
with lids are neatly put away, doors and lids just give a
cleaner look

To solve the clutter problem in our home, this meant mounting

the TV on the wall to free up usable storage space and investing in
storage shelves with doors.

In this way, we provided more storage areas in the room that had
the most urgent problem with clutter.

I will admit that I don’t love that my living room wall is lined with
storage units. I would much rather have a nice table, decorative
bookshelf, or nothing at all. 

But, in this season, I’ve got a ton of people living at home and all
the stuff that goes along with that. This, I can’t change, and I
obviously don’t want to change that. 

This means that in order to stay on top of clutter, functionality

trumps my personal decorative style at this time. I am happy with
what I have now, and I know that someday when all my kids are
out of the house I will have much more freedom in what my living
room looks like.
 ✔ Embrace This Skill: Train your peeps

If you’re living with people, especially little people, not everyone

may be as bothered by clutter as you are. This doesn’t mean that
they can’t attempt to keep you happy by helping tame the clutter.

It just means you have to train them.

And, you have to make it painfully easy for them to tame the
clutter you want them to tame.

Make the time to show the people you live with where to put the
clutter. Show them how to put things away so they fit. Don’t give
them a place to stuff things. If they do happen to find places to
stuff things, regularly check these areas to seek out clutter and
eliminate it.

Here are some great steps to follow to help teach your family to
stay on top of their own clutter

• • Start young. As in so many things, teaching your kids

the proper way of doing things right from the start is
beneficial. There is nothing worse than having to unlearn old
habits. It can be done, of course, but it is so much better to
start them young.
• • Set a good example yourself. This is not an area
where it works to expect that your kids will do what you say
and not what you do. Be sure the rules that you expect them
to follow you are following as well.
• • Teach your kids what it means to take pride in
their things. Taking pride in their things, wanting their
things to remain in good condition, and wanting their things
 to last are all great reasons that your kids will want to keep
their own clutter under control.
• • Make sure they can see their stuff. Clear
containers allow your kids to see what they are looking for
without having to haul everything out of the container. This
is a great way to lessen the cluttery messes your kids make.
• • Use labels. Label where your kids are supposed to put
various things. If they are too young to read, use pictures. If
they have a bin with trucks pictured on it, they will always
know where the trucks are supposed to go. 
• • Give them a place to put treasures and
keepsakes. All kids have these, don’t they? Give them a
place to put these things, but once that place is full, they will
have to decide what to get rid of before they can add
anything new into it. A special keepsake type box works well,
and I use a simple three-ring binder with page protectors in
it for their paper things. They each get 50 page protectors.
When they are full, they have to pick and choose between
what to keep and what to get rid of.

How well have I trained my family in taking care of their

clutter?

Who do I need to work with, and what approach would

be the most effective way in training them to deal with
clutter?

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How can I make dealing with their own clutter easier for
the people in my family?

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 ✔ Put This Into Practice: Have One Area That You
Keep Clutter Free No Matter What

Let’s face it. We can all have the best intentions when it comes to
keeping clutter under control, but there will be days that we just
lose the battle. There will be days that we just can’t win. There will
be days that we just have to wave the white flag and surrender.

For this reason, you must have one place in your home that you
keep clutter free.

And then…guard it with your life.

Resist the temptation to feel as though you are not entitled to this
because you are.

With this in mind, answer the following questions:

Do I currently have an area that is primarily mine? Is so,

where? If not, where would I like this place to be?

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Is this place currently in the kind of shape I want it to be

in order to be my “clutter-free” place? If not, what must I
do to make it this way?
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What one thing would I most like to add to this space to

make it a “pretty place” for me to enjoy?

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What will I need to do to ensure that this place remains

clutter-free?

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After completing this declutter game plan, you should have much
less clutter in many of the hot spot areas of your home. In
addition, you will have some new skills mindsets to embrace going
forward, allowing clutter to be a manageable task in your home.