Less clutter = Less stress = Healthier living.

For any family, it can be a true challenge to keep a household organized. Keeping up with growing children, pets, spouses, and all of their stuff in a small space can overwhelm even the most organized of us. Coming home to clutter and mess sets a tone that can be harmful to your family dynamic and lead to unnecessary friction.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines organization as “the act or process of putting the different parts of something in a certain order so that they can be found easily.”

If you have a clutter or an organizational problem, it may seem overwhelming to tackle the project on your own. Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Using a professional organizer to walk you through the process will bring a new perspective, positive energy, and encouragement to your project.

Here are some basic principles or steps in organizing any room of your house:

• First and foremost, you must recognize and decide to get rid of the clutter. Ask yourself what is really important versus what you could let go of. More importantly, answer yourself honestly.
• Once the clutter has been removed, begin to sort through things, placing them in “like” groups.
• Of the “like” groups, decide what things need to be readily available for quick use versus what can be placed in a more secure area.
• Define the perfect space to store these items.
• Finally, choose the right containers and bins for your stuff. Many things can go in cardboard, but clothes and shoes should be stored in plastic.

Once you start a project, your enthusiasm becomes contagious. Knowing that there is a solution is half the battle.

Another strategy to declutter is home staging. Home staging, a type of organizational process in which professional organizers come into a home and work to help remove clutter, is experiencing a growth in popularity. Staging your home before selling it helps in creating a great first impression and sense of space for potential buyers for your home. The goal is to highlight the strengths of your home, downplay its weaknesses, and appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers.

For those who have gone through the decluttering process, there is a powerful feeling of accomplishment and freedom from the stress of stuff and the unyielding sense of obligation to deal with it.

Organizing requires logic, common sense, and creativity, all of which tend to disappear when you are stressed and overwhelmed. Remember, no matter how large or small the project may seem, it can be done. With a little help, you may look at your task in a new light.

Diane Ryan owns DeClutter by Diane Ryan.