The short answer is… maybe! No one can perfectly predict what you will want or need in the future. I cannot predict that you will be invited to an 80’s theme party next December and those neon heels would be perfect for an outfit.

There is always a risk that you will declutter something and regret it.

But, everything in life carries some risk. If you want to accomplish your goal of a tidier home, you will have to accept a degree of risk in the decluttering process.

Paper clutter is the worst. It is tied with photos in my view for the most time-consuming, emotionally draining type of clutter to sort. Each paper has to be picked up, read, and thought about to determine it’s worth and importance. If you go in without a strategy you are at risk of moving piles around without making any real progress.

The system described below is one I use to declutter large paper messes that have accumulated over time. Think scary boxes in your basement. This method will give you some guiderails to save your sanity!

Sharing my favorite scarf organizing hack here!

My friend Ann, who runs a color analysis business locally here in Howard County recently asked me for scarf organizing tips. She has a large collection herself and often recommends scarves to clients since it’s an easy way to add color to an outfit.

Small accessories can easily get lost in a closet (honestly, anything can get lost in a closet without intentional systems and maintenance…) With scarves, you want to see your options and grab them easily without shuffling other things around.

This lovely client is a self described clothes-horse. She is in the midst of downsizing her wardrobe to a manageable quantity.

While minimalism will never be her jam, she recognized that the amount she had collected was taking over areas of her house and she was struggling to keep up with putting things back on hangars... so a “floordrobe” situation was developing in her bedroom.

Organizing sentimental stuff is hard.

You have an emotional connection to the items and it’s hard to anticipate what you will regret tossing and what you will care about in 20 years. (Or what your children will care about in 20 years.) 

Curious about the most common clutter offenders I find when working as a professional organizer? I’ve rounded up the top 10 categories I find when delving into the closets and basements of the average American home.

This client wanted to do a "phase 1" project to quickly clear space for her teenagers to enjoy the basement.

Craving a bathroom that’s high on style and practicality? Here are some simple, budget friendly tips: