Excessive clutter is often a symptom and a cause of stress and can affect every facet of your life: from the time it takes you to do things to your finances and your overall enjoyment of life. Clutter can distract you, weigh you down and in general it invites chaos into your life. Tackling the clutter can seem an impossible task if you don’t know where or how to start. By devoting a little of your time to getting rid of the clutter in your life and maintaining things relatively clutter-free, you’ll reap the rewards of pleasing living areas, reduced stress, and a more organized and productive existence. The best way to declutter your home, your work space and your life is to take things one small step at a time. Combined, small steps will lead to big improvements that will be easier to maintain over the long-run.

MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN DECLUTTERING

BEGINNING WITHOUT THE END IN SIGHT

Decluttering is a process. Before you can determine the process you need to pursue, you need to identify what it is you're hoping to achieve. Be intentional about it. Don’t declutter for the sake of decluttering. This could lead us to decluttering things that we actually use sometimes.

HAVING UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Decluttering is an ongoing process, it's going to take some time. To truly declutter, you have to go through everything and make a determination about what stays and what goes.

TRANSFERRING CLUTTER

A lot of people think they are decluttering when what they are really doing is transferring their clutter. Decluttering means getting rid of stuff, not just moving it to a new location.

FAILING TO SEE THE PROCESS THROUGH

If you want to see real, lasting results, you have to be consistent. That means not only seeing the process through, but continuing to declutter over time to maintain a sort of clutter equilibrium.

TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH

Work in small chunks. So many of us decide we’re going to decluttering and then overdo it. When that happens, it’s hard to muster the energy to finish the task. Slow and steady progress yield slower, but often better, results.

MANAGING YOUR MONEY USING THE 50 - 30 - 20 RULE

Decluttering when it comes to your finances is just as important. This means getting rid of debt and saving your money for any unforeseen circumstances that could cause debt. Here is an amazing rule that will help you to achieve your financial goals.

The basic rule is to divide up after-tax income and allocate it into different sectors.

• The rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must-have or must-do.

• The remaining half should be split up between 20% savings and debt repayment and 30% to everything else that you might want.

• The rule is a template that is intended to help individuals manage their money and save for emergencies and retirement.

Life should be enjoyed. By having a plan and sticking to it will allow you to cover your expenses, save for retirement, all at the same time doing the activities that make you happy.