While all your lovely BJL readers are cleaning up your homes for Pesach, here are a few wonderful tips to keep in mind.

These are wonderful Decluttering Secrets from the Guru of organizing Himself, Peter Walsh!!!!

The tip in #11 is the one that speaks to me most. "If you can get things out, you can put them back." That's pretty much the bottom line!

1. STOP PUSHING IT OFF

You have to stop using the word "later," as in "I'll do that later" or "I'll put that away later." Clutter is decisions delayed, so the moment you use the word "later," you start letting clutter accumulate. No more procrastination. Stop saying later, and clutter will stop accumulating. Oh, and stop buying so much stuff!

2. Start small

Aim to clear one box of clutter a day. Or set a timer for 10 minutes and only do that amount of time. You just need to get over the "there's so much freakin' stuff" moment. You can do this!

3. It's time to get real with your adult kids

If your kids live somewhere else but are using your home as a storage unit for old trophies, yearbooks, and other clutter, tell them it has to go. Call your child to tell him he has a month to come get it or you're going to donate it or ship it to him COD. You are not a storage facility.

4. Stop feeling like you're throwing money down the drain by donating your stuff

It's tough. But the question is, are you going to throw away good space as well when you've already thrown away money? Bite the bullet—choose the space. Let the stuff go. Donate it to a good cause.

5. Don't let junk mail even enter your home

Set up a recycling bin outside of your home. Throw your junk mail in there before you even set foot into your home. (You can also use a service called TrustedID Mail Preference to reduce unwanted mail from ever landing in your mailbox.)

6. Don't obsess over keeping everything "milestone" project your child creates

Grab a folder and drop the key ones into plastic sleeves. Set a limit, and be reasonable in what you're saving. (And ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?")

7. Don't hold on to clutter from parents who have passed away

Vintage Clutter

Let go of guilt. Your parents (like any good parents) would hate to think that their stuff was causing you stress and guilt. You can't keep everything, so find the five or six treasures in the stuff—display those items with honor and respect—and let the rest go. The "stuff" is not your parents.

8. Don't feel emotionally blocked when it comes to getting rid of things that belonged to loved ones who have died

Find the four or five treasures, display those with honor and respect. Don't worry so much about all the other stuff. Less is more. Remember, when everything is important, I think that nothing is important or will stand out. Find those wonderful pieces and display them.

9. Don't let baby and kid clutter ruin your space

Set limits for the amount of space you're prepared to dedicate to items—clothes, toys, and so on, and stick to those limits. Three bins for toys, four shelves for baby clothes, and so on. Kids only need YOU—not all the stuff you'll feel attracted to. You're the parent. Set the tone.

Also, set limits for the number of toys the kids can have (for example, four bins). When the bins are full, before they can add a toy, they have to let go of a toy and take it to donation. Train your kids with this system so that they understand you can't own everything (and to make them generous human beings).

10. Don't get bogged down with digital photos

Don't stress! Get a "best of" album; put only the best photos in it. Put it on your coffee table. Don't worry about the rest.

11. Follow this simple rule

It's so easy, but many of us don't follow it: You have to put things back where they belong. Sorry to be harsh, but it's that simple. If you can get things out, you can put them back. That's the only solution here.

12. Don't say you're too busy to declutter

When you're cluttered, nothing works right—it's that simple. Think of the feeling you get when you go on vacation and walk into a pristine, beautiful hotel room—in a decluttered and organized space. Make organizing (even for just 10 minutes a day) a priority, and you can have that feeling everyday.

13. Understand a totally organized home won't appear overnight. (But start this tango today.)

Do the Trash-Bag Tango: It's taken months for your house to become cluttered, so it's not realistic to try and organize everything in one day or even a weekend. Instead, start small—one room or section of a room at a time.

Make a commitment every day to declutter another part of your home until it's done. A simple trick to get you started is to use the Trash-Bag Tango technique. Every day, walk around your home and, in 10 minutes, fill one bag with trash and one bag with items that you want out of your house. Send them to Goodwill or set them aside for a yard sale. Do this every day for a month, and the change will be dramatic.

14. Know your clutter could the result of something bad that happened to you

Clutter is often about "something else." That something is often loss, grief, trauma, abuse, self-image, or something else. Turn to mindfulness, counseling, and meditation to help ease your mind.

As a professional Organizer and public speaker of ‘all things organizing’ serving the Pikesville, Owings Mills, and Towson neighborhoods, Tanya Klein at Precision Organizing/ Facebook , specializes in residential and home office organization. Tanya’s experience allows her to quickly asses the needs of her clients, and teach them how to best use systems to handle the “stuff” in their lives more effectively. Tanya can be reached by phone at 443-956-2522 or email tanya@PrecisionOrganizing.net