1. Pick up the “one bag a day” decluttering habit.

This simple practice can keep stuff from piling up and overwhelming your space. Simply keep a stash of small plastic bags on hand (the kind you get from the supermarket work well) or any kind of small bag or box. Once a day, spend five to 10 minutes walking through your house or apartment, taking out clutter that you don’t need anymore. Make it your goal to fill up a bag every day. It’s kind of sad how easy it is to do for most of us. We really do have that much excess stuff.

Some of what you pick up might need to be trashed or recycled (dried-out markers, waste paper, and so on) but some of your clutter can be donated. Keep a box by the door, in the hall closet, or in the trunk of your car. Throw all your usable items in there and stop by the donation center once the box is full.