• Keeping your mail in order not only gets rid of an immediate sources of clutter, but also has the effect of keeping other areas of your life under control and unstressful – your electricity won’t get cut off, your ancient aunt won’t take umbrage at unanswered letters, and the junk mail doesn’t build up. Take ten minutes each morning (get up a little earlier if you have to) to sort through your post and deal with it immediately. Separate out torn envelopes and put them in the bin immediately or in your paper recycling pile. Decide there and then if your post is:

Junk mail (bin it), An invitation (check in your diary at once), A bill (pay it at once, even if you don’t post it until your pay packet comes in), In need of a reply (do it at once if you are able otherwise call, email or write later the same day), a bigger project (ie tax return, Make time in your diary to tackle it.

• Your bag or briefcase may be another sources of clutter – into which you distil your whole life. Take one day a week to rigorously go through your bag and clear out the detritus that builds up. Sort your wallet out at the same time.

• Photos, cuttings and mementoes are a constant source of clutter. If you know in your heart that you are never going to get round to pasting them all in albums do the following: Invest in lots of foolscap wallet-style folders with fold over flaps. Date the first one with today’s date with a thick marker pen. Place in it all your precious things (remember many are not precious and so need to be judged at the time that you acquire them – get rid of less than wonderful children’s drawings and repetitive photos, for instance). Into the wallet put in, as they crop up, all photos, precious letters from friends, school reports and children’s drawings. When it is full up secure it with a large rubber band and put the finish date on it. Start the next folder. You will probably end up with two or three folders per year which you can stash in a large box tidied away somewhere.

• Glance around you and observe. Areas where clutter tends to build up includes: window ledges, counter tops and open shelves, behind closet doors, by door ways to the outside. Being aware of this helps to stop you dumping things in the first place.

These tips are taken from suzannahs new book 500 Of The Most Important Stress Busting Tips You’ll Ever Need. Click here for more information.

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