Over the years I've read a lot of books and taken several courses on organizing and decluttering. Occasionally there were short sayings that stuck with me because they packed a lot of meaning into their short statements. The following is a list of my favorites that speak to an organized life. A place for everything and everything in its place. If you want things to be different, you have to be willing to do things differently. Clutter attracts more clutter. "Have nothing in your house that...

It's estimated the average American household contains over 300,000 items. We continually bring things through the front door. But most of us haven't developed habits of letting go of things we no longer use. As a result, the stuff keeps accumulating and inevitably begins to have a negative impact on our lives. If you're ready to declutter and let go of the excess but don't know how to decide what to keep and what to let go of, some simple questions to ask yourself may be helpful. The...

Handling every single item in our 5-person household and making a decision about whether it should stay or go took four long years. It was a grueling process during which I felt overwhelmed at times and yet it brought a sense of great satisfaction. I can account for everything to our name and know that it's part of our home intentionally. Pairing down our belongings was a battle. Maintaining a life with less is a completely different one. It requires new habits so that we don't go back to...