From piles of magazines to unopened mail and stacks of clothing not often wore, your home may be full of clutter. Busy schedules can make it difficult to find time to organize but organizing can make a profound impact on the happiness you feel inside your home. While decluttering can be a large task to conquer, breaking this undertaking into smaller chores can yield big results.

Here are five creative ways to make decluttering your home a breeze:

Fill two trash bags

Grab two large trash bags, move from room to room and fill them with unwanted/unused items. Much of the clutter may also be able to be recycled or moved directly to the trash bag. Fill the other bag with items you can donate to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. When the bags are full, take the trash directly outside to the bin and put the donation bag in your trunk. Don’t forget to drop your donations off!

Make a habit of the 12-12-12 rule

Once you have completed the trash bag purge, try to use the 12-12-12 rule each week to avoid clutter. Find 12 items in your home to throw away, 12 to donate and 12 to return to their proper home. This exercise can become a habit if you schedule it weekly.

Use clutter baskets

If you have a family, you know that a home can quickly go from tidy to tidal wave. To help control the chaos, designate a basket for each person in your household in a central location. Each time you find someone’s “clutter” somewhere around the house, place it in his or her basket. At the end of the day, make it everyone’s responsibility to return items to their rightful space.

Try this closet hanger experiment

Hang all the clothes in your closet, with the hangers in the reverse direction. When you wear something, turn the hanger back around. After a few months, you should have a clear idea of what you do and do not wear. Donate the clothes that you don’t wear to free up space in your closet or consign the clothes and make some extra money.

Five minutes a day make clutter go away

Use this list of  five-minute decluttering tips  to declutter your home in just five minutes each day.

For more creative ways to declutter,  click here.

If you are planning to sell your home in the next three to six months, decluttering now can save you a lot of time and stress down the road and organize your home for showings. I am always here to talk with you about your home financing needs when you are ready to buy your next home.