13. Shopping is not a sport. The less you buy, the less you have to declutter. If you don't learn to stop shopping, you may as well just shoot yourself in the foot.

14. If you devote 15 minutes a day to the mail, you can eliminate a lot of stress and a lot of clutter.

15. Invite a friend over for dinner. That will help you declutter the living room. If your clutter is too overwhelming, invite an imaginary friend over for dinner.

16. Don't overthink it. Ask yourself, "What's the worst that can happen?" If you throw something away unintentionally, will it kill you? Remember: People and pets are important but stuff isn't.

17. Tell yourself, "I'm worth it." You deserve to live in a clutter-free environment.

18. Decluttering is also about your emotional, mental and spiritual life. A cluttered mind is a dangerous place to be. So is a cluttered soul.

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E-mail: susan@desnews.com