“Where is the lid to the coffee mug?” Logan asked.

I looked at Logan, shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know. It was on the counter a few minutes ago. Let’s look for it.”

I pulled open the drawer where we keep our forks, knives, and other cooking utensils and found it on the top of the forks. I looked up at Logan with a surprised look on my face and he rolled his eyes.

For the last weeks, I’ve become a clutter busting machine. If something is out of place, I put it away immediately and I have a feeling I’m starting to get on Logan’s nerves.

We’ve been living in the little house for two weeks and one of the things I’ve noticed is this: If I don’t pick up my stuff the house looks like a bomb went off. I don’t have a lot of stuff, but it’s still easy to create clutter piles with my limited belongings.

Typically, when I get home I unload my bike bag, which contains my camera, computer, journal, wallet, iPod, and a plethora of power cords. I’m always tempted to leave my stuff on the counter and make a cup of tea instead of putting it away. Rather than procrastinating, I use a few simple strategies to keep clutter to a minimum.

First off, when I walk in the door I immediately put my stuff away. For example, shoes aren’t allowed to be worn in the tiny house, so they either stay on the porch or sit by the heater to dry off (It’s been raining lately). The same goes for my wet rain coat. I hang up my coat above the heater to dry and then it goes into the closet.

In addition, each of my belongings has a designated home. I have a spot for my computer, power cords, clothing, and books. Putting stuff aways saves me time because I don’t spend 15 minutes looking for my keys or iPod every morning.

If I don’t follow these simple steps, I can’t seem to find what I need and it’s frustrating to constantly look for the same belongings over and over again. The trick is forming a ritual of picking stuff up and putting it away.

Share your clutter busting tips in the comments section.

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Melissa Gorzelanczyk. Melissa writes about simplicity and finding beauty in everyday life at Peace & Projects.

“Instead of trying to improve our relationship with our stuff, we settle for simply cohabiting the same space.” -Laura Crawford, The Path Less Pedaled

Question for you: Who decided it made sense to store unused stuff in plastic bins?

Somehow many years ago, I caught the plastic bin epidemic that swept our nation. I had a basement full of stuff – photo frames, books, fabric remnants, 4-H plaques, candles, random kitsch. To wrangle my cluttered landscape, I made a simple plan. First, build several rows of wood shelves. Second, fill plastic bins with excess stuff. Third, place bins on shelves. Applause! I did what any sick bin-aholic would do and bought close to 30 plastic bins for my mission.

Bin-aholic goes to rehab

It wasn’t until I started reading about minimalism that my forgotten stuff began to haunt me. The problem was that my relationship with stuff was broken. Until I fixed it, no amount of plastic bins would solve the chaotic clutter that always took over my basement storage room.

I knew it was time to take action. Bin by bin, I started to revisit my intentions for all that stuff. I decided to break up with the unwanted and unneeded things in my life. It was officially over. I was done with stuff.

And that’s the key.

If you want to have a healthy love affair with your stuff, you need to change the way you keep it, treat it and spend money on it.

Here are some ways to fix your relationship with stuff and create a calmer environment at home.

Try life on the minimalist side

One way to do this is by focusing on a specific area of stuff, like many did by joining Project 333. This minimalist fashion project encouraged others to wear only 33 items for 3 months. Impossible, you say? Not so fast. I was able to put some of my newly emptied plastic bins to work by loading most of my wardrobe into storage. Give yourself permission to let minimalism be a learning process. Find out what feels right for you. After all, becoming minimalist isn’t a contest, but a collaboration of inspired people.

You can be bold without throwing away all your clothes. Drastically minimize a category of your stuff for 3 months. Move the rest of your things into a holding area. How does it feel? What do you miss? Will you take the rest of your stuff back … or break up with it?

Love the item now or never

If an overstuffed closet makes you cringe, can you admit that this is not a healthy relationship? Sometimes we hold onto stuff for reasons we don’t fully understand. For me, the emotions surfaced while whittling my wardrobe for Project 333. It was surprising to realize I was emotionally attached to items I rarely wore.

To help get past emotional attachments that don’t make sense, take items out, one by one, and ask yourself these questions:

• Why do I keep this?
• Is this beautiful?
• Is this useful to me right now?

If you struggle with the answers, kick the item to the curb, literally. Acknowledge your emotions, but stay strong. Detach and see how you feel in a week.

Get rid of extra baggage

Our culture has become obsessed with disposable. Even items that aren’t disposable – like hair dryers and tank tops – are kept around in bulk “just in case.”  This is a wasteful mindset that will end up costing you money, not saving it. Get rid of the duplicates – donate them to those in need. If your hair dryer breaks, use the time you would have spent digging through bins of stuff to buy a new, quality dryer you’ll totally love.

Ignite your passion to shop local

Put your money to work in your community. Support local artists, woodworkers, knitters and purse makers. Don’t make the cheap, made in China items your first pick. If there is something you want or need, plan ahead and make it a pleasure instead of pointless consumerism.

It’s really like putting your relationship with stuff in reverse. Shift gears and go in a new direction. By experimenting with minimalism, appreciating quality workmanship and focusing on community, you can invite stuff to have a place in your life.  You can start defining who you are by the things you do, and not the stuff that clutters the path.

How about you? Do you feel like your relationship with stuff is broken? Tell me more in the comments below.

* * *

Editor’s note: Check out Melissa’s blog Peace & Projects. While you’re at it, follow her on Twitter. She rocks!

Also, if you’re a blogger consider signing up for this course: “How to Write Like an A-List Blogger”! The first week is free and the course contains information on:

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Photo by stephenvance

The ideas presented in The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life have been on the tip of my tongue all week. As a result, Logan and I had a conversation about minimalist work spaces, productivity and his desk. I had a love/hate relationship with Logan’s desk. It’s a great workspace but the desk was a clutter bomb; covered in paper and other random items.

So imagine my surprise when I walked into our apartment and found a beautiful, minimalist desk! On the spur of the moment Logan decided to purge excess stuff and accessories from his desk. Below are a few strategies Logan used:

1. Create a clutter free desk.

Removing excess trinkets, paper and notebooks from your work space will give you more space to focus on writing or other creative endeavors.

2. Remove unnecessary desk accessories.

For instance, Logan removed the key board platform, a drawer, an elevated laptop tray and the key board. As a result, he has a clean work surface. All the extra material was donated to the local SPCA. Plus, Logan’s brother took the laptop tray off our hands.

3. Say goodbye to paper.

Paper can create clutter. For example, Logan scanned a number of his documents into PDFs. Now that his documents are on his computer (and tagged appropriately), he can easily find the content he needs for his dissertation.

4. Use Leo’s ideas to refine your workspace.

Logan was inspired by Leo’s chapter on the minimalist workspace and also loves his blog Zen Habits. Logan said this was “the perfect opportunity to remove clutter and stop procrastinating.”

Would you add anything to the list?

Before

Over the Thanksgiving holiday Logan and I cleaned out his closet at the ranch. It was filled with lots of excess stuff and we donated 99% of the items to the thrift store.

A majority of the items had been sitting in the closet for years collecting dust. I have to take responsibility for some of the clutter. I was storing my old ski’s and bo0ts at the ranch; in addition to our wedding china. I was so happy to donate these items and all of Logan’s extra stuff.

I hope someone else will be able to use the skis, china and clothing.

If you want to clean out your closet, below are a few tips that might help.

1. Take everything out of the closet.

2. Sort your stuff into a few piles. Items you’re considering keeping, a donation pile and a pile for non-salvageable, non-recyclable trash.

3. Items that should be salvaged for recycling include old papers, cardboard, lumber, and plastic, just to name a few examples Only trash items as a last resort. Our landfills are growing at an exponential pace.

4. Make time for a thrift store run.

5. Call the thrift store in advance. Make sure the store will accept your donations.

Clearing the clutter out of your life is a beautiful feeling.

Too much stuff...

Do you have any closet cleaning tips to add? Leave a comment and share your thoughts…