Many of us reserve de-cluttering for some very specific occasions. Spring cleaning. Buying a new sofa / bookcase / computer. In-laws coming to stay. Basically, something involving a deadline not so far away.
Before you start, make peace with the fact that it will not be perfect the first time, that you will agonize over the trash or treasure decisions, and may even get completely sidetracked and find yourself at midnight surrounded by old photographs getting all emotional.
There are a lot of articles around the web on the actual mechanics of initial de-cluttering, so I won’t get into that. I will, however, share five ways you can protect your de-cluttering investment by staving off the need for another session.
Everything must have a home.
When things have a place dedicated to them, and you always put them in the same place, it’s next to impossible for them to get lost, and their place to get filled with clutter. More importantly, it gets rid of the under-the-telephone table syndrome, or the utility/junk drawer problem.
Three clicks or less.
Just like website usability metrics – where you must be able to reach specific piece of content in 3 clicks or less, make sure that you are able to put each thing away in three gestures or less. So if you have open a cupboard, take down a box, open the inner box, put the thing inside, close the inner box, put it back in the outer box, and put it back in the cupboard, face it: it just ain’t gonna happen.
Obsess over one area per week.
Once you’ve cleared out the bookcase, throw a hissy fit in any member of the family so much as leaves a book facing the wrong way. By declaring it a clutter-free zone and actively protecting it for at least a week, the rest of household (yourself included) will get a clear message and will keep it that way. Move on to another area the following week.
Embrace the YAGNI principle.
Employed in a software application development technique known as Extreme Programming, the You Ain’t Gonna Need It principle says let someday take care of itself. In other words, you ain’t gonna need that health magazine because you probably won’t, in fact, try out that spinach recipe. And let’s face it, there’s very little you can’t look up on the web these days.
Do a bit each day.
Like dentist visits, the more often you do them, the less painful and expensive surprises there are when you get around to it. So clear out the mail before it exceeds single digits. Recycle the newspaper every weekend. Donate clothes that don’t fit the moment you discover you’ve slimmed down 
Don’t forget to make time to actively enjoy your space. Make it a point to parade around your beautifully tidy, de-cluttered space and appreciate it. Notice how calm and in control you feel knowing that you know where everything is, and that you can get to it in three clicks or less. And it will fit!
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