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I give this advice from the perspective of someone currently cleaning out their house. For the past week my time has been occupied sorting out 13 years of crap in order to make a comfortable living space for my future husband and I. Throwing things away can be hard if you are the sentimental type, but understand that parting with old things is very necessary at times- especially as you transition out of young adulthood. I couldn’t believe some of the childhood things I was hoarding the back of my closet. Thus, in my quest to no longer be a pack rat, the following helpful tips have enabled me to free myself from clutter and stress.

• Don’t be held hostage by your possessions. When your stuff begins taking over your life and you spend all your time climbing over things, looking for missing items, and fretting over where you’ll put your next electronic, you are wasting precious time that you can never buy back.
• Help your (future) kids. If your children pick up on your pack rat style, they will have the same problem when they’re out on their own. Or even worse, they will have bigger problems if you pass your cluttered house down to them. If you begin to get organized now, your children will see how important it is and hopefully, follow your lead.
• Recognize clutter. As a rule, if you don’t use it or enjoy it, then it’s nothing more than clutter. If you don’t know what it is, it’s clutter. If it’s too nice to use, it’s clutter. Toss it or give it to someone who will use it and appreciate it. 1800Junk is a junk removal service that comes to your house with a dumpster and gets rid of your junk. They have great reviews on their website and have been featured on Dr. Phil.
• Give a reprieve to that knickknack-attacked living room. Group small decorative items or collections on tabletops or shelves instead of spreading them haphazardly about the room
• Institute the In-and-Out Rule: For each item you bring home, toss, recycle or give away one item.
• Avoid going half-way by putting things aside that you’re not sure what to do with. These temporary storage areas almost always turn into permanent storage. Force yourself to make a decision whether to keep or toss.
• Create more space. Add shelves in the living room or closet; install a shower caddy in the bath. Whenever you see an opportunity to maximize space, grab it. Shops such as the Container Store and Hold Everything sell stacking plastic drawers, multipair shoe bags, racks to hang pots from, and other storage innovations. California Closets offers a free, in-home consultation on increasing storage space and will build an incredibly organized closet for a fee.

If a de-cluttering marathon doesn’t sound appealing to you, try tackling your junk in small bites. “Commit to spending at least 20 to 30 minutes on uncluttering each day, but no more than an hour,” says organizing pro Donna Smallin, author of Unclutter Your Home: 7 Simple Steps, 700 Tips and Ideas. “After an hour, you won’t be so fresh, and your decision-making ability may falter.” Focus on one room, or one part of a room, at a time, so you can see your progress.

Today’s Oprah features clutter experts helping families de-clutter their lives. Watch her clip on cleanup secrets for more motivation.