Reducing the clutter in your home and office is a basic principle of Feng Shui, and over the years I have collected hundreds of simple clutter clearing tips for keeping homes and offices clutter-free. In Feng Shui, clutter represents "postponed decisions" and the "inability to move forward." What do you accumulate, where do you put it, and why do you keep it? The answers say a lot about you. We all have to deal with some amount of clutter, but in Feng Shui terms, extreme clutter holds you back and keeps you from making progress. One of the basic beliefs of Feng Shui is that "nothing new flows into your life until you make room for it." Therefore, clearing clutter is the key to using Feng Shui to transform your space.

Here are ten of my favorite simple clutter clearing and organizing tips that I have collected from my clients and from professional organizer colleagues. These tips range from organizing closets, to getting rid of books, to handling paper clutter, and everything in between.

1. Place one piece of old clothing, one unneeded book, and other items in a bag in the trunk of your car each morning. At the end of the month you'll have 30 items to take to your favorite charity or nonprofit.

2. Never leave a room without picking up something that belongs in another one.

3. If I don't use it, lose it. Go through your closet at the end of each season, and if you find something you haven't worn, donate it or list it on online auction or sale sites.

4. Get in the habit of scanning photos, put the images on a disk, and then get rid of the old photos.

5. Follow the rule of "one in - one out.” That is, nothing new comes in until you make room for it by getting rid of something. After all, the less you have, the less you have to clean.

6. Set up a three-ring binder with a colorful pocketed divider for each month, then place tickets, reservations, meeting reminders, medical appointment cards, etc. into each month's pocket, instead of jumbling them together.

7. Check your office bulletin board for any old phone lists, outdated memos, or restaurant menus; rearrange what’s left so that the information you need to use the most often is in the spot where it is the easiest to see.

8. Empty your e-mail trash folder before you leave your office or shut down your computer for the night, so you can start the next day with fresh energy when you check e-mail.

9. Get rid of everything that reminds you of how much weight you’ve gained or lost.

10. Take digital photos of your child’s artwork and school projects instead of saving every thing that comes home, then turn them into greeting cards, stickers, postcards, etc., so you can continue to appreciate your child’s creativity.

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