DIY Life

With two adults, two jobs, two kids, one dog, and three cats -- we know of clutter. When you live in a space, it's inevitable -- eventually, it will look lived in. Left unchecked, clutter will eventually take over your counter tops, your dining room table, your closets, your life. Luckily, there are ways to keep it under control.

One of my favorite methods is to grab a basket and put everything that belongs on the upper level of our home inside it. It usually only takes 5 minutes and makes an immediate difference.

Zen Habits, though, has a few more suggestions. They've listed 18 ways to de-clutter an area of your house in five minutes or less. Some of my favorites include:

• Create a 30-day list. If you want to buy something, put on the list and date it. After 30 days, if you still want it, go buy it. Chances are, you'll have forgotten why you needed it in the first place.
• Start a "maybe" box. It's hard to part with things you own. If you're unsure, put it in the maybe box. In six months, if you haven't gone looking for it, then you don't need it anymore.
• Dump a drawer. Once its contents are on your kitchen table, you've got no choice but to clean it up. Might as well sort it all out while you're at it.
  

There are so many other great ideas there that I may have get started on my spring cleaning. What do you do to keep clutter under control?