This is a good one, but instead of focusing on me, I’m going to share my thoughts on how you can reduce your life clutter. When you really sit back and think about it, clutter really starts from 1 of 3 places: unhelpful habits, a busy life, or mental/emotional unrest. That means solutions aren’t one size fits all. They have to be designed around the root and your lifestyle. Here are a few tricks that can help.

One option is creating new, helpful habits to combat unhelpful ones. If you’re used to dropping clothes on the floor or furniture, you might find that you’re often dealing with constant clothes clutter. Try putting clothes straight in the hamper or putting a concealed hamper near the spot where you typically change to help lessen the impact. Another similar tactic is retooling your habits around your time. If you don’t have time for full kitchen clean-up everyday, try making one pot meals and using disposable dinnerware to make cleanup easier.

Mental or emotional unrest hits all of us at some point or another, and is probably the most common root of clutter. The more your mood persists the more clutter will accumulate, which results in an even lower mental or emotional state. The best way to come out of that environment is to just declutter. It’s not always easy, so the best method is start really small. Make your bed. Wipe off the counter. Throw away your trash. Once you start the process, your brain will start to feel relief. Then you’ll have gained some energy to do a little more or get up and go do something you enjoy.

Find your root and decide what you can do to start reducing your clutter.