There's no place like home.

Look around you and find one piece of clutter. Can you tell me why it's "clutter"?  For me, 80% (yes, I am making up this number.  Let's just say "a lot") of the time an item is considered clutter because it has no home.  In my house, things that have homes get put away.  Purse?  Bench by the door.  Current issues of magazines?  On the desk.  Clean dishtowels?  In the bottom drawer.

I've found that if something has a designated and easy-to-get-to home (this second part is crucial -- if the "home" is hard to get to I often won't put the item away consistently) I am really, really good at putting it away (pats self on back).  But if it doesn't -- and this happens most with things that I bought or acquired without thinking about what they'd be used for or what they'd replace -- they end up with a "Hi!  I'm Clutter!" name badge.  That air freshener refill that doesn't fit any air freshener that I own?  Sitting on a bookshelf, smiling an evil grin.  Oversized photo album that doesn't fit on any shelf in my house?  Gathering dust on a stack of magazines in the Room of Doom. 

My goal today:  find a home for 10 items of clutter in my house.  This ultimately means making some decisions -- possibly letting go of things that don't "fit" in my life or cutting some sentimental attachments.  Their real home may really be someone else's home! 

What are you working on today?