I’m at the age when it helps having magnification while applying makeup. The other day I noticed I was squatting ever so slightly to align my face with my pull-out adjustable mirror. See the problem? I was adjusting instead of having my adjustable mirror do the work.

Sometimes we do that with our clutter. We step over or reach around our clutter instead of adjusting it. We put something down instead of away because there’s no space for it.

I could have altered my posture instead of my mirror for quite some time before feeling it. Eventually, my back or neck would have told me something was amiss. Clutter and its effects don’t happen overnight. It tends to be sneaky and go unnoticed for a while.

If you’re feeling stressed, frustrated, anxious, or distracted, there could be a plethora of causes. Don’t discount sneaky clutter, or the fact that de-cluttering will free your mind to focus on other contributing issues.

Perfection is never the goal. Creating an environment that allows you to move freely, tidy-up easily, and have more peace and productivity is. Here are four TIMELY TIPS to take control of sneaky clutter rather than adjusting to it. Commit four weeks to this process and enjoy the benefits.

Timely Tips to handle sneaky clutter

FIND THE FLOOR

Every day pick up and put away one thing that landed on the floor but doesn’t belong there. It may be clothing, surplus paper products, a suitcase waiting to be unpacked, a basket of clean laundry, etc. Start with the least cluttered floor area. Stick with that space each day until completed. Seeing the clear floor is motivation for the next area. Take Sundays off.

COUNT OFF COUNTERS

Identify four cluttered countertops or flat surfaces—kitchen, bathroom(s), guest bed, laundry, desk, entry table, dining table, etc. Choose one to work on each week. Set your timer for ten minutes per weekday or fifty minutes on Saturday and de-clutter away.

SEIZE MORE SPACE

You may feel like you don't have room to spare, but there's probably a shelf, cabinet, or closet with some low hanging fruit--and by fruit, I mean space.

During your four-week attack on sneaky clutter survey your cabinets and closets looking for hidden space. It might currently be storing empty electronics boxes you saved from five years ago in case you needed to return them. It might have college binders and textbooks or VHS movies. Maybe there are boxes of canning jars or other supplies from a long gone hobby.

Choose an area and schedule one hour to purge and recover that valuable space. This will provide places for homeless items you discover on your floor and flat surfaces.

PEDDLE YOUR PAPER

Paper is often the sneakiest and fastest growing form of clutter. Pretend it’s all currency and that the sooner it arrives at its destination, the sooner the pay-off.

Paper has only four destinations—recycle, shred, file, and a holding place for active paperwork (bills, forms, RSVPs, etc.).

During these four weeks, commit to handling incoming paper daily instead of tossing them on the nearest flat surface. It will pay off. Click here for a Piles to Files tip sheet.