The following article is written by Christa O’Leary and originally appeared on MindBodyGreen.com

There are many ways to make life inside more comfortable and enjoyable. One simple way to optimize your nest is to begin removing clutter and organize your stuff so that you are able to truly enjoy your home when you will be spending more time inside.

Remove roadblocks

Sometimes in our need for perfectionism, the idea of organizing can feel very overwhelming. This can lead to stagnation or a complete roadblock. Move forward by focusing on what you can get rid of first. This will reduce the psychological burden of the task.

Give every item its own place

Everything you have in your space should have a place. Label the destination if it will help you stay clutter free and organized. This might be a great time to get some of those colorful storage containers.

Don’t acquire; make a trade

When bringing new items into your living environment, think about getting rid of something you know longer need or use. This can help cut down on the surplus and overwhelming inundation of items that can pile up in your home.

Develop a seasonal system

Make a point each season to notice what you have and haven’t used. It’s time to purge whatever you no longer need. When you do this on a regular basis, you develop your own clutter-clearing system that will help you all year long.

Focus on a strategic approach.

Breaking the process of clutter clearing down into manageable pieces takes out overwhelm. Don’t try to tackle everything all at once this can be defeating. Put a strategy in place so that you know exactly what needs to be done and when.

Divide your possessions into four categories

The process of clearing the clutter is simple. There are four categories:

Throw out: First go through and find anything that can be tossed. Include anything worn, broken, chipped, in disrepair, or items you haven’t used in years.

Donate: Go on a shopping spree for those that are less fortunate.

Not ready to part: Place these in a box labeled with the date. If you don’t go back to the box in a year, donate!

Find a home: Items you truly love should have a home within your abode. Find a place within your space.

Don’t have too many “favorite” things

It is important to have special pieces around your home that remind you of happy memories. However, it’s also important to be selective with these happy-memory-making items. Clutter is clutter, even with the “good” stuff. It’s time to pare down when you are no longer able to see the special tokens because you have too many trinkets on your bookshelf.

Just do it!

Take immediate action with the four categories of belongings! Don’t leave things sitting around, because this is another form of clutter.

Don’t get distracted from your items’ final destination

That brings me to my next point, I don’t know about you, but I often have bags of items sitting around waiting to be given to this person or that charity. Getting them to their final destination can be challenging for a whole assortment of reasons. If you aren’t able to get them to their intended endpoint within a week, bring them to the charity drop-off box down the street.

Make your bedroom your oasis

Begin with your bedroom. Make this a nest that nurtures you and an oasis away from clutter elsewhere. This room is critical for three reasons. You spend seven or so hours in it each day, it’s the last room you see before you nod off and the first room you see upon waking. A clutter free bedroom will help you enjoy sweet sleep and positively begin your day.

Your external world has a huge impact on your internal sense of well-being. You can harness the power of your natural instincts that urge you to organize, clear and clean during the fall season.

The above tips and more inspiration can also be found in Christa O’Leary’s book Home in Harmony: Designing An Inspired Life available at Amazon