Now it's finally time to attack that clutter. Don't put it off with an excuse like "I'll tackle that clutter when I have a whole day free." Or "I'll sort through all that when this busy time ends." You'll never have a whole free day, will you? And do you really believe that busy time will ever end? No matter how busy you are, you can always find a free hour, right? Maybe not an hour a day, but an hour here or there, at least an hour a week.

Take the STING Out of De-Cluttering

Select just one small area to de-clutter: Not the whole kitchen, just the one counter, not the whole garage, just one shelf or one corner. If it's a huge mound of stuff, just attack one type of thing first (paper?), then put away another type (tools?) and take it one step at a time.

Time it. Give that clutter one full hour. Set a kitchen timer for 60 minutes. The tick-tick-ticking creates a sense of urgency. One reason to stop after an hour is that much of de-cluttering is making decisions, and after one hour you'll be so pathetically exhausted that you'll need a break and a reward.

Ignore everything else. Shirley, a gymnastics instructor, said that it was the "everything else" that always got her into trouble. She described how she would target cleaning the garage and she'd head out toward it, focused like a bullet. But on her way, she'd stop to wipe off the counter and load the dishwasher. But before she finished that, she'd begin sorting through the mail, then she had to check on one of the bills, and call a friend about the invitation to a cookout that just arrived in the mail. As the sun was setting, she'd have 17 jobs started, none completed and would shrug and say, "Well, I was multi-tasking."

Then she gave another example where, again focused like a bullet, she'd start to attack the clutter on her desk, but soon her focus would be scattered like buckshot. She'd decide to just spend one minute checking her e-mails, then make three quick phone calls, then play one ... just one ... computer game. And in the blink of an eye, she'd look at the clock and decide that it was too late to tackle that clutter, so she'd probably to it tomorrow ... maybe.

Learn from her mistakes. Follow this rule: While that timer is ticking, ignore everything else.

No breaks before the bell rings: This and the one above are two rules that add the power to this strategy. And by following them, you will do one hour of pure work, and will be amazed at what you can accomplish in an hour … with no breaks. This means that if you come across a box of bell-bottoms and beads from the '60s or your class essays from high school -- as long as that timer is ticking -- do not stop to stroll down memory lane.

Give yourself a reward. A trip to Hawaii would be great to "get" for cleaning out your junk drawer, but it's not happening. What can you give yourself? If you're stumped, here are two ideas:

1. Let yourself have something you love only after you've put in an hour on your chosen task. First de-clutter the car, then you can have your favorite drink. First spend an hour de-cluttering the kitchen, then you can watch TV.

2. Years ago, when I first started teaching "Blast Away Procrastination Seminars," people put off things they hated to do. Now they still do that, but the big change is they also put off things they love to do -- time with friends, reading novels, going to the movies or zoo, working out. Is there anything you put off doing that you love? Maybe time with family? Reading trashy magazines? Playing the piano, walking in nature, loafing? After one hour of de-cluttering, wallow in one of your favorite luxurious activities … guilt free.

A word of caution: When you've just de-cluttered an area, don't reward yourself by going out and buying a bunch of new stuff to bring in and clutter it up again.

Excerpted from Chapter Four of 'The Clutter-Busting Handbook' (Walker & Company) by Rita Emmett.