A friend was lamenting to her favorite organizer about the sad state of her affairs. Shelley sighed, "I used to be really organized. Well, not organized, but before we launched the new product line, I was able to find everything in the mess I call my office. Now I just call it a mess."

Professional women are generally very busy and tend to have "stuff" all over the place: gym clothes and hand weights, briefcases and legal briefs, coffee cups and lunchtime clutter, and a heck of a lot of paper, with very little time to think about de-cluttering the workspace (or kitchen, living room or bathroom).

People with clutter simply have too much stuff. At a recent de-clutter workshop, I asked participants to identify one item in their office that seemed silly to keep but that they could not let go. One woman said she can't toss out an accumulated collection of 100-plus thank-you notes and birthday cards. I posed this question to the audience: "Do any among us send birthday cards expecting the receiver to hold on to the card forever?" Everyone laughed and shouted, "No!"

Clutter happens because of a delay in making decisions about the disposition of stuff. The longer it takes to decide what to do with something, where to put it or whether to keep it, the easier it is to create clutter. If you aren't using something, give it away. Insisting "I may need it someday" or "I paid a lot of money for that" to justify keeping the item almost guarantees that the clutter will never disappear.

If you might need an item "someday," buy another one when that day comes. And an item's cost is irrelevant; if you don't need it, what difference does it make what it cost at some point long ago? A professional organizer would encourage her client to give it away so someone else can make good use of it.

Consider tossing items that have needed repair for longer than they were actually used. Well-worn blouses and skirts can be thrown out. It's easier to decide whether to keep a good pair of slacks you haven't worn in more than a year if you wear those slacks within a week of your de-cluttering project. If you don't, consider tossing them into the donation pile.

Regardless of the justifications for maintaining clutter and mess, here are some basic tips on moving through the de-clutter process. This may be daunting, so call a friend to help. De-cluttering is likely to be stressful, but preparing for the process is a good way to keep the stress to a minimum.

• Make the time to de-clutter and be reasonable about how much can be accomplished in the time that has been set aside. A crowded, cluttered workspace didn't get that way overnight and will not become uncluttered all at once. If you don't set aside enough time to deal with the mess in a thoughtful, planned manner, you may get frustrated. Also, tackle one area at a time. A good rule: a four-hour block of time is enough to clear through the clutter in one area (a credenza, the top of a desk, a supply closet). For the first two hours, pull everything out of the space and sort into piles; for the remaining two hours, put away the sorted piles. For every section of clutter, make sure there is enough time to clear it.

• Clear the clutter by making temporary piles: Things to toss, things to recycle, things to file and things to send to the office archives. This sorting process is the only way to get through the piles.
   
• Acknowledge that clearing the workspace means throwing some things away. For every decision about what to toss, donate, etc., ask a series of questions: Will life be better served with or without this item? Does the item serve to bring happiness? Is ego involved in keeping it? Are you keeping the item because someone might be hurt if you don't?

Congratulations! Getting through the sorting process means you've made a lot of decisions about the disposition of your stuff. Way to go. Have some chocolate!

Developing an array of new habits will go a long way toward maintaining a clutter-free environment. Some new habits may include making on-the-spot decisions or changing where mail is opened every day:

• Deal with new papers as they come in, rather than wait until the papers become new piles. Develop the habit of clearing paper from the desk at the end or beginning of the workday, and file papers at the same time each week, such as Friday afternoon.
   
• Get into the habit of opening mail (at home or in the office) in the same place every day, with easy access to a shredder, a letter opener and a wastebasket. Make decisions about the mail as you open it.
   
• Take time at the end of the workday to prepare for the next day. Put away files, pens and coffee cups. Respond to the important e-mails, file or delete e-mails that have been answered and make a "to do" list for the following day. I worked recently with a client who, over a couple of weeks, developed the habit of stopping her day at 6:30 p.m. From 6:30 to 7 she writes a "to do" list, and readies the desk for the next day's calls and clients. She no longer dreads tomorrow because she already knows what is planned and due. My client tells me this has made a huge difference in her level of productivity.
   
• Develop another new habit: Keep looking for new ways to keep clutter at bay by using common sense. Take gym clothes home and put them into the hamper every day. Take from your briefcase only what you know you will read that night.

These are just a few suggestions to help kick-start the process of de-cluttering and staying organized. If you need help de-cluttering closets and desk drawers, consider hiring a professional organizer. You can find one in your area by visiting the National Association of Professional Organizers' website.

Regina Lark is the owner of A Clear Path, a Los Angeles-based professional organizing business. Regina, who serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Los Angeles, also conducts workshops on organizing and social networking.