Have a support system. It can be a neighbor, a friend—some one who's not emotionally attached to your stuff that can help you during the purging phase and help you set parameters on what you keep.

Begin the project by making the clutter manageable. Use color-coded stickers so others can help you sort through what stays and what gets tossed.

If you have boxes that are going into a storage area, take pictures of each area of the room and label each picture as a zone. As you pack, label each box with the appropriate zone number so you can retrieve the items later.

Pictures can also help organize unruly closets. Tape photos of your shoes to shoe boxes or to keep everything tightly organized, trade shoeboxes for clear containers.

Shelli Alexander from Order by Design
Visit www.orderbydesign.org or call 323-933-3779.

The crew from 1-800-GOT-JUNK
Visit www.1800gotjunk.com.

The Ethan Allen design team
Visit www.ethanallen.com or call 1-800-786-7315.

The specialists at The Container Store
Visit www.thecontainerstore.com or call 1-800-786-7315.

Bed Bath and Beyond
Visit www.bedbathandbeyond.com.