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You look around your house and all you see is one big mess-doesn't matter which room it is, there's clutter and chaos. You'd clean, but you don't know where to begin. It's just too overwhelming. Well, the good news is that Rome wasn't built in a day, the mess didn't arrive in a day, and you aren't expected to whip it into shape in a day-of course, it's a nice dream.

Like any goal, you have to break it down into manageable tasks. In this case, it may be just picking a room and getting started. If that feat is too large, then how about picking a drawer or a cabinet and getting started. Once you've selected your starting point, rip everything out. I know it's scary, but you want to start fresh. If you're starting with your bedroom closet, just go ahead and take everything out and toss it onto your bed. Whew. Now you have a clean slate to work with.

Once your space is cleared, take a good look at it. Envision how you imagine it looking. What do you see? Now let's start to build your vision. First things first-identify your "prime real estate." Within the space, what's the prime component? What's the easiest to access? What is the beach front property of your closet? Is it the hanging rod to the left of the door? If so, we need to make sure that when we're putting things back that the things you need quick, ready access to have space on that rod. Get my point?

If you need organizing products, take some measurements and take a shopping trip. When purchasing containers, envision them in your space and actually using them. Is having lids important to you? Do you need to see inside the containers or would you rather the contents be hidden?

As you start to re-assemble the contents of your project, begin by sorting "like" things and be sure that you've gathered your like things from all areas of the house. For example, if you're working on the closet, be sure that you have all your clothes there so you can best evaluate your spatial needs. If you are working on your sock drawer, be sure that you've brought up all the socks from the laundry room. Gather all your black socks into a pile, white socks in a different pile, etc. You can't find a home for something unless you know how large a home you need. Do you have 30 pairs of shoes or 50?

Of course, as you're putting things back into the space, you're taking a good hard look at whether or not the item deserves space in the closet/drawer/cabinet/etc. Is this the best home for my riding boots or would it be better to store

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