These days it’s hard to know what’s real.

From Wall Street to Main Street, it seems just about every industry is rife with controversy. Regardless of where you stand on politics of the day, it’s become increasingly difficult to deny the tangible impact first-world consumerism has on a global scale. If you think about it, it’s kind of how we’ve gotten into the messes we’re in.

De-cluttering and getting organized have become trendy among suburban soccer moms and Millennial minimalists alike, but in the midst of our drive-thru self-help culture, it’s easy to breeze over the really tough questions.

What are your answers when you ask yourself: What matters most to you? What do you really need to be happy? Would you continue to shop brands if you knew they were involved in sweatshop manufacturing or illegal toxic waste dumping? If less stuff meant living a simpler, more meaningful life ― would you fundamentally evolve and become a more responsible consumer, a better parent, a happier lover, a healthier person?

I help people simplify so they can focus on what matters most, and that is: who we love, what we do, how, and why we live...because everything else is just stuff. As Aspen, Colorado’s go-to professional organizer, I’ve seen everything. I’ve worked onsite with the rich and famous and I’ve Skyped with countless families in some of our nation’s poorest communities. I’ve helped thousands of households to simplify their stuff, organize their lives, renounce our shop-obsessed culture, and transition to becoming outspoken advocates of environmentalism, human rights, and grassroots philanthropy.

What’s truly amazing is the universal transformation...No matter where people come from or how much money is in their bank account, everyone finds a life of less stuffand more love to be infinitely more rewarding — and they’re delighted to trade their mountains of meaningless junk for an unencumbered life.

Turns out, it’s not that big of a leap. No matter what space you’re working on, follow these three simple steps and you can do more than just organize your stuff — you can manifest a more rewarding life for yourself and make a pretty serious impact on those around you, too.

I’m not selling anything; there’s nothing to buy here — just follow these three steps, and you will clear the cluttered path to the life you seek:

The Morning Email

Wake up to the day's most important news.

1. Simplify. Purge the stuff you just don’t need. (We purge in 4 ways: trash, recycle, thrift, and consign.) Become more mindful about what you really need. Need less, shop second-hand, buy fair trade, and don’t be afraid to invest in quality items made to last a really long time. The less you own, the easier everything will be to manage.

2. Clarify. Organize the important stuff that supports who you want to be and what you want to do before you’re dead and gone. (These are my 4 Rules of Organization: 1) Like things together, 2) Easy to find - with a label, 3) Easy to reach - for convenience, and 4) Out of the Way ― to prevent sprawl.) Remember, Proximity = Urgency informs where items should be put away, based on how urgently they’re likely to be needed. (Example: Don’t put your bear spray at the bottom of your pack when hiking in bear country.)

3. Inspire. Design vibrant spaces to give you the inspiration you’ll need to maintain your systems for long-term results. (To get inspired, bring your spaces to life with style using aesthetic, function, flexibility, and your preferences based on your personal lifestyle.)

Take a break from your online holiday-shopping frenzy. Do a little research on how all that stuff is made. Decide if you really want to support the brutal impact those industries have on real people in real places. Get your family involved. Invite them to reflect on what matters most and you may be surprised to discover how little we need to truly be happy. You may decide you’re ready to reconsider what consumerism means to you.

Stop tidying up — that’s not helping! Instead, be a little more mindful about what you invite into your life and into your home. Here’s the good news: When we connect the dots between our stuff and the impact those things have on a global scale, we rise above our mountains of clutter, we shift the collective consciousness towards environmental sustainability, human rights, and a long-lasting peace that celebrates all of us.

To help you get started, download your complimentary Quick-Start Guide at www.ClutterFreeRevolution.com.