On average, people use 80% of their possessions just 20% of the time. Having lot’s of clutter doesn’t make your life easier; in fact it does just the opposite. Clutter wastes time, increases stress, costs us money and, according to the Chinese tradition, saps energy. Have a small clear out once a month. Identify your "clutter crises" areas and tackle them one at a time. You’ll find you save a lot of time not having to hunt for that missing shoe or document!

At the same time, it may also be a good idea to de-clutter your finances.

Make a list of all the money you’re borrowing from mortgages, loans, credit cards, store cards etc. Use budgeting to work out how much you can afford to repay every month. Then start to pay off the most expensive loan (the one with the highest APR) first, just making the minimum payment on the others.