Clutter invades quickly. Random bits of paper and extraneous objects find their way into your home, plant themselves in the corners, and grow. Soon, a search for a child's permission slip or a spouse's left shoe evolves into a trek through a thriving jungle of stuff.

"We live in such a fast-paced world, it's easy to open up the closet door, shove things in, and say 'I'll deal with this later,'" says Lorraine Chalicki, owner of Personal Systems for Getting Organized in Seattle.

The first step toward seizing control of clutter is to devise a system of assessment and elimination that works with your personality (check out "Disorderly Conduct" to find your clutter type). "Once you become clear about what's important to you, it becomes a lot easier to decide what you don't need anymore," Chalicki explains.

Next comes arranging and integrating. Sue Foster, owner of Pittsburgh's Artfully Organized, suggests setting a specific goal and recognizing the benefit it will achieve -- that an organized kitchen will result in well-prepared meals, for instance. She recommends starting small. "Start with just one room, or one corner of the room, or one corner of a table," she says. Over time, you can extend that area to include the entire house or office.

Then there's the matter of maintaining a clutter-free environment. Items like mail, newspapers, or toys that don't have homes are primary clutter culprits, says Cynthia Townley Ewer, editor of the Web site OrganizedHome.com. Establishing specific places for paper and objects keeps them from wandering.

"Everyone benefits from bringing a sense of order and control to their environment," Chalicki says. "It just adds a huge amount of serenity and joy to living in your house again." And, as Foster points out, "Being organized doesn't mean being perfect. It just means being able to find your stuff."