In fall, the kids are back in school and routines are somewhat settled: new sports, arts and other activities seem to fill the house with backpacks, sporting equipment, uniforms, musical instruments and all sorts of extraneous items overflowing in the back hall, and through the kitchen, collecting in the living room and gathering in the garage.

As a child growing up, I recall my mother's vein attempt to contain our school clutter: she had the builder put in a tall set of deep shelves directly across from the back door in the hallway between the kitchen and laundry room. We each got one shelf. Our books, bags and whatever other school and activity paraphernalia we required were to be on that shelf or in our rooms. In theory, it was a great plan. In practice it meant that our shelves would be loaded up with everything from laundry to books to basketballs and sneakers, until they were bursting out all over the hallway and she would demand that we remove at least some of the offending personal clutter to our rooms.

Before you slump into defeat, as all your best home organizing ideas seem to have flown out the window... And your 4th grader arrives home with yet another back pack full of papers, forms, fundraising and charity drives from school and excitedly announces that she has to build a model working volcano and requires a long list of building materials and vast amounts of poster board for the science fair...

Before you give up on the idea that this holiday your home could be a centerpiece of tranquility and calm in the world... Clean, organized and beautifully decorated for the season... Even as you swear you can hear your house crying out "Help Me Get Rid of This Clutter!" Take heart. There is a better way...

Don't blame yourself for this problem; it's not your fault. Clutter is the visible stalker of most Americans… if you don't believe me; start looking around inside people's houses!

Getting organized can sometimes seem like the impossible dream. As you search the house for that missing pair of scissors one more time; consider the incredible amounts of time you would be free to spend as you wish if you were not chasing around for missing items half the time!

It's frightening! And what's really frightening is we're all doing it. The Gallup Company in Princeton did a study that revealed that top executives in major corporations waste approximately 5 weeks a year on misplaced items!

What to do? If top level executives can't seem to manage it, is it really possible to declutter your home? One solution is to hire a professional "clutter control" expert to assist you. That is a solution many people have chosen. And, for many of them it has worked very well

But what if you can't afford a personal "declutter coach" or, worse, you simply, don't have time to figure out how to hire one, let alone go through the entire clutter control process with him or her?

Do not despair. There may yet be hope. Even for those of us who have about as much extra time as we have extra cash lying around… There is an alternative to the cluttered home you've been living with, and you may be surprised to learn how powerful, simple and easy it can be.

So how do you combat clutter effectively? How do you make your home the organized reflection of a declutter-and-distress lifestyle?

Many Americans actually declutter by adding new space for clutter off site! They rent storage units and fill them with the clutter that no longer fits in the home. Those lucky enough to have an unfinished attic or large garage area may find that clutter begins to invade and take over these "out of the way" places in the home to the extent that they are "filled to the gills" and overflowing… This is NOT the answer!

If you want to get a serious handle on clutter before the holidays arrive and leave you lurching through them in a sea of confusion, there may be only one real answer. You need the assistance of a Master Declutterer.

Luckily for all of us, there is such a person, and she has now written a simple step by step guide that promises to have you living in a Clutter Free Home, not only for a day, not only temporarily, but actually for the rest of your life, following her simple steps.

A plan so masterful, direct and clever there is no question that this Declutter expert has done the work none of us has had the smarts or the time to do: figured out a fast, easy and effective way to end clutter forever.

But perhaps what is most amazing of all, this elegant answer to a problem that has plagued many of us all of our lives is actually FUN to implement. I know what you're thinking… It's possible that in my newfound freedom from clutter I've simply slipped over the edge of reason. After all, who in their right mind could possibly think of any form of cleaning as FUN? All I can say is… You won't believe it until you experience it for yourself. Once you do, you'll be amazed at how liberated you feel.

Then you can sit back, relax, and contemplate what you're planning to do with those extra five weeks (or more!) you just won back from the clutches of cluttered living… Maybe you'll start with a long hot soak in the tub… who knows?

As the holidays approach and I find myself surrounded by a clean, organized, clutter free and inviting home, I can only marvel at the genius of this amazing woman. The power of clarity has been restored to me from the midst of cluttered confusion. It feels a bit like suddently being a member of the Marvel family! Shazam!

"Thank You Mimi!" Your expertise was EXACTLY what I needed to finally conquer clutter!