As we age, our clutter problems get more complicated by the needs of elderly parents or loved ones, our desire to share mementos and family history, and our own physical limitations.

People with clutter issues often report feeling overwhelmed—they know where they’d like to end up, but they can’t see a way to get there. The Clutter Fairy suggests better ways to think about clutter problems.

Crisis: an unexpected move, a death, a natural disaster—take steps now to help yourself or your loved ones manage better when trouble arises.

Take an incremental approach to managing the dishwasher, rather than turning kitchen cleanup into a monumental task by saving it to do all at once.