As some of you may remember, I've been following along with Unclutterer.com for months now, gathering tips and motivation for clearing the clutter from my bedroom. (Click here to go back to the initial post on the subject.) I have twice as much stuff as will fit in here, mostly because I made my dorm room in Texas really cozy all those years ago and then just boxed up that life and took it back to Chicago with me.

I've pared down a lot since then, but I think there is a hoarding streak in my dad's side of the family that occasionally rears its ugly head for me. I distinctly remember crying as a child because I had to throw away a tissue (probably one that had been cried in earlier). What if it got mad at me? Would it feel lonely or abandoned?

Suck it up, Miniskirts*. It was a tissue. What was it going to do? Seek revenge? Cry little tissue tears into an even smaller tissue?

Ahem. So anyway, one reader mentioned that she only allows herself to listen to podcasts while she's cleaning, and that has made the whole process much more fun for her. I tried it this week, and whoa dang, totally works for me. Mind you, I'm only in the uncluttering phase right now (not organizing or cleaning, really), so I might end up listening to every available episode of every podcast ever before that is over, but at least I'll be happily distracted while I'm working toward my amazing new life.

Recommended resources for other clutterbugs: the Unclutterer website, the Unclutterer book, Real Simple magazine (the pictures alone are usually great inspiration, but I also love their tips; archives are available for free online), and anything else that reminds you of what you want your life to look like and/or that helps you get there.

*I don't really want to have children, but if I ever found myself with a daughter, I would totally call her Miniskirts (as a nickname). Don't hate.