Sarah Hunter, president and owner of Simply Organized, makes it her business to get people’s lives in order. “These days people have so much stuff. It’s overwhelming for a lot of people when they realize how much they have, and that’s where I come in,” she explains. In honor of National Get Organized Month, Hunter offers advice on how to organize clutter-prone areas of life.

10 tips for 2010

1. Paper/Junk Mail — Remove the junk mail and sort the rest into keep permanently, to-do, or file. Go to   catalogchoice.org and remove your name from mailing lists.

2. Photos — Throw out the bad ones, and keep the ones that are meaningful. Store them either digitally or in albums. Finally, label them according to year or theme.

3. Desk — Only keep items that you use on top of the desk. Other items can be placed in drawers.

4. Files — Make one tax file and put everything tax-related in it. If you have paper and electronic files, make sure to name them the same.

5. Kitchen/Bathroom — Use creative containers to store things. Containers can be shoe boxes, antique glasswear, or canvas bins.

6. Garage — Look at the space you have and find a different use for it. One quick fix is to put hangers on the wall for bikes, tennis rackets, skis, etc.

7. Purse — Don’t worry about squeezing everything into your purse; use one that matches your lifestyle, and have a designated pocket or pouch where everything is supposed to go.

8. Electronics — Get a charging station. All of your items will be ready to use, and you won’t have to worry with pesky cords anymore.

9. Schedule — This mostly depends on your personal style, so analyze yourself: Do you like seeing things on a screen or writing things down?

10. Office — We generally only use 20 percent of what’s in our offices. Try to pick out the most important things.

For more information on Hunter’s company, go to simplyorganizedinc.biz