SEEKONK -- One of the first things folks can do to better organize their lives is get rid of some of the clutter, starting with notorious "junk" mail.

Then there's getting rid of those annoying solicitations which nowadays even extend to cellular telephones.

Organizing can also help in a move or when you're getting ready to downsize. What to do with all that "stuff" when moving to smaller quarters?

Ron Blum of Seekonk, a member of the New England chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers, recently shared some tips about how to tackle those tasks to make life easier at a presentation at the Seekonk Public Library.

The forum was geared toward seniors who are planning to move out of their homes to in-law apartments, condominiums or assisted living facilities and how to deal with downsizing. But Blum's tips can also be tapped by people who just want to make their lives less tedious. Take junk mail - rather, don't.

The average household gets an estimated 50,000 pieces of mail over a lifetime - about 30 percent of it junk mail, Blum said.

Make some telephone calls or write a few letters now to end the pile up of those unwanted, unsolicited flyers, coupons, catalogs, credit card and other solicitations, he said, listing some contacts.

Choose your charities

Toss repeated charitable solicitations once you've decided early on which charities you would like to give to and a total amount, and after you've done your research. "Remember, you're not obligated," Blum said. He advised keeping a record, perhaps on an index card, of the charities and amounts you would like to donate to. You can always change them the following year.

Stop wasting the time and aggravation involved in dealing with unwanted home and cell phone solicitations, he said. Contact the Federal Trade Commission's National Do Not Call Registry and make sure to include all of your numbers. (Remember, if you're a customer of a certain company, they can call you. Contact that institution directly.)

Ridding of clutter in the house goes beyond the counter or desk with the junk mail piled on top. Cleaning out those closets as well as clearing out that attic or basement, can be done, and not just when you're getting ready to downsize.

Blum told folks to consider Pareto's Principle, an 80/20 rule. "What it means to us is that there's 20 percent we use and 80 percent that we do not; we probably don't even need it," he said.

Take a look in the closets and in the drawers. There's probably the same group of clothing that you wear over the course of two weeks, he said. Then there's that end of the closet that may hold the "thin" or "fat" clothes, he said, eliciting a few chuckles of recognition from the audience.

Blum said he's given away clothes of his wife's that still had the price tags attached, but that she never ended up wearing because they didn't fit or didn't end up liking it. "It may have been expensive, but it was never worn." He said people could end clutter, too, if they don't start amassing it in the first place.

As a consumer society, people "just love a bargain," he said in tune to the theme of that store chain. "We love the Christmas Tree Shop and Sam's Club where you can get everything in bulk, even though a majority of it you might not need until the next year, if there's a good deal. But where do you put it? "

"The goal is to resist the urge, buy what you need and reduce the stress. You don't have to store it."

By organizing and downsizing, Blum said, people can save time, save money, reduce stress and increase productivity.

If you're buying or keeping unnecessary things, "then you're touching things, relocating them, moving something around the house into sheds and garages."

Why do people have sheds? he asked. Because their garages are already filled.

"People are living off storage units nowadays" they have so much stuff, Blum said. "That's expensive."

He cited one estimate that Americans spend one year of their life searching for lost items up in the attic rafters, in the basement. "How much of that time could be spent on fun?"

Downsizing can pose challenges, but there are ways to make it less stressful in moving to new quarters, Blum said.

The trend, currently, he said, is parents moving into in-law apartments. But no matter where the move, into a condo or assisted living facility, one of the first things to do is space planning. Compare the number of rooms and room sizes. Sketch it out on paper, measure cabinets. In that way, "you can play with it on paper without having to move furniture," Blum said.

He said his mother-in-law, who moved into an in-law apartment attached to their home, just decided to get rid of everything from their old home and buy new.

"Look at what a 'pre-move purge' will save you," Blum said, adding that getting a commercial dumpster for a week will assist with the purging. Label items "keep," "dump," "donate/give away to friends, family" and put them in piles - "cause we can't take everything with us," he said.

Hold real estate or yard sales. Donate items in good condition to churches or charitable organizations which can benefit others in need.

During a purge, "a person can make decisions as to what's useful, what fits and works and what's a loved, treasured memory," Blum said.

Those treasures can be tortuous to part with, or they could be kept in the family or shared with others, he said.

Items that you would like to pass along to family can be dealt with in a number of ways. Skip buying expensive birthday or other occasion gifts and wrap up something you would like that family member to have of yours that would have meaning for them. Or, have a classic Yankee Swap with the family, except you supply all of the "gifts."

Scrapbooking is a good way to retain photographs of family members the children don't know. Record the history of an item, like "this came over with your grandfather."

If so inclined, refinish or have refinished, antiques to be retained by the family. "Maybe it doesn't fit in a modern-style house, get it refinished and give it as a gift," Blum suggested.

There's also the "sticker party." You label giveaway items and every person invited gets a different colored set of stickers. "Some (items) might get one sticker, some might get 10, some none." In the case of multiple stickers, those family members will have to barter.

"It doesn't have to leave that day, but when it's time to move they have to come and get it," Blum said.

In response to a question about items that may be valuable to themselves, but not to a third family generation, Blum said that can pose some difficulty. "Memories are here, in the heart," he said, placing his hand on his chest.

"It's a heart-to-heart conversation with yourself," when it comes to deciding whether to keep those items, he said. Sometimes a photograph of the item can be taken and placed within a scrapbook.

Blum also suggested that a cherished item could be donated to a church or senior center lobby where it might be appreciated and still be viewed by the donor.

One man said he has given some of his items, especially those that pertain to certain communities, to museums.

Local historical societies and commissions can also be a place to donate cherished items where they will preserved, Blum said.

SUSAN LaHOUD can be reached at 508-236-0398 or at slahoud@thesunchronicle.com.