Credit: Thinkstock There are many excuses for not addressing the clutter in your barn, but these five tips can help you get started and be successful in attacking the clutter problem.

Combating clutter is a mental mindset as much as it purging unused stuff. For some people, the thought of clutter causes mental fatigue, making it easier to accept clutter rather than fight it. In this article we’ve highlighted five reasons it can be challenging to cut through clutter and offer advice for overcoming them. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

It was expensive Did you pay too much for a saddle or turnout rug that doesn’t get used? Instead of focusing on how much you paid for an item, consider how much it costs to clean it, store it, insure it, etc. Selling it won’t return your full investment, but it will eliminate your expenses of keeping it, free up room for equipment that you are using, and ease the guilt you might feel for having bought it.

It was a gift This is a tough one. You don’t want to hurt a gift giver’s feelings. You also shouldn’t have to feel the pressure of hanging onto an item you don’t want. If gift giving is problematic with your friends, family or clients, ask them to donate to a local 4-H Club, horse rescue or other charity in your name rather than buying you a gift.

Look at big picture Sentimental connections often prevent us from parting with excess stuff.If you have space to store it or a need to use it, then don’t get rid of it. If in the big scheme of things there simply isn’t room for everything. Look at the big picture and decide if you need to keep something for sentimental reasons, pick another item to go. This will ease the clutter and also make you feel better about your decision to keep something.

It’s overwhelming Busy people often feel that there is so much work to be done that progress on small things like decluttering isn’t possible. Battle the urge to “skip” it all together. Designate a day a month or chose an area at a time to start small.

There’s always tomorrow Yes, there is always a tomorrow when it comes to dealing with clutter. However, without a commitment to get started, tomorrow will continue to be tomorrow. Commit as few as 15 minutes every other day, once a week or once a month, to sorting, organizing or purging unused items.

Take control of clutter at your barn or farm this fall with these five tips. Check back for additional new tips on organizing your barn throughout the year, and check our archives for previous tips.