If we’ve been following the stress reduction tips so far, we now have a clean desk at work, a clean computer desktop at work and home, we have begun to organize our email habits, and our house is beginning to look nicer. All of those things can be great, but if we have a 30 minute commute to and from work each day, a messy car will only take away from those efforts. I have a 5 minute commute, and when my car is messy, it bothers me.

Keeping the car under control is a pretty simple process of simply bringing things inside after each trip. As with everything this week, the problem comes in actually establishing those habits. Other things can really help us out, though.

• Have a home for loose change
• Minimize the items you store in the glove box
• Keep plastic grocery bags handy to store trash
• Make baby wipes (or some other kind of cleaning cloths) available for quick cleaning
• Take something inside every time you leave the car

I’ve found a few other good articles on decluttering cars. The first link below is a video from The Today Show (I think) with great suggestions from Good Housekeeping Magazine.

Crowded car? Declutter it – Good Housekeeping/MSN Video
How To Declutter Your Car — In 15 Minutes – 99 Tangents
Ways To Keep Your Car Organized – Declutter It!
Declutter Your Car And Feel Wonderful – eZine Articles

Zen Habits Interview
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Joel Wagner

Joel Wagner (@sywtt) began teaching band in 2002. Though he had a lot of information, his classes were out of control. He found himself tired, frustrated, disrespected by students, lonely, and on the brink of quitting. He had had enough. He resigned from his school district right before spring break of his second year and made it his personal mission to learn to be a great teacher. So You Want To Teach? is the ongoing story of that quest for educational excellence.