Now that the move is over, it’s finally time to breathe. But before you settle in, you still have to unpack. Don’t rush into the project too quickly and too hard. Give yourself time to rest and relax from all the packing you’ve just been through. When you’re ready to unpack your moving boxes, take an organized approach.

Put each box in the room they belong in. Hopefully you’ve labeled the moving boxes with words like bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc. That way, you can open the box in the right room and don’t need to be carrying items all around the house to find their right spot.

Open the more important boxes first. Kitchen and bathroom are probably at the top of the list, since they will contain things you use on an everyday basis. You don’t need to start unpacking your clothes or book collection just yet.

As you unpack, put things away. Don’t pile them up on the floor or the couch. Unpack DVDs next to the TV table and put them away at once. Unpack your shoes next to your closet so you can organize them as you get them out of the moving boxes.

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Getting buried in paper? Catalogs, junk mail, bills and flyers can get overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a system in place to deal with them as they come in. The longer you leave them untouched, the worse it will get. Sometimes, all you need is a week for things to get out of control.

A good way to deal with them is to first attack the paperwork you already have. Go through everything and divide the papers into a few general piles. Things that have to be dealt with immediately, like bills or permissions from your child’s school, should go on a pile. Catalogs, discount coupons and other papers you’re not sure if you’re going to keep should go on a second pile. You can go through the pile later on and decide what to keep and what to toss.

Each new piece of paper that comes in should go into the appropriate pile immediately. Don’t relegate the process until the next day or you’ll end with a new mess of papers to deal with. When opening junk mail, do it next to the waste basket and immediately throw away or put aside for recycling anything you don’t want or need to keep.

Buy containers to store your paperwork. Receipts you need to save for tax purposes should have their own place, as should office paperwork and personal mail. If you receive magazines and catalogs through the mail, have a special basket designated for them. Also, go through them on a regular basis and recycle or donate those who have been around for a while, so you can make space for the new issues coming in.

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While there are many articles everywhere on how to deal with clutter, few address a more important issue: How to prevent clutter from happening in the first place. By taking care of your possessions and making sure you don’t buy more than you need, you can deal with excess and prevent chaos from taking over your home.

Here are five ways to get you started:

1. Ask yourself a series of questions before you buy something. Do you really need it? Is there something you already own that can serve the same purpose? Do you have the space for it? Can you get rid of something to make space for the new item? How long are you going to use it? If this is something you will only use once or twice, can you rent it or borrow it instead of buying it?

2. Determine where the item is going to be placed. Not the general room or area of the house, but the specific location, such as “second shelf of the living room bookcase.” If you can’t find a specific location for it, it should be considered clutter.

3. Have a place to store it. If you’re buying Christmas decorations, cleaning supplies and products or a new set of china, make sure you have enough cabinet space or drawers to put these items away when not in use. Moving boxes make great for storing stuff you don’t use often.

4. Have a designated place for things you deal with regularly. Have a tray near the main door where you can dump mail as soon as it comes in. Or place a container near the entrance where you can put umbrellas, or a small wood rack where you can store shoes.

5. Get into the habit of donating things you no longer use or need. Don’t wait until they pile up so high that it will take you days to get through them. Go through your closet, your bookshelf and your garage once a week and make a bag of things you can give away. Drive the bags to the nearest thrift store at least once a month.

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