If you had a childhood before the digital age, you probably have a stockpile of old photos. You keep telling yourself you'll put them into an album one day or that you'll scan them all. If you're like me, that day never comes.

I found the answer in a Groupon for scanmyphotos.com. You can send them hundreds of photos they'll scan into digital files on a DVD (and return the originals, of course). Even sending them off to someone else requires some work (like being sure to label them so you'll know what they are when you get them back), so it's easy to procrastinate on even this solution. The magic is in the deadline, created by the coupon's expiration date. Put a reminder in your calendar, and when that date gets close, you'll be very motivated to get your photos sent off.

Once you get your DVD back, upload the images to your favorite photo-sharing site and/or a company that can print photo albums. You can create photo albums for every major trip you've taken, for important eras of your life (like college), or for each of your children. Once in book form, you'll be much more likely to see them and enjoy them. Also, your high school friends on Facebook will get a kick out of seeing themselves from so long ago.

As you know, it's tax season. You're probably going through lots of papers and gathering your numbers and receipts (or telling yourself you should be). The good news is here's a great opportunity to free up file space — and space in your head.

As you go through your 2013 files, see if there are older files and papers that are no longer relevant. Some may be years old. The IRS requires just seven years of tax returns, so anything older can be destroyed to make room for the new.

I did this last year and was amazed how much I could toss into the recycling bin. NOTE: This isn’t a stock photo; the piles in this photo are actually mine!  I was thrilled to reclaim so much file cabinet space, into which I could relocate office supplies — thereby removing clutter from my shelves. It felt great!

You, too, can turn a daunting tax-time project into an easy and rewarding experience. You can do it while seated, you can stay in one place, the decisions are usually easy, and most of the detritus goes to one place, the recycling bin. If you do feel intimidated, simply start with one file, or just one drawer. Every piece of paper you remove brings you closer to a peaceful, clutter-free home office.

If gathering up your papers for tax time is just too much for you, or you have no system for tracking your income and expenses, Beth Crittenden can help. Beth’s a financial organizer and counselor who can hold your hand through the whole process, leave you feeling better and with a system you can maintain. You don’t have to do it all alone!