keeping your gutters flowing good can be a never ending job. Its not just leaves in the fall that cause problems. Over the passed 10 years I have seen all kinds of things in peoples gutters causing problems. Roofing granules fall into the gutters and can form dams in the gutters allowing standing water. Other things I have found in gutters are dog toys, baseballs, tennis balls, and kid toys. All these things can cause homeowners headaches.
Cleaning the gutters is one of the most dangerous household chores their is. I do recommend some type of guard over the gutter. Gutter guards come in all sorts of price ranges. On the cheaper end I use a plastic guard with a screen material over it. On the down side, over time these plastic guards do get brittle and break easily when trying to remove them. Metal gutter guards are a great, but they can cost thousands of dollars and you probably will not recoup that money if you sold the house. Make this falls gutter cleaning your last with a new set of gutter guards. You will be glad you did.