Clutter is a concentration killer. More than half of women in our audience (65 percent) strongly agree mess or clutter makes it hard to focus, and another quarter somewhat agree.
Even so, readers have found small ways to manage the chaos. One respondent’s approach: “The Ten Minute Tidy. I set a timer for ten minutes and tidy the parts of my space that will have the biggest impact on my ability to focus. Sometimes that means cleaning all the clutter off the kitchen counter, and other times, it might be vacuuming, straightening pillows, or opening windows. Even if it's not perfect, I can shift that struggle a lot in ten minutes.”
To dig deeper into why clutter overwhelms us and how to make it manageable, we spoke with decluttering and life organization coach Amelia Shoptaugh. “We all have too much on our plates and a million decisions to make every day,” she notes. “Wouldn’t it be nice if our homes were our escape from that, rather than the source of more stress?”
Below, Shoptaugh shares practical routines to maintain focus and small, daily actions that can make your space feel calmer right away.
Read more: Compartmentalizing in 2025 Is Possible. Here Are 5 Ways to Work Through (Mostly) Anything
Shift your mindset to feel more in control of your environment
Our surroundings often mirror our mental state and can inadvertently shape it. “Clutter is often a signal to our brains that we have unfinished to-dos,” says Shoptaugh. “That stack of papers on the edge of the desk we see in our periphery reminds us of the filing we have to do. The overflowing trash can is saying, ‘you need to deal with me!’ This all is a big distraction when we’re trying to focus on some deep work.”
One antidote: Give everything a home. When an object doesn’t have a designated place, it’s always going to feel like a nagging task, but when everything has a landing spot, Shoptaugh says resetting is easier because it doesn’t require more decision-making—you’ve already given everything a definitive home.
Creating easy-to-follow routines can help you feel more in control of your space, too. “Try setting up desk reset routines at the end of the work day, or weekly times for tasks like filing and reorganizing,” Shoptaugh suggests. “If you work from home, do your best to keep clutter out of your workspace, even if you have to do the shove-it-under-the-bed-or-in-the-closet trick we all learned as kids until you can tackle it.”
Quick resets are especially valuable for anyone in emotionally demanding work, since they give your nervous system a chance to decompress. Following a routine to close out the workday helps both your body and mind shift smoothly into the next part of your day.
Shoptaugh’s overarching mindset shift is simple: Embrace the fact that clutter and mess happen at times. No one can keep their spaces perfect all the time, and that’s normal and okay. She says, “Having self-compassion for your messes is non-negotiable. Your messes are not a moral failing or a personal flaw, they are a part of being human. When you stop apologizing for your mess, you stop apologizing for being yourself.”
Read more: How to Emotionally Detach from Work (& Finally Get a Good Night of Sleep)
5 small, daily actions to reduce clutter
When clutter builds up, it’s hard to pinpoint where to begin restoring a sense of order. “I think the biggest reason why people get overwhelmed by clutter is because they view it as one giant task they have to complete in one go,” says Shoptaugh. “Even if they know that’s not true, our brains like to clump it all together. You need to break it down into smaller tasks.”
Try these five small actions that make daily organization easier:
1. Deal with one item a day. Shoptaugh says, “Start by picking up one item and deciding what to do with it. That’s it. Do that every day.” This slow-and-steady approach builds momentum and keeps clutter from feeling like a mental mountain to climb. Over time, these small actions add up to noticeable progress and train your brain to see organization as manageable.
2. Start a donation box. “Have a box or bag to put items to be donated, and when it’s full, take it out to the car. When the trunk is all packed, take it to your donation center of choice,” says Shoptaugh. Having a zone for outgoing items cuts down on indecision and prevents the “I’ll deal with this later” pile from accumulating.
3. Make organization something you look forward to. Instead of treating tidying as a punishment, pair it with a cozy ritual: light incense and tidy until it burns out, make a hot cup of tea and pick up clothes while you sip, or put on a favorite playlist or comfort show while you reset one room. The goal is to link organization with something enjoyable so the process feels lighter.
4. List your clutter zones, and tackle them one by one. Identify every clutter hotspot in your home or workspace: the pile on the kitchen table, the stack of mail by the door, the mysterious box in the closet. Then, attack each one at a time. “If you’d rather work on clutter in bigger chunks of time, get a friend to help you, even if they just sit and keep you company,” Shoptaugh says. “Having someone there can help keep you on track and be a sounding board when you’re having trouble deciding what to do with something or where to put it.”
5. Create a catch-all basket. Keep a small basket or bin in a central spot to corral the random items that inevitably wander throughout your space during the day—receipts, hair ties, pens, chargers, mail, whatever tends to end up on surfaces. Instead of letting those objects accumulate in different corners, they all land in one contained place. At the end of the day, do a quick sweep: Empty the basket and return each item to its designated spot.
Read more: Reclaim Your Mornings: How to Make Time for Yourself Before the Day Takes Over
How to find which organization system works for you long-term
There’s no one “right” way to stay organized. Sustainable organization starts with understanding your own behaviors and preferences. Instead of forcing a system that looks good on paper, the goal is to find one that aligns with how you naturally move through your space.
Shoptaugh says the best way to find a system that works for you is to embrace trial and error: “Try organizing things one way and see how it works for you. If you’re struggling to keep it organized, then that system isn’t for you. Try something else. Whatever requires the least amount of effort and decision making often is what is going to work the best.”
If you feel stuck, solicit a second opinion. “We all have limitations and need other people to help us come up with solutions we wouldn’t have thought of on our own,” Shoptaugh says. “This is why I do what I do. Some people really struggle with clutter and making decisions around their clutter and habits and need an outside, objective perspective with experience to help.”
For Shoptaugh, the philosophy of function over perfection makes all the difference. Your workspace and home should work effortlessly for you so your energy goes toward what matters, not chores or the stress of mess. She gives clients permission to organize however makes sense for them: “If that means having scissors in every room because you’re tired of trying to find where you left them last, or putting your deodorant by the back door because otherwise you forget to put it on before heading out, or you have a bin in your closet for leggings that you just throw in there rather than folding, then who cares? Your space is for you.”
Read more: Optimize Your Focus: 5 Ways to Maximize Productivity in Any Location
