A Tidy Home, A Calmer Mind: The Science of Why Clutter Makes Us Crazy

Your house doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to stop yelling at you.

There are days when I swear I can't concentrate because there's a pile of crap sitting on the kitchen counter.

It's not doing anything.

It's just sitting there.

Mail. Sunglasses. A receipt I apparently believe I'll need someday. A charger that belongs to God knows what. Three things that need to go upstairs and have been patiently waiting for someone to take them there.

Technically, none of this should affect my ability to get things done.

And yet...

I can see it.

Suddenly I don't want to work. I want to clean the kitchen, reorganize a drawer and possibly move a piece of furniture.

Sound familiar?

As it turns out, our surroundings really can affect how we feel and function.

Welcome to Love Your Space, where we're not trying to create homes that look like nobody actually lives in them.

We're creating homes that feel good to live in.

Clutter Isn't Just About Having Too Much Stuff

Clutter is visual information.

Your brain is constantly taking in what's around you and deciding what deserves attention. When your environment contains piles, unfinished projects and objects competing for your attention, that's more information for your brain to process.

Research has linked cluttered home environments with things like stress, difficulty focusing and lower feelings of well-being.

There's even research suggesting that the way we describe our homes matters. In one study of dual-income couples, women who described their homes as more cluttered or unfinished showed patterns associated with greater stress and poorer mood over the course of the day.

That's pretty fascinating.

The pile on the chair may not simply be ugly.

It may represent:

Put that away.

Deal with this.

You haven't finished that.

Don't forget about this.

Your house has essentially become one enormous to-do list.

No wonder sometimes we want to run away from it.

But Don't Confuse Tidy With Perfect

This is important.

Your home does not need to be immaculate for you to feel good in it.

People live here.

There will be shoes by the door.

There will be a coffee cup on the table.

There may be a blanket thrown across the couch, a bra somewhere it probably doesn't belong and a kitchen that looks like somebody actually cooked dinner in it.

That's life.

The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is creating enough order that your surroundings support you instead of constantly demanding something from you.

And that doesn't require spending every Saturday cleaning your house.

It requires a few systems that make tidiness easier to maintain.

5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Home Tidy—and Your Brain Happier

1. Give Your Stuff a Damn Home

This is probably the biggest difference between a house that's relatively easy to keep tidy and one that's constantly cluttered.

Things need somewhere to go.

Keys need a spot.

Mail needs a spot.

Shoes need a spot.

Chargers need a spot.

The random things you use every day need a spot.

If you constantly find the same object sitting on the same counter, don't keep getting mad at yourself for leaving it there.

Ask a better question:

Where would it be easiest for me to put this away?

Put storage where you actually use things—not where Pinterest says they should live.

Make your house work for the person who lives there.

2. Use the Five-Minute Reset

Do not wait until your house is a disaster and then sacrifice an entire day to fixing it.

Set a timer for five minutes.

Put things away.

Clear the kitchen counter.

Straighten the couch.

Take the cups to the kitchen.

Hang up the clothes.

Throw away the junk mail.

You'd be surprised how much visual chaos disappears in five focused minutes.

I especially love doing this before bed.

There is something wonderful about waking up and walking into a room that isn't immediately screaming:

GOOD MORNING. HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU DIDN'T DO YESTERDAY.

Five minutes.

That's it.

3. Keep Your Main Surfaces Mostly Clear

You don't have to become a minimalist.

But countertops, tables and dressers have an incredible ability to reproduce clutter overnight.

One innocent receipt lands on the counter.

Then somebody puts sunglasses beside it.

Then a package arrives.

Then there's a coffee mug.

Suddenly you've created a small archaeological site.

Choose the surfaces that affect you most and make those your priority.

For me, a clear kitchen counter makes the entire room feel cleaner—even when everything else isn't perfect.

You can absolutely decorate your surfaces.

Just give your eyes somewhere to rest.

4. Stop Organizing Things You Don't Need

This one hurts.

Sometimes the problem isn't that we need better organization.

We have too much shit.

Before buying another basket, bin, drawer divider or elaborate organizational system, ask yourself whether you actually want what's going into it.

Do I use this?

Do I like this?

Would I buy it again today?

Why exactly am I keeping seventeen reusable shopping bags?

Decluttering doesn't mean stripping your home of personality.

I'm definitely not interested in living in a beige box containing one chair and a decorative twig.

Keep your books.

Keep your photographs.

Keep your weird treasures.

Keep the beautiful things that make your home feel like you.

Get rid of the things you're storing simply because you've always stored them.

There's a difference.

5. Never Leave a Room Empty-Handed

This is ridiculously simple.

When you get up to leave a room, look around.

Is there something sitting there that belongs where you're going?

Take it.

Coffee cup → kitchen.

Shoes → bedroom.

Sweater → closet.

Mail → office.

You aren't "cleaning."

You're simply moving something closer to where it belongs while you're already moving yourself.

Do this throughout the day and you eliminate a surprising amount of end-of-day cleanup.

The One Organizing Product I Actually Love

I'm a big believer that you should declutter before you buy organization products.

Otherwise you're basically purchasing attractive containers for crap you don't need.

But there is one incredibly simple product that works almost anywhere:

Clear stackable storage bins with handles.

I like them because you can actually see what's inside, they're easy to pull out, and they work in bathrooms, closets, kitchens, pantries, under sinks and office spaces.

They're especially useful for grouping similar things together—hair products, cleaning supplies, snacks, extra toiletries, craft supplies, whatever tends to wander around your house.

Amazon Pick: Clear Stackable Organizer Bins with Handles

Affiliate note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

And remember: buy the bins after you decide what deserves to stay.

Not before.

Your Home Should Make Your Life Easier

I don't think loving your space means having the most expensive furniture, the newest kitchen or a house worthy of a magazine spread.

It means walking through your front door and feeling:

Ahhh. I'm home.

Your surroundings affect you.

The lighting.

The clutter.

The smells.

The colors.

The things you've chosen to keep around you.

So instead of trying to create a perfect house, create one that makes your everyday life a little easier.

Give things homes.

Clear the surfaces.

Get rid of what you don't need.

Reset for five minutes.

And then go live your life.

Because your home shouldn't be another thing you're constantly trying to keep up with.

It should be the place that helps you come back to yourself.