Does this sound familiar? Your mind is filled with a running list of tasks, places to visit, and projects to start (or finish). The thoughts swirling in your brain feel like one giant, cluttered mess.

It can be more challenging to concentrate, take action, or make progress because your ponderings are caught in thought loops. Simply thinking about the possibilities can leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, or demotivated.

Guess what? I’ve been there, too. It’s not that I don’t have task lists to manage, because I do. However, those tasks and events have already been prioritized, planned, and accounted for. They aren’t the issue, but the unaccounted-for ones are. Many of those items require coordination with my husband, Steve.

To clear my mind clutter, I engaged in a helpful process that I will share with you. If your cluttered thoughts have nowhere to go, I encourage you to experiment with this strategy.

The Process to Calm Mind Clutter

Step 1: Activate the Process

• This may seem obvious, but the first step is to schedule a time to actively work on clearing your mind clutter. This intentional act will help you move in a productive direction.

• Choose a time when you’re at your best. Steve and I decided to meet on a weekend morning after breakfast when we felt alert and well-rested.

Step 2: Do a Brain Download

• Release your thoughts, which will immediately clear your mind clutter. This clearing is analogous to decluttering a kitchen counter or editing an overflowing basket of magazines. Relief is felt as space opens up.

• The brain download can take many forms. Your capture tool can be analog, digital, or auditory. I used a blank piece of paper, which I titled “Planning with Steve.”

• Create categories if it’s helpful. I separated the page into four columns, each representing a different category: Papers/Logging, Fun, Home, and Financial.

• Populate your capture tool. As soon as a thought surfaced, we categorized and added it to the corresponding column. For example, “Visit the New York Botanical Garden” went into the Fun category. “Clear out the garage” was added to the Home column.

Step 3: Prioritize

• Your capture tool is probably quite full now. You might feel overwhelmed, as in, “How am I going to get it all done?” You can accomplish everything, but not all at once.

• Prioritizing comes next. Instead of planning every single thing you captured, select the top three or four things you want to focus on first.

• There is no right or wrong way to prioritize. For example, your priorities could be time-based if something has a specific deadline, or preference-based, as in what you’d like to accomplish or do first. We opted to prioritize several things from the Fun and Home categories.

Step 4: Commit

• Commitment is the powerhouse of the mind decluttering strategy. It is essential and is often neglected. Overlooking this aspect can make Steps 1-3 ineffective.

• Have your calendar ready.

• Choose one of the priorities you identified.

• Schedule a time block or blocks for that priority. We began by scheduling dates from the Fun category and then added a few projects from the Home category.

• Repeat choosing and scheduling until those three or four top priorities are blocked out on your calendar.

• We found it less overwhelming to focus on and schedule only the top few priorities. We will revisit this process and repeat Steps 3 and 4 once we have made progress on our initial priorities.

• As an alternate approach, you may prefer to schedule everything from your brain download list in one sitting.

“Commitment is the powerhouse of the mind decluttering strategy.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

The Benefits of Mind Decluttering

There are many benefits to clearing mind clutter. Here are some of the positives I experienced using this process:

• My mind feels clearer.

• While we utilized a team approach for mind decluttering, I also see value in using this strategy individually.

• The unproductive thought loops have ceased.

• That anxious feeling has dissipated.

• I feel less burdened by the projects and events because they now have a designated slot for attending to them.

• I am excited because we have set aside time to focus on things that are important to us.

• I feel confident that we will complete the tasks we prioritized.

• I am glad that projects that have been incomplete for a long time will now be brought to completion.

• I have happy anticipation about the fun things we’ve scheduled.

What Helps You Release Mind Clutter?

There are many ways to ease mind clutter, including the strategy I shared. What helps you declutter your mind? In what ways could the process I described be beneficial to you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you need support with organizing, editing, or decluttering your thoughts? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Living clutter-free is possible, especially with support.

If you have a little clutter, a lot, or somewhere in between, you can benefit from editing and letting go. What happens when you hold onto things that no longer serve you? What results when your ‘stuff’ takes up too much physical, emotional, or energetic space?

Clutter can intensify feelings of:

• Overwhelm

• Anxiety

• Stress

• Frustration

• Hopelessness

It can significantly affect your daily life, sense of agency, self-esteem, and energy.

The good news is that you can change your relationship with clutter and live with more ease. I’ve compiled a list of seven resources to help motivate you to declutter. From simple questions to client-inspired experiences to advice from experts, you’ll find what you need to support your decluttering journey.

Seven Resources to Motivate Decluttering

1. Commitment – Is Decluttering Worth It?

Let’s face it. Decluttering takes effort and time, and you might feel you have a limited supply of both. Ciéra Cree interviewed me for the Livingetc article, “Is Decluttering Worth It? Experts Say Yes – and Highlight Why a Clutter-Free Space Feels So Good.”

Only you can decide if decluttering is worth it. As shared in the article, “Countless clients of mine have experienced the positive effects of decluttering their space…they feel relief, as if a weight has been lifted. They are more energetic, productive, and optimistic about their space.”

2. Well-Being – What is Clutter’s Impact on Mental Health?

Clutter can negatively affect your mental health and well-being. If you are looking for several valuable resources that dive into the impact of clutter on your life and some helpful tools, check out my article, “One Excellent Tool to Assess Clutter’s Impact on Your Mental Health.”

The article includes links to my interviews with Melissa Tracey for

• “How Clutter Creates Stress and Anxiety: Strategies for Decluttering” – Houselogic article

• “You’ll Never Look at Your Home’s Clutter the Same” - The Housing Muse podcast

3. Observation – Does Clutter Blindness Affect You?

How can you declutter if you are clutter blind? Ciéra Cree interviewed me for the Apartment Therapy article, “4 Signs You May Be Struggling with ‘Clutter Blindness’ – And How to Fix It for Good.”

I defined clutter blindness as “the experience of having clutter in your life that you no longer see.”

Cultivate curiosity by developing awareness of clutter by purposefully noticing what’s around you. Focus on heightening your awareness. This will “help shift your internal perspective as well as your actual view of the physical clutter.”

4. Motivation – What Are the Top Reasons That Motivate Decluttering?

Significant life events can make the decluttering process easier and faster. This is because the reasons to declutter are clear. Decision-making goes more quickly and less stressfully because your choices are aligned with your goal.

The five top decluttering motivators are:

• Moving – Downsizing, upsizing, or right-sizing

• Cycling – Revolving door stage when kids leave and return home frequently during the college years and beyond

• Surprising – Experiencing extreme weather events that damage possessions

• Ending – Handling deceased loved one’s possessions

• Stabilizing – Adjusting the environment to accommodate unanticipated medical or mental health conditions

To learn more, read my post, “5 Strong Motivation Reasons to Get Rid of Your Clutter.”

“Significant life events can make the decluttering process easier and faster.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

5. Distress – What to Do First When Overwhelmed by Clutter?

Does clutter overwhelm you? If so, you’re not alone. You will love this resource if you’re curious about excellent first-step strategies.

Caroline Bologna recently interviewed me for the HuffPost piece, “The First Thing Professional Organizers Do When They’re Feeling Overwhelmed by Mess.”

There are many practical approaches. I prefer to change my internal state first to gain control so that I can more calmly and easily alter the external state, the clutter. You can achieve this by taking several slow, deep breaths. Then, shift your thoughts to more proactive and positive messages.

6. Solutions – Where Are the Best Tips for Decluttering and Organizing?

For over thirty years, I’ve been helping clients declutter and organize. Fast-forward to 2009 when I started blogging about organizing and life balance.

The categories I write about include clutter, letting go, virtual organizing, mindfulness, parenting, motivation, change, and more. Use the Browse the Blog feature or the search icon to learn more about a specific topic that interests you.

Many excellent organizing blogs are great resources for tips and strategies. Each blog has a distinct focus and personality. Feedspot recently featured its favorite organizing blogs on two lists, and I was thrilled to be included.

They are:

• 100 Best Organizing Blogs and Websites in 2025 (#17)

• 25 Best Organizing Mom Blogs and Websites in 2025 (#4)

7. Progress – How Can the Decluttering Process be Simplified?

One of my favorite creatives and authors, Todd Henry, shared an excellent question in his book, Daily Creative. While he didn’t pose the question specifically for clutter challenges, I thought it could be effectively used in that context.

Todd asked,

“What’s the very next thing I need to do to make any kind of progress?”

I appreciate three aspects about this question and why it’s so powerful. They are:

• The emphasis is on “the very next thing.” This implies not worrying about the entirety of your goal but instead reducing the scope to take one small next step at a time.

• The qualifier “any” encourages you to start decluttering wherever you choose.

• Including “progress” focuses your effort on moving forward rather than on perfection or completion. A progress pursuit is easier to measure, reduces overwhelm, and boosts motivation.

What Motivates Decluttering?

Is clutter challenging for you? What are your go-to resources that motivate you to declutter?  I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, editing, or decluttering? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Living clutter-free is possible, especially with support.

Does this sound familiar? Your list of things to do is growing. It’s getting so large that you feel overwhelmed.

While you want to get things done, you’re having trouble getting started. You’re unclear where to begin, and the overwhelm squashed your motivation.

This is a normal situation. I’ve been there, and so have many of my clients. I experienced it just this week. We returned from part one of a beautiful vacation in the Finger Lakes. Our only goals were to relax, have fun, and not work. Mission accomplished.

The shorter part of the vacation was at home, where we planned to do some work around the house. Talk about many projects to attend to—it’s a never-ending list.

By the third day, it was more challenging to get motivated to start working. I kept thinking about our time away and the joy we had kayaking daily on Song Lake. I wanted to go back.

One Simple Motivating Question

This got me thinking about something the wise coach, Cameron Gott, PCC, once said. When I studied with him during my Coach Approach training, he always asked the best questions. This particular question is excellent for motivation. He asked:

“What’s a quick completion?”

— Cameron Gott, PCC

I love this question because it encourages you to:

• Reframe your overwhelm.

• Get yourself in a doing mode.

• Focus on what can easily be accomplished.

• Feel motivated to do something.

How to Use the Motivating Question

When I asked myself, “What’s a quick completion?” it immediately helped me shift my focus and give attention to something I could easily do. What did I choose? I repotted a few new plants for the greenhouse. Taking action, moving my body, playing with dirt, and caring for the plants energized me.

Once that was done, I no longer felt overwhelmed. I was motivated to do more, so I:

• Created my six-month blog calendar

• Updated my Calendly scheduler

• Emptied the dishwasher

• Wrote this post

All items were easy to accomplish and quick to complete, except for the blog post, which took more time to write, edit, and format. However, once I engaged in doing and completing simpler tasks, I was ready to do something requiring more time and deeper concentration.

Reframe Completion

The other aspect to consider is redefining completion. Specific projects require many steps, and finishing them takes time. Instead, reframe completion as accomplishing one aspect, one single step, or any progress made.

Use Cam’s question to jumpstart motivation. It will help you to:

• Get unstuck.

• Experience the satisfaction of accomplishing something.

• Motivate you to do more.

What helps you get motivated to take action? Is there a question that encourages you to start? How can the “quick completion” question work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you want to increase motivation, activate, or get organized, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Getting unstuck is possible, especially with support.

When you think of mindfulness, what are your thoughts? Do you think about the formal practice of mindfulness meditation? Are you conjuring up images of breathing slowly or being still? Do you think about mindfulness as being present and aware of something like slowly sipping a hot cup of tea or watching the fall leaves gracefully float to the ground? There are formal mindfulness meditation practices and informal ways to incorporate living mindfully.

For today, I’m going to focus on the mindfully living aspect. I recently discussed the joy stretch with one of my organizing clients. This ‘stretch’ extends the experience of joy-filled moments through mindful awareness. Most mindfulness definitions include present or presence. However, the joy stretch consists of the past, present, and future. You bring conscious awareness to positive thoughts about the future, delightful experiences in the present, and happy memories from the past.

The joy stretch can be used in many ways. This summer, we had a few mini-vacations. Before each one, I engaged in future-thinking about the fun things we would do and the places we would visit. During the vacations, I stayed present to enjoy what I was experiencing, seeing, exploring, and feeling. In this post-vacation time, I appreciate thinking about the happy times we had while away. I read my journal, look at photos, or talk about our travels with my husband, family, or friends. All of these things increase my joy in the present moment.

Without mindfulness, I would be going through the motions of life and not necessarily stopping to appreciate and capture my pleasurable experiences. Extend happiness beyond a particular time or event by activating the joy stretch.

“Activate the ‘joy stretch’ for a happier past, present, and future.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Use the joy stretch for all life experiences, including organizing. Let’s say you want to organize your clothing closet to prepare for the cooler seasons. Instead of leaning into a place of overwhelm or stress, envision what it will look and feel like when you’re done. Imagine what it will be like after you edit the clothing that no longer fits, you never wear, and are taking up time, space, and energy. Bask in those positive images of your future closet. Feel that joy, calm, satisfaction, and spaciousness.

As you organize your closet in the present, remind yourself that you ‘get to do this.’ It’s not a have-to or should-do but a get-to. Appreciate your ability to ask questions and make decisions. Will you decide to donate, recycle, or keep that pair of pants you bought on sale but never wear? Feel the joy in the moment of doing, improving, and progressing.

You’re on the other side now. You completed your closet organizing project. Only those clothes you love, fit, and are seasonally appropriate are accessible. There is space for your clothes to breathe and room for you to move around. You find yourself ‘visiting’ the closet a few extra times a day to admire your work and how it looks. The project is done, but the joy continues to be experienced way beyond completion.

Life isn’t always joy-filled or happy. There will be dark times and days. As a counterbalance, creating as much joy as possible is essential. Mindfully activate your joy stretch with positive thoughts about a future experience, happy moments in the present, and reflections on joy-filled times in the past.

Have you used mindful awareness to do a joy stretch? What joyful experiences are you looking forward, currently experiencing, or recently happened? What role has mindfulness played? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.