28: Organization & (Physical) Clutter

Feb 25

Clearing the Clutter That Creates Overwhelm

In this episode, we’re talking about organization, real-life organization, not Pinterest perfection. And more specifically, the clutter that makes life feel heavier than it needs to.

WHAT ORGANIZATION IS — AND WHY WE STRUGGLE

Organization ≠ perfection
Organization = things working smoothly
Systems break when life gets full
Busy seasons = clutter builds
Decision fatigue
Trying to do everything at once

Disorganization usually means overload, not failure.

WHAT IS PHYSICAL CLUTTER?

Surface piles/clutter magnets
Stuff without homes
Kids’ toys, papers, and school things
Laundry cycle never ends
Stuff comes in faster than it leaves
Shared household clutter
Feeling like you can never “finish.”

Here’s what the emotional side looks like:

Visual clutter = mental noise = easily frustrated, overwhelmed, frazzled, and brain fog.
Feeling behind / judged = deciding not to have people over, masking rooms on zoom calls, seeing perfection on social media, and feeling inadequate.
Starting but not finishing. We say it all the time, starting small is better than not starting. But once you get started, it is so easy to feel overwhelmed by stuff. Just start with sections.
Avoidance vs overwhelm. We avoid things for a lot of reasons, and things build up. So we keep avoiding it, rather than facing it. It’s time to face it.

THE MENTAL LOAD CONNECTION