How Brain Functions Impact Clutter:
What Professional Organizers Should Know
Ever wonder why some clients cling to every receipt, empty shoebox, and birthday card they’ve collected since 1987 — while others seem to breeze through decluttering an entire room in under half an hour? The explanation often comes down to how brain functions impact clutter.
Understanding this brain and clutter connection can help professional organizers craft approaches that suit each client’s unique way of thinking.
In the book Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life by Dr. Paul Hammerness and Margaret Moore, the authors describe six essential brain functions that shape how people relate to their belongings. When professional organizers understand these functions, they can introduce brain-based organizing strategies that ease stress, improve decision-making, and create practical systems that clients can confidently maintain.
1. Tame the Frenzy: The Role of Emotions and Brain Functions in Clutter Challenges
Clutter brings out strong emotions — from guilt and frustration to anxiety or even shame. These emotional reactions are a core element of the psychology of clutter, and they often interfere with a person’s ability to make clear, confident decisions.
- Kick off each organizing session with a brief emotional check-in. Acknowledging feelings can help ease the mental fog and make decisions feel less overwhelming.
- Create an atmosphere that’s relaxed, encouraging, and judgment-free. A little humor, compassionate reassurance, and consistent reminders that “progress is progress” can help clients stay grounded.
- Encourage short breaks to reset — whether that’s stepping outside for fresh air or taking a moment for lighthearted conversation, especially when dealing with sentimental items.
2. Sustain Attention: How Visual Clutter Disrupts Attention and Overloads the Brain
Even clients who are highly motivated can struggle to focus in a visually cluttered space. This is a prime example of the brain and clutter connection — when the brain constantly scans its surroundings, clutter naturally fights for attention.
- Before diving into sorting, clear one small surface. A cleaner visual field helps reduce both physical and mental clutter, making it easier to focus.
- Use brain-based organizing strategies like working in short, focused time blocks (20-30 minutes) to maintain attention without burning out.
- Design systems that match how the client visually processes information. When organizational systems are simple and easy to see, they create less competition for attention.
3. Apply the Brakes: How Brain Functions Influence Over-Shopping and Accumulation
Some clients find it particularly difficult to hit pause — whether that’s shopping for unnecessary items, hanging onto things they don’t need, or constantly starting new projects without ever finishing old ones.
This difficulty highlights how brain functions impact clutter, especially when it comes to self-regulation.
- Introduce clear boundaries, like a dedicated donation bin or simple rules such as “one item in, one item out” for clothing or kitchen gadgets.
- Celebrate every small win — even something as simple as stopping after a short decluttering session is progress.
- External structure often helps. Set up small deadlines, visual checklists, or friendly reminder texts to reinforce brain-based organizing strategies.
4. Mold Information: Brain-Based Organizing Strategies to Create Clearer Systems
Clients who feel consistently overwhelmed by clutter often lack an internal map of where things belong.
This gap in mental organization ties directly into the psychology of clutter, where indecision and mental overload become barriers to maintaining order.
- Adapt systems to match how each client naturally thinks. Color coding might work well for visual learners, while others may thrive with written checklists or photo guides.
- Use clear labels and create designated zones to help the brain form quick, reliable associations.
- Repetition is essential. The more clients actively engage with the system, the more natural and intuitive it becomes — turning organizing into an automatic habit.
5. Shift Sets: Flexible Systems that Evolve with Brain and Life Shifts
People who stay organized long-term are often better at adapting when life throws them curveballs. But for some clients, even positive changes can throw their organizing systems into disarray.
Recognizing this brain and clutter connection allows professional organizers to build flexible systems that grow with clients’ evolving needs.
- Emphasize that organizing systems should shift along with life — they’re not meant to be rigid or set in stone.
- Encourage small daily or weekly check-ins with their space to build comforting routines and reduce decision-making fatigue.
- For clients who resist change, gradually adjust one part of the system at a time instead of making a sweeping overhaul.
6. Connecting the Dots: The Psychology of Clutter and the Organized Brain
At the heart of it, how brain functions impact clutter is about much more than just the stuff itself. Clutter often reflects how memory, focus, adaptability, and emotional processing work together.
When clients feel overwhelmed by their spaces, it’s rarely due to laziness — it’s often a mix of brain wiring, emotional ties, and habit loops.
- Show clients how small steps lead to momentum. Organization isn’t an instant personality change — it’s a set of realistic, repeatable habits.
- Emphasize that organization isn’t about striving for a perfect Pinterest-worthy home, but about building a space that supports how they want to live.
- Celebrate every win — whether it’s booking their first organizing session or deciding to donate a single box, every step counts toward progress.
The Missing Piece: Understanding the Brain Behind the Clutter
When professional organizers understand how brain functions impact clutter, they gain deeper insight into why certain clients struggle more than others.
By aligning systems and strategies with how the brain naturally works, brain-based organizing strategies don’t just lead to tidier homes — they help clients cultivate calmer, clearer minds.
