How Brain Functions Impact Clutter:
What Professional Organizers Should Know
Understanding how brain functions impact clutter can help professional organizers create tailored systems that actually stick. Research shows that the connection between the brain and clutter goes deeper than just tidying up.
Ever wonder why some clients hold onto every receipt, empty shoebox, and birthday card since 1987 — while others can clear a room in 20 minutes flat? It turns out, a lot of it comes down to how their brain works.
In Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life by Dr. Paul Hammerness and Margaret Moore, the authors outline six brain functions that influence how people interact with their stuff. As a professional organizer, understanding these functions can help you tailor your approach, making your work more effective — and your clients a whole lot less stressed.
Here’s a quick tour of how the brain and clutter are connected (and what you can do to help):
1. Tame the Frenzy: How Emotions and Brain Functions Impact Clutter Decisions
Clutter stirs up all kinds of emotions — frustration, guilt, overwhelm, even shame. These emotional responses are a key part of the psychology of clutter, and they often overwhelm logical decision-making.
- Start every session by helping clients pause and acknowledge their feelings — even a brief check-in can help calm the brain and reduce decision fatigue.
- Create a calm, supportive atmosphere during sessions. Humor, gentle reassurance, and reminders that “progress is progress” reinforce brain-based organizing strategies that work with, rather than against, natural brain functions.
- Encourage breaks for deep breathing, a short walk, or light conversation when stress spikes — especially when working through emotionally charged items.
2. Sustain Attention: The Brain and Clutter Connection in Visual Overwhelm
Even the most motivated clients struggle to focus when surrounded by visual chaos. This is a prime example of the brain and clutter connection — the brain’s constant scanning for stimuli means clutter naturally competes for attention.
- Simplify the space first, even before sorting. Clearing just one small surface reduces both visual and mental clutter, helping clients focus.
- Use brain-based organizing strategies, such as working in short, focused bursts (20-30 minutes), to help clients sustain attention without burnout.
- Design clear, simple systems that work with how their brain processes visual information. The simpler the system, the less it competes for attention.
3. Apply the Brakes: How Brain Functions Influence Hoarding and Over-Shopping
Some clients struggle to stop accumulating — whether it’s buying unnecessary items or starting projects they never finish. This behaviour highlights how brain functions impact clutter by making it harder for some people to apply internal “brakes” on acquiring and keeping things.
- Set visible limits, like a permanent donation box or a “one in, one out” rule for clothing.
- Reinforce small wins — pausing after 30 minutes of decluttering or choosing not to buy another throw pillow is real progress.
- Some clients benefit from external structure, such as checklists, mini-deadlines, or text reminders, to help apply these brain-based organizing strategies.
4. Mold Information: Teaching the Brain Where Clutter Belongs
Clients who feel constantly overwhelmed often lack a clear mental map of where things belong — a cognitive gap that directly ties into the psychology of clutter.
- Tailor systems to how the client naturally processes information — color coding for visual learners, checklists for list-lovers, etc.
- Reinforce systems with clear labeling and zoning to create quick, brain-friendly associations.
- Repetition is key. The more often clients actively interact with the system, the more natural it becomes — turning organization into a habit.
5. Shift Sets: Flexible Organization Systems for Changing Brain Needs
Organized people are often better at adapting when life shifts unexpectedly. But for some clients, even positive changes create clutter paralysis. Understanding this brain and clutter connection helps professional organizers build systems that adapt over time.
- Frame organization as flexible, not rigid — a system that evolves with their needs.
- Establish comforting routines, like morning and evening space check-ins, to reduce decision fatigue.
- Introduce change gradually. For clients resistant to new systems, start with one change at a time rather than a full overhaul.
6. Connecting the Dots: The Psychology of Clutter and Cognitive Organization
At its core, how brain functions impact clutter is about more than stuff — it’s about how memory, focus, flexibility, and emotions interact. Clutter often reflects a mix of brain wiring, emotional attachment, and habit patterns — not a lack of character.
- Help clients see how small actions build momentum — organizing is a series of small, sustainable habits, not an overnight transformation.
- Reinforce the idea that organization is about creating a home that supports their lifestyle — not a perfect, Instagram-worthy space.
- Celebrate every step. Just asking for help is progress, and every win — no matter how small — reinforces healthier brain habits.
The Missing Piece: Understanding the Brain Behind the Clutter
When professional organizers understand how brain functions impact clutter, they gain powerful insight into client struggles and successes.
By working with the brain, not against it, brain-based organizing strategies help clients develop not just organized homes — but organized minds.
