What Psychology Says About Living in Clutter-Free Zones

A clutter-free office | Photo by Thanos Pal on Unsplash

Your home should support your mind—not sabotage it. Living in clutter-free zones is the first step toward creating space for peace, presence, and personal growth.

We often overlook the environments we live in, not realizing they silently shape our thoughts, emotions, and energy levels. But psychology has long confirmed something you may already feel in your gut: living in clutter-free zones is essential for mental clarity, emotional peace, and even spiritual well-being. Our homes are extensions of our minds. When one is overwhelmed, the other tends to mirror it.

A Practical Answer: Joanne Radke’s 30-Day Journey

Joanne Radke addresses the chaos and emotional weight of clutter in her heartfelt book, Why is My House Always a Mess? In this book, Joanne provides a quick fix on the “cluttery” issue at home. She invites readers to a 30-day spiritual and practical transformation that lets you learn how to navigate your path to better well-being by removing the clutter.

Joanne Radke’s book also combines the lessons in scriptures, personal storytelling, daily prayers, and action steps to guide readers in having a tidier home and a healed heart.

Each day tackles a different aspect of clutter—emotional attachments, spiritual renewal, even decluttering relationships and digital space. It’s clear she’s walked this road herself. Her book is not about perfectionism, but progress. Why is My House Always a Mess? teaches that clutter often reflects deeper struggles, and tidying up can become a sacred act of reclaiming control and peace.

Why Clutter Affects More Than Just Space

From a psychological standpoint, clutter is not just “stuff.” It is unfinished business, emotional baggage, and visual noise that overwhelms the brain. According to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, physical clutter in your surroundings competes for your attention, resulting in decreased performance and increased stress. The brain prefers order. Visual disarray exhausts its limited ability to focus and process.

Living in clutter-free zones helps you find a sense of relief. This feeling of relief is not only about having a cleaner countertop or neatly folded laundry. This relief affects you as an individual, giving you a reduced cognitive load and letting you feel at peace.

Clutter and Mental Health: The Hidden Connection

It’s easy to ignore the growing piles around us—until the weight becomes psychological. There’s a proven relationship between clutter and mental health. Researchers at UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives and Families found that individuals who describe their homes as cluttered experience higher levels of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. For women, especially, a home mess was associated with depressed mood and fatigue.

Clutter can affect you mentally and behaviorally, since it can trigger feelings of anxiety, shame, and guilt. If you have experienced having clutter at home, you might have also felt that something is telling you that you have been failing to keep up. With this, you would feel like your energy had been drained, preventing you from organizing everything in your space.

If you get back the strength to declutter, you may perceive your space as safer, calmer, and more welcoming. As a result of living in clutter-free zones, you can already have more space to move and breathe physically and mentally.

The Psychological Effects of Clutter

To understand the depth of this problem, we need to examine the psychological effects of clutter. Studies reveal that disorganization leads to:

• Decision fatigue: Too much visual input creates micro-decisions (“Where do I put this?”) that chip away at willpower.
• Disrupted sleep: A messy bedroom has been linked to insomnia and restlessness.
• Relationship tension: Partners often clash over cleaning habits, leading to resentment and disconnection.
• Lower productivity: Cluttered desks and digital workspaces reduce efficiency and increase procrastination.

Psychologists often describe clutter as “delayed decisions”—a symptom of emotional avoidance or perfectionism. Whether it’s a junk drawer or a chaotic closet, those unmade choices linger like static in the mind.

How Decluttering Affects the Brain

So how do clean, ordered spaces help our minds recover? The answer lies in how decluttering affects the brain.

When we tidy up, especially when sorting and categorizing, we activate the prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for planning and self-regulation. We also stimulate the reward system. Each time we complete a task, the brain releases dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. That’s why organizing can feel so satisfying—it’s literally chemically rewarding.

Additionally, organizing clears out excess sensory input. This allows the brain to devote its resources to more meaningful cognitive tasks, like reflection, decision-making, or creativity. That’s why living in clutter-free zones can often jumpstart motivation in other areas of life.

Emotional Clutter: What We Hold On To

Did you know that clutter has emotional roots? Joanne Radke has emphasized this idea in her book. Sometimes, the reason why it’s hard for you to declutter is because of your attachment to things. You may have difficulty letting go of things with “sentimental” values, such as your grandmother’s teacup, old clothes, or your kids’ art projects.

Don’t worry! Radke’s book provides solutions that are compassionate and actionable. You can always curate your things thoughtfully and honor their meaning. So, go ahead and create designated memory boxes. If letting go is still difficult, take photos of them before donating them. With this, you can share the stories with your family more easily.

Her approach invites reflection, not rigidity. She teaches that living in clutter-free zones isn’t about minimalism for its own sake—it’s about intentional living.

The Mental Benefits of Tidying

There’s a reason why tidying trends like KonMari and home organization TikToks have gained millions of followers. People crave the mental benefits of tidying. These include:

• Mental clarity: A tidy room helps you think more clearly and feel more alert.
• Self-worth: Creating a well-ordered space reinforces a sense of accomplishment.
• Motivation: Small wins, like cleaning one drawer, can boost the drive to tackle larger goals.
• Regulation: Tidy routines contribute to emotional self-regulation and reduce anxiety triggers.

Tidying creates a positive feedback that enhances your mental and emotional well-being.

Benefits of a Clutter-Free Space

Beyond the emotional impact, the benefits of a clutter-free space extend into other areas of life:

• Financial well-being: You’re less likely to make duplicate purchases when everything is visible and in place.
• Time management: No more wasted hours searching for lost keys or overdue bills.
• Healthier habits: Clean counters invite cooking, clear bedrooms improve sleep, and orderly spaces reduce sedentary behavior.

When you have a tidier area, family dynamics can also improve. Children who live in tidy homes develop better organizing skills and have a sense of responsibility. Partnerships also become stronger as support from both parties can be strengthened through having a serene environment.

Building Sustainable Habits

Decluttering isn’t a one-time event. It is a lifestyle. Joanne Radke emphasizes small, repeatable routines: 15 minutes a day, one drawer at a time. Her 30-day plan includes daily prayers, affirmations, and journaling prompts. This makes the process feel manageable and meaningful.

She also advocates for customized systems—what works for you and your family, not what social media shows. Whether that’s labeled bins, baskets by the door, or a weekly reset day, the goal is sustainability. Living in clutter-free zones should feel natural, not forced.

A Spiritually Rooted Practice

Joanne Radke not only helps her readers achieve a tidier space to move. Her book shares inspiration through the Words of God to help you stay spiritually guided as you strive to improve your emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being.

She writes: “If I can change with God’s help, so can you.” This message resonates with anyone who feels buried by mess—physically or emotionally. Her message is one of hope and grace, not shame or guilt.

Final Thoughts: Clarity Begins at Home

Ultimately, living in clutter-free zones isn’t just about nice aesthetics or social media bragging rights. It’s about reclaiming mental space, emotional peace, and a sense of purpose. Your environment shapes your mood, your mindset, and your motivation. By choosing order over chaos, you’re choosing to prioritize your well-being.

Through her compassionate guide, Why is My House Always a Mess?, Joanne Radke shows that decluttering can be a spiritual and psychological reset—one room, one drawer, one prayer at a time.

Get a copy of Joanne Radke’s Why is My House Always a Mess? today!

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Joanne Radke

With over 46 years of experience as a pastor, mentor, counselor, and friend, Joanne Radke has dedicated her life to helping countless individuals find hope and healing. Her deep compassion has led her to serve in six different ministries, including 15 years in children's ministry. Joanne’s impact extends across Canada and around the globe, most notably through her 17-year leadership of the CBA – The 700 Club Canadian prayer center, where she trains and ministers to people daily. Discover more about Joanne's remarkable journey and heart for others.

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