How to Get Organized When Overwhelmed & Stressed Out
When your to-do list is never-ending and your mental load feels like it’s about to spill over, even thinking about getting organized can feel impossible. Maybe you’ve tried apps, made lists, or journaled, but nothing sticks. The truth is, overwhelm isn’t just about having too much to do. It’s often an organization issue.
The good news? You don’t need a full weekend or a spotless home to make progress. Getting organized, even just a little, has a measurable impact on your time, stress levels, and mental clarity. In fact, one study found that for every hour spent organizing, you can save up to 3–4 hours later! That’s a lot of time you can get back in your day, just by tackling a few small tasks right now.
In this post, we’ll walk you through exactly how to get organized when you’re overwhelmed, and why it matters for your health, happiness, and future self.
What Clutter Really Costs You
Let’s talk about what’s actually happening behind the scenes when things feel out of control.
It’s not just the mess. Studies show clutter can increase cortisol (your stress hormone), disrupt your sleep, and make it harder for your brain to process new information. Researchers at UCLA found that women with cluttered homes had significantly higher stress levels, while Stanford neuroscientists discovered that visual disorder limits your brain’s ability to focus and think clearly.
Translation? The longer you wait to address the overwhelm, the more it compounds.
But when you take steps to declutter, you free up not only physical space, but mental energy, too. That’s where the concept of a brain dump comes in: clearing your head by writing down every lingering task, thought, or worry. Just getting those items out of your brain and onto paper (or into a project management tool) can help you go from stuck to strategic.
Start Small: How to Get Organized When You're Overwhelmed
If your brain is shouting, “I don’t even know where to start,” try one of these steps. Each one is designed to help you make fast progress without overthinking it.
1. The 10-Item Rule
Declutter just 10 items a day. Broken pens, expired products, unmatched socks - it all counts. This approach creates momentum and gets you used to making decisions quickly. The best part? You can do this in five minutes, and it adds up fast.
2. One Hour, One Zone
Set a timer for one hour and focus on one small area: your bathroom counter, a junk drawer, your fridge. Starting is the hardest part, so do it first thing, before decision fatigue kicks in.
3. Try the “Now / Next / Remove” System
Label three bins:
Now for what you use daily
Next for things you’ll need soon
Remove for donation, trash, or items that belong elsewhere
This simple structure helps you manage individual tasks without needing to overhaul your entire home in one go.
4. Create Functional Zones
Assign every item a home by creating zones: one for keys, one for mail, one for tech chargers. Once things have a place, your daily tasks become easier and more efficient.
5. Build a Tiny Tidy Habit
Instead of waiting for the weekend, try a nightly 5-minute tidy-up. Wipe the counters, scan the floor, reset your living space. These little rituals support your future self by setting the next day up for success.
When to Ask for Help
Sometimes, even with the best intentions and tools, getting organized still feels like too much. You might have the motivation but not the mental bandwidth to start. Or maybe you've tried decluttering several times, only to have everything slowly unravel again. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed! It means you're human, and your systems probably weren't designed with your life in mind.
This is where professional help can make all the difference.
A professional organizer brings clarity and experience to what can feel like chaos. We don’t just tidy your space - we teach you how to maintain it. That might mean rethinking your layout, adjusting your storage, or helping you identify the small routines that will make the biggest impact.
At Hannah Goetz Organizing, we offer both virtual and in-person support depending on your needs and location. Whether you’re managing life with young kids, balancing remote work, downsizing, or simply exhausted from decision fatigue, we’re here to provide structure, support, and sustainable systems that actually work. And no matter how overwhelmed you feel, we promise: there’s a way forward.
Let’s Make Life Feel Lighter
We believe that getting organized should feel empowering, not embarrassing. Our team is trained to listen first, then create tailored solutions for your space, your needs, and your life. There’s no one-size-fits-all method here: only systems that work for you now, and grow with you over time.
Whether you're trying to reclaim your mornings, reduce visual clutter, or finally deal with the closet you avoid at all costs, our team members will meet you exactly where you are. We’ll guide you through the process step-by-step, helping you turn disorganized spaces into places of clarity, calm, and function.
Even better? You don’t need to wait until you’ve “cleaned up a little” to reach out. In fact, we encourage you to bring us in when things feel most out of control, because that’s when we can help the most. Our virtual organizing & design sessions make it easy to get support from anywhere, and our in-person services for Texas clients offer hands-on help when you need a fresh start.
You deserve a home that supports you, not one that constantly stresses you out. Let’s build it together.
Book Your Session (or Gift One to Someone Who Needs It)
Getting organized isn’t about being perfect. It’s about creating a life that feels easier, clearer, and more in control.
Whether you’re:
Tired of feeling behind before the day even starts
Struggling to stay on top of daily tasks
Ready to declutter but unsure where to begin
Wanting to support your future self with smart, sustainable systems
…Hannah Goetz Organizing can help!
Book a virtual or in-person session today and work one-on-one with a dedicated organizer who understands real life and real schedules. We’ll help you move from chaos to calm: one decision, one drawer, one day at a time.
Or, gift a session to someone you love. Our gift cards are a thoughtful way to support a friend, partner, or family member going through a big transition: new baby, recent move, back-to-school season, or simply feeling overwhelmed.
This isn’t just about organizing. It’s about giving people back their time, energy, and confidence. Let’s build a system that works for you, because you deserve a life that feels lighter.
Sources
Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. L. (2010). No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(1), 71-81.
McMains, S. A., & Kastner, S. (2011). Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(2), 587-597.
WebMD: “Why Decluttering Helps Your Mental Health”
National Geographic: “Why Clutter Hurts Your Brain”
Hackensack Meridian Health: “Can a Cluttered Home Affect Your Health?”
American Demographics: “It’s Not Lost, Just Hidden”
Real Simple: “What Happens When You Declutter for Just 10 Minutes a Day”