A Visual Reset: Cleaning Your Space to Boost Your Mental Health and Focus

Today, I hit the mid-month loss of pep. There appears to be a pattern where I’m full of zest for my new goals and projects for the first part of the month. This energy drops off toward the middle of the month, and I start feeling unfocused. It’s not that I don’t want to do anything. It’s more that I don’t feel the bee-like certainty of my next tasks and steps, which means I have difficulty getting busy.

I find it harder to concentrate when my space is cluttered and disorganized. Cleaning and organizing aren’t just about aesthetics; they lead to noticeable improvements in my mental health and focus.

For me, clutter is full of reminders of undone tasks, creating low-grade stress that adds up over time. The more I work on projects, the more supplies I pull from their nooks and crannies. It overwhelms my brain with excess stimuli, making it harder to think clearly. 

Hot tip if, like me, you can get overwhelmed easily: Tackle one small area—like a drawer or desktop. The sense of accomplishment from completing just one task can give you a little mood boost and motivation to do more. Also, if your goal was small and you achieved it, giving yourself a break is easier if that’s all you have the spoons for today.

Sensory overload can make it challenging to focus on tasks and decide what needs to be done. Minimizing visual distractions makes it easier for me to concentrate, stay organized, and get things done more efficiently. Minimizing auditory distractions allows me to focus on what I’m doing (and increases my ability to actively listen to someone speaking to me).

Part of my problem at the moment is storage. If you’ve been keeping up with my blog posts, you know that we recently moved, and I do not have a place for all my craft things (and Lego sets). I even tapped and glued together cardboard to create more shelf space. All this means is that I spend much time in an already visually busy space. The extra disarray I add to it over time is too much for my brain to process.

A bonus to taking time to clean and organize is that this is something I can control. It gives me a tangible sense of accomplishment, affecting positive change in my world—with a small “W”—when I feel powerless to affect positive change in the World—with a big “W.”

Another hot tip: If cleaning a whole space from start to finish feels like too much of a time commitment with your busy schedule, set a timer for 10-15 minutes. Tell yourself you only have to clean until the timer goes off. If the timer goes off and you want to keep going, so much the better! However, if the timer sounds and you’re exhausted, you can still feel accomplished with just how much you finished in such a short time.

Cleaning might not fix everything, but it’s a powerful tool in your mental wellness toolkit. Next time your brain feels foggy or anxious, consider starting with your space—it might also clear your mind.