Efficiency is the New Organized: How to Clear Mental Clutter and Reclaim Your Time

It’s never a surprise when people learn that I’m an organized person—it kind of comes with the territory of being a professional organizer. But I think the real key to appearing organized is actually being efficient with your time. Efficiency is what allows us to be productive.

All of my clients—and honestly, just about everyone I meet—have busy schedules. That busyness often leads to mental clutter. To help with this specific kind of clutter, I’m mixing things up and creating a short blog series focused on productivity.

As you probably know, being disorganized has many hidden costs. Studies show that Americans spend an average of 2.5 days per year searching for lost items. Creating systems for your files, emails, notes, or even everyday items can drastically reduce that wasted time. On top of that, the mental load of our busy schedules can lead to decision fatigue. When that happens, we’re more likely to miss opportunities, make careless mistakes, or duplicate our efforts. All of this contributes to increased stress, overwhelm, and—often— procrastination.

Productivity isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing the right things as efficiently as possible. Getting organized—not just with your belongings, but also with your schedule, to-do lists, and routines—reduces friction, stress, and wasted time. That means more energy for meaningful work. If you’re someone who misses deadlines, is always running late, or feels completely wiped out at the end of the day, you’re going to want to stick around.

So how do you boost productivity? The first step is clarity.

You need to determine what needs to be done and where things live. I’m not focusing on finding the “perfect” home for everything today, but it is important that things have a home. Take time to plan ahead—start with just one day if needed—and be realistic about what can actually be accomplished in that timeframe. Over time, you can expand your planning to longer periods, but in the beginning start small.

The key is to get everything in one place, whether digitally or on paper. As amazing as our brains are, you’re asking too much of yours if you don’t write things down. I personally prefer keeping my lists digitally on my phone, so I can access them anywhere, update them in real time, and avoid having one more thing to remember on my way out the door.

Once you’ve identified what’s most important, the next step is focus.

We can’t eliminate all distractions, but we can reduce them. Clear off your workspace so only necessary items remain. Turn off the TV or music if it pulls your attention. If random thoughts pop up that take you away from your current task, write them down so you can

address them later instead of dwelling on them now.

Many of my clients have ADHD, so I know how challenging focus can be. That’s why I always recommend starting small. Set a timer for as little as five minutes and be intentional with your attention. It’s almost like a form of meditation—it can be difficult at first, so give yourself grace and build your focus time gradually.

Once you know what needs to be done and you’re able to focus, it’s time to work on your speed of execution.

This takes practice, but creating systems and batching tasks allows for quicker transitions—and ultimately, getting more done. Here are a few techniques I use:

1. Items that need to go somewhere go in my car immediately. I may not take them to their final destination that day, but if I find myself nearby with extra time, I can unexpectedly check something off my list.

2. I always have multiple books going. I love to read, so I keep an audiobook, a digital book, and a physical book in progress. Whether I’m driving, waiting in line, or have ten spare minutes at home, there’s always a book ready for me.

3. I stick to routines. For example, everyone in my family knows that Mondays are laundry day. I don’t love doing laundry (who does?!), so I don’t want it dragging into multiple days. Everyone has their basket ready Monday morning, and I know all clothes must be put away before bed. This specific routine may not work for everyone, but the idea is to schedule recurring tasks so you don’t have to think about them outside of their designated time.

Finally, consistency is what keeps everything going.

Play around with your routines—because consistency will always beat random bursts of motivation. Start small. It’s unrealistic to expect yourself (or anyone) to go from zero to one hundred overnight. Celebrate the small wins, and before you know it, you’ll feel like a productivity expert.

My next post will cover different types of organization that actually matter, simple systems that work, and common organizational myths—and why they fail. You won’t want to miss it. In the meantime, I’d love to support you on your organization and productivity journey. If you have questions or would like one-on-one help, please reach out!

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