#168| 3 Reasons Your Clutter Is Hurting Your Productivity & Causing Overwhelm —and How to Regain Control: Overwhelm, Productivity, Time Management & People Pleasing

Do you ever sit down to work but feel too distracted to focus—only to realize your cluttered desk is silently sabotaging your productivity?

If you're constantly overwhelmed, burnt out, or avoiding your to-do list, the root cause might not be your workload—it might be your environment. This episode dives into how physical clutter leads to mental chaos and why small messes have big consequences for your stress levels and output.

In this episode, you will:

• Discover the science behind how clutter increases stress hormones and drains your focus
• Learn 3 powerful yet simple strategies to reduce overwhelm without a weekend-long cleanup
• Understand why “visual noise” is silently costing you mental energy and motivation

Start feeling calmer and more in control by listening now to learn how a clean space can unlock a clearer, more productive mind.

Join the Declutter Challenge Here

Featured on the podcast
Ep #8: Clear the Clutter To Transform Your Life & Find Your Calm
Ep #77: The Power of Decluttering to Reduce Overwhelm and Increase Productivity
Ep #117: The Incredible Power Of Decluttering To Increase Peace In Your Home

Wondering why you're overwhelmed? Take my "why am I overwhelmed" quiz to find out the source of your overwhelm, and what to do about it.

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Life can be overwhelming, but on this podcast, you'll discover practical strategies to overcome overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and negative self-talk, manage time effectively, set boundaries, and stay productive in high-stress jobs—all while learning how to say no and prioritize self-care on the Overwhelmed Worki...

Episode Transcript

Michelle Gauthier (00:01):
Do you ever sit down at your desk to get to
work, but then your desk iscluttered and you end up just
scrolling on your phone?
Instead, you're listening toOverwhelmed Working Woman, the
podcast that helps you be morecalm and more productive by
doing less.
I'm your host, MichelleGauthier, a former Overwhelmed

(00:23):
Working Woman and current lifecoach.
On this show, we unpack thestress and pressure that today's
working woman experiences andin each episode you'll get a
strategy to bring more calm,ease and relaxation to your life
.
Hi, friend, I just sat down torecord this podcast and it's

(00:44):
late afternoon, and what lateafternoon means for me is that
my desk is usually pretty messyThroughout the day.
I get food, I get snacks Ialways have about six cups on
here by the time the day isfinished A couple wrappers, pens
, etc.
All over my desk.
And I sat down to record thisepisode and I thought, oh, how

(01:05):
ironic that I'm talking aboutdecluttering and how it has a
mental toll, even though it's aphysical thing.
So I did set a short alarm andspent two minutes decluttering
my desk and I feel a whole lotbetter and a whole lot clearer.
So when you listen, today we'regoing to dive into why clutter
is overwhelming and why thatimpacts your productivity.

(01:26):
That example I gave it's justthe very beginning of the
episode where you sit down atyour desk and it's cluttered so
you scroll on your phone instead.
That tanks your productivity.
Or you walk into your kitchenand you're thinking about
cooking dinner and you're likelet's just order takeout.
No thanks, I don't want to behere.
So in this episode you'll learnthe science behind why clutter

(01:49):
causes stress and how it'saffecting your productivity it's
not in a good way, I'll tellyou that for sure and some small
but powerful ways to take backyour space and your peace.
So let's talk first about thescience behind clutter and
overwhelm and how those two areconnected, and I think we could
say overwhelm or stress or evenanxiety for some people.

(02:11):
So let's start by talking aboutwhy clutter feels so heavy.
When your space is messy, yourbrain has to work overtime.
Even if it's unconscious andyou don't realize it, visual
clutter competes for yourattention.
So I gave you an example at thebeginning that my desk has all
this stuff all over it.
When I sit down and it's likeeverything in your space is

(02:31):
silently saying look at me.
There's just so many places foryour eyes to look and for your
attention to go, and this isjust a waste of your brain power
.
It just leads to more mentalfatigue and less focus.
And I know for sure, asoverwhelmed working women.
We do not need any more mentalfatigue or any more decisions or
processing to happen in ourbrains.
Research even backs thatclutter increases your cortisol,

(02:55):
which is your stress hormone.
So all those little decisionswhere to put this, what to do
with that, even just thethoughts of I can't believe this
is such a mess.
I need to clean this up theyjust all add up to decision
fatigue.
And here's what I know is truefor me.
I think this is varying degreesby person, but I think clutter
really affects everyone in someway.

(03:15):
But when I sleep in a messyroom, I wake up and I already
feel behind.
But when I clear off mybathroom counter at night and
lay out my workout clothesclothes and I wake up and my
room is clean I feel completelycalm.
It's that simple.
Same with my desk when I get towork and my desk is already
cleaned off.

(03:35):
And it's not just about thephysical stuff.
The mental clutter and thephysical clutter are totally
linked.
Your environment influencesyour thoughts.
A cluttered kitchen makes itharder to cook.
A cluttered schedule makes itharder to think clearly.
It all is linked and it affectsthe way that you're thinking
and therefore how productive youcan be.
Let's talk about the hiddenways that clutter hurts your

(03:58):
productivity.
We just talked about this alittle bit in point one.
It creates this mental noise,so more distractions means less
focus.
I read this quote that saidtrying to work at a cluttered
desk is like trying to meditatein the middle of a parade.
And it made me remember a funnystory that one time I did.
I was with my kid, my sisterand I had taken our kids on a
trip, so it was just us, twoadults, and then four kids, and

(04:22):
the kids were all in the TV roomand they were like playing a
game and being loud and I reallywanted to meditate, but I
didn't feel like getting up.
So I said, hey, I'm going tomeditate.
And right in the middle of thisparade, so to speak, I decided
I was going to try to meditateand I did, and I tried and I
eventually got to the pointwhere I was really focused on my
meditation, but it took so muchlonger than it would have taken

(04:46):
if I just went into a quietbedroom and shut the door and
just did a 10 minute meditation.
So I think that is a perfectexample of it's not that you
can't work at a desk that isfull of stuff.
It just takes more time andeffort for you to focus.
And then every time you get upgo get a glass of water, you
come back, you come back to thatcluttered desk.
You have to again readjust andjust waste your mental capacity

(05:09):
readjusting to.
I have to focus even thoughit's a mess here.
The other way that it affectsyour productivity when there's
clutter is that it leads toavoidance and procrastination.
Too much stuff makes everythingfeel overwhelming.
Back to the example about thekitchen.
So if you walk into the kitchenand it's messy, what are the
chances that you're going toactually cook?

(05:30):
Just going to lead to avoidanceor procrastination, right.
And another thing that I noticeis when a room is clean and
cozy, everyone wants to be inthere.
No one goes into the clutteryrooms.
Nobody wants to be there.
That's not a coincidence.
I think we just gravitatetowards organized and calm.
And the last way that cluttercan just steal your productivity

(05:54):
is it takes your time and yourenergy because you waste time
looking for things that youalready own or buy duplicates
because you didn't realize youhad one buried in a drawer
somewhere.
Cluttered spaces are usuallyfull of tiny unfinished projects
and those are just quietlywhispering to us.
Look what you haven't done.
You're behind.
You still need to do this, andthat takes a toll on our mental

(06:17):
and emotional energy.
So, even though I know you'rebusy, here are a couple ways
that you can regain control,have less clutter and therefore
have better productivity.
You don't have to do a fullweekend long overhaul and if
you're like, yes, I actually do,maybe you have enough clutter
that you need to do that, butwhat I want to encourage you to

(06:38):
do is just start small.
So here are a couple of smallbut mighty things you can start
with.
Number one is pick a really highimpact area.
So ask yourself the questionwhat small space would make a
total difference if it was clearand clutter free, like your
purse or your desk or your emailinbox, or we have this area.

(07:01):
When you walk into our house.
That's kind of like you come inthe garage door and there's
just kind of a little landingarea where we end up having,
like backpacks and shoes and allthat stuff, and every time you
walk in the house you see it.
So it's a really high impactarea.
So think about what that is foryou and start with that area.
Just make one little spaceclean and then another approach

(07:24):
you can take is setting adeclutter timer.
One of my clients declutteredher entire office in five minute
chunks during her breaks and itcompletely changed how she felt
about work.
I don't remember how manysessions of five minutes it took
, but she just consistentlywould work on it for five
minutes and you just make alittle bit of progress, and you
know a little bit of progressalways encourages more and makes

(07:47):
you feel so much better.
Another quick thing to do isuse the one minute rule.
So if something takes less than60 seconds to put away, just do
it right now.
This is something.
This is my downfall right here.
If I take something out, I'mterrible at remembering to put
it away.
So if I can focus on this andjust put things away right away,
and even if something like whenI just decluttered my desk,

(08:09):
like I told you I did there werea pair of earrings on my desk
those go in my bedroom it tookme less than 60 seconds to walk
them in there and set them in myjewelry box.
So if you can use that oneminute rule, you'll find
yourself putting things backaway much more consistently.
Okay, so here's what we coveredtoday.
Clutter creates stress byoverloading your brain and your
body.
When that happens, it takesyour productivity down because

(08:33):
it causes distractions andprocrastination and mental drain
.
And here's the good news youcan start regaining control with
small, simple steps.
So the three that I suggestedwere starting with a high impact
area, setting a declutter timerand using that one minute rule
to put stuff back.
So pick your one small area anddeclutter it today and see what

(08:54):
a difference it makes in yourlife.
If decluttering is a big sourceof overwhelm in your life.
There are a couple otherepisodes that you can listen to
that have more information aboutthem.
There's episode 117, episode 77, and episode 8.
Episode 8 specifically has aprintable decluttering guide

(09:14):
that you can grab, so we willlink that in the episode as well
, to go back and listen toepisode 8 and then get the free
guide that goes along with it.
Okay, thank you so much andhave a great week.
If you found this episodehelpful, would you please be so
kind to leave a review, eitheron Apple or Spotify or wherever
you listen, every time you leave.
A rating rating is where youjust click the stars.

(09:36):
It takes like literal onesecond, or review, which
probably takes more, like twominutes, because then you do the
stars and you write your review.
It makes a big difference towhere the podcast is shown and
how we get ranked and morepeople see it and hopefully can
feel less overwhelmed.
All right, have a great week.
See you soon.
Thank you for listening to theOverwhelmed Working Woman

(10:03):
podcast.
If you want to learn more aboutmy work, head over to my
website at michellegauthier.
com.
See you next week.