As we wrap up our decluttering challenge, can you believe we made it? I want to shift the focus from physical belongings to something deeper—what I call heart clutter.
Welcome to the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge—a month of clearing, reorganizing, and creating a home and life that feel calmer and more intentional. If you’re new here, you may want to start at the beginning. Affiliate links used for your convenience.
Heart clutter is that drained, overwhelmed feeling that comes from too many emotional demands, constant distractions, and not enough soul-nourishing time. Physical clutter feeds it, and before long the whole cycle feels impossible to break.
In a world that seems to be speeding up every day, clearing our homes is only part of the work. Clearing our hearts—our priorities, rhythms, and internal noise—is just as important. A decluttered home and a decluttered heart support each other and often reflect one another.
Physical mess and disorganization often mirror mental and emotional chaos. It’s a cycle, but the good news is it’s one we can interrupt with intention.
I’ll be honest: I’ve been the chief culprit. For years I carried a cluttered schedule, mind, emotions, and home. Only in the last year or two have I really started doing the deeper work—uncovering and removing the excess that had taken up space in my heart as much as in my house.
If you’re in those intense baby and toddler years, cut yourself some slack. For a while my main goals were keeping everyone safe and fed and remembering to shower occasionally. Now that the kids are older and the pace has shifted, I have more room to reclaim pieces of my heart and my time.
If you’re in the thick of early parenthood, drink your coffee, embrace the mess, and know this season won’t last forever. Yes, systems for organizing toys help, but if you peek into my home on any day there’s a high chance toys will be scattered across the floor. Accepting that reality is part of the process.
Even if the house is imperfect, taking regular time to tend to your heart makes the physical mess easier to face. When your inner life is calmer, the outer life often follows.
So how do you cultivate a decluttered heart and mind? For me it starts with removing distractions, simplifying daily demands, and saying yes to what truly matters. Here are five practical steps you can use right away.
5 Practical Tips for a Decluttered Heart
1. Step Off the Social Media Crazy Train. Social media can be a major source of heart clutter. If certain accounts or people consistently leave you feeling anxious, annoyed, or drained, unfollow them. You don’t necessarily have to delete anyone, but protect your peace—seeing a name or post that knots your stomach is a sign you should mute or unfollow. Avoid engaging with negativity; it rarely leads to anything positive.
2. Put the Phone Down. Smartphones are wonderful tools, but they also demand our attention at all hours. Ask yourself if a notification really needs to interrupt family dinner or quiet moments. I turned off nearly all notifications except critical calendar alerts, which drastically reduced the constant pings. During intentional family time, put your phone away to remove temptation.
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3. Create a Gratitude List. Writing down what you’re thankful for clears mental clutter in a way that simply thinking about it can’t. Physically list your blessings, post the list where you’ll see it, and revisit it. This practice shifts perspective and helps the heart breathe easier.
4. Schedule Quiet Time. Creating margin is essential, but what you do with that margin matters. Resist the urge to fill it with mindless scrolling. Instead, pencil in quiet activities that refill you: journaling, Bible study, gentle stretching or yoga, a motivating podcast, or a calming bath with a good book. I aim to go to bed earlier and wake up before my kids so I have at least 15–60 minutes of uninterrupted time to nourish my soul. Even a short daily rhythm can make a big difference.
5. Serve Someone Else. Heart clutter often grows when we make ourselves the center of attention—obsessed with lists and schedules. Looking up and offering help or encouragement to someone else gives perspective and clears the noise. Acts of service, a quick encouraging text, or simply listening to a friend shifts focus from tasks to people, which refreshes the heart.
Writing these thoughts has already made me feel lighter. Slowing down, cutting out the noise, and choosing what matters most removes the chatter in your heart and mind. Once you’ve found that clarity, managing physical clutter becomes much easier—organizing, planning, and taking action feel less overwhelming.
I’ve enjoyed this 30-day journey. Remember that progress, not perfection, is the goal. Living with intention and clear priorities gives us the freedom to invest time in community, relationships, and what truly matters.
The Messy Work: Turn off nonessential phone notifications. Write a gratitude list and post it where you’ll see it for the next few days. Then pencil in quiet time for yourself—even a short window will be worth it.
In the mess with you, Laura