i've been working over the years, to get my mind to accept that less clutter is a good thing. and to notice the clutter or small messes around the house, and do something about it. i find this more difficult than it sounds.

also, when i'm cleaning, i can only do a really see all the things to fix when company is coming over. how do i train my brain to see it before people are coming, so i'm prepared for company. instead of running around like a maniac. it's a great workout! but i live in a bigger house now. you'd have to tell me days in advance to really clean it completely if it's a mess.

i'm much better than i was, i can have a clear counter and not feel like i'm in some strange house, or hotel. but i have a long way to go.

Take a photo of the room. Our brain is generally lazy and only sees what's new or novel, so we become blind to long-term piles of clutter. Whe you see your room on a photo, you'll see all the stuff much better than you normally do! It can be frightening, really

I'm a fan of Flylady- whose mission it is to encourage everyone to declutter. She says "you can't organize clutter"- and how true! I can't follow the Flylady plan to the letter, but reading the Flylady website and using some of her techniques has helped me get so much more organized and get over the physchological hurdles of cleaning!

Have you looked at Flylady?

Also, I've set a rule for myself. My house can never get so messy that it would take me more than 1-2 hours to be ready for overnight company. That means I'm constantly looking around my house AS IF company was coming, and keeping it at that level. It also means that after guests come, certain things happen - clean sheets, neatened room, etc. It works for me.