You're not messy you probably just need a basket!

Most of the problem areas in my home have been massively improved by some sort of container. I gave up trying to put things "where they were supposed to go" and started allowing things to stay where they naturally ended up but in a container. Shoes keep piling up by the door, put a basket there to house them instead of expecting yourself to put them away in the closet. Mail or paper piling up on the counter that you need to go through, toss them in a basket. It may still be on the counter but looks so much cleaner. This has made such an impact on the "tidiness" of my home. Even if that means stuff is still technically out, it's contained which looks/feels so much cleaner. and less clutter makes a space easier to clean

For me this has looked like:

-a bathroom counter basket for my daily used products. No more leaving all of my products sprawled out on the counter. I could never manage to put stuff away in a drawer or cabinet that I was using 2x a day, so I stopped trying. Now instead of putting item down on counter I put it in basket. If it has a pump I don't even take it out I just pump it in my hand straight from the basket! No extra effort but much more tidy. Plus counter is free of clutter which makes wiping the counter a much easier task.

-In a similar tune, no more makeup in a bag that I had to dump out to see everything and then it take 3-5 business days to put it all back. It gets stored in a clear bin, everything is visible, easily thrown back in as stuff is used and therefore easier to put away.

-The shoes I use most often used to be all over my closet floor because I was too lazy to put them back on the shelf- enter the shoe basket. Now I have my nice occasional shoes on a shoe rack but the daily shoes get tossed straight into a basket. (Ok fine shoes are still getting left on the floor but it's better than it was!!)

-Laundry baskets anywhere laundry gets left. And yes you can have more than one laundry basket! Liberating I know. I have one in the closet, in the bathroom, and one that stays in the laundry room. Often random items were getting left around the house- socks, jackets, burp rags, my babies clothes because he goes through 8 outfits a day, instead of making the trek to the bedrooms those items get tossed in the laundry room basket which is much more central and easier to get to.

-Another basket in my closet for a donation pile. As I come across clothing I don't want anymore it gets tossed in that donation bin and once its full I donate it

-Bedroom basket for all the random crud that didn't really have a home but was ending up all over our room. Mostly that is dog toys and the foam roller that my husband uses nightly. Does a basket with dog toys and a foam roller makes sense to any other home? probably not but it works for my home and now I'm not tripping over them every night!

-tiny trashcan by the dryer to dispose of the lint

-trashcan in the garage next to my car to throw trash away as soon as I get out instead of having to take it into the house

-the nester just posted this about a sofa tray which is genius and exactly the concept I'm going for!

This was very long winded but truly a basket/bin/bucket/tray can make such a difference. Make putting things away as easy as possible. Assess where clutter is already happening and see if a container can help! It doesn't have to "make sense" it just has to work for you and your home.