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Maximized Minimalist Podcast

302: The Countertop Clutter Magnet EffectAnd How to Fix It

Maximized Minimalist Podcast

Katy Wells

Decluttering, Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Intentional, Moms, Minimalism, Mental Health, Simplify

4.8879 Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ever cleared your kitchen counters… only to blink and find them cluttered again? 😩

You are not imagining it—there’s a reason every surface in your home seems to magically collect stuff. It’s called the Countertop Clutter Magnet Effect, and once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.

In today’s episode, I’m breaking down why stuff attracts stuff (yes, there’s brain science behind it), and what you can do to finally stop the clutter creep—without giving up your much-needed visual reminders.

Because if you're the kind of person who needs to SEE your supplements, bills, or to-do list to actually remember them… this episode is going to change your life. 🙌

3 Key Takeaways from This Episode:

1. Why “Stuff Attracts Stuff” Is a Real Thing It’s not just clutter—it’s how our brains work. Once one item lands on a surface, it signals to our brains that it’s now a holding zone. I’ll explain how this happens and how to break the pattern.

2. How to Keep Visual Reminders Without the Chaos If “out of sight, out of mind” is your struggle, I’ve got you. From daily action trays to vertical organizers, I’ll show you how to keep your reminders visible but contained so they don’t take over your space.

3. How to Use the Clutter Magnet Effect For You Yep, you can flip the script. I’ll share how one simple change—like adding a fruit bowl—turned a clutter hotspot into a healthy habit zone. (And how you can do the same with your desk, bathroom, or entryway.)

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

AirDoctor Air Purifier
Invisible clutter is a thing too—dust, dander, and all the stuff you can’t see but definitely don’t want to breathe in. 👉 Get up to $300 off select models at AirDoctorPro.com with code KATY

Your Challenge This Week:

Take a look around your home and identify one clutter magnet zone. Then ask yourself:
“What do I actually want this space to attract?”
Pick one small swap—maybe a tray, a clear bin, or a vertical organizer—and give that space a job. Let’s stop letting clutter call the shots.

Ready, Set, Simplify – bye!


Ready to Declutter Even More? Check Out These Resources:

🚀 Get FAST Results with My Free Guide: 75 Things to Declutter Right Now
Need a quick win? This guide helps you clear space and see results fast.
📥 https://www.katyjoywells.com/declutter

💡 Work 1-on-1 With Me
Need personalized support to simplify your life? Let’s create a plan that works for you.
💼 https://www.katyjoywells.com/innercircle

🏡 Get Your Personalized Home Management Blueprint
Want a step-by-step plan to manage your home effortlessly? Let’s create your custom blueprint.
📝 https://www.katyjoywells.com/home-management-mastery

📲 Connect with Me on Instagram
Follow me for daily decluttering tips, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes peeks into my life.
💛 https://www.instagram.com/katyjoywells

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

What does it mean to live more with less? I'm Katie Wells and welcome to the Maximized Minimalist

0:07.2

podcast. If you found yourself caught up in the hamster wheel of modern day motherhood and want to

0:13.6

rewrite the script, congratulations you're in the right place. I'm here to be your guide and help you

0:19.9

take back your motherhood and achieve a simpler,

0:22.9

more joy-filled life. Cheers to being a maximized minimalist. Enjoy the show. Tell me if this sounds

0:30.0

familiar. You've been maybe procrastinating or watching the mess and clutter build up on your

0:35.1

counters for the last few days and then you're like, that's it. I'm doing a reset. I'm going. You reset the countertops in your kitchen. And oh my gosh,

0:43.5

you feel so good. It's like they're clear. It's like the clouds part, the heavens part, the sun is

0:49.5

shining down onto your clean kitchen counters. And you feel so good about yourself. You're like, yes,

0:55.0

I am doing great in life. I'm awesome. And then what happens? Maybe your partner comes home,

1:01.7

your kids come home, keys, mail, water bottles, broken toys, stuff lands there. And like two hours

1:07.3

later, it looks like you didn't do anything. And a couple things might happen here.

1:11.4

You might be a little resentful. You might be scratching your head, like, what the heck am I doing

1:16.1

wrong? You might be like, what? I'm so annoyed right now. It might be a combination of all of those

1:21.8

things. Here is the thing. Stuff attracts stuff. And this is something that I noticed years ago, and once I saw it,

1:30.5

I couldn't unsee it. And once something lands on a surface area, meaning like a horizontal

1:37.7

surface, it's almost like it gives our brains this subconscious permission slip that it's okay

1:44.1

to just keep putting stuff there.

1:46.2

So I want to start here because I know, at least if you're anything like me, maybe you felt

1:51.2

like it's like a personal attack when you clear the counters and then junk lands back on it.

1:55.8

It's frustrating, right? And if we live in this constant reactive state of like taking it

2:00.2

personally, like my family's out to get me.

...

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