Order, Calm, and Decluttering (with Digital Help)

Better Living Through Bots

A Bear Lake Local mini-series on generative AI for slow living

This image was generated by AI. Though, it looks shockingly similar to one of the junk drawers in our house.

You learn a lot about yourself when you move into a new house. What you keep, what you let go of, what you swear you’ll organize “as soon as things settle.” We moved in exactly a year ago, and it turns out we didn’t declutter nearly as much as we thought. We were optimistic. Hopeful. Delusional.

And now, twelve months later, we’ve entered the second phase of settling in — the part where everything has technically found a place, but not necessarily the right place. It’s slow, quiet work. Reassessing. Rearranging. Making room for the life you’re building instead of the life you thought you’d have.

Bob, for example, has spent several weekends in what I now think of as his Great Tool Renaissance — sorting gadgets, organizing drawers, creating a system that finally makes space for a boat in the boat garage. (A surprisingly complex puzzle.) We’re fairly organized people, but even we have our pockets of chaos. Everyone does.

And that’s where AI comes in. Not to judge your clutter. Not to replace your instincts. But to help you make a little more mental and physical space — one small, thoughtful shift at a time.

The Mental Pile We All Carry

Clutter isn’t always visible. Sometimes it lives in the brain: the errands you keep carrying week to week, the projects you want to start “someday,” the half-finished ideas you’ve been saving in your Notes app since 2019.

AI is surprisingly good at holding this mental pile for you:

• “Here are the 12 things I keep thinking about. Sort them by priority and tell me what’s actually worth doing this month.”

• “Organize these random notes into categories — home, work, creative, errands.”

• “Turn this list of projects into a simple plan I can follow.”

It doesn’t eliminate the work, but it takes away the weight of remembering it all.

Slow living isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about doing less remembering and more living.

The Physical Stuff (AKA, The Things You Thought You Needed)

Even when you’re tidy, clutter finds its way in — the drawer you avoid opening, the shelf you swear you’ll get to, the boxes in the garage that haven’t been touched since moving day.

AI won’t magically empty your junk drawer, but it can help you approach it without dread:

• Give me a 20-minute decluttering plan for the pantry.

• Help me decide what to keep, donate, or toss in my closet.

• Break down organizing the garage into simple steps.

• Make me a room-by-room simplification list that won’t overwhelm me.

Sometimes the hardest part is deciding where to begin. AI can pick for you.(And it won’t judge the 14 spare phone chargers you keep “just in case.”)

Routines That Bring Calm Instead of Chore Lists

Structure doesn’t have to be rigid or boring. It can feel like rhythm — the kind that makes life flow more easily.

AI can help you create routines that fit your actual lifestyle:

• A simple weekly home reset

• A calming morning routine that doesn’t require waking up at 5 a.m.

• A Sunday flow that balances errands, rest, and creativity

• A digital declutter checklist for photos, files, and emails

Slow living isn’t about doing everything. It’s about giving the things that matter enough room to breathe.

Creative Life + Clutter: A Complicated Relationship

Creative people are often cluttered people — ideas everywhere, supplies in every drawer, inspiration scattered across apps and notebooks. Not messy, just… abundant.

AI is great at turning abundance into clarity:

• “Here are my creative projects — help me choose one to focus on this month.”

• “Turn these sketches/ideas into a simple project outline.”

• “Help me plan a small, doable creative habit for the week.”

It doesn’t replace the spark. It protects it.

Try This

Enter these prompts into your favorite generative AI platform. Adjust them as needed to fit your needs. Breathe.

“Sort these 15 tasks into categories and tell me which 3 matter most this week.”

“Give me a simple 20-minute decluttering plan for my pantry/closet/garage.”

“Help me create a weekly reset routine that feels calm, not rigid.”

“Organize these creative projects and suggest one small next step for each.”

A Little Space, A Little Calm

Clutter — mental or physical — doesn’t disappear in one afternoon. But it softens when you make small, gentle decisions. When you get a little help holding the details. When you finally give yourself permission to say, “This can be easier than I’ve been making it.”

AI won’t organize your house or your life. But it can make the path feel lighter. And sometimes that’s all we really need — just a bit of space to notice the quieter things: a tidy corner, a warm drink, the view out the window, the feeling of finally settling into a home that’s becoming yours.

Coming soon: A full set of organizing, decluttering, and creative-life prompts — plus holiday extras — in the free Slow Living Prompt Pack. Subscribe to get it when the series wraps.

Next in the Series

Creative Calm: Using AI to Spark Ideas Without Losing Your Soul