One of the best and most effective organizing/de-cluttering tips I have incorporated into my life is the following: For just 15-20minutes a day I choose one room only and just go at.....pick up the toys, shoes, dust/sweep whatever and when my time is up...I stop and either move on to something else or decide if I am going to give another room a "15minute clean-up" or wait until tomorrow. This "chunking" of time prevents "mommy burnout" as well as that overwhelming feeling that comes with a cluttered house. Each day I try to focus in on a different room and that way a little bit of every part of your house gets some weekly attention. Of course the smaller the room, the more you can do - but don't change the time limits! Also if you can get another family member to chip in - set them up in another room and set the timer! This technique works well with older kids because it sets a definite time limit on their  clean up time. Keep in mind this usually isn't enough time to do heavy duty cleaning like windows and scrub floors...its just a little way to decrease the chaos!