When you come home after a long day at work, all you want to do is to kick off your shoes and unwind. But if your house is overwhelmed with clutter and chaos, it can feel like your life is in disarray – definitely not the best way to de-stress. "There is no question that disorder provokes stress," agrees Jackie Craven, author of The Stress-Free Home. But help's here! Get organized and transform a hectic house into a calming abode with these five declutter tips.

Add soothing touches to your entryway.

"The entrance to your home is the passageway between worldly worries and family comfort," says Craven. It's the first thing you see when you return home from work, and also the first thing that sets your mood. "A serene entry foyer with soothing neutral colors and restful diffused lighting will ease the transition," she adds.

Straighten up your working surfaces.

When clutter piles up, it becomes an obstacle that keeps us from getting things done. "If we can't find our bills, we can't pay them," explains Barbara Kavovit, author of Room for Improvement. "And if the dining room is filled with sports equipment, boxes of books, and discarded toys, how can we enjoy a family meal or sit quietly and write letter or do homework with our kids?"

But unless you have a chunk of spare time to sort through every heap of clutter around the house, simply tidying up the visible areas of the house you're in most will do the trick: Arranging your papers and books on your table tops, or putting them away in cabinets where they are hidden from view will restore a sense of tidiness and order. To prevent the mess from returning in the future, "observe where messes accumulate and create storage in that area," says Craven.