Have you ever tried to untangle a wire when you are frustrated? You try and loosen the tangle by pulling on part of the wire you think will resolve it, but this pulls the wire tighter, and you get more frustrated, and pull the wire into a knot. You anxiously try and untie the knot, and you almost do, and you're even more frustrated, and you end up pulling the wire into a worse tangle, and you believe the wire is doing this on purpose to infuriate you.
This happens to people when they are stuck in the middle of their clutter and they are feeling very emotional and they want to feel relief and they try and fix it, but they often only end up moving the clutter around to different parts of the house, or they get caught up in in the clutter and lose track of time and don't let anything go, or they look at their stuff and give up in disgust without doing anything. They feel the clutter and their home is against them. Or, even worse, they feel they are their own worst enemy.
When I get to my client's home, they are in the state of mind of the twisted wire mess. They are often extremely frustrated. My job is to ignore the infuriated state of mind, and relax. I know that their overwhelment is in the way. I stay peaceful so that my clients start to follow suit. If I get involved with the emotional distress, I only add to the tangle. I suggest you follow this approach when you are working with your clutter. The frustration and confusion of the moment may be at the forefront of your mind, but it's a by product of your reaction in the moment and it's in the way. You can be aware of it, like I am when I work with my clients. And don't pursue the involvement of the jagged emotions because it muddies things up and you can't see clearly.