When we get busy things get out of hand quickly but that's ok. Let's not shame ourselves for working hard. Instead we can find ways to help ourselves when we work extra busy weeks, seasons or if we are struggling in whatever way.
If you haven't read the book "How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing"
by KC Davis, then I highly recommend it. It's a short book that has an even shorter quick read for those that don't have time to read it all the way through. There are lots of suggestions to help when feeling overwhelmed and for those that have limited time to try to maintain the home.
Notice in the image above it's mainly clothing on the floor. If there were a few large baskets strategically placed then the problem would be solved. Two baskets for clean clothes (the extra one is to help with digging to find what you're looking for), and one basket for dirty clothes. If there's no energy to fold the clothing and put away then by all means dig out of a basket! Even I have busy weeks that result with digging out of the clean clothing basket. I prefer to the fold & find method but I'm not perfect and that's ok. Progress, not perfection.
One of my favorite points the book by KC Davis says is that messiness is morally neutral. We aren't "bad" if we have a messy house, don't fold our laundry or let the dishes pile up. It may be simply, we are too busy or too exhausted at this time and that's ok. Tweaking routines can make a huge difference as well as changing our perspectives about ourselves and our home.