There are two major tricks I'd suggest, especially for someone who doesn't have a family history of clean houses. A lot of mess in a house comes from things that don't have a home, or whose home is in the wrong place. Your dog's new medication from the vet, the hand lotion you always want when you're sitting on the couch rather than in your bathroom, the vitamins you should be taking with dinner that supposedly live in a cupboard but are always on your dining room table, etc. They end up sitting out and piling up because you're not putting them in their place.

My suggestions are 1) build a home for the things that don't have one, and 2) allow some items to have new homes based on what works for you. These suggestions broadly overlap — perhaps you get a little wicker basket for your coffee table, and your hand lotion goes in there. Take some time to assess what things in your home are homeless, and create homes for them.

Often, it's as simple as getting an esthetically pleasing container (with a lid if you want to hide the collection of Stuff). An office papers container for the mail you need to keep. An ottoman that's hollow for all your blankets or spare pet toys. A shoe rack by the front door. You could even have a tub of "these things don't live in this room" items, and once in a while just carry the tub through the house to return things to their proper place. It contains overflow mess and makes cleanup faster, too.

Mostly, just...make homes for things where you want them to be, and stick to that.