i live in an impossibly small space for four people and clutter accumulates at the drop of a hat. sometimes when i'm really down i'll stop cleaning for a day or two and then its just a horrid mess. heres my method and i hope it works for you.

i start with the garbage, three bags. one for recyclable plastic, one for papers, and one for other garbage. i go through the entire apartment and pick up every scrap, every bottle and can and broken toy until thats taken care of.
then its laundry time. i have two piles, one for whites and one for colors. i go through each room and gather the laundry and put it all in one place, divided and ready to wash.
last i do the hard part. putting stuff away. i make piles first because i'm a making piles kind of person. cds in one, books in another, toys, magazines, papers that need to be kept and filed, clean laundry. and i tackle one pile at a time.
by dividing the chores into small steps i find its easier and less overwhelming to get the place clean. and if after one chore i'm feeling like i've had it, i take a break but at least one thing has been taken care of and you'd be surprised at how much of a difference the little things make.
good luck!