I often use something similar. I call it spontaneous incremental tidying and decluttering. I remind myself that tidying is a process, not a goal. One iteration of the algorithm is very quick and I can do as many as I like.

I often tell myself that I'm going to use it to clear this small area, and before I know I've made massive progress. But if I don't, then I've still made a dent and I can resume anytime.