When you take a photograph, how often do you look around the frame. More often than not it is too easy to snap and move one. But a few seconds to consider the shot can pay big dividends. If you try hard you will be able to take the shot without all that clutter. Most scenes can be taken from a number of viewpoints. So it is not too difficult to move around a little to make sure you don’t include things that have nothing to do with your shot and may spoil it. Make sure that you include only what you need to include in the shot. Try to exclude everything else.
Why not have a look at these two articles about minimalism. They may help you think about keeping the content of your images to the minimum…