When the itch to declutter hits, my natural tendency is to tackle a junk drawer or the linen closet or some other hidden, cluttered space.
Those spaces need to be decluttered, but I can’t start there.
Using up my decluttering energy in a space no one sees (and that rarely gets used) means the house as a whole won’t look any better after all my work.
I have to follow the Visibility Rule.
I make myself focus on tackling a visible space that I see every day but I might have stopped noticing.
My home looks better and my family functions better and the visible progress encourages me to keep decluttering!
And renewed decluttering energy is way better than still wanting to hide when the doorbell rings after working all day long on a space no visitor would have a reason to see.
Which I’ve totally had happen.
Need more words about the Visibility Rule to help you wrap your brain around it?
Don’t worry. I have lots of words:
How to Prioritize Decluttering Projects
Visibility, Visibility, Visibility – Podcast
Visibility Rule Deep Dive – Podcast
Visibility Rules Ins and Outs – Podcast
My book, which goes deep into the whole decluttering process, using the Visibility Rule throughout: Decluttering at the Speed of Life.
Following the visibility rule for decluttering is a great way to stay motivated. When I clean and declutter an area that nobody including myself can readily see I lose interest quickly. Great article!
This is great advice! I walked around my house around New Year’s and made a list of all my problem areas and marked them with stars (1for quick&easy, 4 for the big jobs) and taped it to the fridge. I have definitely noticed that I can keep the momentum snowballing when I tackle visible spaces first, or at least heavily-used spaces like the pantry. Feels so good! I figured I’d be doing one or two tasks a week, but it’s been more like two or three a day!
I use a combination of visible and easily do-able. I started with a frequently used drawer (I don’t have a junk drawer). The 5 or 6 minutes it took to finish the task motivated me to continue to the chair where I stash my library books and needlework, an ongoing problem in full view. Weeks later the drawer is still neat. A pleasure each time I need something stored there. Opening the drawer reminds me that I can finish a task. The chair was emptied and refilled several times, but I keep at it!
I am what my husband calls a “flat-surface-sprawler.” Any counter top or table or anything can become my dumping ground. The visibility rule helps me with those flat surfaces. Once they go where I know I will look for them, then I can tackle a drawer to put the things that need to go inside away! I also bought little containers for inside the drawers.
My husband does the opposite of this, and it drives me nuts! Instead of picking up the most visible clutter, he starts reorganizing the most obscure stuff in the back of the closet, and ends up with more stuff “out”!
While the visibility rule is great for motivation, it doesn’t solve the problem for me. I have to declutter the hidden spaces – the closets, cabinets, and drawers – so that I know how much space I really have and how much I can actually keep without everything sitting out everywhere. I can’t put things AWAY if “away” is full of junk.
I read somewhere to take photos. Somehow you see the mess more in a photo as you get used living with things and don’t ‘see’ them anymore. I tried it once and it helped. Now I’m in a new house with boxes EVERYWHERE. Doing the visual method first
My problem is my kitchen counter, it is too long 9 feet. It is wonderful when company comes and we have a big pot luck. but when nobody is coming it becomes a big space to fill up with almost nothing. I see it all the time, and I must use this visibility thing, more often. I uncluttered it one day, and then 3 days later it is cluttered again.