I think we all have that one cartoon closet in our home. It’s the one so filled with stuff that when you open it everything falls out into a pile like in cartoons. It’s understandable why you might want to start with that closet or some other area, but when cleaning out and decluttering, start with what you can see.
What is the Visibility Rule?
We have a tendency to make the areas of our life that we can’t see a little more chaotic than what’s visible. It’s the junk drawers, the closets and the thing that under the bed that we often think about decluttering first. The Visibility Rule throws that out the window and tells you to work on what you can see and save the invisible for last. You leave the closets and the drawers aloneand focus on your desk, counters, garage, etc.
Why You Start With What You See
When you spend all day working on a closet or other invisible clutter, you shut the door and nothing has changed. You know that the area is clean and organized, but since it’s behind a door neither you nor your family will see any difference. You’ll walk by that door every day and know that it’s clean behind it, but where’s that sense of accomplishment? It’s important to that you see what you accomplished as that will spur you on to continue. If you take the time to clean and declutter a book shelf, then you might want to keep going and declutter a desk. They say seeing is believing, so start with what you can see.
Yes, It Really Matters
You may be cautious about our advice and believe that you’ll feel just as great taking care of that cartoon closet as you would something visible. It’s great if that’s true for you, but it won’t be for the vast majority of people. People need to see a change in their environment or else they won’t feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing a good job. It can be disconcerting to spend hours working on a closet, close the door and look behind you to see nothing different.
IV Clean Team Inc. is the Illinois Valley’s leading home cleaner and can help you with your cleaning needs. Contact us today and set up an appointment.
