Don't Hide Your Clutter

Don't hide your clutter.  Figure out how you can eliminate it.  Yesterday, I showed off my storage closet that holds files, yarn, craft show display items, writing idea notebooks, teaching props, etc. - and how I cleaned and organized the space.

One of the problems with the space is that it allowed me to hide things from view.  I could toss an item on the floor of the closet and close the door and - ta dah! - the mess I just created was "gone."

Think about the places around your home where it is really easy to hide your clutter:

• the junk drawer
• the closet by the front door
• your clothing closet
• any closet
• any and all drawers in your bedroom, kitchen, office
• the attic
• the basement
• the laundry room
• any place where you can close the door and ignore what is in the room!

No, clutter that's out in the open isn't "better," but you probably have more incentive to clean the top of your desk than you do to organize a desk drawer that can stay closed. 

• Ask yourself if you are shutting away things that you don't really need, which is why they can stay hidden.
• If you can't find your sneakers at the bottom of your closet or a pen in your junk drawer, then you need to organize those items.  Think of ways to make your shoes more visible and accessible.  Consider if a jar filled with pens, pencils, scissors, and other office supplies could sit on your countertop or desk so you can grab the items when you need them.
• "Fence in" your clutter.  Have an in-box for mail, receipts, and any other piece of paper that enters your home.  Go through the box each day.  If the stack of paper becomes level with the top of the in-box, it is time to work through your papers and file what you need to keep.
• Have uncovered bins, boxes, buckets, baskets, etc. where toys, craft supplies, magazines, and other things that take over the surfaces in your home can be slid into when you are done with the items one day and yet found quickly the next time you want the items. By not putting a cover on these storage containers, you can see the items and they aren't hidden away.  They remain easy to access.

When I hide things, after a while they cease to exist.  I forget what I have and then I wonder why my closet or drawer is so messy.  Every time I rediscover something that I forgot about, I feel guilty for owning something I'm not using and then I start to wonder if I really need the item.

How about you?