There are certain places in our homes where we leave out items because we think it is more convenient. For example, we leave something on a counter because it is easier for us to grab it the next time we need it.
We see this happen at countless places in our home: the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, the office, the bedroom.
Consider items like:
- small appliances on our kitchen counters
- toiletries beside our bathroom sinks
- office supplies on our home-office desktop
- DVDs on the entertainment center
- tools on our tool benches
- art supplies, keys, canisters, magazines, newspapers, a knife block
By leaving these things out in the open, we think we’re saving time when we need them and we think we’re simplifying our lives, but the result is anything but. I call this the “convenience fallacy.” And it’s a huge source of the visual clutter in our homes.
Sure, by leaving them out, you may save a couple of seconds when you want to grab one of them. But for the other 99.9 percent of the time they’re sitting out, where they create visual distraction, get in the way, add to the disorganization of our spaces, and attract more clutter.
Consider those old CDs you’ve held on to for years in a CD tower in your family room. Since it would take very little time to pull a CD out of a storage cabinet and put it back when you’re done, wouldn’t it be better to store them out of sight instead of where it’s contributing to clutter and acting as a visual distraction in your space?
The same goes for most, if not all, of the things we leave out for “convenience” around the house. They actually spend far more time as clutter than in service to our lives and our environment.
For example, if you make toast for breakfast, it will take you roughly three minutes to toast your bread. After that, the toaster will sit unused, on your countertop, for the next twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes.
Is leaving the toaster out where it’s taking up space and creating visual distraction worth the few seconds you will save pulling it out when you’re ready to drop your slice of bread into it in the morning? Think of all the times you’ve needed to move it to clean around, or behind, or had to shuffle it about to create more working space on your counter.
Rather than allowing these appliances to take up space, find a home for them in an easily accessed part of the kitchen, such as inside a cabinet or on a shelf. When you do, you will immediately reduce the amount of visible clutter for both you and your guests.
How to Overcome the Convenience Fallacy:
1. Notice, and identify. Look around the room you are sitting in right now—maybe you are reading this in your living room, your bedroom, great room, or office (or maybe you need to wait until you get home). Where can you see the convenience fallacy at play? A coffee maker, a teapot, a blender, a video game controller, a stack of unread magazines or newspapers, a stapler, maybe even an unnecessary clock. Take note of how many items you leave out simply for “convenience-sake.”
2. Clear unneeded possessions from cabinets and drawers. One reason, understandably, people leave items out on visible surfaces is because their cabinets are so full, they don’t have space for those appliances to be put away anyway. In order to overcome the convenience fallacy in your home, you’ll actually need to minimize the possessions that are hidden away. But once you’ve gotten rid of things in your drawers and cabinets and under the sink, you can put more things away and keep that counter beautifully clean.
3. Find a new home, out-of-sight. Organizers will tell you it is best to keep the most-frequently used items in-front of rarely-used items, so they are easier to reach. That is good advice. Which of the items on your counter really do get used? And on what basis? Keep the most frequently used items stored out of sight, but near the front so they are easy to reach. In my home, that means the toaster and the coffee maker are in the front of our kitchen cabinet, while the tea pot and hand mixer are in the back… and the canisters of baking goods are kept in the pantry.
4. Be intentional at the beginning to store items away. Habits can be tough to break. Once you have found a new home for your Convenience Items, be intentional and diligent to put them away—especially at the beginning. After a short while, you will begin to appreciate the empty space and those items will feel like clutter when you forget to put them away. But at the beginning, you’ll need to re-program yourself through intention to put things away immediately after use.
5. Take special note of the new, empty space. There is wonderful possibility in empty spaces. It keeps our eyes, minds, and attention focused on other things than material possessions. An empty space can be used for anything, at any time. Energy is free to flow. And an uncluttered space is less likely to attract more clutter. Notice these benefits as you clear surfaces and keep them clutter free.
There are many different factors that contribute to the clutter in our home. The “convenience fallacy” is one of the them. Now that you are aware of it, notice it in your own home and I’ll work to notice it in mine. And together, we’ll live more focused, intentional lives, focused on the things that matter.
Gail says
I’m one of those, I like hidden, out-of-sight people. Your post gave me a new idea about kitchen appliances that are used daily. I don’t think my husband will go for storing the toaster – he’s an out-of-site-it-is-forgotten person. But I might have a coffee station Item I can put in the cabinet near place of use. Ty
Ann C says
I was told it would be good for me to cut down on my bread consumption. So after reading this post I found a place for my toaster. Out of sight…out of mind is correct. My bread consumption is way down.
Charli Prather-Levinson, LCSW OSW RYT says
I did that too Ann! it was good for my health to move my toaster. lol.
Laura says
I’m all for putting certain things away, but the sterile look is not only depressing to me but stressful. After years of traveling, I noticed that most hotels/condos made me sad, and I figured out that the more bare they were, the more I disliked being in the room. I’ve learned to take some small decor items, and if I’m there long enough, to get some flowers. I also take my own blanket along with a pillow.
As I said last time, I’m a “modified” minimalist.
Christine says
Laura, I found your personal observation to be both interesting and enlightening for me. I do find too much clutter, especially on flat surfaces like countertops and tables, to be stressful, but I do like personal touches around the house.
I have always found hotel rooms and rentals to be depressing, and I think I now understand why. Like you, I like to bring along a few colorful decor items just to liven up my temporary living space. I don’t think this makes you any less of a minimalist; you keep or travel with what you consider beautiful and useful!
thanks for sharing.
Gina says
I used to enjoy hotel stays, but the new trend of very plain, white and grey hotel rooms with no decor makes me loathe staying in them. If I have to, I have to bring a few things of my own to add color and make the space bearable.
Becky says
I will try this, but my main problem is no space to put things with very little cabinet space that fits bigger items like Toaster/egg maker, Coffee Maker that is bulky. I did go through cabinets and got rid of excess cooking items and plastic storage stuff but still no t enough room for the items on my counter. I’m sure someone else could see how to make it look better as I have no organizing ability. Kirchen is an eye sore.
Becky says
That was supposed to be “kitchen” not “kirchen”. Hard to edit these.
Dahlia says
When I built my home several years ago I purposely chose very deep drawers for my kitchen, giving me space for most of my cooking/baking items. However, the development of hand problems has made me rethink what gets put away. Coffee pot, blender and food processor stays – I don’t have the hand strength to lift these. So, how do folks handle microwaves? I don’t use mine everyday so it is on the counter as well.
Vernon says
All articles seem to be for younger people OR people starting families. When you are almost 60 and have a bad back and arthritis you cannot be bending over and reaching up for things. Minimalism is a good thought however I truly believe IT is geared toward the younger generation.
Karen T. says
Vernon, I’m so sorry you have these physical ailments. I’m almost 60, and I find that bending and reaching keep me more limber than I might otherwise be. I have a lot of cupboard space, but not a lot of counter space, so I put away almost everything, and take it out to use as necessary, even if it’s used every day. Exceptions are the small microwave oven (which takes up more counter space than I’d like, but I really can’t be “putting it away” after each use…that would be silly) and the teakettle which sits on the stove and is used several times every day (I don’t drink coffee, so don’t have a coffee maker at all).
I think minimalism is for everyone, young or old, but as Joshua continually reminds his readers, minimalism doesn’t look exactly the same for everyone! The idea is to remove items that simply take up time, space, or energy in order to make room for important and necessary items and activities. That will be different for each of us.
eema says
2nd! microwave on shelf on the other side of the kitchen.
eema says
most days i use both at same time!
Laura Connell says
I agree, sort of. I leave my toaster and coffee maker out because they do get used every day and they’re quite attractive. I also find it quite messy to move the toaster in and out of its hiding place because the crumbs fall out the bottom no matter how many times you clean it. I do put everything else away after use.
Anita Keller says
We have the same situation in our kitchen. Hubby uses the coffee maker everyday and I use the toaster. Do I wish they took up a bit less space? Yes but they’re not sitting idle.
Judy says
Same, Jill.
Also for older people or those with physical issues… they may need things more at hand.
I love the article and am going to try to put things away more! ;)
joan mckniff says
Thank you Judy. Lifting toaster/egg cooker into upper cabinet would be difficult and dangerous; putting it in a lower cabinet is impossible. So grateful to paperboy who puts newspaper on the chair next to the front door. For the shopper in front of me in line who reaches in the deep front of my shopping basket and takes out heavy items, too.
And I will take a second look around my house for items that could be put away.
Jill Foley says
I agree with this 100% – unfortunately my husband and kids don’t. I do what I can with my own stuff.
Denise says
Thank you for saying this. I feel no matter how hard I try to eliminate and organize my older kids bring in more stuff and my husband never puts things back in the same place twice.
Annie says
When we minimized our tiny apartment we asked ourselves if we really used an item enough to keep it and did we already have something else that could serve that purpose already. We also kept only enough so that we wouldn’t have to move things to get to other things if at all possible. (There are a few exceptions because the cabinets are just too deep in some cases so the lesser used items go in back.) This approach really made a huge difference. Our place is comfortable and when people come over they often comment how calm and organized our place is. We also view this approach as a constant work-in-progress meaning that from time to time we reevaluate what we own and where/how we store it because our needs change over time.
That being said we do keep some items out for convenience but only after careful consideration of how often we use it, whether it will truly be in the way, and do we have a place to store it. Our toaster-oven stays out because it meets the criteria for that. We use it several times a day, (for cooking/reheating as well as toasting as we are a family of two), it’s on the counter we don’t often use, and we don’t have a place to put it or the time to wait for it to cool down.
laura ann says
Kitchen issues: My kitchen is divided from living room and would be an eye sore if it was an “open plan” like many are. I leave the blender and coffee pot out on counter as is used daily. Food supplements line the back against the wall in small containers. We never have people over (parents passed on) and people meet up/socialize now days in coffee shops and dining out. My drawers are super org., tool boxes, etc. Problem for most is things go on sale and buying too much. I did a recent purge of food items, took to group home -was outa control. Bathrooms: one room has makeup and toiletries lining back of toilet tank in long narrow container, other facial stuff on one side of sink vanity. Other bath rm. has his stuff in small basket. convienence for us, but eye sore for someone who sees it, unless they do the same thing. Buying in Cosco, Sams and 2 for one sales are the problem. I’m not as bad as most my neighbors. We quit Sams years ago, will not join either again.
CS says
Laura Ann, it sounds like you’ve found the happy medium. I’ve noticed that my totally clear counter friends aren’t really cooks (or they’ve worked in healthcare where counters have to be wiped down between clients)! So, I’ll take some points from the article without condemnation about the rest. Anyone who’s worked in a commercial kitchen knows you keep out what you use regularly for speed and efficiency. Pulling a toaster out each day? You’ll soon become so aggravated you’ll just start skipping the toast. Does the writer really pull the coffeemaker out and put it away each day?? He lost me there, but it’s ok. It really boils down to temperament and necessity. We’ll all take from it what we need.
LC says
Yes with you on this one. We’re a homeschooling, homesteading family of 9. We keep unused clutter out, but what we have must be easily accessed because the “few” minutes it takes to clean up and “put away” add up to many different chores or lessons of school if ya know what I mean! So minimalism looks considerably different for us! But the core concepts still help us a ton.
laura ann says
LC & CS: I know others who are busy incl. me, some retirees incl. don’t care what others think when they come over, neat living room and bathrooms are priority. Kitchen wiped down daily. I mostly cook, we are on restricted diets and eat out in places that fit our diets. Getting out items and putting away several times a day takes time away from hobbies, we can’t please everyone either incl. family members.
Gail says
I agree with CS, off the counter stuff is a good idea, but daily used items stay on the counter. Too much in/out the cabinet goes against the grain of my temperament.
Charli Prather-Levinson, LCSW OSW RYT says
GREAT ARTICLE! I specifically left out cabinetry in my kitchen on either side and above my range. Instead, I had them do a beautiful tiled wall. Our home is open floor plan, no desire for “visual clutter” of cabinetry when I knew that I could store everything that would have gone into that space in the pantry out of site. It’s the first thing people notice when they walk in and say “where do you put your ????????? _________. I tell them, “i don’t keep those around anymore or in the pantry around the corner!” Smartest thing I did when designing our smaller home.
Corrie says
That is very true. I looked at my counters and reassessed what I really need out all the time. I was able to put away coffee and filters, but I did leave the coffeemaker out. It’s big and bulky and I’d have to let it cool down each time it’s used before putting it away.
But I’m definitely looking at everything again and making choices if whether or not it needs counter space.
Carol says
I agree about the coffee pot. Its to big to put away every morning. That stays on the counter. I do have alot of clutter in the kitchen. I dont have much cabinet space. Paper clutter is a problem. I can never seem to get rid of it.