Much like a lot of people, clothes are my biggest kryptonite. On a day to day basis, I have a few pieces I find myself always turning to, yet I still find it necessary to hold onto clothing from years ago that I'm convinced I might wear again someday; but alas, I never do. I'm moving in a couple of days, and I knew that I needed to declutter my clothes fast, so when I discovered The Minimalists' "out-in-the-open" decluttering rule, I was all ears.
When I first moved to London, I did a pretty good job downsizing and only bringing with me what I deemed essential. But, a year and a half on, I've somehow managed to stuff my wardrobe to the brim. Now I'm leaving the city, I knew there was absolutely no way I was bringing everything with me just to continue the cycle in my new place.
However, among the decluttering methods I've tried, none of them were ruthless enough to actually make a dent into my piles of clothes, but rather just helped to manage the chaos, like the tidy toss method I always rave about. Well, until I tried the "out-in-the-open" rule, that is.
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What is the "out-in-the-open" rule?
The "out-in-the-open" rule was coined by podcast duo and Netflix stars, The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus and aims to target hidden clutter that is collecting dust behind drawers, wardrobes, cabinets, and more.
The rule can be explained like so: bring everything you wish to declutter out in one area so you can see it all at once. Upon seeing just how much you have, you'll be left with no choice but to filter through and decide what you need and what you really don't.
'Because most of us hide our unused things in cabinets and closets and drawers —"out of sight, out of mind"—most of us would benefit from the Out-in-the-Open Rule, which places our clutter at the forefront so that we can finally eliminate it. Once we get everything out in the open, we are able to get the clutter out of the way,' Joshua tells Ideal Home.
While the concept sounds like many people's nightmare, that's kind of exactly the point. Once it's out in the open, you've got no choice but to deal with it head on or admit defeat and live with the clutter around you.
Commenting on the method, Shannon Murphy, founder of Simpl Living Co notes that's it not only the approach she uses daily as a professional organiser for her clients, but it's also the method widely used on BBC's Sort Your Life Out.
'The reason this method is so effective is that when you remove items from their original location and place them in a different setting, it creates a psychological shift. You begin to see your possessions in a new light,' explains Shannon. 'For example, items that were previously hidden at the back of a cupboard become more visible, and you suddenly become aware of how many duplicates or unnecessary items you have.'
It may not be the best way to declutter when you're overwhelmed, but in my case, I was on a mission to declutter my wardrobe fast and this method was the brutal push I needed.
How I tried the "out-in-the-open" rule
As I prefaced earlier, I'm in the process of moving house. While I am upsizing and moving to somewhere with more clothes storage than I currently have in my tiny London flat, I wanted to have a fresh start and only bring with me things that actively add value and make a difference to my life.
So, I just went for it. I emptied my clothing racks and storage bins of all my clothes and just dumped everything onto my bed, put some music on, and got stuck in straight away.
There are a handful of tops I love rotating between, with a majority of them being black or white short and long sleeves, depending on the season. The ones I constantly reach for sit at the top of the pile, so when I took everything out to find that I had about 9 of the same variation of black top, I was floored. I didn't even realise I had the others, seeing as I only use (and actually enjoy wearing) a tiny fraction of them.
The same went for some really old 'going out' tops I had scrunched up at the back of my drawers, which hadn't seen the light of day in ages and were far from my current style.
Don't even get me started on when I was sorting through my trousers, because I discovered that I had a handful of cargo style pants that I've never worn. Yet, I have 3 of the same pair in different colours that I haven't reached for the entirety of my time living in London.
The rest of the process went pretty smoothly. I went through my dresses, jumpers, outerwear and even smaller items like hats, gloves, and scarves. While it wasn't my intention to try and declutter fast, once I found a rhythm, I was zooming through it and was able to ultimately declutter in an hour or so. By the end of it, I had multiple piles of clothes I wanted to keep, clothes to donate, and clothes to offer as hand-me-downs to my younger sisters.
All in all, I was able to shed some serious weight from the contents of my wardrobe and declutter (that part of) my bedroom in one day, all thanks to the brutality of the "out-in-the-open" rule. After all, if I didn't sift through it in one sitting, I'd have been left with nowhere to sleep that night because I put everything out onto my bed.
How effective is the "out-in-the-open" rule?
If you had to ask me, I'd confidently say that the "out-in-the-open" rule is by far one of the most effective decluttering methods I've tried and helped me let go of clothes that were just taking up precious space.
While it's definitely one of the more monotonous of the methods I've tried, there's no denying that sometimes simple really is the best. But of course, just because it worked for me doesn't mean it'll be the right fit for you. 'Every decluttering technique has its pros and cons, and not every style works everyone,' says Shannon.
'If you're considering using this method, I highly recommend assessing how much time you have available. If you only have a couple of hours, emptying an entire room is a decluttering mistake. You may end up feeling overwhelmed, short on time, and tempted to throw things back into cupboards in a disorganised way. Instead, start by emptying just one small cupboard and completing it fully before moving on to the next,' she advises.
Alternatively, if you find decluttering boring or are not convinced that the "out-in-the-open" rule is right for you, there are ways to make the process more enjoyable. The scavenger hunt method, for example, is a fantastic way to gamify decluttering and make it fun.
All in all, I'm pleased with the results and can say that it's yet another rule by The Minimalists to add to the list of methods I've enjoyed, the most recent one being the 30/30 rule. Because of how well the "out-in-the-open" rule worked for decluttering my clothes, I'm going to give it a try for everything else I plan to take with me on my move, going from room to room right before moving day comes. Wish me luck.
