This past Monday marked the official first day of Spring, and for those of you in Washington state (especially the Puget Sound area), some absolutely beautiful weather days followed.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to put the parkas and snow boots away and pull out some t-shirts and golf shorts!
For many of us, deciding what to wear is our first big decision of the day. It sets the tone. It puts us in a certain frame of mind. It prepares us for what lies ahead. Is there a better way to start the day than with a clean, organized closet filled with just those items you love and feel great in? I think not.
Here are five tips to quickly and painlessly clear some closet clutter:
- Schedule time. If you haven’t done it in a while, an entire closet purge could take several hours. Schedule at least 3-4 hours to get the process started (hopefully even completed). Trust me, it’s a great use of time.
- Set yourself up for success. Get in the mood for some tough decision-making. Grab a friend to help. Turn on some tunes. Schedule a significant reward for project completion.
- Have plenty of supplies ready.
- If you are planning on changing your hanger style, buy twice as many as you think you need. Same goes for shoe boxes, underbed storage, belt hangers, etc. It’s always better to have supplies to return than not be able to finish the project because you came up short on supplies.
- Set up a system for removing what doesn’t deserve valuable closet space: resale, storage, donation, discard, gifting, etc.. Whatever you decided doesn’t deserve a home in your closet, needs to go somewhere. Immediately put donations in your car. Move storage items to their new home. Schedule a drop off/pick up date/time for items you are gifting.
- Touch everything and ask yourself the following:
- Do I love it and feel great when I wear it? (good color, style, fit, etc.)
- Did I use it this season or can I see myself using it next season? (is skiing really still your thing?)
- Am I keeping this because of guilt? (impulse purchase, spent too much, it was a gift, etc.)
- Put items away efficiently. Anything that goes back in the closet should be grouped in an organizational system that works best for how you make decisions.
- Do you select items by color (black vs yellow)?
- Do you select items by purpose (work vs play)?
- Do you store outfits together within the closet?
A functional closet can reduce stress (I’m certain most of us have felt the frustration of being late because we “can’t find anything to wear!”); save time (no more time wasted searching for that one black turtleneck you absolutely love!); and save money (how many times have we repurchased items we already own?).
Spring is here . . . are you and your closet ready?
Cindy Jobs
