Tag Archives: spring

It’s National Clean Out Your Closets Week!

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)
  5. 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

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
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Spring De-Cluttering (Before Spring Cleaning)

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Spring.  The time of year we start thinking about new beginnings.  The winter weather is behind us, the flowers are blooming, and the parkas are getting packed away and replaced with shorts and t-shirts.  It’s also a great time to start thinking about new beginnings in our homes and offices.

Spring cleaning comes to mind, but before you start your cleaning process, plan on doing some de-cluttering and organizing.  No need to clean around things you don’t need to keep.

One of the quickest ways to give our surroundings a breath of fresh air is to reduce clutter and open up our spaces.  If you are surrounded by clutter, your will be more stressed, less focused, and less productive.  On average, people who are surrounded by clutter and are disorganized lose nearly an hour of productivity every day.

De-cluttering and organizing is a great start on the road to a healthier, happier you.

Here are some tips to get you started:

  1. Don’t try to do everything at once. Like any project, being thorough and taking the time to do it right is the best way to go.  Do one room at a time, working from the door to the opposite side of the room.
  2. Enlist a buddy.  Getting rid of our “stuff” is easier if an honest and objective friend helps us through the process.
  3. Take some “before” pictures.  You’ll want these for later to remind you of your incredible progress.
  4. Set up six areas or boxes for each de-cluttering project:  KEEP, THROW, GIVE (if you know someone that truly would like the item you are getting rid of), SELL, DONATE, and REVIEW (if you just can’t make a decision, but want to remove it from the space).
  5. Keep a few things in mind as you start this process:
    1. Only keep things you use, make you happy, and serve a purpose.
    2. If you’ve made a bad purchase, let it go.  Keeping a bad purchase doesn’t make it a better purchase.
    3. Your “stuff” does not define who you are.  Letting go of things you don’t need that others can use, allows you to share your wealth with others.  It’s far better to give something away than to let it remain as clutter in your home or office.
  6. With your boxes and a positive mindset in place, go through the room, touching every item and making a decision about what to do with it:  KEEP, THROW, GIVE, SELL, DONATE,  and REVIEW.
  7. Remove everything that’s not in the KEEP pile from the room.  Plan a time to dispense with all other categories.
  8. Thoroughly clean the area that you just de-cluttered and put the KEEP items back in place.
  9. Take an “after” photo to help remind yourself of how far you’ve come.

To ensure that you don’t get back in a cluttered and disorganized state, these two tips will help with ongoing maintenance:

  • To keep clutter from creeping back, devote an hour a week to staying on top of your newly opened up space.  Whether it’s an hour every Saturday, or 15 minutes four times a week, devoting time to keeping your space in order will pay huge dividends.
  • Keep a DONATE box or bag close at hand.  Once you decide you really don’t need something, immediately put it in the box so it no longer takes up valuable space in your everyday life.

Congratulations on taking steps to a calmer and simplified life!

 

Cindy Jobs

OrganizeToSimplify.com

[email protected]

206-707-3458 or 509-674-6643