Does the start of spring have you craving a refresh? Why not start with your closet and streamline your style for the season ahead? It’s easier than you think with the guidance of these clever tips!
Threshold Jewel Toned Woven Rug in Spiced Green
Simply start.
The hardest part of any dreaded task is always the first step. While some organizational experts preach starting with a clean slate and emptying your closet first, few of us have the time to sort through everything at once. Instead, start small and simply pick a drawer or a section of your closet. Focus only on the perimeters of that section until you’ve finished. Then when you’re ready, move on to the next. Just like that, the hardest part is behind you and you’ve begun!
Get real… with yourself!
Clutter is essentially the result of delayed decisions. When you tackle the clutter of your closet, decision making is the only path out. Recruit the help of an honest friend and host a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting with yourself to ask…
- Does this fit my body today? Notice, you’re not asking for your fantasy five pounds lighter self. If the answer to this question is no, then the item should automatically go in the donation pile.
- Does this fit my lifestyle today? Again, you’re not asking for your fantasy life. Be honest with yourself. If you spend most days chasing your toddler and cringe at the thought of wearing heels, chances are those stilettos are collecting more dust than miles.
- Would I buy this if I were shopping today? Maybe you answered yes to the first two questions, but for whatever reason you just don’t love the item in question and find it seldom in your wardrobe rotation. It you don’t love it and you don’t need it, pass it on to someone else!
Put ‘maybe’ items to the test of time!
When you’re cleaning out your closet and asking yourself the hard questions about whether or not to keep an item, you’ll likely find yourself with pile worth of noncommittal “maybes”. Maybe you paid too much for it, maybe you used to love it, maybe it’s sentimental, maybe it’ll be perfect for “one day” or maybe you just can’t put your finger on it. Gather up everything in this category and store it out of sight in a storage tote or spare bedroom closet. If that “one day” comes when you reach for it again, great! But chances are that day will never come and if you haven’t looked back in months, donate the items and enjoy a wardrobe you truly love!
Donate and be done with it!
As you sort through your items, consider donating usable items that don’t make the cut. While the potential cash return from a consignment store, yard sale or selling online might help you justify letting go of that new with tags impulse buy, consider that your time is money too. The resale market is fickle and selling your items can often lead to more hassle than reward. Through donating, you gain peace of mind knowing your donation will help someone in need, but also a valuable tax write-off receipt!
Let it go… as you go!
Make opportunities to purge when the mood strikes easy by designating a laundry basket in the corner of your closet or box in your laundry room for donation items. Then when you try on that sweater from two seasons ago and see the style no longer suits you, you can immediately set it aside instead of hanging it back up only to later pine over should you or should you not send it packing. Make a habit of letting things go that no longer serve you as you discover them to avoid an overwhelmingly chaotic closet again!
How do you keep your closet clutter free?
