Organize Your Closet

A few weeks ago, our closet shelf detached from the wall and we had to remove everything to fix it.  The more important lesson in this was, I have too many clothes . . . hanging in the closet.  I spent the next week sorting through my items to ensure only the best and usable items made it back into the closet.

Don’t get overwhelmed.

Look at all of the stuff in our Master Bedroom from our closet.  Yes, these are most of my clothes and shoes.  My husband, Matt, walked into the room, said “Oh Boy,” and turned around and walked right back out.  And what am I thinking the whole time, “I can’t wait to get started!”  By putting everything in plain sight, You’re able to see what you’re working with and map out a successful strategy.  And remember, as we’ve discussed before, you’ll need to prepare for interruptions.

Start with the easiest area.

I’d been storing my winter pants, summer pants, shorts, and capris on this top shelf and it looked overwhelming. I saw the load of items every day, but knew I didn’t need half of the items available. By reducing the number of items that I have available, it makes getting dressed easier in the morning–because I have fewer choices and the choices available are all relevant.  Take the time to sort through your items, even one category, and remove the items that aren’t seasonally appropriate.  This will save you time and energy when getting dressed.

Maintain your method.

You’ll see with each category, I have a distinct method, everything is sorted by category and all categories are color-coded. By using the same organization method, it becomes distinctly easier to maintain consistency in your closet.  You’ll be able to find things much easier because you know where they are.

Pick your piles perfectly.

I made a few tough decisions with my closet organization and it’s paying off already.  I started with four piles for all of my categories: Summer, Winter, Always and Donate. I took out all of the summer-y items and moved them to the storage pile. I’m keeping the winter and always categories in the closet. And all of my donations are sorted into bags to give to a local center.  When looking for each category, I made sure that if I was keeping it, I loved it.  If it didn’t fit right, if I didn’t love it or if it had worn out it’s welcome, I donated it.  Some of my favorite items from the past moved to the donation pile, but it was time and I knew it.

The time and investment in special things is worth it.

It is worth it to buy a few pieces that are classic and you’ll keep for years.  And not just clothes, look at your storage options too.  I have wooden hangers for all of my suit jackets–I think it just adds a little something special before I even dress up in the suit jacket. I also take time to hang all of my suit jackets the same way.  Makes me feel like that area of the closet is sophisticated; exactly what I want to think about when wearing my suit jackets.

Use all available storage areas.

We purchased an over-the-door rack and use it to store our belts (Yes, Matt has 1 hook and I have 11).  This keeps the belts available and simultaneously out of our way until we need to use them.  On the back of our closet door is a Command Hook to hold extra hangers.  You have lots of storage options available to you, sometimes it just takes the right tools and a little creative thinking to make it happen.

Find a fun way to display the fun stuff.

I purchased a tie rack for necklaces, a ribbon for fabric pins, a cork board for brooches and metal pins and a gifted Thirty-One bag for tights.  I like being able to see everything, because I really like these fancy accessories and want to make sure I’m remembering to wear them regularly. If you find fun, organized ways to display your accessories, you’ll be more likely to use them too.

Celebrate when it all comes together.

You’ll know it when you see it.  The clothes look great, everything is sorted with your method and you’ve only got the pieces you love available.  Now, every day when you look at your closet, it can be a relief instead of an area of stress.  And each week, just set aside a little extra time to put your items back exactly where you want them to go to maintain this masterpiece.