Self-Care September Day 26: Organize Your Closet

Whether or not you've ever stood in front of your jam-packed closet while woefully thinking, "But there's nothing to actually wear!", today's self-care tip is for you. 

Our clothes closets are spaces we tend to use every single day, which is why getting and keeping them organized is such an important step to approaching our days with confidence and ease. A jumbled closet sets a jumbled tone to our life.

Think about how amazing it would be to open your closet door in the morning and know for an absolute fact that anything you grab from it: 

• fits you comfortably,
• is aligned with your personal sense of style,
• is in a clean, wearable condition,
• is appropriate for the season you currently are living in, and/or
• serves a specific function or speaks to a specific occasion.

This is the goal of today's tip.

Let's acknowledge right off the bat that not everything will always check each box. For example, your work uniform may not jive with your sense of fashion, but it does serve a specific function so it stays. And you may not have the room or the need to tuck your winter clothes away elsewhere during the summer months, so there may be flannel shirts hanging there during 100 degree heat waves. That's okay. We work with what we have and make the best of it all. 

An organize closet will save you time and energy.
No more trying to remember if this is the top you spend all day tugging back into place, or if these are pants with the pen marks up the left side, or if this is sweater with the moth holes in the sleeve, or if this is the dress that always reveals your bra straps.

No more trying multiple things on each morning, weighing the pros and cons of the button up that bulges at the bust because it matches the least-wrinkled slacks, or searching through piles of shorts for that one pair you love, 

Whether you share a closet with someone else or have it all to yourself, there are lots of ways to organize it: by season (especially if everything stays in the space all year long,) by color (so you don't have to go through the whole thing looking for "that one blue shirt,") by sleeve length, by occasion...you get to determine which makes the most sense for you. If you're not sure, I suggest starting by season and then using color. 

Helpful closet tips:

• Take it all out. The best way to approach a closet re-org is to start with an empty space. This means dedicating the time to pulling everything out (yes, everything) and giving the closet a cleaning. Dust, vacuum, maybe even a fresh coat of paint - whatever it takes to really start anew. It is much easier to determine what should go back into a clean space than what should be removed from a disheveled one. 
• Try everything on. If you are like most folxs, you tend to wear the same small selection of stuff on a regular basis. If you already know for sure that something is a "keep," then that's fine, you don't need to put it on just for the sake of putting it on. But EVERYTHING ELSE - try it on. Every shirt, every pair of pants, all dress and skirts, each pair of shoes. Ask yourself: Does it fit? Do I love it? Can I move freely and comfortably? Would I buy it again? Can I make a complete outfit with it that's appropriate for my current lifestyle? Does it represent who I am now or is it a relic of who I used to be? If it needs mending, it is worth mending? Can I commit to mending it or is it beyond repair? (If it needs mending and you want to mend it, that's fine; just put it in a "To Mend" pile or bag or box, not back in closet.) Use your gut reaction to each piece of clothing as a guide.
• Hang as much as possible. If you have the space, opt to hang things up instead of putting them in drawers. Not only does hanging inherently invite less wrinkles, it makes it easier to see your options.
• Streamline your hangers. This can be an investment up front (but we're open to that kind of thing now, aren't we?) and it's a worthwhile one -  having visual streamline is a key piece of making our closets work *for* us. Exceptions can of course be made; blazers or suit jackets typically require a meatier hanger than blouses or t-shirts do, so you can act accordingly.
• Follow through. If you want to sell or donate the items you decide to release, do it within 14 days. Otherwise, you'll suffer an unintended consequence of all your hard closet work - having to navigate a new pile of clutter in your home. If you end up with a pile for mending, make a plan to do it or hire it out asap.
• Put things back where they belong. Just like we practiced on Day 10. 

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Self-Care September Day 26: Organize Your Closet

I promise your life will get easier once you do. 

If you want help, hire an organizer who does virtual sessions. Like me. :)

I love you and will see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex