Tip Tuesday #5- How to Organize Your Closet

Happy New Year!! I can’t believe the craziness of the holiday season has come and gone and here we are, in 2014… Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful year.

I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions per se, but I usually start the year with certain goals I’d like to accomplish. This year I’d like to get “healthier”- not really watch what I eat (I’m usually pretty good with that) but, to overall get my body and mind in balance. The other goal I have is to get more organized. Now for those of you who know me, and my OCD tendencies, you know I’m already pretty “organized” (we’ll go with that word), so stop rolling your eyes, that’s not what I mean by organized… By organized I mean I need to get a system / structure in place and get rid of the clutter!!

The first thing to organize - my closet!! While I usually do a closet purge at least 2x a year I will say, unfortunately, I have not been able to do one since last year and now I’ve got hangers sticking out all over the place. So, if you’re in the same situation as me and want to know how to organize your closet- here are some tips on how to do so.

The one year rule- First go through your closet and pull out anything you have not worn in the past year. Then from that pile, pull out the basics, but only ones that fit!! (ie- white button down shirts, navy blazers etc.). I tend to put these items back in my closet since they are timeless and can be worn regardless of fashion trends. However, if any of these items are pulled out the second go around, they don’t go back in the closet…

If it doesn’t fit, you must… toss it…- No matter what your personal style, body shape, hair color, skin tone is, if you wear something that doesn’t fit (either too small or too big) it’s just plain unflattering… Now, if you’re on a real deal weight gain / loss program and you’re looking at these items as motivation to get to a certain weight (if you are- good for you!!!) go ahead and keep them. If you’re not, chances are you won’t fit into these items again. So, don’t let them create clutter your closet, just get rid of them. And if by chance you do end up gaining / losing weight it’s all the more reason to go shop for new clothes :)

Sort clothes by category- Now that you've tossed the unneeded items, it’s time to organize your closet. I like to organize mine by category- shirts, pants, blazers, etc. all separated so I can easily see what I own and can therefore mix and match to create many different outfits.

Assess your needs- Once you have your clothes organized you can then see what you need. For example, you may be going back to work in an office, with a clean closet you can see if you need more work clothes, and then go shopping!!!

I have a pile of clothing on my closet floor- Now, for the stuff to get rid of… Personally I like to donate them. There are several organizations, for example Dress for Success hosts donation drives, Salvation Army, Good Will or any organization of your choice. There are also garage sales, clothing swaps, etc.

Hope this information helps you to de-clutter your closet and therefore enable you to shop for more clothes, I mean, be less cluttered…

Tip Tuesday #4- Organize your Morning Clothing Routine at Night!

You’ve got a big presentation today and you overslept… “Junior” can’t find his book report, “Sally” is having a full blown melt down because her cheerios spilt, and “Daddy’s” out of town on a business trip… In your “super-Mom” ways you solve the book report and Cheerios crises. But now, you literally have 3 seconds to get ready. You throw on your go-to black suit, which has some sort of stain on it, and your slightly wrinkled blouse and head out the door. On your way to work you’re more focused on whether or not people will notice the “unknown stain” rather than thinking about your presentation.

This example may or may not have happened in your house, but it’s safe to say that mornings can be a hectic!!! So, what’s something you can do to make it less hectic? Start your morning the night before by organizing your clothes at night! It may sound weird but it works. I do this, almost, every weekday and it’s been a huge time saver. So much so that I have also started putting my daughter’s clothes out the night before...

Laying out your clothes the night before not only helps you save time but affords you the opportunity to mix and match your outfits so you’re not wearing the same thing over and over. You are also better able to plan your outfit for the day- whether you have a meeting, an average day at work, taking the kiddos on a play date, networking event, etc. Like in the above example, if you did have a huge presentation the next day you probably would have noticed the stain earlier and chosen a different outfit which would leave you more time to think more about your presentation, and no about the stain…

While this is a quick tip, it’s sure to save you lots of time!! Hope this helps!

Please note there will not be a Tip Tuesday post next week so we can all enjoy some family time before 2013 comes to an end... Thanks for reading and I wish you all a wonderful holiday season!