Crowded closets are not fun!
Sometimes my closets remind me of the “Shoemaker’s children” because my poor closets are often neglected. Thankfully, I was able to spend about an hour on my bedroom closet this past weekend.
Here are my “takeaway” tips for you:
- Pretend you are working on someone else’s closet. It’s so easy to get overwhelmedwhen dealing with your own stuff. Take everything off of your shelves first – when the space is empty,you can be more objective about what should go where. Out of season clothing can be placed in the hard to reach spots.
- Sort like things together. Put your winter stuff together (and hopefully place in a far away place) and sort the current season’s clothing in categories (sleeveless, short sleeve, dressy tops, jackets, sweaters, shorts, slacks).
- Have a bag nearby for items to donate and put them in as you go through everything.
- Put your current season’s clothes in your bedroom closet and move the out of season hanging clothes to another location.
- Get rid of all but one spare pairs of sneakers – one spare pair is enough.
- Use the easy-to-reach places for the items you use the most. My bottom shelf has my dog walking clothes and other things I use daily.
Beware of these common roadblocks:
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Overwhelm
Where do I begin?
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Solution
Begin with a 5 minute decluttering
session – grab a bag and put some
giveaways in there. Don’t over
deliberate about whether to
consign or donate – just decide
what needs to go.
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Fear
What if I don’t have time to finish and make an even bigger mess?
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Solution
Start slow – do one section at a
time and start with the easiest
stuff first – belts? scarves?
clothes that don’t fit?
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Indecision
What if I end up needing this?
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Solution
If you are really afraid to get rid
of something, place it in a
“marinade” box. Go to your
calendar and pick a date (a few
months out). If you haven’t
gone to your marinade box by
that date, then you can
give yourself permission to let
it go.
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Stamina
I can’t physically do it.
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Solution
Ask for help – if you have a non-judgmental person in your life,
see if you can barter with them..
you can do a more sedentary
favor for them and they can help
you climb, lift and carry clothes.
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And a few parting words for your enjoyment…
- Let go of perfectionism – if your piles don’t look perfect, it doesn’t matter. Your goal is to DOWNSIZE.
- Easy does it – but do it. Spend 5 minutes… but do it a few times a week and you WILL see a difference.
- Schedule regular donation pick ups or drop offs – this will give you a needed excuse to gather unwanted items.
Set a goal of when you want to have this completed. If you do not meet your goal and feel discouraged and overwhelmed, then please contact me. I would love to help you.
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