Your Organized Life

The trend in new-home construction is toward big –even huge – master bedroom closets. I’m all for that, but, unfortunately, I’ve never seen a closet – no matter how big – that couldn’t be filled to overflowing. Nature abhors a vacuum, and modern life feels the same way about a closet. Combine that with our affluent “too” society (October 30 post) and the general busyness of most people’s lives, and a closet is a disaster in the making.

But there is good news: From an organizational point of view, a closet is a finite and relatively small project. (Even if you have a massive closet, it probably isn’t as big as your house. Everything is relative.) But this small project is one that will give your organizational self-esteem a big boost.

As with most projects, organizing a closet is easiest if broken into steps.

Step 1: Decluttering

Go through everything in your closet and if something doesn’t fit, is worn or dated, you just don’t like it anymore, or isn’t clothing (What! How did the ferret get in here?), get rid of it. Remember those boxes (Toss, Donate, Keep)? You can use the same concept here: Throw out things that you can’t use and that no one else would want to. Put those items that you don’t use, but someone else might be able to in the Donate box. (Remember to make a list of what’s in the Donate box if you want to get a tax deduction.) And put all that stuff that you’re keeping, but aren’t sure where it will go in the Keep box.

By the way, while you’re sorting things and if you have the space, it’s really good if you can move out-of-season clothes somewhere other than the closet you use everyday. If that isn’t possible, maybe you can move them to the back or other less accessible part of the closet. At least separate them from the clothes you’re using this season. Garment bags will protect your hanging clothes and plastic bins or bags should work for everything else.

After you’ve done this, take a deep breath. Are you feeling a little lighter? Good because the second part of this step is a little harder that the first. Go through everything again, and if you haven’t worn an item in less than a year (if you’re really hardcore, two years), and get it out of here, too. I know it’s hard: How can you part with your prom dress? that designer blouse you got for next to nothing? those perfectly good pants in a color only a reptile would be seen in now? Yes, it’s really difficult, but it will be really worth it. And remember that the clothing you aren’t using could be used by someone else so you might even be able to get a little good Karma out of this, too.

Okay, you’re done with step 1. Be sure you get the Toss and Donate boxes out of your house right away so nothing sneaks back into your closet, and then take a break. In my next post, we’ll take the next step toward your dream closet