Ready to remove the skeletons from your closets? Learn how to organize closets, inside out with these free, helpful tips.
Normally I recommend decluttering and cleaning before simplifying a space in your home, but in the case of closet organization, we need to think first about changing our behaviors and then simplifying with a plan.
How to Organize Closets, Tip #1:
Ditch the Excuses and Be Open to Change
If you read the page on how to organize life, inside out, you now realize that our behaviors are the result of our beliefs and values.
So if your messy, cluttered closet really bothers you, then your beliefs and values might be out of alignment.
Here are some examples of the false beliefs (aka excuses) I hear from clients, as well as some solutions:
Excuse: “I don’t have enough time or energy to keep the closet organized!”
Fact: You are actually wasting more time and energy by digging around and searching for items in an cluttered closet
than you would be if it were organized.
Solution: Try this affirmation instead: “I always find what I need quickly and easily because I know just where it belongs, freeing up my time and energy for more important things”
Excuse: “I paid a lot for _______________ (this sweater, these boots, that dress”, etc.) or
“I got a great deal on that / It was on sale / I can’t just get rid of it!”
Fact: What you paid is now irrelevant. It’s already done and can’t be changed. Instead of focusing on the past, think of how someone else might enjoy the item in the present.
Solution: Donate the item, put it in consignment shop, or sell it in the newspaper or online.
Excuse: “Someday I might wear that again!”
Fact: If you haven’t worn it in the last 6-12 months, you probably will never wear it again. Plus, by the time an event special enough comes around where you could have worn it, it will probably be out of style and you will want something newer anyway.
Solution: Again, donate the item, put it in consignment shop, or sell it in the newspaper or online. If you’re not sure you can part with it yet, take The 90-Day Pack Rat Challenge, and gradually wean yourself from your clutter and unused clothing.
There are lots of other excuses for not being organized, but there is always an underlying reason. If you need more help figuring out what is blocking your amazing organizing abilities, please read The Truth Behind Being a Pack Rat, and use the easy ZPoint Process to release your emotional attachment to stuff, feelings of overwhelm, fear, procrastination, or anything else that is bothering you.
How to Organize Closets, Tip #2:
Stop wasting time and energy searching for something by knowing exactly where it should be. Instead of just putting it in your procrastination pile, take 2 seconds and walk to where it needs to go and put it there.
Research shows that it usually takes 21 days of consistent action in order to create a new habit. If you really want to know how to organize closets, make a 21-day commitment to have a place for everything in your closet. The small, consistent efforts you make will pay off with saved time and energy, which we could all use more of!
How to Organize Closets, Tip #3:
You’ve probably heard it before, but now it’s time to put it into practice–When you buy something new, you have to throw away or donate something you already have.
Before you purchase anything, ask yourself what you will be getting rid of (donating or throwing away) as soon as you get home if you buy your potential purchase. This step alone reduces frivolous spending, and it is a great lesson to teach your children too.
p.s. That includes shoes, ladies!
The Next Steps…
What if there just isn’t enough room? That’s when you need to make a new closet design by determining your closet needs and creating the structure you need to get organized. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional closet designer, read this first to help avoid costly mistakes.
Once you get your closet design ready, you need to think of some helpful closet storage solutions. This article discusses getting the most for your money by using popular and efficient storage options.
Finally declutter, clean, and simplify your closets with helpful closet organization tips.
and…
Remember to Organize Your Linen Closet!
The Essential Guide to Organizing Your Home: Jam-Packed with Tips & Techniques
Organizing The Athlete In Your Life
I admit it. I have become a “soccer mom.” I never thought I would. I never thought it would happen. But it did.
I’m sure you’ve seen those moms. You know the ones, in the vans, with crabby looks on their faces, dodging in and out of traffic, kids jumping up and down in the car. I used to make so much fun of them, but now, I am one of them.
I spend many-a-weekends running my three boys to games. My husband and I huddle every Saturday morning at the breakfast table, and we make our game plan for the day about how to get all three boys to their games. We’ve got the calendar before us, the schedules in hand, the locations mapped out. Then we decide: he’ll take one this way, I’ll take two this way, we’ll meet at the gas station, he’ll take another one, plus the one he has, this way, and then I’ll just take the one this way.
But the real challenge comes before game time: finding their uniforms, socks, shorts, balls, water bottles and snacks. It involves a lot of running through the house, a few curse words under my breath, dodging conversation with the boys so I can find the soccer socks in the laundry basket, and the like.
I imagine the President of the United States day is a lot more stressful than this, but this scenario every Saturday morning goes at the top of my stressful list.
So, I decided organization was key to relieving the stress on Saturday mornings. I was, after all, voted the most organized of my high school class:)
This was my closet organization idea:
I bought three plastic dresser drawers — one for each boy. Each drawer represents a sport: soccer, basketball and baseball. In each drawer, you will find their uniform, shorts and shoes. On top is a basket with their socks.
As a result, now all I have to do is concentrate on the game!