Welcome to the 30-Day Organize-athon!
In today’s 5 minutes we’re going to express-clear the hanging part of your closet.
Take a deep breath as you imagine inhaling a sense of clarity, freedom and order, and off we go!
Day 2: Clear Out Your Hanging Closet
Step 1: Grab a large garbage bag.
Step 2: Open up the hanging part of your closet and, quickly scanning your clothes from left to right, toss into the bag anything that:
- Doesn’t fit
- Feels scratchy or unpleasant against your skin
- Is in a shape that doesn’t suit you
- Is in a color that doesn’t suit you
- Has a neckline or hem length that doesn’t suit you
- Has negative memories or associations
- Is tatty
- Has been worn too many times
- Is tragically out of fashion
- Is not your style any more
- Makes you feel uncomfortable or unhappy
- Hasn’t been worn in the past 12 months.
Step 3: Do a second scan, left to right, for anything that needs repair, alteration or laundering. If you know you’ll never get around to the repair, alteration or dry cleaning, then pop these items straight into your first bag. Otherwise, put them aside for later attention.
Step 4: Put your bag by the door or take it straight out to the car. (Take it to the charity store or tip as soon as you can. Really good stuff should go to charity, but let junk go.)
And you’re done!
Got an Extra 5 Minutes?
- Notice what’s still in your closet – the styles, colors and shapes that suit you – and make a note to buy more if you need them.
- Notice what you’ve decided to ditch – the styles, colors and shapes that don’t work for you – and make a What Not To Wear list to avoid future fashion faux pas.
- Tidy your clothes and straighten your hangers.
Now aren’t you looking forward to getting dressed?
The 30-Day Organize-athon Mantra
Move fast. Don’t overthink. Let it go!
Leave Your Comment Below…
Please leave a comment below to say you’ve completed today’s task.
See you back here tomorrow!
[Image by aussiegall]
3 large rubbish bags later, I’m done…………took much longer than 5 mins but worth it!
Yay Jane! How great does this feel! 🙂
Up to date so far… Started something here though… way more than 5 mins !! I needed to do this… 🙂
such a great idea
The 5 minutes is designed to get you started – which is usually the hardest part! So fantastic start Jenny. 🙂
O Jen! So sorry to hear about your litlle bean xxxx
Thanks Ella x
OK this was a nightmare for me and I’m still not sure I have completely embraced the concept. I did as Day 6 as I knew I needed a weekend day. I have bought an old house that is still stuck in the 70s/80s, so our master bedroom (which we aren’t using as a bedroom) had become the clothes room. I managed to sort all the hanging space and throw about 6 bags of clothes out, but I can’t honestly say that I have completely done the “doesn’t fit” and “hasn’t been worn in the past 12 months”. I then had to do all my drawers, sort out my handbags and suitcases, shoes, washing, ironing, pack up some bedspreads, make an underwear pile, my partners clothes, the list goes on but it is at least a start. I have another 10 bags to go to the charity shop now, and a To Do List For This Task of 11 things, so this will need revisting, but I am hoping that as I have purchased the Ultimate pack, another of the workbooks will send me back around for more as this is the first workbook I decided to use.
This size of this task will depend on the amount of extra stuff in your closet, how motivated you feel, and how much energy you want to devote. But it sounds like you’ve made HUGE strides today Amanda!! 10 bags for charity is awesome!
You’ll find a more detailed version of this project in the 52 Missions Home Organizer (it’s Mission #10: Clear Out Your Closet).
And you might find that if you have a lot of stuff to clear out, it’s easier to do one pass now, then come back in a month or so and repeat the process. Trying to get everything perfect all at once can be overwhelming and de-motivating. Celebrate these gains!! 🙂
OK, forgot to post it yesterday – but it is done. We are moving at the end of the month and what a PERFECT opportunity. My two worse traits(well I think) are I procrastinate and I tend to be a pack rat. Packing up has led to two charity pick ups at my house and the one coming tomorrow is getting 3 boxes of clothes and a box of books gathered from just the past week. Whew…unpacking will probably produce more givewaways.
Here’s a suggestion, Stacey. As you unpack, focus on filling your new home only with things that are useful and/or beautiful. Anything that doesn’t make the grade doesn’t get a place. This mantra might help: http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2012/05/if-its-not-useful-or-beautiful-its-clutter/
Cleaned out my hanging clothes today. Some things I’d hung onto for 16 years out of sentimentality, and some because I keep thinking I’ll wear those expensive clothes again *soon* after I lose some weight. Four years now, so out they went. As per the lesson, grabbed them up and went STRAIGHT to Goodwill. That felt GOOD.
Nice one, just to add up. Another tip on how to organize a closet is to separately store off-season items in your closet in a different place. You can put these in plastic bins in the attic or in your basement.
Done. YAY!
I am taking 1 bag to Goodwill.
Done!
Did it!
Task completed
Done, in car and going to goodwill next weekend
done
Done! I went through both mine and my husband’s side. I know what he doesn’t wear and what he won’t miss. 🙂
Day 2- my side –easy and done, hubby’s side–…oh my!
Done,
I got rid of things I knew I needed to. I want to do it for my kids now!!!
I realize now that I have been holding on to clothes that I wore before I had a bi-lateral mastectomy. It was healing for me to let go of the clothes but more important to move forward emotionally. And the closet looks great1
OK I did it. Was easy because it is laundry day and I really do not wear the things left hanging in my closet. It made it really easy to eliminate the things I always pass up when looking for something to wear. Feeling good.
Done 🙂 I have to admit I had a hard time letting go of some clothes (I actually saved them to sew into something else because I loved the fabric) I’m thinking I should go through my closet one more time. I can already see how getting dressed will be easier.