*NEW* Moving to a New Platform for Courses & Programs
We’re moving all our programs over to a new platform - see this blog post for full details.
As an existing customer you qualify for a free upgrade.
To access your free upgrade please visit this page to get your upgrade link.
Welcome to Day 1 of 14 Days to an Organized Closet.
Today’s task will take an hour or more, and there’s a bit of reading.
Future tasks will be much simpler and take only 15-30 minutes, depending on how much time you want to spend.
The first three steps we’ll do today may surprise you. But please do them. They’re going to help break the emotional chains that have led to your current closet situation.
And they’re going to make the next 14 days so much easier.
I’m sure you’re keen to get started, so let’s begin…
If you’re signed up and logged in then today’s task will appear below.
Not signed up? Join us now. Or complimentary for Premium Subscribers.
Took me a few days to get into this, I had to be in the right mindset. Finally I just spent a few hours and have a massive pile on the floor. Now to bag them up. Im already feeling refreshed. Now I understand why getting dressed was such a chore. So many clothes that flattened me. Only a few items for repair, hems taking up. Onto day 2!
Ok, I finished day 1 today. It took a few hours, though, not 30 minutes. And I ended up with 7 black garbage bags of clothes to go to Goodwill! It was quite overwhelming, but now I feel like the clothes that are left are ones I will feel good about wearing!
I did a power declutter a couple of weeks ago so have already returned clothes I bought that I didn’t like, gave away or trashed others and set aside some for repairs. We moved to Hawaii 6 years ago and it was amazing how much outerwear I still had. I do occasionally need a warm jacket or coat when I go to the volcano or travel to the mainland in the winter but have pared it all down to 1 denim jacket, 1 black trenchcoat with removable liner and 1 purple hooded rain jacket. I donated 2 garbage bags full of sweaters to Goodwill, as well as 2 bags of office clothing and shoes that I no longer need now that I’m retired. But I still have more clothes than I really need or want so am looking at each item that I’ve kept to see if it really should stay or not.
One big problem is that our house has only 4 closets – 1 per bedroom plus a linen closet – so things that I would normally have stored in a broom closet, coat closet or storage closet have mostly ended up in the master bedroom. And, full disclosure here, the other bedrooms have been turned into an office and an art studio, so those closets hold office supplies and art supplies. So I have outerwear, boots, suitcases, a vacuum cleaner, a safe, sewing supplies, ironing board and iron (rarely used) and other miscellania in the master closet, And, because of the humidity here, I try not to store much in my dresser besides nightgowns, underwear and socks. T shirts, shorts and pants have to be hung up or they will end up mildewed. So those items are on shelves or hangers in the closet. I’m looking forward to getting everything pared down and arranged neatly.
Day one was a great success. I’m a jeans and tee shirt girl most of the time and have been wanting to change my look for a while. My closet has never been overcrowd with clothes. So imagine my surprise to have five 13 gallon bags ready for donation and two more going to the trash. I didn’t think I had that many clothes. Turns out I just didn’t have many pieces that I love, or even like. I can’t wait to start day two today, and get one step closer to a happier me.
The first day was a bit draining for me. I didn’t realize how attached I was to clothing. I would put a piece of clothing into the charity bag, a memory would pop up in my head. A striped skirt that I wore to Maui for my 40th birthday. I seem to rely on clothing to remind me of good times since I hate taking pictures while on vacation. Or I felt disappointed for impulsively buying a shirt that I rarely wore. I would hold up a remenant of an outfit, I remembered the excitement of wearing the outfit for the first time and how good it felt to receive compliments. But now I only have the pants because the shirt has a stain and the belt looks worn. Oh well…I have more memories in front of me.
My closet, all drawers and coats took me 2 hours of a power declutter. Lots of donations. Five items to fix. I was surprised how many items that did not suit me or especially uncomfortable that I was hanging onto, even though I never or rarely wore them. Fixed 2 of my items, which require sewing; not my excitement in life but applied DSSN to that task. Feeling great!!!
Taking this course every season might be a great idea. I live in the Northeast part of the US where we have four drastic seasons, which means lots of different clothes. I was happy to try on all my long sleeve shirts in my closet and got rid of things that didn’t make me feel sexy and confident. You can never go thru your closet enough. Each time I do it I find more and more to discard. What I have left is stuff I will wear- things that I feel great in.
made it a lot easier to let go of a trench coat that was too big and really didn’t suit me anyway and I thought of someone who would really like it. however in the past I have given away things that I then found I could use and could not longer buy. that haunts me a little
I have STARTED – yippee! 2 things have gone in the bin, 7 things to the charity shop. Doesn’t sound like much but I’ve only done about 10% of all my clothes. Will do more later this evening in an attempt to do all three of my “currently wearing” clothes rails today as a kick start. Already feels better but there are cupboards / laundry bags / storage boxes full of stuff to go through too. Slowly but surely.
Believe it or not, Step 1 had never occurred to me. I was actually searching for a website to tell me HOW MANY x ARE NEEDED (where ‘x’ is pants, shirts, dresses, etc) when I found Get Organized Wizard. That the answer is AS MANY AS THERE IS ROOM FOR is a major revelation, and a breakthrough mentally!
Struggling with the power declutter…probably need more wine 🙂
This challenge is starting at a good time for me – I occasionally attend “clothing swaps” with a group of women I know, as a way to re-fresh our wardrobes without breaking the bank, and I have one coming up next weekend. I’m filling bags to bring to the swap with me, and I have a rule when I go – I won’t leave with more than half of what I came with – so If I go in with 2 big bags full of stuff I will only leave with 1 or less – it forces me to be picky, and not just take stuff because it’s free. (I’ve gone in with 2 or 3 big bags full of stuff before and left with only 1 or 2 things). Whatever is unclaimed at the end of the swap gets donated to charity.
Should I have got an email reminder for this today? because I didn’t.. but when i went to add my email it said I’m already subscribed… cdicesare@gmail.com
Well, I have two closets to work with but, they are both small as this is an old house and wasn’t built with lots of storage space.People weren’t expected to HAVE lots of possessions. lol
I want my clothing to be comfortable. We have temperatures fluctuating from over 100 to negative teens.
At one time I simply went through my clothes by trying on something I had not recently worn, every day. If it fit and I liked the way it looked I kept it on. If it didn’t fit, had stains, needed mending, etc. I put it in a trash bag and tossed it out. If it was a good item but not for me, I donated it to Goodwill. Since I’m retired I didn’t need my work wardrobe and gave 95% of it to someone just starting back to work. I kept 5% and realize I shouldn’t have. I am not that person anymore so I don’t need those clothes, anymore. When I came to a dress I’d worn more than 50 years ago I loved the memory but couldn’t keep that dress! I kept the “cords” that crisscrossed the bodice and parted with the dress, itself. I actually got through all of my clothes several years back but….. somehow, I seem to have built up another stash!
The biggest problem seems to be that I actually DO wear each and every item I have in the closet and/or armoire. except for the old working clothes and the dress I wore to my daughter’s wedding. sigh. Like most people I find the idea of something fresh and new and pretty entices me to add but there’s only so much room. So, I’m going to be paring down again and again, every season, every year. I turn the hangers when I put back something I’ve worn and washed so I can see what, if anything, didn’t get a turn.
Hi, I just subscribed and I am starting here as well. I live in an old house with small closets that need a good purge. Time to get started!
This is also my first step after subscribing! I dread my closet! Too much stuff and little of it is of any value! No wonder I hate getting ready each day!
I have just purchased the yearly subscription and decided to start with this series as my closet isn’t really cluttered but I would like to have a better plan for my future purchases and make it a bit more organised. It seemed like an easy place to start 🙂 I’m really appreciating my subscription.
Our responses and suggestions are below:
Move to a larger home with more closet space: This is not a good solution. More space equals more junk and clutter.
Older homes did not have closets: Use a metal wardrobe closet[s].
Under bed containers with rollers: store clothes, accessories, hobbies, etc.
Use a trunk for seasonal clothing, blankets, family heirlooms to pass on. Young ladies also use a trunk as a Hope Chest with items she wants to start married life with.
Wool clothes need moth balls inside a pocket to keep moths from putting holes in your outfits. In the summertime put wool clothes in the sun to get rid of the moth ball smell/bad aroma or dry clean to eliminate odors.
How do you want your closet to look? Simple, neat, organized & an easy system that works for you.
How do you want your closet to feel? Loving, inviting, not messy, attractive, happy & individualized for your personal taste.
How well your closet supports your look and feel? Looking and feeling good in the clothes you already have. Try to mx and match clothes for a new look and feel. I.e. Clean shirt and pants with sweatshirt and hat. Men should have one dress suit.
An excuse: You’re waiting to lose weight first = copout.
Go through your closet and eliminate any stained or odor clothes and place in laundry basket. You may wish to wash everything in your closet once or twice a year.
Separate your clothes accordingly:
Trash = too large, torn, stained, etc.
Charity = all items must be clean and free of bed bugs, etc.
Clean/Repair = missing buttons, repair zipper, needs altered, etc.
Pull items out of your closet:
Uncomfortable = if you’re allergic to wool don’t wear it.
Tatty = Certain pieces of clothing may be kept i.e. poodle skirt, high school dances/shoes, etc.
Not worn in the past 12 months = Accessorize for a new look.
Sell clothes/items at Consignment shops, yard sales/rummage sales.
Oddly enough my closet is already very organized, however, I can see that it is too full and I know that some of the things, though pretty, don’t make me feel great when I wear them. So, I will purge again today and be honest with myself. I know people who would enjoy these things instead of letting them hang day after day. If you have enough…give away. Thanks!
Great attitude Joni! I think you’ll find you enjoy what you keep a lot more. 🙂
I am going through this process again, but this time with my daughter’s wardrobe.
I have identified values and stuck them to the wardrobe door.
Quite a few things that came out of that space, looks all much neater now. Enough for today. Back tomorrow….still enjoying this process second time around and it’s instant effects right from the start. It is easier as her space is smaller than mine and also knowing what I am supposed to do.
Welcome back Vesna! PS Does your daughter know how lucky she is?! 🙂