7 decluttering mistakes to avoid

1. Procrastinating

Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions. Waiting for the right time that may never come will only make matters worse. It will only lead to more stuffocation and stress. When you feel like you don’t have enough space in your wardrobe to keep that new dress that you just bought is generally a tad bit late to start the decluttering process as more stuff means more work, more decisions to be made, more time needed and hence further procrastination.

Did I say late? I apologise because it is never too late. But the point I am trying to make is that if the decluttering exercise isn’t done in time, it just makes the entire process even more daunting. I recommend diving into a declutter every season change [apart from life events like birth of a baby, major weight loss, location move etc.], because this is the ideal time to move clothes that you may not wear again for a good few months either into the storage or the donation box.

2. Diving in unplanned and without a schedule

One of the biggest decluttering mistakes people make is just starting to clean out their wardrobes without a plan. This leads to absolute chaos and, more likely than not, after spending hours slogging in front of your wardrobe you will be left with perhaps a slightly-organised-but-still-cluttered wardrobe as before.

I recommend drawing up a plan and scheduling some time in advance. I usually list out what I want to achieve from the exercise e.g. accessibility to outfits, categorisation of spread out items, clearing out the odds, donating not-in-use pieces etc. Then I buy some appropriate storage like bins, baskets, shelves, bags etc. and keep these ready before I start the exercise. This helps because if you want to categorise items or divide shelves,  you don’t have to abandon your decluttering exercise mid way.

Also, taking some time out exclusively for the project would mean that you do not get distracted by the doorbell or your favorite TV series.

Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions

3. Asking the wrong question

Most often, people do not see the need to declutter because they have enough space for the clutter. But clutter is clutter even when hidden behind the garage door or in the loft storage. The main question that one should be asking oneself is not “Do I have the space for it?” but “Do I need it?”

Answering this simple question isn’t always easy. You need to ask yourself a series of guiding questions that will lead you to answer the question “do I need it?”. Some examples are:

• “Do I use it regularly?”
• “Do you have more than one?”
• “Can something else that I have replace it?”
• “Am I saving it just in case?”

The questions really depend on your wardrobe, amount of clutter, style and so on and these often vary from person to person. But the key principal is to ultimately be able to answer the basic question which is “Do I really really, really need it?” Finally remember, “When in doubt, throw it out!”

4. Confusing decluttering with organising

This is another of the common decluttering mistakes people make—they start the process very enthusiastically but, as it progresses, it ends up becoming more of a cleaning and organising exercise than a decluttering one. This happens because people think of organising as decluttering. Clean, neatly stacked clutter is also clutter. Anything that doesn’t add value to your life and is taking up space, time and money to upkeep and maintain is clutter. It doesn’t matter if it is stacked up neatly in pretty labelled boxes.

5. Keeping items for emotional reasons

I noticed this about myself: I used to hoard a lot of stuff, especially pieces of garments, for emotional reasons. Pieces that didn’t fit me anymore in the hope of losing weight—my first business suit; an out-of-fashion piece from my trousseau—the list is endless. I hoarded all these only to throw them away a few years later. This could be due to lack of space, or pieces going out of fashion or because of a change in the way I viewed certain life events.

When I look back I feel like I held on to so much unnecessary negative energy in the form of clutter for no practical reason, only to clean it out one fine day without hesitation. If only I were practical during my previous declutter exercises, I would be rid of this clutter much earlier. Also the items could have been used by someone else rather than being hoarded in my dusty wardrobe. Today, I follow this one rule: “It has to go if I haven’t used it in 12 months”.

Clean, neatly stacked clutter is also clutter

6. Not categorising items

The ultimate aim of a decluttered wardrobe is to be able to access your garment pieces and place them back after the laundry without any stress in the least amount of time, while at the same time making your wardrobe look neat and pretty. This is not entirely possible without categorising/grouping the garments. If you keep your shirts, pants, dresses all neatly folded and ironed on one shelf they may look neat. But over time you are bound to pull out a white dress when you are looking for that smart white shirt just before an important morning meeting.

Grouping also helps the decluttering effort. For example, when you put all your shirts in a pile together, you will immediately know if you have more than a few and this will make it easier for you to let go of the ones that don’t fit that well or have started looking weary over time. This will help to make the decision of letting go of extras.

7. Going back on a shopping spree immediately after decluttering

Obviously you will create space after a decluttering exercise. But that is the point. The reason we engage in this exercise is to clear out unwanted stuff so that there is enough space for what matters. Don’t mistake it for extra space, because it is not. One of the biggest decluttering mistakes many of us make is buy more garments as soon as there is little extra space available in the wardrobe. We have become used to spending money we haven’t yet earned on things we don’t need to impress people that don’t matter. Tame that shopaholic in you! Believe me life feels fuller and more beautiful with less. Less really is more.

The post 7 decluttering mistakes to avoid appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Here’s some friendly advice: heed the old saying, “Less is more.” You’ll save an enormous amount of time, money and stress by thinning out your huge wardrobe.

1. Get the proper supplies

Buy a starter set of 30 hangers, or 60 if the closet is shared by two people. Go for the sturdy ones. They can be obtained at a houseware store or online. Buy all in one colour for uniformity [or if you’re sharing closet space with someone, get a different colour for yourself]. While you’re at the store, pick up a few sturdy skirt and pants hangers as well. Vertical skirt hangers with clips that hold 5 – 6 skirts on one hanger are a great choice. In addition, pick up an expandable shoe rack and a tie rack if you wear ties.

2. Start with a clean slate

Pull out everything [yes, everything] that’s currently in your closet. Keep in mind, as you’re doing so, that you probably only wear 20 per cent of your clothes on a regular basis; 10 per cent of them are for special occasions; and the other 70 per cent of them are probably never used at all.

Keep in mind, that you probably only wear 20 per cent of your clothes on a regular basis

3. Separate clothes into five piles

A  Piece of clothing that meets any of the following criteria:

• it is outdated
• it is ripped
• it is stained
• it doesn’t fit [if you’re not sure whether or not it fits, try it on now]
• you think it may come back in fashion someday
• you wouldn’t dream of ever wearing it again

B   Wire hanger pile. If you have any wire hangers in your closet, this is where they go. Here’s the problem with them: they’re weak, they stick up in the air, and they damage your clothing.

C   Clothes that need minor repairs such as sewing a hem or replacing a button. If it’s too much of a hassle to repair it, then don’t put it in this pile.

D  Clothes you love and wear at least once a month AND clothes you love and wear at least twice a year [special occasion wardrobe]. Your wardrobe should always make you feel good about yourself. If you don’t love it or wear it often, it doesn’t belong in this pile.

E  Any other items that don’t fit into Category A, B, C or D.

4. Category A or B

Dump it or donate it. Okay, now here’s the fun part. Grab a large garbage bag and dump everything [yes, everything] from your ‘A’ pile into it. Bring it to your local charity organisation first thing in the morning. If you’re still reading this in disbelief, take a deep breath to get over the initial shock, then resolve to toss it or donate it. You’ll feel better in the end. While you’re at it, take all those terrible, awful, lousy wire hangers in your ‘B’ pile and bring them to your dry cleaner’s for recycling, or dump them immediately. Are you still considering keeping something from pile ‘A’ or ‘B’? Please, dump it. It’s clutter. You’ll feel better about it later when your closet is organised, inviting and free of chaos.

5. Category C

Now that your ‘A’ and ‘B’ piles are donated or trashed [I hope], let’s move on to your ‘C’ pile. This pile should contain those articles of clothing that need minor repair. Get a basket or container; dump this entire pile in it. Now, carry that basket over to your clothing repair area. Give yourself a two-week deadline. If the repairs are not done in two weeks, dump or donate the entire basket. After all, if it’s not important enough for you to repair, it’s clutter. It’s easy for clutter to build up, and I want to help you eliminate any chance of it happening to you again.

6. Category D

Organise your keepers. Sort everything in your ‘D’ pile by category of clothing [blouses, skirts, pants, suits and so on]. When done sorting, start with one category. Take one article of clothing at a time, put it on a hanger [the colourful, sturdy kind] and hang it in the closet. [Important note: If you found something that didn’t belong in the closet in the first place, don’t put it there again.] Do this until you’ve managed to hang all of your categories of clothing, making sure that all clothing and hangers are facing the same direction. [By the way, if you share your closet with someone, don’t mix clothing together. Put each individual’s clothing on either side of the closet.]

7. Category E

Categorise and organise everything. Now is the time to categorise what is there in the ‘E’ pile. If these are items that have to be stored in your closet for lack of any other storage space, then start by sorting them. Then, get some inexpensive organising containers so that each category remains separated and place the containers on shelves in your closet.

8. Sort your shoes

Now is a good time to set up your brand new, sturdy, expandable shoe rack and neatly place your shoes on it.

Remember that a well-organised closet always has room to accommodate more clothes or accessories

9. Finishing touches

Now, you’re ready for some finishing touches. If you install a few hooks on an empty closet wall, you’ll be able to hang belts, umbrellas and handbags. If you’re lucky enough to have cubbies in your closet, purses and hats can be stored there; otherwise, put them on your closet shelves. You can even pick up a clear, over-the-door shoe bag for small accessories such as hosiery, scarves, jewellery and so on. Don’t put shoes in the shoe bag. It may sound funny, but these bags are too flimsy and awkward for the weight of most shoes, plus they collect dirt from shoe bottoms.

10. Final thoughts

Don’t overstuff. There should be plenty of room in your closet to get an item in or out. If there’s not, consider thinning out your wardrobe a little more. The goal here is quality, not quantity. Don’t buy another thing to wear without first determining if you really need it. Some people like to discard something they’re not really happy with anymore, for a new item.

Congratulations! You’re done. Don’t you feel great?! You deserve a special reward for your hard work. Treat yourself to dinner, or a double hot fudge sundae. Go for a massage. Rent and watch a favourite movie. Be happy. Your closet is!

The post 10 steps to a happy clothes closet appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.