How to organise clothes

You need a workspace, as long as it is clean it works.

Make sure that you still like the items, that they fit, that you still wear them and only put the things back in the wardrobe that you love. Preferably make these items that you will be wearing soon.

Have you worn them to death? Are there items you loved and used but it’s the end of their life? Are there some things you haven’t worn for a long time or things that don’t make you feel comfortable anymore? These are all valid reasons to dispose of your clothing.

Note: If there is any guilt with items that you have purchased and you realise that these were “wrong buys” I encourage you to simply acknowledge this. Make a mental note of why they weren’t good purchases but do move on whilst you forgive yourself. After this, I encourage you to move away from any feelings of guilt you might have (we have all made wrong purchases in the past), we learn from it.

Once your feelings are acknowledged dispose of the item which is literally making space so you can make better, more informed decisions for the future. The easiest way to dispose of clothes is the secondhand shop if the clothes are in good nick. Otherwise the bin or a place that collects clothes/clothing material will work.

Having a good think at this stage can be very useful because it raises awareness in terms of:

• What am I throwing away?

• Why do I want to throw or give it away?

Answers to these questions will help me with future purchases. You will know the brands that you like. You’ll see patterns in pieces of clothing and brands that last and those that are disposed of way too soon.

This exercise alone can save you hundreds of dollars over the years.

Before we wrap up, make sure you still have some clothes. You have to be a little bit mindful when you’re decluttering enthusiastically that you still have clothes to wear.

Generally, at the end of the wardrobe decluttering process, you check what is left. Ideally, all that is in there is comfortable and you like it. It also helps you see what you genuinely need to shop for. This in turn will make your future purchases, more focused, faster, more efficient and less costly.

When I help clients or do this for myself my aim is to start building a capsule wardrobe.

After decluttering your wardrobe and picking your capsule style and pieces. You can go to the shops and will only need to buy items that will make you look great, lost and enhance your wardrobe in this next stage of life.