Are you a women with ADHD who dreads opening your drawers or walking into your closet only to hang your head in despair? Do you get overwhelmed by the contents in your closet? Are your closets and drawers overstuffed to the point that you cannot easily close them or identify what’s inside? Have you tried in the past to declutter your wardrobe to no avail? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, keep reading. I will show you the simple, practical steps I have taken to declutter and obtain a manageable/streamlined wardrobe that I love.
Step One: Preparing Yourself To Declutter- You may be wondering why I recommend you prepare yourself first. Why not just start weeding through your piles of clothes immediately? Because the REAL first step in decluttering your wardrobe is to mentally and physically prepare yourself. Grab yourself a tall glass of water/tea, put on some comfy clothes, and download a playlist of relaxing or energetic music; (or work in complete silence if you prefer).. You need to be as distraction-free as possible. decluttering your wardrobe will take time, especially if you have a lot of clothing. Try to plan to declutter your clothes at least 20 minutes a day. Don’t let the time it will take scare you off. After all, it took you a lot longer than 20 minutes to accumulate your over-stuffed wardrobe. Trust me, the effort will be worth it in the end and you will be ready to tackle your accessories, handbags, and shoes. That’s right you don’t have to touch them. Yet. Once you decide which articles of clothing you love and want to keep, then you can decide which accessories, handbags and shoes complement them. You can save this for another day. Baby steps.
Step Two: Remove All Items of Clothing: The first and the most difficult step you need to take in order to declutter your closet is to take is to remove ALL items of clothing (except for your accessories, handbags, and shoes) from your closets, drawers, laundry baskets, behind the couch, etc. and place them in an open area where you can begin sorting. This step is essential because it acts as a form of “shock treatment”. You may be quite surprised/daunted/disappointed by the sheer amount of clothing you own. Now is the time to take a few deep mindful breaths, drink some water and accept the fact that you may simply have too many clothes. It’s also the time to accept the fact that you are ready to do something about it.. You may be thinking, “There’s no way, I don’t have the time to finish sorting this all right now. I don’t have the space to do this.” Don’t worry, you don’t have to keep this entire mountain of clothes out all at once unless you prefer to do so. You can break it down into small steps. (break it down worksheet) You do, however, have to give yourself the shock treatment necessary to finish this project.
Step Three -Sort Into Categories: The next step to decluttering your closet of clothes is to put them into manageable categories. All pants into one pile, shorts into another, and skirts into yet another. Other categories could be short sleeve tops, tank tops, t-shirts, long sleeve tops, sweaters, etc. You may end up with twenty or so mini-mountains. That is the goal. It is during this step where, if you get overwhelmed by having everything out, take a break (go grab more water, grab a snack or eat lunch depending on the time of day it is. If you feel like you won’t be able to finish sorting your clothes by category set some categories aside in a safe spot (preferably NOT back in your closet or dresser) to work on as time allows.
Step Four: Keep, Donate, Discard; Now that you have all your clothes sorted into piles by categories you will immediately recognize a few of your favorite items of clothing. Items that you wear frequently, love and are not damaged, can go directly into your “keep” pile. See, that was easy. Next any items of clothing that you cant stand to look at, are damaged beyond repair, or that you have never worn, can be placed in their respective boxes for disposal. Now to deal with what’s left. Pick a pile, any pile. Pick up each item of clothing and inspect it. You may need to try it on if you are not sure it fits. If it no longer suits your style; get rid of it. If it doesn’t fit; get rid of it. If it fits, but you never wear it because you don’t feel good wearing it; get rid of it. You get the picture. Your goal is to end up with a wardrobe you’ll love, that fits who you are NOW. Not who you were 5-10 years ago. Not who you hope to become. You are searching for the items that will make you feel comfortable with yourself right this very minute. Clothing you will be happy to wear over and over again. Rinse and repeat with the remaining piles until every item of clothing has been sorted.
Step Five: Turn your attention back to your “keep” pile. Now that you have categorized, discarded and donated the items of clothing that you don’t want go back over the clothing in this pile and sort again into categories (pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, etc.). Do you notice a trend? Are you perhaps seeing lots of one category such as skinny jeans, button-up shirts or sweaters? If so,congratulations. You have discovered your “style”. Now, you will need to go through and re-evaluate each item. For example, looking at your pile of pants. How many did you decide to keep? Five, ten, fifty (or more)? How many pants do you actually need? Take a minute and consider your lifestyle and needs. Do you work outside of the home, or in/from home? Do you wear pants every day, or do you alternate with shorts and skirts? Are there any pants in the pile which do not fit with your overall style, but you decided to keep them based on the idea of your future self? By asking yourself these, questions, you may find you are able to part with a few more items. You may, on the other hand, discover you do not have enough pants. Don’t go shopping yet! While you may end up with “only” two pairs of jeans that you love, those two pairs may end up being enough when combined with whatever shorts, skirts or capris you decide to keep.
Step Six: Evaluate Your Accessories: Once you have finished decluttering your clothes in your closet, you can declutter your accessories, handbags, and shoes with more clarity. These categories are not for the faint-of-heart! Many people, women especially, are sentimentally attached to their accessories, handbags, and shoes. If you suggest they part with even one, you may have to run for your life! Go back to step one and sort through your accessories, handbags, and shoes systematically. Be as ruthless and objective as you can. You may find you are attached to items you never use or wear. This may be because of the money you spent to obtain them. You may experience remorse, anger or regret. These are perfectly normal responses. Do not keep an item because you inherited it, it was a gift, or because you spent hundreds of dollars on it. Only keep the items you know you will wear. If you have a pair of shoes that you only wore with a certain dress which you have discarded; discard the shoes as well. Evaluate how well your accessories, handbags, and shoes coordinate with your new, streamlined wardrobe. Have a little personal fashion show to help you decide. Keep the versatile pieces and discard the rest. Sell the more expensive pieces and use that money to fund a spa day or to fill gaps in your wardrobe.