Reset for New Year-Part 1-Declutter Closet & Get Real
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Ahh. The new year is here. Finally a chance to start over and reset our lives. Declutter the old and make room for the new. There really isn’t anything magical about January, but it is a psychological phenomena. Many people associate a new year with a chance to “start over”. Maybe a chance to get back on track with some of their goals or just to try and block out the previous challenging year. I know I certainly do.
As part of the Chinese ritual for their New Year (which happens to fall on February 1st this year) the entire house has to be cleaned. It is symbolic of getting rid of the dirt from last year so you can go forward with a prosperous new year. By resetting your home environment it will help you go forward with less stress and that equals more peace.
There are a few areas that I think are important to start with, to break it down into manageable pieces. If you haven’t already taken your holiday decorations down, that would be first. If you have, start by going through your clothes closet and reassess everything. It is time to declutter, wipe off the dust, and get organized.
Step One in closet declutter...Initial purge...
Normally, I would remove everything first but this time I decided to start with a couple of things I knew I didn’t want. I didn’t think I would be getting rid of very much, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Step Two in closet declutter...Trying things on, assessing and getting real...
According to Pareto’s Rule, in relation to clothing, we only actually wear 20% of our wardrobe most of the time. If you regularly declutter your clothes and keep only those that fit your lifestyle, that percentage may be higher.
Since I still liked most of my clothes, I tried on those items that I hadn’t been reaching for recently. It was time to come face to face with my fantasy life and get real. Like a lot of people I know, I’ve struggled with my weight and body image pretty much my whole life. (I’ve had some skinny years, in my youth, where I still felt I needed to lose 5 pounds.) I haven’t given up my goal to improve my health, but I am trying to be kinder to myself.
Questions to ask yourself to help you declutter clothing...
If you follow the Kon Mari method, the main question to ask yourself is, “Does it spark joy?” I use a combination of techniques. The obvious first question is do you love it? But let’s dive further into that.
- Why do you love something?
- Does it fit you well? Or is it too loose? Too tight?
- Does it make you feel good every time you wear it?
- And do you receive complements when you wear it?
- Does the colour and style flatter you?
- Is it in good condition?
- Are there rips, holes or stains that can’t be fixed, or you won’t bother to fix?
- Would you buy it again if you didn’t already have it?
- Does it fit the lifestyle you have now?
- How many of each type of item do you need? If you go out to work in an office you may need more “dressy” clothes. Do you work in a casual environment? You will need more casual clothes. If you workout in a gym everyday you will need more exercise wear.
- Do you need something specifically to go with something else? Do you need a cami to wear under a see-through blouse, or a slip for a dress? If you never wear dresses or skirts, you won’t need pantyhose either.
- Can you dress up a casual top or bottom if the need arises for a rare event that requires a more formal look?
Questions for the hard stuff to declutter...
What??? That wasn’t hard? You may have found items that didn’t fit your current body/lifestyle but you don’t want to part with them. Maybe you have hopes of getting back in them someday or you spent good money on them? Do you have a little extra space somewhere – preferably another closet or somewhere to store a bin? I think it’s totally fine to keep a few things that are your favourites with some guidelines. This is not permission to hoard your treasures indefinitely and ultimately the space dictates how much you can keep.
If it’s about the money, maybe you can try to sell it to get a little money back. But really – the money’s already gone. You’re not saving money by keeping something that is taking up space. Ultimately it costs you more money, and causes mental stress and guilt. If it’s something you want to get back into – give it a timeline. Six months, or a year if it’s seasonal. Whatever time period you feel you need – but don’t keep trendy items for more than a year. Buy yourself something new when you get where you want to be, or as you need it. You deserve it.
Keeping Sentimental Items...
You may have a wedding or prom dress, a uniform, some baby clothes or some other type of clothing memorabilia. If you have something in this category that is not in your current usable wardrobe take a picture of it so you can still look at them without taking up the space. Remove it from your current wardrobe and store it appropriately to protect them from insects, sunlight, or other potentially damaging factors. The smaller items may also be put in a shadow box to be displayed and enjoyed. As I shared in my previous Master Closet Makeover, I put an antique camisole from my Grandmother in a picture frame.
You can see my new video on Closet Decluttering here.
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