Organizing My Closet

For quite a long time, my closet was an absolute disaster area as evidenced in the pictures below taken on 9-15-09. Every time I opened my closet door, I felt discouraged and I literally had to straddle various baskets and boxes to retrieve something to wear!
Back in September, I finally decided that I was going to tackle this problem area that was so discouraging to me. What gave me the motivation to "just do it?" I finally realized that what was holding me back from cleaning my closet was guilt and lack of time. I felt guilty because I had clothes in my closet that no longer fit me. Even though I didn't realize it, I wasn't dealing with the mess in my closet because I felt guilty and I didn't know how to deal with the different sizes in my closet. I decided that vague guilty feelings about the size of my backside shouldn't keep me from cleaning my closet.

The other reason holding my back was lack of time. I was waiting for a time when I had an extremely large chunk of time all to myself in which I could tackle my closet. I finally realized that day may never come. So, I just started working on my closet for an hour at a time over any week-end where I could fit it in. I would set a timer, work for an hour, and then quit. If I was on a roll and didn't need to do something else right then, I might work for a bit longer. Slowly, slowly, slowly, my closet started to look a lot better.

What did I do with the clothes that no longer fit?

• I gave away clothes that I didn't really like. It didn't matter if they were too small, too large, or fit just right - if I didn't like them anymore, I gave them away.
• I put aside any clothes that my daughter might like that didn't fit me. She was happy to receive several cute sets of PJs that are a bit too tight for me.
• I moved a large, wicker chest from another location in our house and emptied it. Then, I used the wicker chest for storage of clothes that are too small but that I want to keep. They are out of sight and are not taking up shelf space in my closet but I have them, just in case.

What other strategies did I use to tackle the mess?

• I moved the vast majority of items that didn't need to be in my closet. For example, my entire fabric stash was stored in my closet. I moved that to a room that is rarely used in our house. If I begin sewing again on a regular basis, I may need to move my fabric closer to my sewing machine. For now, it's fine stored away from my sewing machine.
• I gave away/threw away any and all items in my closet that just shouldn't be there. For example, I really don't need my breast pump anymore. Really, my youngest child is 8.
• I organized my clothes by type (short sleeve, long sleeve, pants, skirts, dresses, PJs).

One of my favorite parts of this project was that my sweet husband installed a hanging bar for me for all of my purses and my robe.

In this picture you can see the wicker chest which I've had since I was in college. I love it when I can look around my home and find a piece of furniture that I can re-purpose and make useful again.

Now, when I walk into my closet, I feel happy. More importantly, I no longer have to play a modified version of Twister by myself to grab a pair of jeans! The only task left to do is to hang a piece of artwork that my best friend made for me when we were teenagers (the flamingo picture). It really doesn't fit the decor of my house now but will always make me smile when I see it in my closet.

So, what about you? Do you have a problem area that you aren't dealing with in your home? How do you think you can motivate yourself to deal with the area?