Let’s face it. Most of us have way too many clothes in our closets. And according to the 80/20 Principle, we wear only 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. That means a whole lot of clothes hanging unworn most of the time. Creating clutter. Driving us crazy.
To declutter your wardrobe, start with the obvious choices:
- Clothes that are out of date, torn or worn beyond repair (or if you honestly won’t repair them, even if they technically could be). Still hanging onto your high school letterman jacket? You’re never going to wear it again, unless it’s a Halloween costume. Take a picture of it, then let it go. Or better yet, find a picture of you wearing it in high school. That will have much more meaning. (Besides, you’ll also get to laugh at your crazy high school hair style while you’re at it.)
- Clothes you don’t wear. Take all your current-season clothes and turn the hangers backwards. After you wear the item, replace it on a forward-facing hanger. At the end of the season, get rid of any articles of clothing whose hangers are still backwards. Specialty items like a formal gown get a pass. (Notice I said a formal gown. Unless you go to red carpet events on a regular basis, you really don’t need more than one.)
- Clothes that don’t fit. If you’re hanging onto skinny clothes or fat clothes (unless you weight is currently changing, or has changed a lot within the last 2 years) get rid of them. Even if you do fit into them someday, the fashion industry is very crafty. They change details just enough so that by the time you fit into those clothes again, they’ll be out of style. Remember: it’s an abundant universe. If you need that size clothes again, you’ll find them.
For some serious decluttering of your wardrobe, try this experiment. Pay close attention to every outfit you wear for the next 4-8 weeks. Everything that gets compliments or makes you feel fabulous goes back into your closet. Everything that makes you feel blah or frumpy or otherwise less than your best goes into a box in the garage or under your bed. (You’re not committing to anything yet. It’s just an experiment.)
Next, try wearing only your best outfits every day for a month and see how you feel. Is it easier to get dressed in the morning when you don’t have to sort through a bunch of uninspired clothes? Do you love how you look? Do you feel better about yourself? One thing I’ve learned about self-esteem is that our appearance is both a reflection and a shaper of how we feel about ourselves. Go ahead. Give it a try. I double-dog dare ya 😉 After all, life’s too short to wear frumpy clothes.
So are you willing to take the challenge? If so, let me know how it goes! I love to hear from my readers!
