Simple Steps: How To Organize A Closet You’ll Truly Adore
What you want is a beautiful + functional home. Organized closets with everything you need and nothing more.™
And boo, we’ll get you there — but no matter what — organizing is a process. There’s no quick-fix, snap your fingers + it’s done.
Cuz the truth is… what typically happens for most people is they get so set on their goals of an organized closet but they have the wrong mindset for accomplishing it. They’re solely focused on the outcome of those goals.
In other words, they're motivated by “getting it done” so it “looks a certain way,” not necessarily taking the time to organize it correctly.
And this mindset fails.
And it fails for one very obvious reason…
So, let’s dive in + look at why and how to organize a closet you’ll truly adore, shall we?!?!
Home Is Continuous
One of our beliefs at Elegant Simplicity is that like life, living in an organized home is continuous. There’s really no beginning or end to creating it — your home is where it is in the process :)
Now, this is SO contrary to the way the home industry teaches us to think in finite terms.
“Get Organized!” or “Declutter Once and For All!”
As if the decisions you make today, right now in this moment, about what clothes you’ll keep + which ones you’ll donate will last f-o-r-e-v-e-r.
As if you’ll never shop for anything ever again :)
Truth bomb boo, daily life, no matter how hard we try to stop time in its tracks, continues to evolve.
Which is why when thinking about how to organize a closet, you can’t approach it with the mindset of “just get it done.” “Check it off the list.”
Those are lies. They are fallacies we hear pushed by the home industry to encourage you to think… and buy… with impulse.
Now, we’re not telling you — you’ll never have an organized closet, that your home will never feel decluttered, organized, well-maintained.
It absolutely will!
But the precursor to understanding how to organize a closet that’s truly functional + has everything you need is shifting your mindset that organizing is about setting up systems that are maintainable, learning the skills to tweak + adjust those organizing systems to help you navigate the natural, inevitable, continuous evolution of home.
Because when organizing systems aren’t maintainable, when the organizing was complete “to get it done” or to “check it off the list” then we merely become frustrated with ourselves + with others that our once organized closet, is no longer — organized.
Benefits Of Having An Organized Closet
So with that mental shift, that organizing isn’t like a rotisserie chicken, you can’t set it + forget it let’s take a peek at the benefits of having an organized closet.
Clarity
At Elegant Simplicity we say — Clutter Creates Chaos because we know from a decade and a half of experience that a cluttered space creates a cluttered mind. When our minds are cluttered, we feel overwhelmed.
And when we feel this overwhelming friction, emotionally we start to get frustrated with “what to wear” or “I can’t find that” or “that doesn’t fit like it used to.”
Having an organized closet where everything has a place + everythings in its place allows you to begin the day + end it with clarity.
Items Are Taken Care Of
One of the incredible values of having an organized closet is that when items have a home — shoes on shelf, clothes hung, jewelry + accessories in a drawer — items last longer. Because you have a place dedicated to them, there's not only peace of mind visually but you’re actually taking better care of what you do invest in.
We Feel Better
We’ve written a ton about how clutter affects us — but living in an organized home (with organized closets) impacts us as well. When we know where to find things, we can visually see them in an organized manner. It not only gives us a sense of confidence in how we look but it makes us feel like we’re making the most of what we have.
And sometimes boo that’s pulling together an unexpected outfit — this with that. And other times that’s simply seeing that we have things we don’t need to go out + buy more of.
Donating Is Easier
When you know how to organize a closet + maintain one, the benefits of donating to charity what is in good condition but you no longer use is rewarding. Simply because you can see what you’re no longer wearing (+ want to donate), you not only create space for yourself to add to your wardrobe but you also make it easy for yourself to see the value for someone else to have it.
You’ve taken care of it + it’s time for someone else to benefit from that.
Invest In What You Want But Also need
Having an organized closet where everything has a place gives you the opportunity to invest in what else you want or need. Instead of impulse buying, you’ll be shopping with intentionality. You’re not over buying, you’re buying what you want, need + have room for.
More Space
One rather obvious, but also worth mentioning, benefit to having an organized closet is space. When you have everything you need + nothing more™ then you’ve made space for what you value.
Sometimes space comes in the form of corralling items into baskets + bins, items organized in a drawer, folded on a shelf or hung in a specific way.
In any case, space in your closet creates breathing room.
A Few Simple Steps For How To Organize A Closet
Many of our organizing clients struggle with not knowing what to do first.
Should they take everything out of the closet and then only bring back into the room what they want? Or should they leave everything as it is but get rid of what they know they don’t want?
And the reality is, a messy closet happens for a very specific reason.
Because you don’t know.
Not only do you not know where to begin or what to do with some (or all) of this stuff but when you don’t have a plan, decluttering and organizing can feel like a constant barrage of overwhelming decisions.
If this feels like you… then the first step for you is not to begin decluttering with a trash bag in hand and a donation bag in the other.
Assess
The first step for you is to determine what you want from this organized closet in your home.
It’s only by knowing with laser-focused clarity what you actually desire that you’ll ever achieve your goal.
We love this quote by Simon Sinek, “vision is the ability to talk about the future with such clarity as if we are talking about the past.”
“Vision is the ability to talk about the future with such clarity as if we are talking about the past.”
Looking at your closet right now, wouldn’t it be amazing to have this level of clarity about what things should stay and where they should be stored?
You bet it would! Which is why you must first step for how to organize any closet, but especially this one, is to assess.
Let me ground this for you. If you don’t have a crystal clear reason behind why you want to get organized, what this organized closet will do for you or what having an organized closet even looks like… well then, you’ll not only wind up wasting a ton of time, energy + a lot of money but you’ll more than likely never arrive at your destination #OrganizingFail.
And that’s a shame, right?
Not to fret my friend, at its core, this is exactly why we developed our rock-solid organizing process that gets results.
So, go on + assess.
Because before you know it, this will become your saving grace. Your north star. A beacon that you can rely on + refer to often because it helps you identify what you ultimately want in your home. And as you navigate that closet of yours, it’s going to help you outline a prioritized game plan that gets you from point A to Z by allowing you to check things off as you go.
Long story short boo, it keeps you on track + is designed to help you actually address the mess.
Declutter
Organize
Containerize + Label
Maintain
Declutter
What you want to do is remove everything. We know this can sometimes be a BIG task + we also know that it always gets messy before it gets better. By pulling everything out of your closet — you’re freeing your mind of how you currently have it set up.
We need a clean slate to reimagine a better way, a better path forward because if it was working — we wouldn’t be here right.
Organize
On a high-level organizing is a process of sorting, categorizing + grouping like items. So when everythings been pulled out — we walk our clients through sorting everything into groups that make sense for them.
Now, in the assessment step above — you might have outlined what is working + you can begin from there. But one of the hidden gems or secrets of the trade *wink* is group items into categories by asking yourself:
Do I use it?
Do I love it?
Do I need it?
In doing so, you’re making decisions without saying “trash, donate, keep” which can oftentimes be overwhelming in itself.
Putting It Back Together + Maintaining It
One of the biggest challenges our organizing members have when it comes to knowing how to organize a closet is — putting it back together. And really this is why we believe wholeheartedly in 1:1 organizing because how your closet is put back together is ALL about you.
Not only how you want it to look — boo, function always precedes aesthetic. So, it’s how you need it to function.
What things do you need regularly?
What things do you want front of mind so you’ll use them?
Do you have enough space (which is often determined by the amount of stuff) to store seasonal items in your closet?
There are so many variables that go into putting items back in your closet but the most important aspect of putting it back is that it makes sense + works for you.
The organizing system has to be intuitive to you. It doesn’t mean it will organize itself or that tweaking the system won't be necessary.
So there you have it my friend, simple steps for how to organize a closet in your home. And if you loved this blog post then without question, you’re absolutely going to go nuts for our FREE video course: 4-Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home
Also, don’t forget to check out our amazing Free Resource Library or if you’re looking to start your home organizing journey, request a FREE 30-minute Clarity Call and… let’s chat!