Closet organizers are a great way to get your closet in order but if you really want to maintain neatness and organization you need to make closet organizing into a habit. Organizing your closet does not have to be a major overhaul of the clothing or other items that you store in your closet. There are steps that you can take on a regular basis that will help you maintain an organized closet and therefore an organized lifestyle where you can find the things you need quickly and easily making everything you do more efficient.
Don’t Leave Things Sitting Around
This is something I struggle with all the time. I take my clothes off at the end of the day and I just don’t feel like hanging them back up in the closet. The result at the end of the week is a huge pile of clothes on a chair or worse yet, on the floor, which will now take 3 times as long to put away. If you think about it, it really only takes about one to two minutes to put your things away at the end of the day or in the middle of the day if the closet in question is a utility closet or the like. If you tell yourself that this task is only going to take one minute, it will help to encourage you to hang up your clothes. If it really does take more then a minute to put away your clothes, your closet organizer system may be at fault. Make sure that the system you use makes putting things away easy and not cumbersome. The organization rule that I live by is to make it easier to put an item away then it is to retrieve it. For example, if your closet shoe organizer requires you to insert each shoe into a shoe form, this might be discouraging. If you simple need to put your shoes on a rack, this will be much easier.
The “One Thing In, One Thing Out” Rule
From the minute I heard this rule I knew it was a winner. We all have the tendency to collect things that we don’t use or wear. Even the best closet organizers can’t prevent us from doing this. However, if you stick to the rule that any new item that you bring into your house means that another item has to be given away or thrown out, you will greatly reduce the accumulation of clutter that most people suffer from. To make this rule more strategic, you’ll need to apply it to the area that the new item belongs to. If you are buying a new book, an old book should be removed from your book shelf. If you buy a new shirt, an old one from your closet should be given away.
Periodic Purging of Things your Don’t Use or Wear
Even when you follow the rule above, you are bound to still collect some items that you find it hard to part with. Once in a while, take a good hard look in your closets and get rid of the things you aren’t using or haven’t worn in a long time. If this is difficult for you, think of all the charities that could benefit from the things that you aren’t even using. In addition, think of all the extra space you will have to store more items and think of how much easier it will be to find the things you do use.
Closet organization systems are only as good as the way you use them. If you make closet organizing into a routine, you will maintain an organizational system that will make your life much easier.
