Getting Organized: Part IV-My Closet

    So, my closet wasn't the worst, but it had been a little ransacked during the holidays. It was the last on my list of things that needed some attention once life was back to "normal" (whatever that is...) after Christmas. 
    It's not some amazing transformation (at all), but I do have a few tips to share (in case your closet could use some help too)!

Post-Christmas Mess

     So, not too bad, but there was a lot of stuff that had been thrown in, pulled down/fallen down on the floor. Also, my closet makes a great hiding spot for children playing hide-and-seek, so I blame my kids for some of this mess. Sheesh.     
    As for the clothes themselves, they were "out of order". Um, yes, that's what I said, "out of order". I like to have my clothes in their colour groups, and in those groups, I like them to be with their similars (not a real word, fyi). So, knitted with knitted, sweatshirts with sweatshirts, etc. 

Year End Hangers. Time to get rid of some clothes!

    So, here you see the hangers are all facing different directions-that, my friend, is on purpose. 
    Every new year, I turn my hangers the "wrong way". As I wear things, I put them back the "right way" (it doesn't count as wearing something if you just pull it out and try it on. You need to actually wear it!). At the beginning of the next year you have a clear, un-biased view of what you actually did and didn't wear by looking at the hangers and which ones are still the "wrong way". 
    You would be surprised what sits in a closet for a whole year!   

   Here's the clothes now, ready for a new year (all hanging the "wrong way"). 

Like I said, nothing amazing, but it's been re-colour organized, "weeded", and the hangers are facing the "wrong way" ready for a new year!

   Well, back to "colour grouping" my clothes. I find this helps with 3 things: 
   1. You can see that you maybe own too much of one colour, and should lay off it for a bit (me and black....). 
    2: When you get dressed, you have a clearer picture of what you have to choose from. You don't have to rifle through your entire closet looking for that one blue sweater, you can just quickly go to "blue", and know it'll be there (....and if it's not, it's in the laundry, or a closet monster ate it). 
    3: It makes it easier to keep the closet tidy when you know where you are putting something away. I am good at putting things back in their proper place (as long as I am actually hanging it up, not throwing it in!), but when I ask my (hide-and-seek) kids to tidy up their mess, they have no respect for my colour code and just hang things willy-nilly. Sheesh. :)  
    So, that's it! I got my 4 things done that I wanted to after all the hubbub of Christmas had settled! It feels good. As a (slightly crazy) stay-at-home Mom, checking things off my to-do lists helps me feel like I may actually still posses skills beyond endless dish washing and meal making (p.s., neither of those things are ever on my actual list of to-do's).