Have you ever opened your closet, or pulled out a drawer, and told yourself that you needed to go through and weed out the things you no longer used? I’ve been telling myself that for a while, and last weekend I finally did something about it.
I’d like to think that I don’t have a lot of stuff, but I had much more than I realized. I ended up going through every piece of clothing (in drawers and closets), and weeded out all the pieces that I no longer needed. The process went something like this:
- I emptied one drawer or closet at a time.
- I picked out the pieces that I actually wear on a regular basis, and put those back in.
- I then picked out the pieces that I would get again, even if I didn’t already own them (I tried to take my own advice to heart).
- I put everything else into piles to be donated or trashed,** **depending on how worn they were.
It took several hours to do this for everything, but I’m noticing how that investment of time is already paying dividends. Here are some of the benefits I’m seeing.
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It saves time. Yes, it took time up front, but purging my wardrobe actually is freeing up time every day. It takes less time to find things, less time to keep things in order, and less time to make decisions about what to wear. And this is time that I save each day.
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It keep everything visible. In going through my clothes, there were several times where I would come across something that I hadn’t seen in months (or more). It had gotten lost in the clutter, and I had forgotten about it. Now that everything has been purged, I have an accurate picture of what I own and can see everything at a glance. And this means no more searching for things I somehow lost track of.
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It simplifies decision making. Since everything’s visible at a glance, and the number of options have been reduced greatly, it’s much quicker to decide what to use. If I only have a few shirts or pairs of pants to choose from, I only have so many options. And limited options help me make a decision and move on.
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It makes maintenance easier. Everything now has a place, and there’s plenty of breathing room. And since there’s not as many things vying for the same space, it’s that much easier to keep things where they need to be. Which means it will be that much more likely that I’ll be able to keep things in order moving forward. I know where everything belongs, and it’s quick and easy to put things back in their spot.
These are some of the benefits I’ve already experienced. It definitely took some time, but I’m glad I finally did it. Perhaps you’re in the same spot—you’ve told yourself that you need to clean up this or that for a while now. If so, I’d highly recommend you take the step and invest the time. In my experience, the benefits are definitely worth the effort.