Jump-start your day with these organizing tips for small or large spaces

By Ken Lauher

With summer just around the corner, it’s time to purge your closets of winter, and maybe even spring, clothes to make room for warm weather wear. I often say that Feng Shui is not just about clearing clutter, but when we make room for better organization in our homes and apartments, it gives us more time and energy to pursue our passion, what really matters to us in life.

It’s especially important for residents of city apartments who may have limited space to do a seasonal cleaning that makes room for new clothes. The act of clearing space in your closets, getting rid of clothes you don’t wear, and re-organizing the rest can help attract abundance in your life. But even if you have plenty of space, (and who can really say they have “enough” space after years of living in a home?) by utilizing that space better, you’ll make life easier and pave the way to welcome more abundance into your life. This works for a number of reasons:

1 – When we empty space in our homes or apartments, we are opening that space to welcome the items we really want, things that make us feel wealthy. When we give items away or sell them, we make room for better things in our life. As a side note, this is also true of people and relationships, jobs and opportunities. When we get rid of what’s not working for us, we are freeing space to welcome something new and better.

2 – Whether we donate gently used clothing items to those less fortunate, give them away to people who could use them through Freecycle or other methods, or even sell them at very affordable prices through a consignment shop or yard sale, we are helping others. The more we give away, the more comes back to us. This is why, as you go through the first step of purging your closets, it’s important to be brutal.

3 – Taking an inventory of all we have as we clean out our closets can make us feel wealthy. It answers that age-old question many people ask: “Where does my money go every week?” There it is, all around you. I talk about the concept of using a personal inventory to feel wealthy instantly on my blog. You don’t realize exactly how much you have until you count it all up, and your closets are a good place to start.

This may also be a time to re-assess your financial goals and how you spend money. Are you spending it on what really matters in order to fulfill your financial goals? Do the things you purchase have value to you and enhance your life? Or is your closet stuffed with clothes and shoes you never wear, impulse purchases that you thought would improve your life but really just added to the clutter? Maybe it’s time to begin to set specific material goals and start saving toward them — things that will truly improve your life and build great memories. What changes can you make to begin living a richer life, right now?

Let’s start with taking stock of what we have, going through our closets, and making our lives (or, at least, our mornings) easier with these 7 easy steps to re-organize your closets overnight.

Step 1: Be brutal. – Following the same format as those television shows about organizing, prepare to make three piles: keep, throw away, donate/sell. Items that don’t fit or you can’t remember when you last wore them go into one of the latter two piles. If an item doesn’t make you feel good when you wear it, why would you want to keep it? If an item is so threadbare you can’t imagine anyone wanting it, throw it away. Otherwise, place it in a pile to sell, donate or Freecycle.

Step 2: Stow out of season clothes out of sight. – What’s left in your “keep” pile should fit into four categories: one for each season. (There may be a lot of overlap between spring and summer, winter and fall, and, of course, that favorite pair of jeans you can wear any time of year.) Since we’re prepping for summer, everything else should go into storage containers and tucked into your attic, basement, under the bed or in higher, out-of-reach shelves in your closet. Organize items by season and type to make it easier to re-vamp your closet come autumn.

Step 3: Organize by type of clothing or by color. – As you begin hanging your clothes, decide how you’re more apt to look for clothes in the morning. You might hang casual wear — first pants, then tops — together, and then do the same for business clothes and the same for evening wear. Or maybe you want to hang all your pants together, then skirts, then shirts and dresses. Maybe you want to put frequently worn outfits together so you don’t have to think about what shirt matches your pants every day. (This is a great way to organize kids’ closets, so they can pick out their own clothes but you will always know they match!) Once you’ve organized, you may decide you want to arrange pants, then shirts, then skirts by color. This creates a closet that is pleasing to the eye. If you do this, you may want to follow the colors of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, then black and white.

Step 4. Don’t hang when you can roll or fold. – Roll underwear, scarves, t-shirts and belts to keep them wrinkle free and taking up less room. Store them in bins with clear plastic drawers for an inexpensive storage solution in a walk-in closet. Fold sweaters and store on canvas shelves so they won’t lose their shape on hangers. (Don’t forget to take those heavy winter sweaters and stash them away.) You can also color-coordinate these items.

Step 5: Remember, if you can see it, you’ll wear it. – Take a step back and look around. Is everything in your closet easily accessible and can you see what you have at a glance? Use pegboards for jewelry, belts, ties and scarves. Hang purses and bags on hooks so they maintain their shape and are easy to find. You may also use a slanted shoe shelf (space permitting) to neatly store shoes and boots that often get tossed in the bottom of the closet and forgotten about. Otherwise, put hats or shoes in clear plastic shoe boxes or on canvas shelves for easy access. Decorative hat boxes may look pretty, but you’re more apt to wear your hats if you can see them every day. Stack boxes so that the items you use more frequently are easiest to reach.

Step 6. Don’t forget lighting – Battery-powered LEDs that stick to a closet wall or ceiling are a perfect solution to bring a lot of light into the area if you don’t already have a light in the closet. Make sure areas where you look for items are well-illuminated. You want to be able to distinguish navy blue slacks from black in the morning when you get dressed.

See Also

Transcendental Feng Shui

Step 7. Don’t think, search and stress. Sort and label, instead. – Now that everything is well-organized, label items. Purchase or borrow a label maker and use decorative gold- or silver-toned plates to give your  closet an extra classy feel (and keep it from looking like a kindergarten classroom.) Even if a stack of items seems obvious, label it anyway. On laundry day, when half your shelves are empty, having labels makes putting away clothing and accessories much easier.

Now that you’re done, step back and make an assessment. Can you imagine choosing an outfit each morning (or the night before) and knowing that, whatever you select, you will look and feel spectacular? That means you’ve successfully used Feng Shui in your closets to dress for success improve your life.

Are you ready to take the next step and make easy, inexpensive improvements to other rooms in your home or apartment? I’d recommend my eBook, Feng Shui Secrets, to get started. Right now, I’m offering the book for the low cost of just $7. I figure, if I can make this book accessible to nearly everyone, at the price of a cup of coffee and a muffin from the corner deli, then regular OM Times readers and visitors to my website won’t have any excuses NOT to make dramatic changes in their lives using Feng Shui. Here’s the opportunity to learn what the Feng Shui masters know and make real changes… why not take advantage and get Feng Shui Secrets now?

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About Ken – One of America’s premier Feng Shui consultants, Ken Lauher helps thousands of people achieve their goals through Feng Shui. He can help you become a money magnet, attract passionate love, jump-start your career and get unstuck. Visit www.kenlauher.com to get your FREE Feng Shui guide and discover the ancient secrets that can help you unlock your true potential.