If you’re anything like me, this is how the cycle of picking out an outfit goes:

You get an idea of what you want to wear in your head, but suddenly remember the (insert shoe, bottom, top, etc.) that you bought a while back and completely forgot about. Determined it wasn’t a waste of money, you put a few looks together focused around that item and snapchat your friends with the various options. While waiting for their response, you decide you’re not in the mood to wear that item and realize you probably bought it on a whim. While getting the snapchat responses, you’re already dressed: in the original outfit.

End result: A pile of clothes on your bed, in your closet, or on the living room floor.

Or maybe you got that tornado in your room because you spent the entire Sunday doing laundry and couldn’t be bothered to put away all the clothes after finishing that last load, so they’re still in hampers or baskets. Either way, here you are. Either way, I’m here to help. Rather than make this one giant post, closet organizing is being split into three parts:

1. Getting Prepared
2. During the Cleaning
3. The Aftermath

Ready? Let’s get started.

Getting Prepared

When you first decide you’re really going to commit and organize your closet, it’s hard not to get excited. The mental picture you have of your transformed closet is Pinterest-worthy, after all. Don’t lose that energy! It’s a long and exhausting task, but if you prep well, the chances of quitting mid-way through are slim. So what’s the very first thing you should do?

Set a date

This may seem silly, but if you’re serious about getting down and dirty with the deep cleaning, it’s not something you’ll want to start in a spur of the moment kind of way. This is a project best suited for an early start time, so pick a weekend that’s open and stick with it.

Analyze your space

Just because there’s a gorgeous bedroom-sized closet with quality IKEA storage units and extra shelving on Tumblr, doesn’t mean that’s what you should duplicate. It’s easy to get lost in ideas and inspiration on social media sites, but it’s important to be realistic. Look at the size of your closet and think about what, if any, storage can comfortably fit.

Stock up

A word of advice: Make sure you have enough hangers before touching a single item. Coming from personal experience, nothing makes the energy level shoot down to zero faster than being in the thick of organizing and running out of hangers. Go out and buy any additional hangers and what ever storage bins you’ll need prior to organizing. Eliminating the need to leave during the midst of it all will ensure you don’t stop until you’re actually finished. Along those same lines, stocking up also refers to food. Have snacks (and maybe wine) in your home so you won’t have to leave when the hunger bug strikes.

Wash everything

This may be a personal preference, but I need to have every article of clothing clean when embarking on closet organizing. Once I’m finished, I love knowing there isn’t any laundry waiting for me. Get all of your laundry done the day prior.

With that, you’re ready to head to the closet, so stay tuned for part two and share it with your friends!

**TIP**
Q: Should I enlist my friends for help?
A: This is a personal preference. For me, I like to stay solo when I have a clear idea of what I need to accomplish. Inviting friends to help would make it more fun, but also can drag out the already long day. I’m really big on doing things with friends when I’m not too focused on productivity. In this instance, I have a clear vision of what I want the end result to be and the timeframe it should take to get there, so I opt for no distractions. Also, this project involves getting rid of clothes, something I feel only I can answer honestly.