I didn’t know this was a thing. Not having a plan when you organize.

Now I know what you are thinking. Why do you need a plan when you organize? Don’t you just go through things to decide what to keep and what to get rid of?

I would only partly agree with that. Because when you just sort through things and put them back in the same spot, you aren’t totally organizing. You are just removing things you don’t want.

Instead, I would suggest you create a plan so that you can actually remove unwanted things, organize your clothing in a way that makes sense for you, and create a way for removal of unwanted clothing as you go (rather than doing a giant closet clean out).

Where To Start With Clothes Organization Ideas

When I first started going into people’s homes to help them organize, I found that taking all the clothing out at once was the best way to make progress. But when I was asking the clients to do this process on their own, not as many were able to take all the clothing out.

I decided to investigate why this was. Why were they able to remove all clothing from their closets with me, but weren’t able to repeat this process by themselves.

After many discussions, I found that the clients struggled with the giant pile of clothing when they were cleaning things out on their own. When they had someone with them, they didn’t feel as intimidated by the piles of clothing. And they felt more confident in their decision-making when there was someone else around to help them through the sorting process.

So I had to change my approach for when clients were working alone. Which is why you need to set a plan for yourself as to how you are going to sort through your clothing. Are you able to declutter your clothes in one giant pile, or do you need to do it a different way?

Why A Plan Is Important For Clothing Organization

Has it ever happened to you…you start a big organizing project only to get completely overwhelmed?

So you just forget the entire thing by shoving everything back into the closet/cabinet/drawer/etc?

That is why you need a plan. To decide which option of decluttering works for you. To decide where items should go in your closet. Because there are many ways to actually organize.

You can group the clothing together by color. Or by style. Or by how you wear the clothing.

And while you are decluttering, you shouldn’t be deciding how you are going to organize the clothing. It should already be decided to make the entire process move quickly.

Do You Donate Or Do You Sell?

I once had a virtual client who hired me to help her with all the items she wanted to sell. The items were piled by in a room in her basement. She wanted some way to keep track of all the things she was selling.

As she started to sort through the piles, she quickly realized that everything in that room was to be sold. Some things were gifts to family members. Other items were supposed to go to donation centers. She also found a bag with some items she bought but thought she lost mixed up with these piles of things.

After we got her items sorted into the different piles, she needed a way to keep track of the things she was selling. Because those are the items that needed to be kept in that room. The rest needed to go elsewhere.

So we set up reminders on her phone to ensure that the items would be sold for a designated amount of time. After that time, the items needed to be donated.

Because she had a plan for length of time to sell an item, things weren’t piling up in her room again.

Clothes Organization Ideas

So if you are ready to declutter and organize your clothes, then you need a plan. But not everyone wants someone to come into their homes to guide them through the process. Which is why the Clothing Clean-Out Workbook is the helpful tool to guide you through the decluttering process.

The Clothing Clean-Out Workbook has two different plans for decluttering your clothing. So you don’t have to think about how you are going to start.

The entire clothing method is where you take out all the clothing at once and sort through the pile. The category method is where you remove only clothing from that category. Then you declutter that pile. Both methods work wonders, you just have to decide which method will work for you and your decluttering needs. Both methods have visual flowcharts to walk you through the entire process.

Plus you get donate and sell framework to guide you through the exact same process I supported my virtual client with. This framework takes the guesswork out of selling your items!

So stop trying to clean out your closet alone. Use the Clothing Clean-Out Workbook to guide you through the process!

More From The Organized Mama

How To Organize Your Closet Without Spending Anything– the step-by-step process to organizing a closet without buying any products.

Space Saving Folding Tips– steps to fold practically anything

How To Organise Your Walk-In Wardrobe– walk-in closet organizing tips