Take everything out of your closet…yes, everything.
I am so guilty of this. Before I felt so overwhelmed by the volume of clothes I had, that it felt impossible to go through the whole closet in a day, or even a few days. It has taken me years to clean my closet doing it this way.
Not only are you not taking advantage of your time or energy, but you are loosing your Marie Kondo motivation. The entire purpose behind getting everything out of your closet, is realizing the amount of clothes you have attained.

The purpose of this is to hit us with a strong dose of reality and demand action. When we donate this dress today and one pair of jeans next week, we make excuses for the poor state of our closet. Get real with yourself…and take out EVERYTHING in your closet.

2. Immediately sell or donate items in your sell pile.

Maybe it’s a sentimental item, or one you wore more recently, but if you decided to sell it (at any point), there is a reason why. Don’t second guess your decisions. I have done this dozens of times. I would list something to sell, then decide to keep it. The next time I would try to wear this item, I was reminded of why I wanted to sell it in the first place, and would relist it all over again.

The next time selling remorse sweeps over you, ask yourself this question, “if I was shopping right now and came across this item, would I buy it?” if not, let it go and don’t look back. We will find you something that is a must-have, not a “maybe-have.” The key to decluttering is keeping items you love 100%.

3. Limit how many sentimental items you keep.

Here’s the deal: it’s ok to keep a few things that strike a chord in your heart. But don’t let that mentality take over your entire closet. A possible solution: take a photo of the item?

You can honor the memory of this item by reflecting on what makes it special to you. And guess what? You can keep the memory and let go of that item. Be sentimental with 5% of your clothing; be cut-throat in your decluttering with the rest.

4. Evaluate your closet and closet needs before shopping.

And by shopping I don’t mean you re-purchased a few items that had to be tossed and needed to be replaced. Sometimes we give ourself excuses to shop til we drop.

Don’t un-do all the hard work you’ve done. The purpose of decluttering is to let go of items that don’t add value to your style, and learn to only spend money on items that you love.

I ask myself before I make a purchase, is this something I may want to declutter in a year or less? If the answer is yes or even maybe, I don’t buy that item. What is the point of clearing out your whole closet, to just do it again and again?

While decluttering is a constant process, after your Marie Condo cleanse, you shouldn’t have to declutter your entire closet again. The concept is to change our closet, by changing our mentality, or as I say, your fashion philosophy.

5. Define your style before you declutter.

The single most valuable step I did in decluttering my closet was taking the time to define my style. How do you know if a jacket suits you, if you don’t define your signature style?

Before you jump into discarding half your closet, or deciding you don’t need to declutter at all, select one or two people who could be your style icons. Whose style do you respect and wish you could emulate? As you go through your closet, reflect on if this individual would wear this item.

Creating a vision board was also a game-changer for me. Any time I decided to keep an item in my closet, I compared it to a few fabulous outfits I had cut out from magazines and from Pinterest. When those items didn’t begin to compare, they weren’t invited back into my closet.

Considering your closet as an invite-only VIP club, keeps you super selective with the clothes you keep (and buy.)

Disclaimer…

We are all human. I have made all the mistakes I mentioned above. We live and we learn.

If you just made a regretful purchase, see if you can return the item, then remind yourself why that item is a regret. We are transforming our closet and our style, and that is a process.

I don’t follow the Marie Kondo technique exactly by the book. She is meant to serve as an inspiration, and then we have to adjust her techniques to our lifestyle, and our closet.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is our dream closet. But…we’re getting closer:)

Marie Kondo Your Closet

Take everything out of your closet…yes, everything.

I am so guilty of this. Before I felt so overwhelmed by the volume of clothes I had, that it felt impossible to go through the whole closet in a day, or even a few days. It has taken me years to clean my closet doing it this way.

Not only are you not taking advantage of your time or energy, but you are loosing your Marie Kondo motivation. The entire purpose behind getting everything out of your closet, is realizing the amount of clothes you have attained.

The purpose of this is to hit us with a strong dose of reality and demand action. When we donate this dress today and one pair of jeans next week, we make excuses for the poor state of our closet. Get real with yourself…and take out EVERYTHING in your closet.

2. Immediately sell or donate items in your sell pile.

3. Limit how many sentimental items you keep.

Here’s the deal: it’s ok to keep a few things that strike a chord in your heart. But don’t let that mentality take over your entire closet. A possible solution: take a photo of the item?

You can honor the memory of this item by reflecting on what makes it special to you. And guess what? You can keep the memory and let go of that item. Be sentimental with 5% of your clothing; be cut-throat in your decluttering with the rest.

4. Evaluate your closet and closet needs before shopping.

And by shopping I don’t mean you re-purchased a few items that had to be tossed and needed to be replaced. Sometimes we give ourself excuses to shop til we drop.

Don’t un-do all the hard work you’ve done. The purpose of decluttering is to let go of items that don’t add value to your style, and learn to only spend money on items that you love.

I ask myself before I make a purchase, is this something I may want to declutter in a year or less? If the answer is yes or even maybe, I don’t buy that item. What is the point of clearing out your whole closet, to just do it again and again?

While decluttering is a constant process, after your Marie Condo cleanse, you shouldn’t have to declutter your entire closet again. The concept is to change our closet, by changing our mentality, or as I say, your fashion philosophy.

5. Define your style before you declutter.

The single most valuable step I did in decluttering my closet was taking the time to define my style. How do you know if a jacket suits you, if you don’t define your signature style?

Before you jump into discarding half your closet, or deciding you don’t need to declutter at all, select one or two people who could be your style icons. Whose style do you respect and wish you could emulate? As you go through your closet, reflect on if this individual would wear this item.

Creating a vision board was also a game-changer for me. Any time I decided to keep an item in my closet, I compared it to a few fabulous outfits I had cut out from magazines and from Pinterest. When those items didn’t begin to compare, they weren’t invited back into my closet.

Considering your closet as an invite-only VIP club, keeps you super selective with the clothes you keep (and buy.)

Disclaimer…

We are all human. I have made all the mistakes I mentioned above. We live and we learn.

If you just made a regretful purchase, see if you can return the item, then remind yourself why that item is a regret. We are transforming our closet and our style, and that is a process.

I don’t follow the Marie Kondo technique exactly by the book. She is meant to serve as an inspiration, and then we have to adjust her techniques to our lifestyle, and our closet.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is our dream closet. But…we’re getting closer:)