I was chatting with someone recently who said the state of her closet is an accurate reflection on how she's doing in her life. If it's organized, she's got a good handle on things. If it's a mess, there's a good chance that other areas of her life are, too.
If you're really overwhelmed by your day-to-day to-do list, it's easy to tell yourself you don't have time to put your clothes away, and what's the point anyway? The laundry can stay in the basket until you wear it, and it moves from one pile to another until it ends up in the washing machine again and the cycle repeats.
This is true to some extent. I mean, the world doesn't end if you don't put your laundry away. But it's a false narrative; you're not actually saving time and energy by wading through piles of clothing in no discernible order (and no, The Chair as a temporary holding spot for clean-enough-to-rewear-clothes doesn't count!). In fact, you're probably spending more time and energy getting dressed, plus adding some frustration into the mix.
My dad's favorite phrase is "A place for everything, and everything in its place," which seems obvious when it comes to finding the right type of screwdriver. But it also helps immensely when you want to wear that one specific piece - think of Cher in Clueless looking for her white shirt to wear to her driving test. If you don't know where it is except that it's deep in a pile of clothes (or is it at the dry cleaners?), how much time do you waste looking for it?
Be realistic: how long does it take to put your laundry away? 3 minutes? 15? Ok, so over the course of a week, do you spend more than that hunting for things? Probably. And you've got to take more time ironing pieces if they've been crushed at the bottom of a pile.
How long does it *really* take you to put a basket of laundry away?
3 minutes
5 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes
The other cruel side effect of closet chaos is that you just end up wearing the same things over and over, and those are probably wrinkled from living in a heap on the floor, which just increases your apathy about stepping up your style. Or at the very least looking put together and polished.
PRO TIP: A wardrobe edit is a solution to all of these issues, plus more! Making the effort to set aside time and address it once results in long-term benefits. By removing everything that shouldn't be in there, you end up with more space to see what you've got plus it's easier to put clothes away properly on their hangers, in drawers (that close!) and neatly on shelves. You spend less time looking for things when they're right where they should be (in front of you!), and all of a sudden, this one area of your world is calm and efficient, eliminating that morning struggle and irritation that sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Your clothing will also benefit by being looked after properly. Clothes are meant to be worn, not stepped on as you search for your most capable-looking outfit.
xx
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