April 24, 2013

Anyone who has ever cleaned out a closet
and taken stuff to Goodwill knows how liberating it is.
You feel lighter, your mind feels clearer.  – Cecile Andrews

Focus:  Life Unscripted

Today I tackled a semi-annual chore of mine – cleaning out my clothes closet.  I do this every spring and every fall in order to switch out my clothes as the weather changes.  I always dread this chore, since it literally takes me hours to complete.  This is because I painstakingly go through every article of clothing and ask myself  ‘Do I love this?’, ‘Do I really wear this?’, ‘Do I like the way I feel in this?’, ‘Will I wear it again?’, ‘Is this still in good shape?’, ‘Would someone else get more use out of this then me?’.  Based on my responses to those questions I either pack the item away for storage, donate the item to charity, or toss it in the trash.  I try very hard not to over think the whole process.  I read once that you can easily eliminate 25% of the stuff you own if you’d simply ask yourself ‘If I was shopping right now, would I buy this again?’.  Surprisingly, the answer is often ‘No’.  Sure, there have been times that I have regretted giving away something during my semi-annual closet overhaul, but those instances are far fewer than the times I’ve never again thought about a clothing item once it has left my closet.  Organize, don’t agonize, as they say.