As a part of my new year resolution, I have decided to declutter every part of my home starting with my closet. Every girl probably has an overfilled closet but being an American-born Indian girl, my closet is filled with my Indian clothes too. But recently, I came to a realization: my closet was a reflection of my cluttered mind. It was time to clean out, reorganize, and create a space that truly felt like me—not just a jumble of clothes because I have some pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy.
I am holding onto too much—too many “what-ifs,” “maybe one days,” and “but I spent so much money on this.” It has become overwhelming. That’s when I decided to take control. It wasn’t about getting rid of everything, but about curating a space that made me feel happy, organized, and aligned. I want to invest in pieces that will last longer and become part of my capsule wardrobe.
Step 1: Tackle with Purpose
Instead of just tossing everything out, I approached it with intention. I thought about the clothing I actually wear and love. I asked myself questions like:
- Did I wear it this year? If the answer was no, I threw it out.
- Is this a piece I feel good in when I wear it?
- Can I see myself wearing this in the next season, or is it just taking up space?
Step 2: Sort and Separate
Once I had a solid understanding of what I loved and what wasn’t serving me anymore, I sorted everything into piles:
- Keep: These are the pieces I reach for every season, that make me feel comfortable and confident.
- Donate: Items I no longer wear but are in excellent condition; clothes that fit be before pregnancy that I know I cannot fit into anymore
- Sell: A few pieces were in excellent condition but weren’t quite my style anymore.
- Recycle/Trash: Any clothes that were beyond repair, like those stretched out leggings or the old kurta that had seen better days.
Step 3: Fold, Hang, and Organize
Once I had cleared the clutter, I tried to organize my clothes by color coordination and separating my indian and western wear.
- Indian Clothes: I decided to fold and organize my traditional pieces by occasion. My sarees are now neatly stacked in one section (especially since I do not like wearing these as much), with my lehengas and salwar kameez sets folded and stored for easy access when a wedding or festival comes around.
- Western Wear: Dresses, skirts, and jackets are put in the front. My go-to scrubs are easy to find, making mornings less stressful.
- Accessories: I invested in storage bins and shelves to organize my jewelry, makeup and purses, so I’m not hunting for that perfect dupatta or necklace every time I’m getting dressed.
Now that my closet is cleaned out and organized, I feel more grounded. The problem for me is going to be keeping up with the organization that I have made. Every time I open the door to my closet now, I feel a sense of calm and clarity, until I look over to my husband’s side which needs a lot of work.
Along with this space, I realized I will need to start small, and soon I will be able to declutter and organize the rest of the house! Well as much as I can with a new baby!
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