It is important to organise your wardrobe and as is most often the case, there are several ways to do this.

In this article I’ll talk through: Why organise your wardrobe, when to organise your wardrobe and two different ways to organise your wardrobe proactively or reactively?

Why organise your wardrobe?

Organising your wardrobe offers several practical benefits. First, it saves time by making it easier to find what you need quickly, eliminating the hassle of searching through piles of clothes. It also saves space, as neatly arranged items take up less room, creating a more functional and tidier environment. Additionally, an organised wardrobe can save you money by preventing unnecessary purchases—you’ll have a clear view of what you already own, reducing the chances of buying duplicates. Finally, it helps you avoid wading through clothes you don’t use or like, allowing you to focus on pieces that truly suit your style and needs.

When organise your wardrobe?

The start of summer or winter are the key times to organise your wardrobe. I find that it tends to be a nice organising project because often we are excited about the season to come and the clothes we haven’t worn for a while. Maybe you are back in your winter woollies, or it is summertime on the horizon with bathing suits and summer dresses.

As a rough rule of thumb in the last couple of years, I would have a quick look through all the clothes in the house at around about April, before the weather would cool off or October before it heats up in Australia.

Checking seasonal clothing twice a year is a good idea, especially if you have kids, as you will need to check if they still fit last year’s clothes. Clearly us adults “never” change size so it is most important when you organise your wardrobe, to see if you still like your items or it it is time to do a quick declutter.

Organise your wardrobe for your self

For yourself, you probably want to check if the clothing you own is enough, if it still looks good and feels comfortable to wear. Does it still fit your lifestyle between, work, hobbies and family engagement?

Organise your wardrobe for the kids

The only thing you have to do, to get your families clothes organised for the next season, is spend one afternoon sorting through the clothes in your house, and then, possibly another day buying some extra items. When the kids were younger, I would do this in two out of the four school holidays, it gave us several activities, organise wardrobe, buy some more clothes that were missing for the upcoming season and we would normally make it a fun outing with a lunch at the shops during the school holidays.

“This brings me to one of the concept that is used in organising, the concept of being proactive or reactive – it fits beautifully with our topic: how to organise your wardrobe.”

— Sabine Straver

How to organise your wardrobe?

Clearly proactively organising anything has a better reputation than reactively organising things, this also applies when you organise your wardrobe. However, sometimes feeling the discomfort of things not being perfectly organised can be the secret motivational kick you might need. The later is one of the reasons I am focused on organising, not because I am always passionate about doing it, I simply like my life better when I am organised.

Organise your wardrobe Proactively

Proactive organisation involves preparing for likely future needs, such as sorting through winter clothes in April, knowing colder weather is approaching. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, emphasised the importance of being proactive rather than reactive.

Combining proactive habits with organisation leads to greater efficiency. However, being proactive isn’t always easy, especially when life is busy. We often move from one task to the next without pausing to plan ahead. But even small proactive steps can make a big difference in managing your wardrobe and your life.

Organise your wardrobe Reactively

Reactive organisation happens when you respond to situations due to a lack of prior planning. For example, instead of checking your winter clothing in April, you might wait until it gets cold.

A real-life example of reactively organising your wardrobe

Years ago, when I was juggling single parenthood, work and live in general - too busy with work to sort clothes earlier.

I found myself with this little boy in the back of the car freezing in his shorts, as he had outgrown all his long pants. The result was that one cold early morning, we needed to buy some winter pants for him as an emergency shopping trip! How very ‘organised’!

A little time spent looking at the clothes say four weeks earlier would have prevented a last-minute rush to the shops. There will of course always be times and instances that we will be reactive to a degree but being proactive makes us more time efficient, cost efficient and it is making day-to-day live often a lot easier.

Over to you, how Can You Be More Proactive This Week?

Reflect on how you can take small steps towards proactive organisation and maybe how to organise your wardrobe this way. A little effort now can lead to big benefits later.