Trying to Organize My Life

So about a month-ish ago, I decided that it was time I fully clean out my bedroom.  There was no box or corner that I wasn't going to go through and decide what to do with.  Over the course of two full days, I pulled everything out of my closet, drawers, and under my bed.  I got rid of around 9 garbage bags full of clothes, donated several bags of "stuff", and got to re-organize things to really become more functional for me.

I thought I would take a little bit of time, and post a few after pictures, and hopefully someone will stumble upon this little post and decide that one of the things I did would benefit them as well.  I unfortunately have no before pics, but take my word for it...it was horrible!  There were times in the past I felt I had no carpet, but rather just many, many piles of clothes just thrown everywhere.  I decided I didn't want to live like that anymore, and I bit the bullet, worked super hard for a couple days, and now I'm just ecstatic with the results.

First up are my dressers.  I had clothes shoved in every drawer, to the point where I could barely open them or close them.  My worst fear was having all the laundry done, because I knew there was no way I had the space for all my clothes at one time.  To some, the hardest part may be to get rid of clothes, and with some pieces it was, but I really asked myself with each piece, if I had worn it in a year or if I was planning on wearing it.  I also had to be brutally honest with myself about my age and my size.  No more keeping clothes just on the hope I'd lose weight or because I still wanted to be like 21, haha.  I wanted to be able to go to anything in my room, know it fits, and know it works...no more "what ifs".

After really going through my clothes and getting rid of a lot, I knew I needed a better system to organize all my folded clothes.   So with the help of the YouTube channel, Home Organizing by Alejandra.tv ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcvu0uB6SzugED_5FEC7Z0Q ), I was able to come up with the above ideas.  With all my shirts and tanks, I folded them in small rectangles so that I could put them on their sides.  This way I can easily see what each shirt is, grab it, and it doesn't mess up the whole drawer. For my leggings, I folded them in half, then rolled them up so they would fit in my smaller drawers.  I also separated the long leggings from the short ones for easy picking.  Finally, for my colored "jeggings" and other pants I folded them very similar to my shirts so I could see what all I had and pick them at ease.

To fold a shirt: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcvu0uB6SzugED_5FEC7Z0Q
*I just did it on my own instead of the tool she used

To fold the pants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyQHBj_HUBQ

Next up...the closet.  A few years ago I had a horrible mishap with my closet, when the rod bent and broke off the wall.  It was a horrible mess, and I told myself then that I wouldn't let it get that bad again, but sure enough I was on the path again!  Enough was enough, so I got to work!  Once again, I really thought about each piece...did I really like it, was it age appropriate, and does it work for my size.  If any answer was no, it went!  I cut the clothes in my closet to like half of what it was before, and I treated myself to those amazing thin velvet-like hangers for my clothes.  I purchased mine at Home Goods for around $12 for a pack of 25.  I love them!  My shirts and cardigans no longer slip off, and they just fit my closet so well.

Then came the shoes...my huge weakness.  I went through my shoes, getting rid of a few that weren't in style, or were very worn, then I went to organizing.  I had already started the process a couple years ago, but I finished putting each pair of shoes in its own clear box, bought at Walmart, and then I taped a small description to the front so I could see all my shoes and pick them quickly.  Yes, I have a lot of shoes...but I love them all!  For my flip flops, I bought a single drawer from Walmart and placed them all in there.  Once again, it's all about being able to quickly see all that I have and choose easily.

For my scarves, I had seen this idea a lot, but I just never could get them in my closet with all my clothes.  Since that wasn't the issue anymore, I tied each scarf to a hanger so I could pick one with no fuss.  I have scarves on 2 hangers...one for anytime scarves, the other for heavier/winter ones.

And finally...some accessory organizing!  I organized all my hair items in small bins and containers.  I was so tired of not being able to find what I needed when I needed it...or finding things laying everything.  Invest in just a few helpful items...it's worth always knowing where my bobby pins and ponytail holders are!!

For my lotions and perfumes, I got a couple of spice racks from Walmart, put some adorable zebra print duck tape on them, then organized the items...one rack has lotions, the other has perfumes.  I can see what I have, pick quickly, and just head out the door!  Plus, I really like the way it looks...almost like actual decor on my bookcase.

Shew!  That was a long one, but as I said before, I hope that it is helpful to someone.  I'm loving my room now...it's organized, I know where everything is, and it just feels great!  I put a laundry basket at the foot of my bed, so that I can put clothes there instead of the my floor when I'm between laundry days, and I also have a 3-drawer organizer that holds all my cleaning supplies and candles.  As I said...everything is organized and everything has a place.

I force myself to pick up a little everyday, and I make sure to plan a cleaning job each week so that I can keep it looking this nice.  It's all about picking a time and just getting things done!

I hope you all have a great day!
Taryn