Distract Yourself With Organizing - Summer / Winter Switch

Most of us were glued to our television at one point last night watching the results of the presidential campaign come in. Earlier that day, I was on my way to my client and walked by Central Park. I noticed that some of the streets were blocked off, there were more police out and it was a quieter day than normal. There was an eerie calmness in the streets, which was unusual for NYC (even in this period). Let’s fast forward to a little after midnight…I was a bit tired of listening to commentators on the news and I found myself trying to unwind. I watched a bit of non-news TV, drank a glass of wine but there was this anxiousness about Election Day and all the news coverage that I could not shake off. I’m not one that gets too involved politically so this feeling surprised me.

I found myself looking around my bedroom and I noticed piles of clothes and papers that I had been ignoring for the past couple of days. Suddenly, I had this boost of energy and I started tidying up and putting things away. Just by taking care of these piles of “things” gave me a small sense of accomplishment and control. I was able to distract myself from everything that was going on in the world and focus on a couple of small tasks.

In my midnight session of tidying up, I noticed that I still had not fully switched out my clothing from summer to winter (even though we had some very cold days recently!). Then I thought to myself, this would be a good topic to give tips on and we all need a little distraction with what’s been going on in the news so why not be distracted with something that will make you feel accomplished afterwards?

So, here are some tips on switching out your summer and winter clothes:

1) This is a perfect time to declutter/purge your summer wardrobe! Before putting your summer clothes away, divide your clothing by category (shorts, pants, tank tops, bathing suits, shoes, etc.) and then make three piles: keep (clothes you love and need), throw away (torn, stained) and donate.

2) The next step is to organize your summer clothes for storage. If you don’t have extra room in your closet, consider using space under your bed, vacuum storage bags, or a spare suitcase. If you can, pack the clothes by category. This will make it a lot easier to organize when you unpack.

3) Now that you’ve made room for your winter clothes (think blank canvas!) and if you haven’t done this already, declutter/purge before you set your winter closet up. Refer to step 1.

4) Finally organize your winter closet by category, what you use the most and what makes sense for your daily routine. Do you have a lot of Zoom meeting from home and wearing dressier tops? Set your hanging area up so your tops are easily accessible. Are you using more lounge and gym clothes as your go to wardrobe? Make one of the top drawers lounge and gym. The idea is that whatever you use the most should be placed in the most convenient areas in your closet and dresser.

I hope that switching out your summer and winter clothes will be a great and successful distraction!

Stay healthy and organized!

Photo: https://www.pinterest.com/