After reading “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Japanese consultant Marie Kondo, I started to revamp my own closet in hopes of one day being able to keep only the items that “spark joy” in my life. As summer comes to an end and the fall season approaches, I thought that there’s no better time to take on this project. Here are some of my tips and tricks to get the most out of this experience.

Take all of your clothes out

Although taking out every single piece of clothing is a real hassle, this is a key step to ensure successful decluttering. The idea is that since it takes considerably more effort to put your garments back into your closet, you would only do this if you really treasured the piece of clothing. This forces you to put in some thought and prevents you from only keeping a garment out of habit.

Set criteria to keep an item

Sure, asking yourself whether you wear an item often enough can help declutter a portion of your garments, but that can only do so little. By laying out specific criteria and checklists that need to be met in order for you to keep an item, you can be more decisive. To get you started, check out these questions to ask yourself before buying an article of clothing, many of which can be applied even when decluttering. 

Shop your own closet

Treating your closet as a clothing store can help you easily identify the “no” pile. If you wouldn’t purchase the item now, there is a very likely chance that you will not wear it again. This accomplishes half of the work, and now you’re only left with the “yes” and “maybe” pile that you can sort out later with the tip below.

Keep the “maybe” pile out of sight

Many people (myself included) end up with a “maybe” pile of clothes at the end of the decluttering session. This portion is where the most difficult decision-making comes into play. Something that worked for me was moving these clothes completely out of my closet and out of sight for at least two weeks. This allowed me to see if I actually needed or missed the clothes. By the end of the two weeks, if you don’t end up thinking about any items in the pile, you know you can donate or recycle them without any regrets.

So there you have it; I hope these tips will be able to help you as much as they helped me!