Streamline Your Wardrobe

Quick Win

Tired of sifting through your closet and drawers to assemble an outfit every morning? Pare down your options to reduce clutter and free up time!

Try This Today

1. Pick your faves. Which clothing items do you love, look good in and frequently wear?
2. Toss the rest. Put everything else in boxes or bags, to be donated to a charity. Not sure if you can part with an item? Create a “maybe” container or drawer. If after a year​,​ you haven’t worn these clothes, you’ll know it’s time to let them go.
3. Plan your week. At the beginning of the week, look at the weather forecast and plan your outfits for the week. Put each one on a hanger or folded neatly in a drawer.
4. Don’t look back. When you get dressed in the morning, stick to the plan and enjoy having more time to yourself.

Why

You make hundreds of decisions a day, possibly thousands, and each one takes time and mental energy — even relatively minor decisions, like what kind of toaster to buy, what to eat for breakfast (and lunch and dinner​ ​…) and what to wear. Psychologists use the term “decision fatigue” to describe feelings of depletion and irritability that can accompany too much decision-making. Streamlining your wardrobe and planning your outfits ahead of time can take a few daily decisions off the table. You also gain the benefits of a less cluttered bedroom and closet. In a study of nearly 1,400 adults — mainly women in their 50s — researchers found having a lot of clutter can undermine well-being, as reported in the Journal of Environmental Psychology in 2016.