By SHAY GREENWOOD
Do you struggle with a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? Here are three tips to help you eliminate the overwhelm.
Twenty-two years ago, when God called me to be a stay-at-home mom of my then three children under the age of 4, I found myself giving up my very corporate attire for sweatpants and T-shirts that really were the pajamas from the night before — or was it from the last four nights before? I felt myself moving into a place where I was not being thoughtful about what I was wearing — like, who even had time for that? I was learning how to navigate this new journey.
Thankfully, I had a new side gig that allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom by day but, by night, required me to look like I could advise women on how to pull a cute outfit together. What I realized is that I felt so much better when I pulled myself together after a long day with the children. I then found flylady.net. (We didn’t have social media back then.) What a blessing she was to me all those years ago. One of the steps to organize your day at home better was to get dressed to your shoes in the morning. It changed my life! This simple act of picking out a cute outfit, getting dressed to my shoes, had been missing from my life. I felt more alive, confident and productive after putting it into practice.
I still believe that when I look my best, I feel my best, and then I do my best.
If you have a closet full of clothes but find yourself frustrated when you can’t seem to find the perfect thing to wear, we have to remind ourselves that God is faithful even in this. He tells us in Matthew 6:25, “do not be anxious (about) what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
We often feel anxious about picking out an outfit. But there are things we can do to prevent it.
Set your timer for 45 minutes (I learned about setting a timer from Flylady), and let’s make your future outfit decisions easier! When you are doing this, keep focused and don’t overthink what you are doing.
Here are three tips to organize your closet and eliminate the overwhelm in picking an outfit:
• For the first 15 minutes, quickly separate your patterned and printed items from your solid color items.
• For the second 15 minutes, separate your solid color items into three sections — blouses, bottoms, and layering pieces — and also separate by color. Then do the same for the patterned and printed items.
Why do you do this? Our brains have enough hard, more important decisions to make during the day. Picking an outfit shouldn’t be the most difficult one. Patterns and prints mixed into your solid colors forces the brain to plan, and a confused mind says no. These separations can quickly eliminate the overwhelming feeling in your closet and help you see what you have better. (In September’s issue, I will break down the three steps for pulling together a look.)
• For the last 15 minutes, treat yourself and order velvet hangers on Amazon. I prefer the beige ones. They keep your clothes on the hanger better, provide you more room in your closet, and you will love the way they look.
My prayer is that these three tips will be a closet game changer for you like they have been for me, and ultimately that our hearts would be focused on being clothed “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Ultimately, that’s what matters the most.
Shay is a style coach with a mission to help women look and feel their best! Follow her on Facebook and Instagram @shaygreenwood.
