4 step process for really and truly cleaning out your closet (Monica)

I've been working on this project for 4 years now. Every time I do this, I review each article of clothing, decide to keep or throw away. I've tried several methods from living simple books such as turning hangers backwards and in 6 months throwing out all things that are still hanging backwards and therefore must not have been worn. I still had too many things hanging around that I didn't wear but I couldn't seem to part with.

So, I invented my own strategy which I must admit I think is brilliant Of course this may be obvious to other people and perhaps I'm not the first one to think of it. But, in case you haven't thought of it, hear goes:

My 4 step process for really and truly cleaning out your closet.

Step 1) Decide on your outfit categories.

This is what types of outfits you need in your life. Mine were: casual (lunches out, shopping), very casual (hanging around the house, going to the beach), work warm weather, work cold weather, yoga, cycling, and dressy (going out).

Step 2) Decide how many outfits of each category you think you need.

For Miami (6 months) I decided I needed 6 casual outfits, 6 very casual, 2 yoga, 2 cycling, 6 warm weather work, 4 cold weather work and 4 dressy outfits.

Step 3) Build your outfits from your closet.

Lay out the outfits in different parts of the room. dressy on the bed, casual on the sofa, etc. Make sure you are building entire outfits. If the same pair of pants can be paired with two different tops, that is great - but count it as 2 outfits. Start with your favorite outfits and then continue until you have the number you decided you needed. Leave all the clothing that doesn't go with outfits needed. I cheated a bit here because I found that I had 6 dressy outfits and I wasn't going to part with any of them. Fine! I left it that way.

Step 4) Cull the clothes left in the closet.

I wish I could say I gave away ALL of the clothes that were in the closet after making my outfits. I did not. But, I gave away over 1/2 of them and this was a huge amount compared to what I'd been able to give away at any one time before. The other clothes that I just couldn't part with, I decided to take photos of, box up and they will go into storage. If I haven't missed them after Miami or some time down the road, they will be a lot easier to let go of.