How to... Organize your closet

Is your closet about to burst?! Then you do have a lot to wear - you probably just can't find it. Start the new year off with a closet makeover, here are a few tips to get you started.

1 - Take inventory, you must remove every piece of clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories from your closet. No more denial, if you haven't worn/used it in a year - consider it clutter. Exceptions: 1) if it's an investment piece, consider putting it in storage 2) if it's vintage also consider storing it. You have three categories use / donate / store. Cut the fat and only keep the pieces that flatter you the most.

2 - Hangers - Find out what hangers work best for your wardrobe. There are plenty of different options (velvet, wooden, plastic) I would stick with the thin velvet hangers. They take up less space and they won't weight down your clothes rod. Has your clothes rod ever fallen? Mine has, on several occasions, NOT a good look.

I love my Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers, I swear every time I go into Target I pick up a pack. They are supper affordable, come in a bunch of different colors and they won't deform your clothing.

3 - Group all like items together (all blazers, blouses, pants, dresses, etc) for a neat & systematic look. You not only avoid overwhelming your closet but it also makes it easier to find those fitted pants you've been looking for.

After you've categorized your clothing, you can take it one step further and color coordinate them. This also works for your handbags/clutches, making it easier to choose the option that best goes with your outfit.

4 - Let me see...your shoes. Simply put - if you can't see them, you won't wear them (this goes for every item in your closet). If you store your shoes in the back of your closet, you will continue to wear the same five pairs. Get your money's worth and show yourself your options.

All images via Pintrest

Hope this helps and happy organizing!

xo, B

Organize this..

Organization may be on your resolution list or one of your long term goals; you really can start fresh and new at any time if you wanted to. What better way to kick off the new year than to reorganize your closets, drawers or any cluttered space in your home. Getting and keeping your "things" in order is key; whether those "things" are your clothes, shoes, toys or random papers in your office. A cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind; if it's piling up you will not be able to function to the best of your ability. Here are a few tips that help me get and stay organized.

- Go through each space and separate your "things" into piles:

1 - Keep
2 - Donate
3 - Trash
4 - Storage (if necessary)

-  A great rule of thumb is that if you haven't used "it" in a year, chances are you don't really need "it". You know what they say out of sight out of mind. If you haven't used that workout DVD, those strappy sandals or that kitchen gadget since 2009, it's time to part ways.

- A place for everything and everything in it's place! You should check out places like Marshalls, Home Goods, Ikea and Target for cheap yet chic storage bins for home and office.

- If you feel overwhelmed with a project ask for help, friends and family can help in more ways than one. Not only will they help you get your closets organized but they can take away any of the items you will be getting rid of. Try your best not to trash clothes (if they are in good condition) think about donating or selling them. Craigslist and Facebook are great tools as are consignment shops.

Just to show you that I practice what I preach, here is a picture of my closet - it's a never ending work in progress!

Just another Manic Monday...

New week, new you; same issue how to get the most out of your day, week, month or year?! Now a days there are so many ways to keep organized.

I used to write a To Do list; I would buy some nice stationery, jot down my list and put it up on my fridge, in my bag or by my computer. Where ever I thought it would be visible and help me get things done. Then I moved on to the personal planners, I had several of them. Loved the fact that you had an address book, calendar, a section just for notes, sections for business cards all in one place; you could customize it to your needs. Didn't like the fact that it could get bulky and you always needed a big bag to carry it around. Then getting organized went digital, in comes the Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs for short) they were all the craze in the late 90s. Side Bar: Nokia introduced the first mobile phone with full PDA functionality in 1996; which grew to be the world's best-selling PDA.

Back to getting organized; now a days our cell phones can do it ALL! It's like they say "There's an app for that"; it's a great tool to get you and keep you organized. You can enter meetings, doctor's appointments, soccer practice all in your calendar; you then get reminder notifications which means that you may never miss another appointment again. You can even manage your budget, the possibilities are endless.

I am currently using a personal planner and my cell phone. For some reason I think if I write it down I will not forget it; it works most of the time...

How do you stay on top of your game?