If you suddenly feel the urge to purge your closet or any other room in your home, don’t resist! You’ll feel amazing and be so glad you said yes.
I’m not sure if it was a bolt of lightning or a message from God, but at 9 o’clock last night, I felt an intense urge to clean out my closet and prepare for fall. In that moment, I was so motivated that nothing, not even the late hour, could stop me!
There have been too many times when I stood in front of my cluttered closet feeling completely overwhelmed, only to put it off for another day. But this time was different!
Tackling the Overwhelm
I wasn’t going to let my cluttered closet weigh me down any longer. I set a timer for two hours—the amount of time I gave myself to accomplish my mission. Without hesitation, I emptied the closet completely, sorting everything into piles: summer dresses, slacks, tops, etc. Then, one by one, I ruthlessly decided whether to keep it, donate it, or discard it.
Every time I tried to convince myself to keep something that:
- Didn’t fit
- Didn’t make me feel great when I wore it
- Didn’t get worn all summer
I reminded myself how much happier I’d be with a neat, organized closet… and how much simpler and more peaceful my life would feel.
Letting Go of Guilt and Sentimentality
When I started to feel guilty about letting go of something expensive, I reminded myself that if I hadn’t worn it all summer, it was just taking up valuable space in my closet. Besides, someone else might enjoy it!
When I teared up, feeling sentimental about a special dress I wore years ago, I set it aside in a “maybe” box—I didn’t want that one item to stop me.
Next, I immediately put the donate and discard bags in the trunk of my car so they’d be ready for distribution, and I wouldn’t second-guess my decisions. That left me with only the clothes I knew I’d wear next summer!
The Final Push: Reorganizing for a Fresh Start
My next task was to bring out my winter clothes from storage so I could repeat the sorting process. As I organized my fall/winter wardrobe, I wondered why I hadn’t saved time by purging them last spring… but at least now, I was finally doing it!
When the timer rang, my two hours were up. I hadn’t quite finished, so I reset the timer for 60 more minutes.
Motivated to complete my great closet clean-out, I worked faster than the Energizer Bunny, organizing every piece of clothing by category and color.
In less than 45 minutes, I was done! Exhausted yet exhilarated! The sense of accomplishment was incredible, knowing that not only are my fall/winter clothes ready to wear now, but my spring clothes are also sorted for next year.
I wanted to share this experience because saying yes to that urge to purge, even at an ungodly hour, was one of the best things I’ve done for myself in a while. So, if you feel the urge to purge, don’t resist it!
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