image via Design Sponge no, this is not my closet or my bathroom. bummer.
As I mentioned, I planned to follow along with Simple Mom’s Project Simplify challenge this week, though I procrastinated until Thursday. I have to confess — when I learned this week’s task was to work on our closet I panicked. MY CLOSET? NO! That has been my dreaded project. I knew I didn’t have time for a full “closet makeover.”
In fact, I’ve been putting off even hanging hooks since we moved in. Why? Because I imagined I needed to paint the closet first, plan the layout, install custom shelves, hang pretty hooks and add matching baskets — basically make everything charming and perfectly organized. I have a long list of other projects, so my nonfunctional, messy closet would stay as it was for a long time.
But I promised Simple Mom I’d follow her challenge. She told me to work on my closet. She didn’t say to make it magazine-ready. She said SIMPLIFY.
Soooo, after dreading “the closet project” all week, I finally opened Simple Mom’s book for inspiration. She’s all about simplifying. I realized I was making this far more complicated than it needed to be. On page 121 I found a heading that changed my mindset:
Today’s Items NOT To Worry About
BINGO! That was exactly what I needed — a What Not To Do List. I had to lower my expectations, but not to the point of doing nothing. I needed to stop worrying about everything I could do someday and choose one simple, achievable project to make the closet more functional. It didn’t have to be all or nothing.
So today I decided to tackle just ONE thing in my closet — one small change that would simplify my life.
It wasn’t about making it beautiful for a before-and-after reveal. It was about making it better than before.
So what if I can’t paint the closet yet? So what if I can’t install custom shelving or a ladder right now? I could at least get my scarves and belts off the dresser and floor. Of course I could.
Closet Wall. BEFORE. Yes, those are random cedar planks.
Closet wall. AFTER.
I looked around for a quick way to hang scarves and found a curved iron towel rod I’d been saving for years. It had been waiting for the perfect use and finally got one: a scarf hanger. The only available wall had an awkward electrical panel I couldn’t hide, so I mounted the rod above it and it worked perfectly.
I know the rod looks crooked (it isn’t), and it’s not staged or magazine-perfect, but you get the idea.
It took about five minutes to hang the rod and tie the scarves on. I set a mirror on the floor to solve the problem of not having a mirror to check the lower half of outfits.
Two problems solved in five minutes. What was I waiting for? Oh right — perfect style and charm. Maybe that will come later.
What holds you back from making progress on projects?
Are you an all-or-nothing person?
PS. My friend Krista Colvin has a great online resource for organizing your closet — she’s fantastic and very helpful.