Fall Organizing: Systems To Help Transition To Changing Seasons
Fall is one of my favorite times to do a quick sweep of spaces around our home to prepare for the changes in season. I am a big fan of doing routine check ins throughout the house to help us purge items we no longer need and keep us organized. As we start to spend more time in our home and anticipate the colder months, I have created a few practices which take minimal effort. The added benefit of being able to donate items to local stores knowing someone else may benefit while only keeping the items we need, makes this system a win-win. I’ve outlined a few tips to incorporate this easy routine into your home.
Closet Refresh
Living in the midwest means we experience all of the seasons and the start of fall reminds me it’s time to pull out those sweaters and boots! The flip flops and swimsuits get packed away and the warmer wardrobe staples begin to have their moment again. If you know me, you have probably noticed by end of September, those boots start to reappear in my clothing choices! This year we had warmer weather well into October and I found myself anxiously awaiting the changes of the temps.
The first step I do in my closet is to move cooler weather items to the bottom rod where it’s easier for me to reach and see the items (think long sleeve tops, sweaters, leggings etc). As I make this change of moving the tank tops and tees to the top rod and move the other items down, I do a quick review to see if there are any clothing pieces which I didn’t wear this past season or I no longer see as reflecting my style. There are usually at least a few items each year which don’t make the cut and these get moved to a donation bag to take on my next trip.
I do this same process in our daughter’s room to help make her getting dressed easier by having the clothes she will wear for the upcoming season at a level she can easily reach without needing help. The review of her items is mostly looking at sizes and determining what will no longer fit her for the upcoming months. I quickly place those items in a bin labeled “donate” which I keep on a shelf in her room and add to the donation bag when it’s full or I am ready to make a trip to the store. I do not have her try on everything in her closet during this step and if we find one morning while she is getting ready the leggings I thought were still her size no longer work, she can place them in the donation bin for me to collect at a later time. Once I have purged items, I do an assessment of what we have left in tops and bottoms to create a shopping list of clothing she will need for the winter months. This helps me stay focused on buying only those items and ensures she is ready to dress weather appropriate as the temps start to shift.
Home Decor
My style tends to prefer to have classic pieces which can transition with every season out on display in most of the spaces in our home. This makes it less work on me to refresh a space and also less cost on chasing down trends with changes in the design industry. Since I focus my seasonal updates to only a couple of areas in our home, it is also easy for me to do a similar review of items stored and used throughout the last year as I start to pull out the fall decor. Timeless pieces such as candlesticks, vases and white pillow covers may get tucked away for a season but I know I will pull them back out again when I am ready for a new look. Other items which no longer seem to fit my style preference or have a place to be displayed in our home are collected and placed in a donation bag. Since moving into our new home several years ago and my shift to intentionally curating our design style, I find less need to purge in this area. I have found true contentment with styling spaces with classic pieces which allows me to spend my time and money on other more important areas of life such as time and experiences with friends and family.
Outdoor Living
While I love the crisp temps of fall, my threshold for being too cold to sit outside is low. In the spring and summer months I enjoy the ritual of watering the herbs and tomatoes along with the various flowers outside but by the time the morning temps hit the 50’s I no longer appreciate the splash of cold water on my feet while doing this daily task. Obviously the plants also no longer thrive or produce so it’s time to pack it all away until next year. I am a big fan of repeating successes learned from previous years and not reinventing the wheel. I enjoyed the front porch set-up this year and had some success with the tomato plants I selected for the backyard so I plan to repeat the same when spring comes around again. I have found taking pictures of the set-up as well as any tags for each of the plants selected to save in a photo album on your phone is an easy way to get a jumpstart for the next year. I also use this time to assess my pots to ensure they will last another season and if not, I purge these now so I am motivated to buy a new one early in the season next year.
This quick sweep of three domains in your home can help you stay organized and ready for the upcoming months. I tend to do these areas at different times throughout the month allowing time to focus in one area while not giving up an entire day to complete an overhaul of refreshed spaces. The process saves both energy as well as effort as it is easy to start to cut corners and keep the broken pot outdoors because we are worn out and decide we will just deal with it next year.
My approach to organizing and purging routinely is why wait if you can make the decision now and set yourself up for success when the next season arrives? I plan to share more organizing tips over the winter months as it’s a great time to refresh a cabinet or organize a much needed space, so check back often!
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