I thought I was organized. After all, my shoes looked liked this:
And I recently made my “closet alcove” look like this:
But my shoe hanger started falling apart and putting my shoes away became a Russian roulette of sorts – if I placed them wrong, every pair fell to the ground. So I stopped putting them away and then there were piles of shoes, kind of everywhere. (And these are just the ones that were in the bedroom.)
And I realized that my brilliant organization resulted in dumped out bins in the middle space as I dug for a certain type of clothing to complete runs in the awful cold weather we are having. Seriously, not only could I not find anything, I could barely walk on my side of the bed.
(None of this was precipitated by the fact that Skirt Sports is coming out with their spring line. None of it. Ok, maybe some of it was…)
So, I went back to the drawing board, moved some furniture around, and began the great clean up.
Steps for getting things under control:
1. Remove anything that no longer gets worn. OK, I admit I kept some race t-shirts that I have yet to wear but I recently did send off a bunch to be made into a quilt (pictures/review of that soon). Several things went in the trash and a handful of things will be donated or sold.
2. Organize likes with likes – depending on the size of your collection, ahem, you may even have separate piles for compression socks versus regular running socks. Not that I’d know anything about that.
3. Figure out what your storage options are – do you have extra drawer space or more space in your closet or under the bed? Or, are you like me, and have to actually use separate storage items sitting out in your bedroom. (My house was built back when people wore suits to baseball games and only had a few outfits, so my closets are miniscule.) In my case, I was able to free up two dresser drawers and a small shelving unit.
4. Add smaller storage containers to big spaces to keep things from commingling. By keeping like with like and separate from others, even if a section or bin gets messy, it’s a small area to look in for something.
5. Store things where it makes sense. For me, that means that hats, gloves, jackets, sunglasses and electronics are near the front door. So, I removed all of those things from my bedroom and put them where they needed to be.
6. Straighten each storage unit. For some things this means folding, for others rolling (thanks for this suggestion, Deborah!), for others (socks) just dumping into bins works for me.
7. Don’t forget your shoes. OK, not everyone has an athletic shoe collection to rival Imelda Marcos, but most of us have a few pairs. (OK, I admit I have more than a few…) I’m still working on that part as the weather has made anything other than online shopping a bit of a pain. I know what I want to do – just need to get the rest of the shelving ’cause yeah, that box has more shoes in it.
There you go! My running clothes are now all organized.
Just in time for the new Happy Girl skirts to come out next week (stop by for a chance to win one!)
[Tweet “Are your running skirts and tights all a jumbled mess? Check out how I organized all of my running clothes! #runchat”]
Are you starting to dream of spring? Maybe a little “spring organizing” will help you too!
MOVE IN WITH ME!!!!
Id say IM A DISASTER but more than that Ive not unpacked yet 🙂
CARLA recently posted…Love languages.
OMG, you just changed my world with that photo of the clothes rolled up in the bin. I use those bins in my armoire — one for tights, one for capris, one for long sleeve tech shirts, you get the idea. But I stack neatly and then 1 week later its a disaster because I’ve messed it up looking for a specific pair which is ALWAYS weirdly on the bottom). seriously, I’m doing this today thx
Jennifer F recently posted…Tart Cherry Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes & Ab Workout #TryAboutTime
I desperately need to do this! My husbands and my clothes and shoes (we have a TON too) are a mess..UGH. thanks for the tips!
Katie @ Fit Life by Katie recently posted…Why You Should Hire An Online Fitness Pro
I love all those Altra shoes I see! I have the same burgundy pair. I too do the rolling method for storing some of my clothes and it works great!
Betsy recently posted…He Would Have Been 55
Um. I CLEARLY need more running shoes.
Ashley @ TwynMawrMom recently posted…Ski lessons #skifamily
Right now, Alex and I are on the hunt for a shoe/equipment organizer thing for our “front hall”/susie’s fitness dumping area. The issue is that we have a console, and also that we would love to store some boots. Nothing seems to help! BAH. I would also love to get all my blogging jank organized. And my life. #thestruggleisreal
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Blog Updates, Reviews Pages, + Thinking Out Loud
I keep my running clothes in the closet. I had to make room in my dresser and the closets I’ve had are big enough for the additional clothes. Everything is hung up because I have a plethora of hangers.
Lesley recently posted…TBT: Princess Half Marathon
I love organizing, but I haven’t done it in a while and my whole house totally needs it! I love all of your tips. They’re making me want to get to work!
Well, you’ve officially inspired me to reorganize my closet this weekend!
The rolling does wonders! Now we have room for more skirt sports 🙂
Deborah Brooks @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Are you Over Training?
I need to do this! I have about four places where I store my running clothes and it’s a huge mess.
Lora @ Crazy Running Girl recently posted…Never have I ever…
Great tips! I swear my running and triathlon gear takes up more room than the rest of my clothes. I have recently started rolling everything to save space but also because it’s easier to find things and I don’t just go for whatever’s on top!
Alison @ racingtales recently posted…Ironman 70.3 Raleigh Training: Week 1
I love the idea of rolling and folding, where it’s appropriate 🙂 so organized!
Jess @hellotofit recently posted…Try This Thursday 2/19 – pomelos
There’s nothing more cathartic than having a good clean out and tidy up. The satisfaction of looking at the neat and tidy space is incredible.
Char recently posted…W.W.Wednesday – Again