The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Out Your Wardrobe | Zafira
I will admit, I have a lot of clothes and finding the perfect system to organise them has taken me a while but I think I’ve finally got the hang of it. I get a looooooot of questions anytime I post that I’m organising my wardrobe over on my Instagram stories so I thought I’d answer them all on here and add a few tips on how I keep my wardrobe organised and tidy.
1. HOW TO WORK WITH YOUR WARDROBE SPACE
waiting for everyone to get triggered by my mismatching hangers hehe
I have a wardrobe that’s definitely on the smaller side and I always get questions on how I fit everything in it since I have a pretty hefty amount of clothes. A few years ago, I found that the best method to fitting everything into my wardrobe was by organising my wardrobe seasonally. Now, yes, I am very aware of the extremely bipolar weather in the UK so a good 70% of the time, the weather isn’t what it should be during a certain time of year but I like to keep a basic gist of what I would wear during the current season. For example:
Autumn: Light knit jumpers, shirts, thinner coats & jackets, midi skirts, turtle necks etc.
Winter: Heavy knit jumpers, bigger coats, thicker pants etc.
Summer: Cardigans, light weight jackets, culottes, jumpsuits, thinner material dresses etc.
Spring: Lighter coats & jackets, usually more thicker material dresses & light knit etc.
So you’re probably like, “where do you put your out of season clothes?” and the answer is pretty simple. In storage.
Your two new best friends after this post will be these big plastic storage bins and vacuum storage bags. You can get them in so many different sizes so they’re perfect for sliding under your bed, or or in drawers or if it’s something you’re not going to wear for a while then even the attic. It’s the best way for me to still have a range of clothes but not clutter and overfill my wardrobe. I get mine either from Ikea or Amazon, check some out here:
2. EMPTY YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE
The first thing to do when organising your wardrobe is to begin by emptying everything in it. I think it really helps when you can visually see how much you own and makes it easier to decide what you want to keep or get rid of. A key tip to remember when doing this is to clear your wardrobe on a day when half your wardrobe isn’t in the wash. There’s nothing more devastating than thinking you’ve cleared your wardrobe and it looking all pretty and tidy just to realise you have a billion more pieces to fit in somehow.
3. create piles to organise what you want to keep or sell
When all my clothes are out of my wardrobe, I like to sort them into 3 piles different piles: keep, sell/donate & throw away. I have a rule where if I haven’t worn something in over 2 months, I have to get rid of it. This helps with filtering out clothes I don’t want and also makes more space for new purchases. If you’re someone like me and like to shop frequently, this is such a good rule to have because it allows you to add new pieces to your wardrobe without completely over filling it.
A few months ago, my cousin told me that she was keeping track of what she was wearing by keeping note of her outfits on her calendar app. Ever since she told me this it’s honestly changed by life. I can easily see what I have been wearing and it 100% has helped with clearing out my wardrobe too because I can see what isn’t being worn.
When it comes getting rid of clothes I no longer want, I will either donate them to closest charity shop or sell over on Depop.(follow me!) I’ve been using Depop for yeeaaaars now and I adore it. I sell everything on there and it’s played a massive role in helping keeping my wardrobe clear.
4. ASK FOR HELP/OPINIONS FROM OTHERS
I think a lot of people forget about asking others for help but there’s nothing more fun clearing out your wardrobe with your friends. It’s very very useful to get a second or third opinion especially if you’re on the border about keeping something or not.
5. ORGANISE PRACTICALLY NOT FOR AESTHETIC PURPOSES
When you organise your wardrobe, of course you want it to look pretty in the end and want it to look like all those Pinterest pictures when the clothes are in rainbow order and all your clothes fade into the next piece and look very cute. However, when it comes to practicality, this method kinda sucks. Unless you’re a super duper organised person and always put everything back in it’s place straight after you’ve used it then I can promise you that this isn’t the method for you.
I’ve tried so many different methods over the years but the best one that’s worked for me is organising my clothes into what article of clothing they are. So I usually go from jackets/coats to Asian dresses to cardigans to jumpers to dresses to shirts and then to tops. Kind of a random order but this is what works for me at the minute. I also keep items I wear frequently towards the front of my wardrobe so they’re easier to get such as the jacket I’m wearing currently. Play around with different methods until you find one that fits in perfectly with you and your lifestyle.
6. STOP SHOPPING SO MUCH IN GENERAL
Ultimately, the ideal way to keep your wardrobe clear is by shopping less which is much easier said than done. However with everything that’s going on now with fast fashion, I think it’s really important to try and make somewhat of an effort to stop impulsively shopping and buying things we don’t need just to then throw away when we no longer want it.
I try to remind myself that empty hangers don’t equal more reasons to shop and that I already have plenty of clothes to fit my everyday needs. I’m also trying to up-cycle a bunch of older pieces into things I would wear today. (blog post coming soon!)
Thanks for reading and good luck with clearing out your wardrobe!
Lots of love,
How to Stay Organised | Zafira
Hello!
The most difficult thing I find about being at college is definitely trying to stay organised. It can get pretty messy with the work load and trying to manage some sort of system that helps you get everything done. But I'm in my second year of college and I've finally found a few tips that have really helped me stay on track!
1. Move out of your soft office.
We all love our beds. I love mine dearly and I think I spend the majority of my life in my bed. However, when you're working, the last thing you want to be is chill and sleepy. Separate your bed from your work life, it'll make your bed more of the sanctuary and place of rest that it's supposed to be rather than a place of work. It's a really hard move to make but it will definitely help you stay focused whilst working.
2. Make sure your work place is clean, minimal and tidy.
I have only just started to use my desk properly this year and I wish I would have used it sooner. I used to use it as a place to dump all my crap such as books but this year I though I'd tidy it up and make it a decent place to work. Wherever you're working should be clean and tidy, try and move things that are distracting away from your work area and keep it as minimal as possible. As they say 'tidy desk, tidy mind' and it's 100% true.
3. Pack your bag the night before.
I used to pack my bag the morning of school but ever since I've started college, I've been doing it the night before and it's saved me so so so much time in the morning. Give yourself about 15 minutes the night before school, college or uni to pack all your essentials just so you're completely ready for the day. This bag is from River Island btw and I think I've been using it for like 4 years now. I'm very surprised it's even lasted this long.
5. Plan your outfits the night before.
This is sort of on the same lines as packing your bag the night before. It will save you so much more time in the morning to fully prepare yourself for a day in hell but at least this way you'll be looking extra cute even though you're in pain. This jumper is from Bershka and is the comfiest thing I own. It isn't available anymore but you can buy a very very similar one here:
https://www.zaful.com/lantern-sleeve-mock-neck-sweater-p_379337.html
6. Keep a copy of your timetable at home & a calendar to fill in for the month.
Keeping a copy of your timetable at home is pretty useful especially when it comes to knowing what lessons you have, when work is due and what to pack for the day. On my timetable, I've colour coordinated my lessons so when I fill in my diary/planner or my to do list, I use that certain colour so I know it's associated with that certain subject. Usually I'd just make my own on Word but this time I just printed a couple off Google Images, there's a lot of different cute ones. Calendar wise, print one that has boxes for everyday of the month so you can fill in what work is due and important dates. The most satisfying thing to do at the end of the day is to put a nice big red 'x' through that day's box.
7. Get a diary/planner.
A planner or diary for the year is a necessity. Not only do they help keep you organised but they're so much fun to shop for since they come in so many different styles, designs and structures. I got mine from TK Maxx and it's A6 sized so it's so easy to take with me everyday. I fill in everything in here, whether it's homework, university associated stuff or even appointments. I love cats.
8. Make lists of everything you need to do.
My friend Cherie bought me a couple of these cute notebooks whilst she was on holiday and they've been amazingly handy. I like making lists. Whatever the situation is, I'll most likely make a list whether it's a pro or cons or a list of stuff to take on holiday or in this case, a list of work I need to do. Usually I'll make one for the week and one for the weekend. This notebook is quite handy since at the top it has little section to fill in the date so you know what you're on but just any notebook will do or you can even get yourself a to do list pad.
9. Post stick notes are your best friends.
I don't think I would have even survived my first year without these. I stick these e v e r y w h e r e. I am an organised person because of these. I use them to write down important work that's due, to highlight sections I need to revise in books, important areas in books, the list is honestly endless. They will be your saviour for the rest of your life in education.
I hope this gave you a few ideas on how to get your life somehow together, don't worry if it isn't perfectly organised, mine isn't and I can assure you that no one else's is 100% organised either 😏
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Starting a Bullet Journal | Zafira
Hi and welcome to this weeks blog post!
My exams are done, I am a free woman (kinda) and I am very ready to start working on my own stuff so expect more blog posts and a lot more photographs on my Instagram. I also wanted to wish everyone who's fasting a very late Ramadan Mubarak!
Since about February/March time, I really wanted to put my life into order. It was getting to the point where I wasn't even sure what day it was and everything I was doing was rushed and just not what I wanted it to be especially when it came to college work. I started researching different methods and ways to organise my life when I came across this whole bullet journal trend. It took me 2 minutes of watching people's monthly bullet journal 'plan with me' vids and I was completely hooked with the entire concept of it. If you want to watch the original bullet journal video to get a grasp of what it is and some basic ways to start one click here.
So it's a basically a place to dump all your crap that for me is usually written on scrap pieces of paper or on the back of my hand. It's such an efficient method to plan and organise because everything is one place and you can design and customise it to fit you.
Firstly, you need to find yourself a decent notebook or sketchbook. You can pretty much get anything you like but I got a pretty minimal and basic sketchbook from Paperchase:
https://www.paperchase.co.uk/art/sketch-books/agenzio-large-sketchbook.html
The quality of the paper is so nice and smooth and the ink from pens and felt tips doesn't sink through to the other side which is amazing. As you can see, I personalised mine by using some stickers also from Paperchase that I thought were quite cute and funky and wrote 2017 in a white pen to contrast the black.
For the supplies that I used within the journal, I feel like I kept it pretty basic compared because that's just how I like things.
To be quite honest, I only bought these because they came in a pretty nifty case and said 'go bananas' on each individual felt tip but they're actually pretty good. As stated, they're brush tip markers so one end is a brush tip which is really good if you're into calligraphy and doing fancy titles in your journal and then the other end is a normal felt tip end. Each month I pick a colour and base the main colours around that.
I feel like everyyyyyone owns these but they're so handy. I use them for revision notes all the time because there's a really nice range of colours. They're also good for doodling so if you want to decorate the pages in your book then these are a great place to start stationary wise.
Post stick notes are my literal saviors. I write everything on these. For my journal, I bought some smaller cute pastel ones that you can pretty much get anywhere and since I've had exams over the past few weeks, I'll use them to list everything I have to do. They're great for adding extra notes into your bullet journal.
This pen has honestly changed my life and the way I write. That sounds like the lamest thing anyone could ever say lol but it really has. This is the Uniball Eye Needle pen in black and it writes so so so smoothly on the pages of the bullet journal and just in general. It makes writing more pleasurable and joyful especially when you're sat in an exam and you're writing page after page. The thing I love about this pen the most is that it doesn't smudge at all because it dries so fast.
Stickers have been my pride and joy recently. I'm really making myself sound like a complete loser but that's mainly because I am but I love love love stickers. These are all from Paperchase because I haven't really seen anywhere else do such a diverse and unique range of stickers. They are good to decorate your journal pages with and add a little bit of life to your weekly spreads.
this isn't completed yet lol
When it comes to structuring and laying out what pages you want included in your journal it can be quite difficult but I hope that after showing you what I've done so far, it will inspire you.
A future log is a pretty good first double page spread. An index is also another good idea but I didn't really want one in mine because my journal is quite simplistic but if you're thinking of adding a lot more pages to your book it might be worth considering. On the first page I did a basic calendar and circled the important dates.
On the second page, I listed everything that was occuring in those months and colour coordinated the bullet points depending on what kind of occurance it was. I made a key at the top of the page just so I remember what each colour is for.
I feel like a new year's resolution page is a necessity as you can always look back onto this page and see what you are doing and what you can do in order to achieve them.
For a lot of titles I used my normal handwriting as it's naturally pretty cursive and fancy shmancy.
Also can we just appreciate those little green leaves around the edges that I doodled on. I'm not the greatest drawer for an art student but those leaves are cute.
This is such a great page to have in your journal too. It's really handy when you have an overwhelming amount of films, books and TV shows to conquer but you don't know where to begin. Listing them all out in a similar way can help you decide what you want to watch first and you can cross them off as you complete them.
I still have an absurd amount of stuff to add to this.
For title pages for each month I've been keeping it super simplistic mainly because I've not really had enough time to sit and make it really nice and pretty but when I have time this summer I'm definitely going to back and finish them off. This is one I did for April but as you can see, it looks a bit plain and meh.
Each month I do a little banner of every page with the month and year.
These are the next pages after my monthly title page and it just lays out everything that needs to be done for that particular month as well as the events that are going to happen.
My tracking pages are probably my most favourite page to do monthly because it's fascinating to see the progress. The two trackers I do every month is a mood tracker and a sleep tracker because my sleeping schedule is a mess as you can clearly see. My mood tracker was quite low this month mainly because I had exams and they were a big pain in the backside.
This is quite good if you have insomnia or your sleeping schedule is a complete and utter mess much like mine, you can see how long you've slept or not slept.
This is another must for me since I'm trying to get better with handling my money. You make three coloums consisting of the date you bought the item, the item itself and the price and then at the end of the month you total it all up to see how much you've spent.
As for my weekly spread, this is what I've been using since I started my bullet journal and it's worked so well. It's pretty much the typical planner layout but it's perfect if you have a lot of stuff going on. I think for the month of June however, I might switch it up since I won't have as much to do and it'll be fun to experiment with different layouts!
I decorated the top using stickers but you can add doodles like I've done for the month of May below.
I know that for the original bullet journal there's a whole system where different symbols represent different things but like I've said, I like to keep it pretty simple and quick so I just bullet point everything that needs to be done for that day or is occurring that day and when it's done I'll just cross it out in red.
Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow me on Instagram for updates and lots and lots of pictures as well as all my other social medias!