Time for an update on one of the many organizing projects I have on my “to do” list! I have three drawers in my dresser that house my workout gear. One drawer is dedicated to pants, one to shirts and one to bras, socks and tanks. Over time, the drawers have become stuffed and it was time to deal with it. The reality was that I was only really wearing the clothing at the top of each drawer. I also knew that there were some pants that I was no longer interested in wearing-they were too big or out of style. Most of the pants I was disinterested in are long in length with a boot cut leg. Currently, I prefer an ankle or capri length that is tight around the leg (b-cuz I know you wanted to know)!!
THE PROCESS-DRAWER ONE
I started off with the workout pants drawer. This one was the least stuffed and the easiest to handle. In my goals post, I said that I would time the process and I actually remembered! Drawer 1 took a total of 9:51 (less than 10 minutes) to empty, sort and re-organize.
I keep my pants (and shirts) rolled and filed so that I can see what’s what. I generally find this method helpful so that all items can be seen and get worn. However, when you start to have too many that don’t fit in the drawer, you are forced to lay items on top on one another which nullifies the “see all you have” method!
RESULT
As you can see, the workout pants are all sitting up, easy to see and access! You can also see that I have room for more but also no need for more workout pants!!
THE PROCESS-DRAWER TWO
This drawer houses my workout shirts. This was the worst of all of the drawers. I had so many shirts in this drawer that when I emptied it I saw shirts that I hadn’t seen for a very long time!
You can see though that the file method was the same but shirts were stuffed and laying on top of one another. Time wise this drawer took 13 minutes to empty. The reason it was a bit longer is because I did try some shirts on to see if I liked the fit. I prefer my shirts a bit loose so if it was too tight for my comfort I put it in a different pile. I waited until I emptied out drawer three to re-organize because I knew that I would be combining some items from drawer 3 into drawer 2.
RESULT
Yay!! This drawer houses ALL of my workout shirts (except tanks). This includes long sleeve, short sleeve, race shirts, plain shirts and non-race shirts.
THE PROCESS-DRAWER THREE
This drawer is so stuffed that I couldn’t even see what it contained. This drawer contains the “under the clothing” gear and my workout tanks. There were also some other shirts in here that did not fit in the “shirt” drawer. The timing to empty this drawer, sort and organize items into both drawers 2 and 3 was 20 minutes, 30 seconds.
RESULT
My bras and socks are actually in their own containers which helps to keep items in place. On the right side of the drawer are my tank tops. In the back of the sock bin are 3 cold weather shirts that are used only very occasionally.
Here are drawers 2 and 3 side by side. For reference, my workout pants drawer sit on the left above my workout shirts drawer.
It is clear to me that I don’t need anymore workout gear. Like many, I suffer from the affliction that if I purchase new gear I will workout more!! From now on though, I’m going to follow the one in, two out rule. If I buy something new, two items have to go. Because the ultimate goal is to not have to keep going through this process!
In total, this organizing project took about 45 minutes!!! Every time, I do a project like this and time it, it helps me to realize that I really do have time to take care of these types of small projects on a regular basis. Projects like these that take an hour or less, can even be done during the week after work. LESSON LEARNED!!
I mentioned awhile ago that I used to always procrastinate with unloading the dishwasher until I timed it and found that it took me less than 3 minutes to get it done!! Since then, I don’t hesitate to unload the dishwasher while I’m cooking because it’s a no brainer!
If you’re wondering what I plan to do with all of the race shirts that didn’t make the drawer cut, I’m going to take the suggestion of my friend, Michyle. When I mentioned this project earlier this year, she suggested having the shirts made into a quilt! Look for the result in 2019!!
How are your projects going? Any progress? Share in the comments!
