Do you ever look at the disaster zone where you keep your clothes and break down crying, wracking your brain for ways to organize your closet?

Okay, maybe you don’t cry, but no woman wants to deal with a crowded closet first thing in the morning, especially when she’s hit the snooze button twice in an hour and time is no longer on her side. And the thing is: we all go through it from time to time. Maybe you let your wardrobe build for way too long before purging last quarter. Or you hit too many music festivals in the summer and you’ve been hoarding all the promotional tees ever since. So now, you’re running late again and you can’t find your favorite scarf. Or that blouse you grabbed at your favorite boutique. Denim falls to the floor from one lopsided shelves and your shoes are in a pile on the floor. Yesterday’s outfit taunts you from below and you’ve been meaning to find a place for the bags buried underneath. It’s all overwhelming but you vow — again — to unclutter your closet for good this year. And you can do it. We here at Weekly Sauce have compiled a list of organizational tips and rules of thumb to abide by while you finally clean out that closet.

First Things, First

The initial step in getting organized is figuring out what needs organizing. Common sense. So, which part of your closet is at its worst? The shoes? Bags? Once you put that together, it’s easier to figure out how to curb bad habits and get back on the right path.

Shower Rings Are Your Friend

Would you believe that in all of our research, these nifty little tools help in storing everything from tank tops to scarfs? Believe it. Grab one heavy-duty hanger and stack the rings in a row. Then you can just pull each scarf through the loops or hang your tanks from each ring. Easy, right?

Tie Hangers Can Hang Tanks Too!

Especially when they’re wrapped in velvet. Grab one of these multi-tiered hangers and hang all 5 million of your tanks and camisoles from the arms. Super convenient when getting dressed in the morning.

Wine Boxes, Shoe Boxes, Trunks

If you have the box for a case of wine that you may have recently ordered, pull that into the closet and sort a few pairs into the compartments. Make sure that they’re the pairs you don’t wear all the time. If they’re your regulars, then this tip wouldn’t be much help to you on those mornings you’re running late. Shoeboxes make incredible drawer organizers — so all those tee shirts, socks, and undies can all be folded neatly and tucked into those boxes, then into your dresser — making this one of the most efficient — and space-saving — ways to organize your closet.

Understand That, As With Anything, Your Closet Needs Attention

Regularly. Your closet needs attention, regularly. This is a major point because a lot of times, we get everything neat and clean in there and expect it to just stay that way for a while, when that’s rarely the case. According to HGTV, we should be dedicating 15 minutes to an hour a week to keeping our closets free of clutter. Start by picking out designated spots for certain items and work by section.

Pull Everything, Then Have A Sale

One easy rule to remember is that if you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it. If you’ve worn it but it never seems to fit right, toss it. Even if you love it. Orgjunkie has a lot more tips on how to determine what stays or goes. With that being said, pull everything out of your closet first and foremost. That way, there are no random sweaters being moved around that you could’ve gotten rid of. If you have some items in decent enough condition, you ought to have a garage sale or hit a consignment shop and make a few coins as a reward for your hard work.

Or, Pull Everything, Then Have a Swap

Same rule applies here: if you haven’t worn it in a year, then off it goes into the “toss” basket. Push the basket to a corner of your bedroom and, after organizing the rest of your closet, have your best girls over for Cocktail Clothing Swap. For whatever you guys can’t agree on swapping, set up a box and donate it all to a growing non-profit in your city that helps the homeless and those in need.

Clear The Extras, Save Some Space

Almost everyone’s guilty of keeping random items in their bedroom closets. It’s one of those unspoken things. From holiday gift wrap to shopping bags that may come in handy, get those out of there — that’s not where they go. Find a place for it all, outside of your already-crowded closet. If your folks have an old trunk in their garage, or if you happen to find one at a flea market, grab that for throw blankets, sweaters, or whatever other seasonal items you may have lying all over the floor of your closet.

Keep It Up

None of us can resist a good deal. That’s understandable. Just make sure you’re still disciplined enough to remember that any time you buy something new, you’ve got to get rid of something in your closet. You don’t want to end up back at square one.

Let us know if you have some clever ways to organize your closet of your own!