This time of year I get so excited for my closet switch! I love nothing more than neatly packing away my sweaters and making room for sundresses and shorts. Make room for your pretty floral dresses and move your boots to the side, it’s sandal season!

Now that I live in a small space with limited closet room I really have to think strategically about how I organize everything. It’s really important that I have a system in place that allows me to see and find the pieces that I love the most and also still stimulates some creativity as well. There’s nothing worse than discovering a piece you bought at the end of the season that still has tags on it!

I used to organize my closet my style & color, but recently decided that system was not working for how small my closet was. I’ve developed a new organizational strategy this year that I’m trying and so far it’s been amazing. I feel like I rarely leave my apartment unhappy with my #ootd and it’s helping me eliminate the double purchase that I’m usually so guilty of. Here are the steps to take:

STEP ONE

Identify your 10 favorite tops and 5 favorite bottoms – think pieces that put a smile on your face and are the ones you find yourself reaching for more often than not. My roundup includes 2 of my favorite pairs of jeans and a few tops that I’ve had for years. We’ll handle the longer pieces in a minute!

STEP TWO

Locate the part of your closet that you go to first. For me, it’s the middle of the top rack that draws my attention in. I usually start there and then pick out bottoms unless I’m going for a dress or something longer which is in another section.

STEP THREE

Put your 10 favorite tops in the middle of that section and your 5 favorite bottoms right below it if you can (I have a double hanging closet, but if you have shelves below yours that works, too! From there work outwards in terms of pieces that you like. I have other blouses that I wear less frequently but still like a lot next on each side and then work my way out to cardigans and now pieces that are more out of season that I don’t want to put away but that are hard to see/reach really on the far ends.

STEP FOUR

Repeat the same for your bottoms and dresses. With my longer pieces I start with my everyday dresses and work my way out leaving my dressier pieces and cocktail dresses in one area so that when the time comes to look for something for an event it’s easy to check there first before I think about buying something new.

Now that my closet is reorganized, I’m looking for some other spring staples to round out my closet before moving on to statement pieces. This drapey top is the perfect addition to the camel pieces I mentioned earlier this week! If you’re looking for inspiration don’t forget to check out AOL’s shop and my picks this spring! Hope you’re ending March on a high note – I’m looking forward to a casual weekend and finishing up my closet cleanout!