Have you ever stood in front of your closet with no idea what to choose to wear that day? Does it seem like you are always scrambling in the morning, trying to come up with a put together outfit but coming up short? Are you crunched for time most days and wish you had a system to help you get dressed quickly each morning?
A while back, I discovered a little trick that has helped me tremendously in planning my outfits and organizing my wardrobe. I made this discovery when I was preparing for a trip, and I have found that it can be extremely useful for everyday wardrobe planning as well.
My helpful little trip utilizes the amazing app known as Evernote.
Have you heard of Evernote? You can read my more complete review of this app here. For now, suffice it to say I really love this app. The possibilities to use Evernote are limitless. It can help you simplify and organize your life in so many ways.
One of the ways Evernote can help get your life organized is outfit planning. Here’s how I use Evernote to plan my outfits.
1. Think about the week ahead.
What activities will you be doing that week? Where will you be going? Are there any special wardrobe items you will need to have ready for a certain day that week? Thinking ahead gives you a chance to evaluate what sort of choices you will need to make when it comes to your clothing for the upcoming days.
2. Choose an outfit for each day of the entire week.
This may seem like a lot of work all at once. After all, the idea is to make this process easier, right? But trust me, this makes it so much simpler to plan your looks for the week. Choosing 5, 6, or 7 outfits at a time doesn’t really take that much longer than choosing 1.
Think about it; you’re already in outfit planning mode. Taking a block of time to pull out, match up, and lay out your choices will save so much time when you are actually getting ready on a given day during the week. You won’t have to stop and think about which top you’ll pair with which bottom and which shoes go with those. All that decision making has already been done.
3. Lay out or try on your outfit choices.
One by one, lay out your choices—on your bed, on the floor, maybe hanging up on a clothes hanger. Lay out or hang them anywhere you can get a good overview of them. You can even try each outfit on. (That’s what I usually do.)
4. Take a good, clear photo of each outfit.
A good photo of your planned outfits is an extremely useful tool. As you’ll see in the next step, it is an essential part of this process. Make sure it’s well lit and you’ve included everything in the photo that you want as part of the outfit. Shoes, belt, jewelry, even handbag. Everything.
5. Add the photos to a note in Evernote
Open up your Evernote app (if you don’t have Evernote yet, you can open a account and download the app for FREE here). Add a new note. Upload the outfit pictures you just took to the new note you just created. Save and file the note in an appropriate notebook within the app.
6. Use the note in Evernote as a guide
Now you have a handy reference for the outfits you have planned out ahead of time. As you get ready in the morning, refer to your note in the Evernote app. All the details are already there; all you have to do is pull out the items that make up the outfit and get dressed!
After a while, you will have a good sized library of outfit ideas to look to for inspiration. Your closet will come alive with possibilities!
This little trick has worked beautifully for me, especially when I am planning for travel. It helps me streamline my packing process and make the job so much easier.
Plus, it can kind of feel like playing dress up in your own closet!
If you try out this idea, and it works for you as well as it has for me, I’d love to know!
If you have an outfit planning system that works great for you, please share in the comments. I always like to hear new ideas!
I wish I was this organized, these are all such great idea. I always figure out my outfits in the morning, when I have no time!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
It has turned out to be a handy little trick, especially for traveling.