I’ve never really been an outfit planner outer further in advance than the night before — well, until kindergarten started, that is. Eliza has an early bus pick-up (we have to be at the stop by 6:25 AM) and I wake her shortly after 5:00 AM. Any extra minutes we can give ourselves (while maintaining low volume brain power) is incredibly valuable. We’re still playing around with what makes the most sense when it comes to packing the backpack, prepping lunch and snack, etc., but organizing clothes for the week quickly became non-negotiable.
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Benefits of Organizing Clothes for the Week
There are so many benefits to organizing clothes for the week in advance. On Sundays, I take a few minutes, grab the calendar (and weather app), and pull together complete outfits for the next five days, Monday through Friday. It…
- Saves so much brainpower! I love being able to focus my limited mind capacity to chores, food, and other things for the day, without worrying I’m forgetting something.
- Saves time — I can shuffle into Eliza’s room, wake her up, and shuffle back out until I do her hair.
- Gives her autonomy. Well, a certain level of autonomy 😉 I kind of love that she doesn’t oppose clothes that I buy or set out for her yet (but it’s probably just a matter of time). For now, I love being able to coordinate her outfits. But, having the system within reach, she can physically go retrieve her outfit for the day from her closet and dress herself. Even when it becomes important to her to start picking out her own outfits, I will still encourage this daily clothes organization system.
- Keeps her closet tidy. No floating hangers and no wondering if something is still in the dryer/dirty clothes. Also, no hunting for shoes!
What Goes Into Daily Outfit Prep & Selection?
There’s a lot that could slip between the cracks or be forgotten if we didn’t plan ahead. TBH, I’m pretty overwhelmed by all the days, memos, fundraisers, events, involvement, etc. that are planned/requested, already. Here are the things we consider…
- Weather (temperature, precipitation, etc.)
- Is it a PE day? (I choose something more casual those days and make sure she’s wearing tennis shoes/sneakers).
- Any special events? (Colors, spirit tee, holiday/celebration, etc.)
- Anything she hasn’t gotten a lot of wear out of?
- Anything that will be retiring for the season soon? (I like to max out separates, so I try to make her wear her summer-iest things (even with a jean jacket) a lot before we get too deep into fall and have to retire the material/length/brights/island vibe.
How We Were Preparing Daily Outfits for the Week (Prior to Our Formal System)
When Eliza first started Kindergarten, I was pulling outfits, folding them, and lining them up as best as I could on the shelf in Eliza’s closet. 1. It didn’t stay organized and separated, 2. It took up valuable real estate, and 3. She couldn’t pull the clothes herself since it was a not-really-a-system-system that only I could make sense of. I had seen some daily clothes organizers that hung form the closet rod (like THIS one), or on the back of a closet/room door (like THIS one), but I didn’t have space for either since the backs of her doors are already in use, she has short-hang closet spacing, and the width of her long-hang is maxed out. So, I decided to come up with my own system, based on what I had. Something that would work for her and her closet that I hadn’t yet seen. For reference, this is what her closet looked like BEFORE I implemented the system.
Sources: Over The Door Storage Rack | Utility Door Rack | Pegboard Hook | Hanging Bow Holder | Bin Clip Label Holders | C-Shaped Ring Hangers | Rattan Storage Bins | Bracket Hooks | Valet Rod | Kids’ Velvet Hangers | Hang Standard | Gliding Mesh Shoe Shelf | Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Drawer Frame
New System for Organizing Clothes for the Week
Eliza’s daily clothes organizer works with her Elfa closet, but if you have a different system, other drawers, or even want to allocate a dresser drawer, the same system can be implemented. At the bottom of her pull-outs on the back wall of the closet, Eliza has a deep drawer that was way underutilized. As her needs shifted, that drawer emptied out and hadn’t really been repurposed. I moved the single pair of rain boots out to give myself the full drawer to work with. The drawer already had two dividers, making three compartments, and lucky me — I actually found an old pack of two additional dividers I had purchased when we first installed the closet. When I clipped those in, it officially gave us five compartments — one for each day of the school week.
Sources: Gliding Mesh Shoe Shelf | Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Drawer Frame
Next, I grabbed my label maker (THIS is the one I keep in my office and have used to label the rest of her closet), and added labels for each slot to coordinate with the day of the week.
Sources: Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Label Maker
I essentially filed each outfit away in each compartment. Each slot is large enough for shoes, a coat, etc., but not so large that things get messy. It’s right next to the floor so it’s really easy for Eliza to manage.
Sources: Gliding Mesh Shoe Shelf | Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Label Maker | Drawer Frame
She won’t have a different pair of shoes every single day (and that’s ok!) If she comes home and goes to put her shoes away, it’s easiest to check to see if an outfit is missing a pair of shoes because it was counting on the addition of a pair of shoes worn earlier in the week. Same for jackets. Adding a coat/jacket is the least difficult though, so while I like each outfit to be as complete as possible so nothing is forgotten, it’s totally fine if it works best for you to just have the core pieces pulled.
Sources: Gliding Mesh Shoe Shelf | Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Label Maker | Drawer Frame
Aside from reconfiguring the shoe drawers, the rest of Eliza’s closet has been able to remain intact from when she was an infant. Her clothes haven’t quite outgrown the short-hang length-wise, and this sytem and general configuration has been amazing for us.
Sources: Over The Door Storage Rack | Utility Door Rack | Pegboard Hook | Hanging Bow Holder | Bin Clip Label Holders | C-Shaped Ring Hangers | Rattan Storage Bins | Bracket Hooks | Valet Rod | Kids’ Velvet Hangers | Hang Standard | Gliding Mesh Shoe Shelf | Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Drawer Frame
You can find the full post on Eliza’s Elfa closet, the configuration, and all the details in THIS comprehensive post.
Sources: Over The Door Storage Rack | Utility Door Rack | Pegboard Hook | Hanging Bow Holder | Bin Clip Label Holders | C-Shaped Ring Hangers | Rattan Storage Bins | Bracket Hooks | Valet Rod | Kids’ Velvet Hangers | Hang Standard | Gliding Mesh Shoe Shelf | Mesh Drawers | Mesh Drawer Dividers | Drawer Frame
Clothes for the Week Organizers
If you prefer/have the room for actual organizers for a daily system, here are a few clothes for the week organizers you can find on Amazon…
Any Other Ideas If I Don’t Have Space for Any of These Solutions?
I actually used wooden closet hangs that hung on the bar and separated Eliza’s clothes by age for a while when she was born, so I found some that are similar (HERE!) for days of the week! With this method, you could leave each outfit hanging, instead of relying on compartments/a drawer.
Are you a proponent of organizing clothes for the week for your kids or yourself? Have a unique system (clothing or otherwise) that helps those school/work mornings? I’d love to hear about them!
