It’s the most boring task in the world, isn’t it?  Organizing the socks and underwear drawers is practically a cliché for the most boring task you can imagine. Maybe one click north of watching paint dry?

But here’s the thing:  Organizing your socks and underwear drawer is actually a great investment in the small ways in which your day could go smoother every day, reducing that little stress that starts your day off wrong more than we even notice sometimes.

Stressful mornings include one or more of the following statements, out loud or in your head:

1) “Are these socks black or gray? Or navy?”

2) Why do I keep putting on these socks with the holes in them?

3) I hate this pair of underwear. Where are all my favorites?

4) This bra doesn’t fit any more. Wait, does it? I don’t remember. (okay, that one only applies to the ladies)

5) Great. This undershirt has a yellowing collar. So does this one. Do I have any without yellowed collars?

6) What is with this pile of socks without mates? They’ve never turned up… why do I keep holding onto them?  Do I think they’ll magically reproduce?

I bet you can add one or two more thoughts that occur to you each morning, as well.

You don’t need a lot of guidance on this project. You know how to sort through socks and underwear and figure out what is worth keeping and what is just getting in your way.  What you need is to make the time to do it.

The goal — sort the items between “these are in great shape and I wear them regularly” and “I don’t really wear these any more, or they’re not favorites, and they get in the way of me trying to find what I really do want to wear.”  Get rid of items with holes, with worn out sections, with stains, socks that have been mate-less for ages, etc. Let go of the second pile (retire undershirts into rags, if you want, and consider donating socks that are in decent shape (no holes, not threadbare) to a homeless shelter or place that can put them to good use with people who need socks. 

And then, put groups of the “keepers” together.  If you’re like me, you organize athletic socks separately from other socks. And then by color.  But you’re probably not like me…

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