Marie Kondo, the organization guru and best-selling author of “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” believes that you should surround yourself with items that spark joy. Apply this thought process to packing, too. Choose clothing that you love and will want to wear. Arrange everything on a flat open surface, like your bed, by category, placing all the pants in one pile, all the shirts in another, and so on and so forth. Streamline your wardrobe and pick items that are mix and matchable.
If you’re going on a five day trip, follow the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” rule and pack five pairs of underwear and socks, four tops, three bottoms, two pairs of shoes and one purse. Kondo recommends never packing more than a week’s worth of clothes, no matter how long your trip. If you’re staying for more than a week, she suggests making time to do laundry. Throw in a versatile dress and jacket and you should have plenty of clothing. If you love a piece, but it’s valuable and you would be upset if it got lost, leave it at home.