Lots on the rail but nothing to wear? Can’t see the shirts for the blouses? Love to be one of those people whose clothes mix and match seamlessly? Anna Murphy has a few tips up her sleeve.

Imagine the thrill of opening your wardrobe doors, or pulling open your drawers, and breathing, not just a sigh of relief, but an even more profound variety of exhalation: one of joy.

That’s how it should be. However, it so rarely is. Our wardrobes should be a carefully tooled expression of who we are right now. Yet, instead, they all too easily develop into a more random accumulation of who we used to be or, perhaps even worse, who we wanted to be, but never in fact were.

The psychological support offered up by your clothes shouldn’t only pertain to when you wear them but to when you look at them hanging on your rails, waiting to be worn. Your clothes should lighten your load, not make you feel burdened. And they should do this because they represent potential; the potential to present the best version of you. In other words, just looking at them should make you feel happy. And I hereby promise you that however far away from that point you may currently feel, you can, and will, get there.

I recommend starting with what you already have. You don’t want anything in your wardrobe that doesn’t serve you, and most of us have a lot that doesn’t. So, that means getting rid of everything that doesn’t fit any more, or looks cheap, shabby or out-of-date. Life’s too short for that. And you are too good for that.

When I embarked on my own overhaul a few years ago, I took things nice and slowly, giving myself enough time to work out what I actually wear. First was an initial sort out during which I made ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ piles. Give yourself a weekend, maybe two, for this.

When you are done, put everything in the ‘yes’ and ‘maybe’ piles back where they came from, then give the ‘nos’ away to friends and family, or donate them to a charity shop. You can also sell them via a second-hand marketplace, such as Thrift+. Pick up a ThriftBag from your local The White Company store, or add it to your order online, then fill with your good-quality second-hand clothes and use the free returns service.

The clever bit, I think, was what came next. For the next year, every time I took something off my rails I would turn the hanger the other way when I put it back. I recommend taking a full year to do this because then you factor in all the seasons. I was left with incontrovertible evidence as to what was, or wasn’t, serving me well. My hangers spoke the truth. Interestingly, I also found myself making more effort to put on pieces I loved yet wasn’t wearing that often, because I didn’t want to lose them.

The process is a bit trickier with what’s in your drawers or on your shelves. That said, your initial sort-out should have left you with one or two that are empty. Which means you can then transfer each piece you wear – again, item by item, occasion by occasion – to one of the empty spaces. Eventually, what you do and don’t wear will become clearly separated here, too.

It’s during this year that you can also start on the fun bit, which is to see what you don’t have, or what needs replacing, and fill in the gaps. I would argue for buying the very best quality you can, the most delicious hues and textures. Not all shades of camel, for example, or all casual trousers, are created equal. And you are investing not just in your present, but in your future.

You don’t need to buy a lot. You just need to buy right. You are making your wardrobe your friend once and for all, remember. And – with the right investment – what a good friend it will prove to be.

Anna Murphy is Fashion Director of the Times. Her new book is “Destination Fabulous: Finding Your Way To The Best You Yet" (£20, Mitchell Beazley)