Summer Project Series: Lessons from Project 333

I have all kinds of blog post ideas rattling around in my head for a few weeks now, though the irony of being a writer is that just when you figure out what you want to write about, the gates of your brain open and pour forth something else.

When I started posting Struggling to Conceive, I meant it to be an every once in a while thing. But then the thoughts kept coming, and so I have been posting stuff that’s…heavy lately.

This post is less heavy.

At the start of the summer, I posted Summer Project Series: Project 333, which explained that my bestie, Ayme, challenged me to try Project 333 for the summer. In case you don’t know, Project 333 is a minimalist’s dream: 33 clothing items for 3 months.

Yup.

Never one to back down from a challenge (and one who is deeply interested in simplifying my life as much as I can), I told Ayme, “Sure!” and started cleaning out my closet.

Little did I know that it would change my life.

Seriously.

I LOVE PROJECT 333.

And I want you to know it.

So I have compiled a few lessons I have learned from participating in this Project, which I will carry with me into the fall, when I build a new set of 33 items for the cooler weather.

Lesson #1: Less time spent on clothes = More time doing other things

This concept is simple but true: the less time I have to spend picking clothes, washing clothes, or worrying about clothes, the more time I have to do other things.

The first and best benefit from Project 333 is that I don’t have to think very much about what I put on. There are only 33 items.

I also have noticed that I do a lot less laundry, which I am a major fan of—after all, who likes doing laundry?

Lesson #2: I love the clothes I have = no more clothing frustration or guilt

Since I only have 33 items to work with, I have found that the items I chose for my capsule are only ones that I really like to wear. The shirt with the slightly itchy fabric, the pants that aren’t quite the right length, or that mauve sweater that I can’t find anything to go with are no longer members of my closet. So I don’t have to think about them. Or feel guilty about never wearing them.

The clothes in my 33 are pieces that I feel comfortable in, feel like I look great in, and are effortless to wear.

Lesson #3: Fewer, quality pieces > a closet full of cheap options

I’ve noticed that since June, I have whittled my selections down to really quality clothes. Instead of having a closet full of cheap tops that I never wear, I have a small selection of tops that I really like to wear, and most of them are good, quality pieces.

I also splurged and bought two pairs of Columbia Sportswear bottoms: some cute plaid shorts and some zip-off pants. Turns out that I am totally in love with having these bottoms. They fit, the fabric is awesome, and nothing itches, pinches, or looks funny. One of my dresses is a Patagonia hand-me-down, and my solitary skirt is also a second-hand Patagonia piece. These articles of clothing are really solid in terms of quality, and they feel better to wear.

Lesson #4: Less shopping = no buyer’s remorse

I am a queen of buyer’s remorse. I am. I freely admit it. But it’s a problem that I am trying to get over, and Project 333 has helped with that. When you only have 33 items to work with, you have to do some planning and strategizing that you wouldn’t otherwise have to do. A smaller wardrobe forces you to think about the purpose and functionality of each piece. That means that when you go shopping, you are looking for things in particular, rather than just wandering the aisles and finding yourself A. overwhelmed, and B. pushing a cart full of things that you know you won’t wear.

Having only 33 pieces means that you have to plan your wardrobe.

You heard me.

Plan.

This was a common thing in days gone by, but as we as a society have moved to off-the-rack clothing that’s cheap and mass produced, we have moved away from the planning of a wardrobe.

Yet I have found wardrobe planning to be one of life’s great pleasures, even before I started Project 333. I love scouring magazines and Pinterest for looks that I like, then making a list of clothes I want to wear to accomplish that look. With P333, you have to decide on a color palette and stick to it. You have to mindfully choose your pieces so that you can mix and match what you have for the maximum number of options.

LOVE THAT!

Lesson #5: I don’t need a big wardrobe, because I wear the same things anyway

I was embarrassed at first to admit this, but then I decided that I would just own it. About 3 weeks ago, I realized that there were about 5 articles of clothing in my 33 that I didn’t wear. Can you believe that? Only 33 items and there were five that I don’t wear? That means that I have been living in just 28 items.

So, what did I do?

I pulled out the 5 non-used items and shelved them. I then replaced them with 5 other items to see if I would get more use out of them. And so far, I have.

This illustrated for me a point that Gretchen Rubin makes in her fabulous book, The Happiness Project: “In the store, it seemed like a good idea to have a variety of colors. But I knew from experience that when I stood in front of my closet, I always wanted to pull out the same things: white V-neck T-shirt; black yoga pants or jeans; and running shoes” (182).

I have always been a wearer of the same things. Since I was a kid. I remember my mom bemoaning this particularly pilled gray cardigan that I loved and wore for years. So P333 works for me in the sense that it is predicated on wearing the things that I love and am most comfortable in.

The Final Take-Away

Ultimately, what I’ve decided from my Project 333 experiment is this: clothes should be a source of joy, rather than frustration. And simplifying my wardrobe has helped me take joy in looking and feeling my best, rather than leaving me in a closet full of clothes that just make me feel annoyed.

So, as I turn my mind to thoughts of school and cooler weather, I am scheming on a new wardrobe. I have a bunch of tubs of clothes to sort through, which I will take a few items from, and pass on the rest to the local consignment store.

While I went into P333 with some skepticism, I am a believer.

In fact, I am planning my fall P333 on Pinterest right now.

And I would challenge anyone to try it. After all, it’s only for 3 months.

Cheers!

R-Lib