5 Ways that a Minimalist Wardrobe Will Actually Make Your Life Better

When the Project 333 minimalist wardrobe challenge started on October 1st, 2010, I thought it would be fun, challenging and potentially revealing. What I didn’t know is how it would actually make my life better.

I’ve enjoyed a minimalist wardrobe for 15 years and I never miss the chaos of a bigger wardrobe. More choices did not equal more happiness. There was so much emotion tied up in my clothes too. I felt guilty for spending so much and frustrated that I never wore everything I had. When the excess was gone there was room for peace, joy and freedom to wear what I really wanted to wear.

5 Ways that a Minimalist Wardrobe Will Actually Make Your Life Better

The first round of The Project 333 Challenge changed the way I think about my clothes, my stuff, and my spending and shopping habits. The challenge invited me to embrace the joy and ease of dressing with less and it continues to surprise me with new lessons.

Even though I can make many different combinations of outfits with a tiny wardrobe, I usually gravitate towards wearing my favorite things. You probably do the same thing, even if you have lots of different choices. Many people tell me they could never dress with 33 items or less but when they think about what they actually wear, they usually dress with 33 items or less. The most challenging part of this challenge is thinking about it.

1. A minimalist wardrobe will change your relationship with stuff and shopping.

Before I dramatically simplified my wardrobe, my stuff always needed more stuff. From a new pair of shoes or a belt, I kept thinking that one more thing would complete my wardrobe. Maybe I thought it would complete me? I was always bored with my clothes and shopped for every new season, event and emotion. Narrowing things down to 33 items or less scared me a little at first. Then, when I realized I had enough, I noticed I was wearing my favorite things and stopped wanting more.

2. Get your time back with a minimalist wardrobe.

Chances are you spending more time than you think figuring out what to wear, taking care of your clothes and shopping for new clothes. Once you shift to a smaller wardrobe, you’ll have more time for things you really care about.

3. A smaller wardrobe helps you save money.

When you turn your attention to what you have instead of what you want, shopping for more loses it’s appeal. With a minimalist wardrobe, you can challenge yourself creatively or do what I do and enjoy becoming an outfit repeater. I save so much money by wearing the same things over and over again. The 33 items in Project 333 include accessories like jewelry, sunglasses, and purses. I really like those things and used to spend gobs of money on them. Now, I appreciate them, but they are not important to me. I also spend less at the dry cleaner because the majority of my items can be washed by me.

4. Dressing with less makes you more creative.

Instead of planning outfits, shopping for colorful scarves to complete a look, or figuring out what to wear every morning, I use my creative energy for actually creating. Spending less of that energy on my wardrobe means I have more of it for writing, photography, brainstorming and other things that I care about. When you turn off the creativity faucet in one area of your life, it flows in other ways. While there’s nothing wrong with fashion design or wanting to be creative with your wardrobe, may of us get weighed down by all of the choices when it comes to what to wear each day.

5. A minimalist wardrobe will help you simplify your whole life.

Simplicity is contagious! Once you begin to enjoy the benefits of dressing with less, you may get very curious about living with less. Simplicity in the closet seeps into every other area of your home and life. Once I realized how little I needed in the closet not only to get by but to thrive, I wondered what else was holding me back from even more joy and ease. Did I really need all of those spatulas and wire whisks? Was anything in the junk drawer worth holding on to? Did I even need a junk drawer?

How to get started with Project 333: the minimalist wardrobe challenge:

1. Take an inventory of what you own. I recommend getting all wardrobe items together in one space so you can see what you’ve got.
2. Clean out your closet. Here’s a practical guide.
3. Get started with this approach or this one.
4. Hide everything you aren’t donating or wearing. Get it out of sight.
5. Dress with your 33 items (clothes, accessories, jewelry, shoes) for 3 months. During that time, ignore all sales and shopping.
6. At the end of 3 months, check in. How did it go? What’s next?