Project 333

On March 28th, I began my capsule wardrobe through Project 333 with assistance from Courtney Carver. I finished reading her newest book and knew five pages into it that I was going to deepen my minimalism journey with a tiny, capsule wardrobe. If you are curious about Project 333, please check out Courtney’s website and please read her newest book! When I began my minimalist journey in 2017 after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis my intention was to save time, money, resources, and energy, while removing everything and anything that caused me stress. I hold the same intentions when starting Project 333. I felt as though I paired down my wardrobe significantly, but I still felt a sense of overwhelm when choosing my clothes for the day. I would keep every season of clothing hanging up and I would have to flip through articles to find what I was looking for. I flipped all my hangers to actually see what pieces I was wear to quickly forget to minimize the ones that went unworn. Project 333 has given me guidelines and the motivation needed to begin this next chapter of my minimalism journey. I first heard of Courtney through the book The More of Less. When reading her story I instantly felt connected to her. She too was diagnosed with MS and turned to minimalism. She and I weren’t so different. Yes, we live in different areas of the states and we are at different stages in life. If she could turn to minimalism and experience benefits, I could too. I saw myself in her story and she positively influenced mine. So here I am, staring Project 333. I started by taking a notebook piece of paper and numbering it to 33. The first thing I noticed was writing 1-33 took time in itself. I felt comfort looking at the numbered blank page knowing I was going to fill it only with items that would be my capsule from April 1-June 1st. I then pulled out all of the clothes that were hanging in my closet and started sifting through them. My (almost) fourteen month old son was walking around, playing, and talking while my husband folded laundry. Life was going on around me as I began this Project. Time continued on and I was constantly reminded that love was everywhere. I didn’t feel pressure to go through my clothes quickly, I didn’t have a timeline, I just started and did the work.

My first items I included were jeans. Then my favorite go to sweaters, shirts, earrings, jumper, skirt, and dress. As I pulled the items and hung them back up I found myself internally saying “welcome to my new wardrobe, we are going to have fun living and loving life together!” I wrote down each piece and moved to the next, then the next, then the next. Before I knew it, I had all of my favorite pieces hanging up and I didn’t feel as though I needed more. I had numbers that still remained open and I felt a sense of peace and calm. I still had room for more pieces if I wanted to include them. There wasn’t pressure to add more and fill the list. I had the opportunity to fill it if it pleased me. So I found a few items to include that were versatile and might carry over to my summer capsule. And just as calm as the process started, it ended. I had clothes still laying on my bed that I neatly packed up and put in another closet (out of sight, out of mind). I didn’t have guilt, I didn’t have shame, I had a neat closet filled with only my favorite items to wear from April – June. I didn’t need to buy anything new as I already had more than I needed and that is a true blessing. Project 333 will look different from the next person, and that’s the beauty of it. We all live different lives and our clothes need to fit our needs. Our clothes don’t define us. Our clothes shouldn’t cause us stress, deplete our resources, or take away from our self worth. Our clothes are a necessary part of our lives, but they aren’t all of our lives. Our lives are bigger and better than our clothes. Our lives are meant to be experienced, lived, and loved. Our talents, hopes, dreams, and desires matter more than our wardrobe – let’s give them the energy and attention they deserve rather than focusing on our clothes. I’m excited to take part in Project 333. Join me and the community anytime to experience all the benefits of living with less. TANCKS for reading!