Today there seems to be an uncountable number of methods out there claiming to help a person live a more minimalist, clutter-free life. Non-attachment theory, Swedish Death Cleaning, the no-contact method… the list could truly go on for days. However, having so many choices is a good thing, as there’s bound to be something out there that will align with your motivation.
‘Project 333’ is a lesser-known one of these methods aiming at streamlining your closet space. It doesn’t involve ruthlessly culling your collection on the spot, packing things away into boxes to see if you miss them, or chucking out anything you haven’t worn in the last six months. This operates more in the way of an insightful experiment.
I talked to professional organizers who have organized wardrobes in the past to hear their thoughts on Project 333 and its effectiveness. If you’re seeking to learn how to declutter clothes, then you've definitely come to the right place. Here’s what they had to say.
What is 'Project 333'?
Project 333 is a simple yet effective experiment that requires a person to challenge themselves to only use 33 items from their wardrobe (including accessories such as hats and bags, but not including sleepwear, undergarments, or workout clothing) for three months. These 33 items can be split into whatever way you want (e.g. - five pairs of trousers, four sweaters, three dresses), but the items you choose are final and must add up to 33 in total. There's no dipping back into your wardrobe for more or to switch items out!
The idea behind doing this is to encourage a person to think about how many of each item they need in their wardrobe, and to show someone that they can successfully live their day-to-day life with less than what their whole closet contains.
Jocelyn Bennett and Nicole Brown, co-founders of weOrganize, LLC, say, "Project 333 is a great way to help someone consider their wardrobe and avoid decision fatigue. When a person has less to choose from it's easier for them to decide what to wear each day."
Shopping from your own closet is key in this project, and if it just so happens to help your closet organization in the long term, great news. Here's what you need to do.
1. You learn how to do more with less
When you experience what it's like to avoid decision fatigue, I almost guarantee that you're going to want to cull down your closet. This is often the impact left on those who have completed Project 333 – they come to realize how much less they can live with so the amount they own shifts into a new perspective.
"Wardrobe fatigue is a challenge," say Jocelyn and Nicole. "Most of us walk into or up to our closet and decide we somehow have nothing to wear. Project 333 brings to light the core clothes we have, the ones that we see as "wardrobe staples", and encourages us to mix and match them with other items we own."
If we stop to take time to try out new looks using what we already have, there are so many interesting outfits that haven't ever been worn right there in our wardrobe! During my first year of university I followed a principle similar to Project 333 and found a game-changing way to create compliment-worthy outfits in a flash. I simply took each pair of trousers I owned (I think I had four back then) and folded the t-shirts, blouses, etcetera that best matched that pair on top of them. That way, in the morning, all I had to do was pick a pair of trousers and one of the items folded up in its stack. They would always match super well, and it all stemmed from only four pairs of trousers! No digging through drawers for me.
2. You sift out what you truly love
When a person is tasked to pare down their wardrobe to only a certain number of items, they are forced to evaluate what matters to them most. In this way, Project 333 does a great job of highlighting a person's favorite pieces, as well as their staples, as you'll reach for your comfiest, most used and most prized pieces ahead of anything else.
Liz Halvorsen, owner of Mess to Bliss, LLC, says, "People can spend time on the clothing they truly love and appreciate through this project, and devote less time to the fast fashion pieces in their collection that might have been worn once."
From here, it's easy to gauge which clothes to declutter or to implement the "didn't know" decluttering rule, where you let go of any clothing item you didn't remember was in your wardrobe.
3. It gives you a chance to try something new
There are various closet mistakes that are making you wear less of your wardrobe, including not making use of the best closet organizers, so you might not even realize there are clothes that you haven't given much use to. Project 333 is the perfect time to task yourself to wear items that haven't yet made it into your go-to clothing rotation.
"Taking on this three month challenge will help us all to get a better sense of what we are wearing or could wear, in hopes of bringing each piece back with renewed joy," say Jocelyn and Nicole.
If you have loads of clothes and want to truly see which you may actually grab for frequently in the future, why not try creating a Project 333 entirely out of items that were neglected?
4. You can see if you are an 'accessories' person
I'm not a girl who uses a million handbags, wears different hats or scarves. I own one summer hat to stop myself from sunburning and gravitate more towards rucksacks or spacious, pretty tote bags that can be used time and time again. If you are (or aren't) an accessories person, you will soon realize this through Project 333, as the amount you can work with will be limited.
5. You will shop less in those three months
Embarking on this three-month challenge means no shopping for new clothes, and no shopping for new clothes means less will be going into your closet.
"This challenge is designed to help a person find out what they truly like to wear and to also get back time by not having to shop for three months," says Liz. "Maybe you will inspire friends and family to start their own decluttering journey, too."
After three months of purchasing no unnecessary clothing, you will realize how little of your shopping was ever needed in your small closet. You will shift your focus onto intentional shopping, aiming to replace what you wear and love if it is beyond repair, or to fill in gaps in your closet where you feel an extra of something you wear all the time could be beneficial.
Go forward mindfully, and totally consider giving Project 333 a go!
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