The very first time I considered dressing with fewer items, I thought, “NO WAY. I could never do that.”

Then, when asked myself if I could do it for three months, as a challenge/experiment, I thought, “Maybe.”

I thought I wouldn’t have enough and that I’d miss my other stuff but after a week of dressing with fewer items, I felt something different. I felt light.

When I opened my closet, I didn’t notice the clothes first. I noticed space; physical space, mental space, and simply more space to breathe. After a few more days, I realized I wasn’t rushing around as much in the mornings. I wasn’t frustrated with the daily question, “what am I going to wear today?” There was a new sense of calm I hadn’t noticed before. A few more weeks went by, and I stopped thinking about the clothes.

Once I turned my attention away from the stores and the sales, and from finding the best little black dress, or the perfect pair of boots, I realized the best things are never things. Now that I wasn’t giving all my money, time, and attention to what I was wearing, I could start thinking about what I was really interested in, and how I wanted to spend my time.

You may notice this too when you join the Project 333 Video course.

Heart-shifts

It wasn’t just me who was noticing remarkable changes. People who tried Project 333 noticed less anxiety, more clarity and focus. They reported they had more patience with their children and that they were sleeping better.

The shifts that were happening in my life, and that I was hearing from others had nothing to do with shirts, shoes, or any other things. The changes we noticed were heart-shifts.

5 Ways Less Promised So Much More

1. MORE COURAGE.

When I discovered that my fears about dressing with less were all in my head, I developed more courage to try new things, even things that scared me.

2. MORE CONFIDENCE.

For a long time, I tried to prove who I was by what I was wearing. When I stopped relying on my clothes to speak for me, I found confidence in who I was instead of what I was wearing.

3. MORE CURIOUSITY.

I had no idea what to expect from dressing with 33 items or less, but when the unexpected benefits revealed themselves, I started wondering, “wouldn’t it be crazy if …?” about many other things.

4. MORE ATTENTION FOR WHAT MATTERS

Imagine if we harnessed all the energy and attention we spend on what we wear and instead directed it toward things that really matter to us and to the world?

5. MORE EASE WITH UNCERTAINTY

I used to hate feeling uncertain but I’ve come to realize that since most things are, I have to find ease in it. It doesn’t come naturally to me but the calm and ease I’ve created by simplifying my life helps. Now more than ever with need pockets of ease and respite from the uncertainty we are facing.

Spoiler alert: Minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 isn’t about fashion or clothes, but that’s where it starts. When you realize how much stress you can release, how much space you can create, how much money you can save, and how much joy you will experience simply by reducing the number of items in your closet, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

Will you join me in the course?

PS. If you have questions about the course, I’m holding a live Q&A session on Thursday at 6pm ET. Click here if you’d like to join.

On my first book tour, I spoke in 13 different cities. With the exception of one city, I wore the same outfit to every single event. I wore black leggings, a lightweight gray sweater, and black boots. I even wore this outfit during other outings on my trip. I wore the same things over and over again.

Because I am a proud member of the Outfit Repeater’s Club, I can think about things that matter more to me than what I’m wearing or what other people may think about what I’m wearing. 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.

In 2010, my first round of minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 changed the way I thought about my clothes, my stuff, and my spending habits. The challenge invited me to embrace the joy and ease of dressing with less and it continues to teach me things.

7 Things I’ve Learned By Wearing The Same Things Over and Over Again

1. I need way less than I think to be happy. The more I had, the more I wanted. It seemed like my clothes needed more clothes. “That sweater would go great with those jeans I have,” I would think. Or, “A new scarf or belt will really pull this look together.” My constant quest for more resulted in frustration, overspending, and discontent. In contrast, choosing from a small selection of clothes made me feel light, and I almost immediately felt gratitude for what I had instead of thinking about the next thing I needed. When I applied this to the rest of my life, I finally realized I had enough and that I was enough.

2. No one cares what I’m wearing. Between in-office sales meetings, client lunches, and community events, I was out and about most of the time, with many of the same people. No one noticed I was wearing the same things over and over again. My colleagues didn’t notice; my clients didn’t notice. I actually received more compliments. I even wore the same dress to every holiday function and event that year. Now when I’m making decisions about how I want to live my life, or do my work, I can do what’s best for me regardless of opinions that might not be supportive. I’ve also realized that other people’s thoughts about me aren’t really about me. They are about them.

3. Deciding what to wear requires mental energy better spent on other things. Have you ever experienced decision fatigue? I used to spend so much brain power buying things, chasing sales and figuring out what to wear. I remember trying on several outfits getting ready in the morning in hopes of finding the perfect thing. Now, in curating a small capsule wardrobe, there are no daily decisions required. I get to wear my favorite things every day. I streamline other decisions too so when it comes to being creative and making the big choices, I have energy and clarity.

4. Spending less energy being creative in my wardrobe has freed up more creative energy for things I am more interested in. 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.

5. A simple closet is the gateway to a simple life. 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?

6. My wardrobe is the least interesting thing about me. I used to try to prove who I was by what I wore. I had long conversations about the brands I wore, what I got on sale and what I was looking forward to buying. All of that got in the way of me being me and connecting with other people on a deeper level. We have more interesting things to talk about than what’s on sale, where we got our shoes, or what looks flattering (another word meaning what makes us look smaller than we are). There are better ways to connect, compliment and feel confident than focusing on what’s on the outside.

7. The challenge was never about clothes or fashion. I realized that all those times I thought, “I love shopping” or “I love clothes,” I didn’t really know what I loved. Removing all the more, more, more from my closet helped me figure out what mattered to me, what I was curious about, and how I wanted to live my life.

I’m so glad I decided to trade the excess in my closet for more joy and ease in my life. A tiny wardrobe has taught me so much more more about life than clothes.

I invite you to join the Project 333 Video course, so you too can discover a simpler life with more joy and ease.

P.S. A few things you might want to know about the Project 333 Video Course … You’ll enjoy video lessons from me with audio and written transcripts, downloadable PDF’s, a live Q & A call, supportive (yet optional) community FB group, and a step by step roadmap to simplifying your closet and your life.

The new book, Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More is here! I’m really happy to share this book with you. Keep reading to find out what’s in the book and why I think it might change your closet and your life.

I created this fashion challenge in 2010 and now, 10 years later, it’s a book!

Whether you’ve done the challenge before, are considering it or are just hearing about it for the first time, this book has the answers you’ve been looking for. From why I started the challenge to how to get started and how to break the rules plus real world examples and illustrations, the new Project 333 book is your guide to a simple closet and a full heart.

This is so much bigger than cleaning your closet or paring down to exactly 33 items. It’s about how you feel on the inside. Chaotic or calm? Distracted or focused? Fearful or curious? Healthy or exhausted? We start with the closet and then go all in so you can create the kind of life you want.

In the book, I cover:

• creating a capsule wardrobe that best fits your body and lifestyle
• considering the impact your clothing decisions have on the planet
• the emotions connected to your wardrobe
• how to break the rules
• questions to ask before and after the challenge
• how to consider Project 333 for children
• travel and packing
• and wardrobe lists and stories from four different women

More about the Project 333 book …

Wear just 33 items for 3 months and get back all the JOY you were missing while you were worrying what to wear.

In Project 333, minimalist expert and author of Soulful Simplicity Courtney Carver takes a new approach to living simply–starting with your wardrobe. Project 333 promises that not only can you survive with just 33 items in your closet for 3 months, but you’ll thrive just like the thousands of woman who have taken on the challenge and never looked back. Let the decluttering begin!

Ever ask yourself how many of the items in your closet you actually wear? In search of a way to pare down on her expensive shopping habit, consistent lack of satisfaction with her purchases, and ever-growing closet, Carver created Project 333. In this book, she guides readers through their closets item-by-item, sifting through all the emotional baggage associated with those oh-so strappy high-heel sandals that cost a fortune but destroy your feet every time you walk more than a few steps to that extensive collection of never-worn little black dresses, to locate the items that actually look and feel like you.

As Carver reveals in this book, once we finally release ourselves from the cyclical nature of consumerism and focus less on our shoes and more on our self-care, we not only look great we feel great– and we can see a clear path to make other important changes in our lives that reach far beyond our closets. With tips, solutions, and a closet-full of inspiration, this life-changing minimalist manual shows readers that we are so much more than what we wear, and that who we are and what we have is so much more than enough.

Learn more and order Project 333!

If you’ve ever opened your closet doors and found yourself staring at clothes you’ve been collecting for years and never wear, wondering why you don’t have anything to wear, minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 can help.

Wear just 33 items for 3 months and get back all the JOY you were missing while you were worrying about what to wear.

Project 333: This little guide will get you started

The Rules:

• When: Every three months (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)

• What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.

• What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear,  and workout clothing (but your workout clothes have to workout).

• How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of sight.

• What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering. If your clothes don’t fit or are in poor condition, replace them.

Helpful Project 333 Resources: 

• Capsule Wardrobe List (what I’m wearing and why it’s important)
• Project 333: Q & A to Help You Simplify Your Closet
• 7 Perks of a Minimalist Wardrobe
• How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe
• Project 333 on Instagram
• The Project 333 Video Course

Remember what you really want

This challenge isn’t really about clothing and closets at all, even though that’s where it starts. Be curious about how simplifying your closet might help you make space in other areas of your life. Make room for what you really want!

That was the little guide and the book is the big guide. Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More covers everything from how to pick items for your capsule wardrobe and dealing with emotions connected to your clothes to Project 333 for children, the eco-impact your shopping choices have and much more.

Before Project 333, I had no concept of what “enough” meant to me. I was always focused on more. Instead of living an “enough is enough” life, I was more in line with “too much of everything is just enough.” But eventually, the too much was too heavy.

image credit: Kristen Doyle

What does enough really mean?

I started minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 for a few reasons, and one of them was to determine what enough meant to me. I didn’t know and was shocked (and delighted) to discover that in many cases, one was enough. I only need one pair of sunglasses, one purse, one pair of jeans and one winter jacket. This is a start contrast to my former collections of those items.

One suits my needs, and when there is only one, I take better care of it and appreciate it more. Not to mention that I have no decisions to make in terms of which one to use on a day-to-day basis. I simply use the one I have. I’ve applied my “one is enough” philosophy to other objects too. It doesn’t work for everything, like pens and teaspoons—for some reason, I require more of these two things.

(In the new book, Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge that Proves Less Really Is So Much More, I write more about how to do the challenge and the benefits to watch out for).

I’ll never tell you what to include in your capsule wardrobe but I highly recommend that you exclude the following, because seriously … enough is enough.

Enough is enough when it comes to these 5 things

1. Perfectionism. You might not get your capsule wardrobe right the first time around, and chances are, at the end of three months, you’ll see everything differently. Don’t worry about doing it right. This is a challenge, an experiment. And in three months, you can do it all over again.

2. Comparison. My wardrobe won’t look like your wardrobe. You don’t have to wear all black or own a dress you can wear five different ways. You live in a different climate, have a different lifestyle, and have different tastes in clothes. Make this project your own.

3. Stubbornness. If you get started and the shoes you included aren’t working, swap them out. Just because you wrote your list on paper doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. Be fierce but flexible.

4. Guilt. When you’re boxing up your clothes, you might feel guilty for spending too much on things you don’t wear. What you should be feeling is proud that you are open to change. You should be feeling excited about a new challenge. Feel happy that your clothes may be going to someone who really needs them. Trade your guilt for the good stuff.

5. Suffering. If you wear out your favorite pair of jeans, or a coat that you included becomes a little too snug, replace it. If you’re unhappy with your selection, reselect. Use Project 333 as a way to learn about what you really need and want instead of treating it like a punishment. This should be fun and make your life easier.

We’ve had enough of those five things in our closets, in our lives and in our hearts. I invite you to let go and make room for what you really want in there.

This was an excerpt from my new book, Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More. I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it.

I thought “wouldn’t it be crazy if … ?” would be a good title for this because the new Project 333 Book & Course are available right now.

Some of you may remember when I announced minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 for the first time back in 2010 and many of you are just hearing about it for the first time. Project 333 started with this question, “wouldn’t it be crazy if I dressed with 33 items or less?” If you had seen my closet before I started Project 333, you’d understand why this was such a crazy question.

I’ve asked this question so many times, and been thrilled with the answers!

I’ve asked, wouldn’t it be crazy if …

• we downsized from a big house to an apartment less than half the size?
• I quit my job and created my own microbusiness?
• I traveled for a month to several countries with only a carry on?
• I quit drinking?
• started a podcast?

So I was thinking, wouldn’t it be crazy if we all came together and did Project 333 from April 1st – June 30th (no matter where you live, what the weather is or where you work and even if you think you LOVE clothes and shopping)?

I’d like to invite you to join me for the first live, collaborative season of Project 333.

To help everyone come together, answer your questions and guide you through your fears and concerns in creating a capsule wardrobe, I made you the new Project 333 Video Course. Over the years of not only doing the challenge myself but hearing from thousands of other people taking the leap, I’ve learned a lot about what gets in the way. Things like laundry and weather and uniforms!

The very best part about minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 is that it starts in your closet and moves to your heart. The benefits you’ll experience will move far beyond your capsule wardrobe. After three months of dressing less (and even sooner), it’s likely that you will:

• save money
• have more time in the morning
• care less about what other people think about you
• develop more confidence
• ask “wouldn’t it be crazy if …?” in other areas of your life
• feel more calm
• have more clarity about what really matters to you

I’m in my 10th year of dressing with 33 items or less and there is no possible way I’d still be doing that if it wasn’t adding immense value to my life. I recently helped a self-proclaimed lover of clothes narrow down to 33 items. She started with four closets and now she’s using half of one. She was surprised that when we made piles of her clothes, her “love” pile was the smallest and her “toss” pile was the largest by far.

Here are a few things you can expect from the course:

• Different content than the book.
• Video lessons that are available in audio and written format too.
• A video describing my current capsule collection.
• Supportive community in the form of an (optional) private Facebook group.
• Live Q & A with me.
• Awesome tech support and heart support.

Join Project 333 anyway you want to join

You can read the book, take the course or do Project 333 on your own.

Between the new book and the video course, you’ll have everything you need to choose 33 items to dress with for the next 3 months. And the best part is that once you’ve created your new, tiny wardrobe, you won’t have to think about what you are going to wear for awhile and instead will save an incredible amount of money, time and mental bandwidth for the things in life that you are actually interested in and that really deserve your attention.

A couple of things to reassure you:

• You don’t have to get rid of anything (but you can if you want to).
• I’m not going to tell you what to wear.
• Three months goes by very quickly
• This isn’t a project in suffering. If you need to replace or repair something, you can.
• You will have enough.

From April 1 – June 30th, no matter where you live or what you do for work or what might be standing in your way right now, let’s get together and see what dressing with less will bring. Wouldn’t it be crazy if we all did it together and supported and inspired each other?

Join the course here (If you purchase the book, there is a discount for the course that will cover the cost of most books).