I’ve been dressing with 33 items or less every 3 months for the last 8 years. Minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 started as a 3-month challenge to dress with 33 items or less. It made such a positive difference in my life that I never stopped.
Below are 33 little lessons I’ve learned from Minimalist fashion challenge Project 333.
1. I need way less than I think to be happy.
2. Shopping doesn’t cure boredom, curiosity does that.
3. Just because something fits me well doesn’t mean I need it in every color.
4. Washing clothes in cold water and line drying them helps them last longer.
5. I never need more space, only less stuff.
6. People care more about what they wear than what I wear.
7. Comparison makes me feel like I’m not good enough.
8. I am.
9. Advertising makes me feel like I don’t have enough.
10. I do.
11. If I wait 30 days before buying something, I’ll likely forget about it.
12. I’d rather spend my free time hiking or writing instead of shopping.
13. I enjoy knowing that I can carry my entire 33-item capsule wardrobe in a carry-on bag when traveling.
14. When I’m not focused on what’s missing from my wardrobe, I can appreciate what I have.
15. There are so many things I’d rather think and talk about than what’s on sale, or where you got that dress/purse/shirt.
16. Clothes are easier to quit than carbs.
17. Investing in one $100 dress that actually fits you saves more time and money than spending on five $25 dresses through-out the year.
18. My 33 item wardrobe doesn’t work for everyone, but people from around the world (women, men, students, professionals, entrepreneurs, stay-home parents, world travelers …) with different jobs, lifestyles, and taste in clothing have made Project 333 work for them.
19. The best things are never things.
20. Most of my items work all year-long. Even though I live in a 4-season state, more than 50% of my wardrobe works for every season.
21. When you announce that you are trying minimalist fashion challenge Project 333, well-meaning friends and family will stop buying you clothing (that you never wore anyway).
22. Mornings are easier with fewer options.
23. Dressing with less saves you money.
24. Simplicity is contagious.
25. Completing a challenge builds confidence.
26. Fewer decisions about what to wear allow more clarity for more important choices.
27. This is not a challenge in suffering. If something needs replacing, I replace it.
28. It takes time to figure out what really fits your body and your lifestyle.
29. I am not my past purchases. Now that I’ve let it all go, I let the guilt and shame of overspending and holding on for so long go too. I’ve paid enough. You have too.
30. Most of my clothes have lasted way longer than I thought they would.
31. When I think I’m frustrated or bored with my wardrobe, I think about what’s really going on. My emotions rarely have anything to do with my clothes anymore.
32. Project 333 inspires interesting conversations and beautiful friendships (see hashtag #project333 on Instagram).
33. Simple is the new black.
To learn more about minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 …
- Try Join the Project 333 video course
- Join me on Instagram for future updates and simple inspiration.
Get your copy of Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really Is So Much More and trade stress and excess for a little peace.
