Welcome to Project 333. If today is your first day or week, you are excited and anticipating a challenging three months. If you’ve been practicing the 333 for a month or more, you might have noticed a few things.
- It’s not as challenging as you thought
- It’s easier to get dressed in the morning
- There are great people participating in the challenge
- Most people don’t notice you are wearing fewer items
- You don’t want to go shopping
- Malls have become completely annoying
Some of you might be making your own rules to turn this into a longer lasting event and some, like me, are creating seasonal capsule wardrobes and making Project 333 more permanent.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s occurred to you that this “project” has become more. It has become a lifestyle. The beauty of dressing with less is that instead of freaking out about what you are going to wear every morning, you already know. Let’s say, conservatively, that you spent an extra 8 minutes every morning choosing clothes and accessorizing pre-project 333. That means for each 90 cycle, you save 720 minutes. That is 12 hours!
I knew that Project 333 was more than a fashion project when I looked in my closet and felt relief. Seeing empty space gave me room to appreciate what I had, and remember the things that are most important to me. No longer would I look in the closet with dread searching for the perfect thing to wear.
My revelation that this was not just a project was confirmed when you told me about your closet. The project 333 community has grown from one to thousands. Closets are being reinvented around the world and lives are changing. And…it is no secret, that when your life changes, you change the world.
So yes, Project 333 is more than a minimalist fashion project. It is more than numbers and it is more than clothes. It’s about living life on purpose.
I’m starting my own Project 333 – I’ve just photographed a bunch of excess clothing that I’m going to place for sale on EBay, and anything that doesn’t sell (for whatever reason) is going to be donated to the Goodwill or Dress for Success (these are primarily business clothes). I have SO much clutter – and I really need to pare things down. This will be a challenge for me when I get to my jewelry…I’m not even gonna lie about that…and when I get to shoes. I love accessories, but I’m also ready for a paring down.
Wish me luck! 🙂
Dianne, Good luck. Let me know if you need any help. Jewelry and shoes are always tough, but once you start making these changes, your priorities shift and you won’t care about Jimmy Choo anymore. 😉
Courtney, I haven’t done your Project 333 but I’m just about doing it anyways! I’ve got 36 clothing items (including jammies), 3 pairs of shoes, and my big overbudget zone with 17 pieces of jewelry. I’ve been contemplating giving 333 a spin though!
I did want to chime in and say, even though I haven’t done your challenge, my closet has been revolutionized by the downsizing. It is a pure pleasure to put on my clothes in the morning now because EVERY single thing in there is something I love and want to wear. It used to be I had close to 200 pieces of clothing and felt I had nothing to wear. Now with 36 I feel like I have more than enough!
It’s simpler, no stress, and a sheer delight. Everyone, if you haven’t downsized your closet yet, give Courtney’s challenge a run! I know you’re gonna love it.
Cheers,
Tanja
Tanja, Thanks for your encouraging words. I know exactly what you mean. When I had more, I needed more and now with less, I need even less than that.
Howdy, I was wondering if you’d seen the new Lucky magazine- there’s a pretty cool spread in which they’ve taken 28 items and styled them for 90 days worth of outfits. All of the items fit into a carry-on and the price-per-day comes to $5 and change. There are shoes, accessories, etc– all in all, pretty comprehensive. And pictures, for those of us who like to look….
At the least, it’s fun………I’d love to see someone else’s thoughts expressed here…..how about an article???
I haven’t done a 333, but I follow everything about it stalkerish-ly, and have pared down so, so much. I’m down to about 50 items on hangers, a small dresser, and am about to cut that in half…..Thanks so much.
Project 333=Good Value
Marcy, I didn’t see that but I love the idea. I am going to check it out! You are so close to 33!
It’s definitely become a part of life for me. I’m going to do a wardrobe restructure in the spring, to have a total of less than 50 items for my entire year-long wardrobe. Many pieces overlap, like the jeans, tanks, tees, and scarves. This will also help during fall and spring when it can be hot one day and freezing two days later, as well as enable me to have plenty of fresh shirts between laundry days (hot flashes can really eat through my wardrobe). In the future, as I replace things, it will be with an eye to the absolute best comfort, fit, and quality that I can manage–no more stop-gap purchases!
I couldn’t agree more about the whole change in the way you feel about your clothes and getting dressed. It’s almost as if I’ve raised my status in my own eyes with an empowering sense of being in control of my stuff, the way I look, and having a life that is more than the sum total of what’s hanging in my closet!
Wow Meg – 50 for the year? I will have to keep a better count but I know lots of my pieces overlap too. I love that when you live with less, you really do look for the best.
I think I knew it would be more than a fashion project before I began. I started getting rid of things last summer, and my life has been changing rapidly ever since. Project 333 raised my awareness of how much clothing clutter I had and seemed like the perfect next step in my quest to revise my life. My latest realizations are here: http://intertidalyears.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/project-333-its-working/