Start Small and Maintain

My minimal-ish path began with my capsule closet. I’ve never been a shopper or a so-called “clothes horse” so pairing down my wardrobe was easy for me. I don’t have a sentimental connection to clothes or shoes, and my starting point was probably smaller than many people’s final capsule closet results. For me, creating a capsule closet was a small start to a bigger life!

So when people say “I want to simplify, but I just don’t know where to start!” my answers is always … Start Small and Maintain.

The key to simplifying my life has been the realization that I need to be in this for the long game, learning that it isn’t only about decluttering but also about realizing why we bring in clutter, where it comes from, and how we can stop the flow of clutter into our world so we can eventually focus less on things and more on life.

When I began to declutter my clothes, I started with anything that didn’t fit. I put all my “skinny clothes” in a pile and gave them some thought. I want to be that size again someday, but in reality it will be a while. Even if I started losing 1-2 pounds per week immediately going from a size 16 to a size 8 takes time, and when I finally do get there, will I really want to wear clothes from six years ago? Of course not.

This was easy to maintain. I let go of everything that didn’t fit, and I don’t normally buy clothes that don’t fit.

Next I gathered everything that was off season. This isn’t easy in Washington because 9 months of the year, it’s cold and wet, and the other three it’s still sometimes cold and wet. But I don’t wear shorts in the winter so I packed those away. I have a few long skirts that are summer weight so I packed those away as well. I packed away anything that I absolutely will not wear in the cold and wet months.

The only challenge here was not pulling those items out again on a not-as-cold-and-wet day, but I stuck with the plan. I told myself that saving them for summer would make them like new again.

Then I looked at anything that still had tags on it and asked myself why. I had 3 or 4 items like that, and the common theme was that I had nothing to wear them with. I wondered why I had bought sparkly tops to begin with if I had nothing to wear them with or really no where to wear them to. Then I saw the sale stickers. I’m a sucker for a good deal, and a shirt marked down from $40 to $7 seems like a good deal unless you never wear it. Then you’ve just paid the store $7 to store their merchandise.

I’m a sucker for a good deal, and a shirt marked down from $40 to $7 seems like a good deal unless you never wear it. Then you’ve just paid the store $7 to store their merchandise.

Moving forward I promised myself to never buy something just because it was on sale. I decided to only buy clothes that I will wear right now with clothes I already own that make it work.

Finally I had to decide from what pieces were left: do I really like this. This is tough for me because I struggle with shoulds. I should have a little black dress. I should own a cardigan. My mind is a minefield of things I’ve been told and believed that I should have, should think, and should do, and sorting through the “I shoulds” to find the actual “I wants” isn’t always easy.

But I pushed through and realized I own very few things that fit, that worked for the season, and that I actually liked wearing. I also realized that looking at a small pile of things I actually liked was easier on my eyes, less stressful to choose from, and actually made me feel happy! I decided to only buy clothes that (a) make me feel as happy as the things I already own and (b) coordinate with the happy clothes already in my closet.

Maintaining this step was easier than I thought. Now when I shop I’m not just looking for the right size. I’m looking for size, fit, and color coordination. I often walk around the store with a blouse mentally trying it on with other things I already own. More often than not, I put it back. If it doesn’t make me happy, I’m not paying to store it in my closet.

It may sound crazy, but it’ works.

And starting small in my closet and maintaining that simplicity, gave me the courage to move on to other spaces in my house and in my life, and with each new space I focused as much if not more on the maintenance of the work as I did on the work itself. I focused on creating good habits based on real thought and real need.

Living simpler is about the long game. It won’t happen overnight, but if you want it, it will happen.