A starting point of discussion for any wannabe minimalist must be clothes ... and not just because I am a woman. Albeit this used to be an out of control category ... But then again what category has not.
Statistics (I would not vouch for their accuracy) dictate that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. Given I used to waste 30 - 90 minutes each morning trying out numerous outfits just to select the one I wear the majority of the time, this 'fact' would not surprise me.
It is the first recommended category by Marie Kondo. It is the first as it is the easiest to tackle, with the least emotional attachment or so we are told. For those of you who are not familiar with Marie Kondo's work, she is an organising consultant from Japan who wrote a few books on the topic of discarding and then organising your home, she also has a tv show for those that prefer visual ways of taking in information and life examples. I do not want to deviate too much from the topic on hand so will summarise her approach in another post, but better yet I would recommend reading her book(s).
More to the point the following image was shared on becoming minimalist Facebook page:
I shared it when it came up on my feed and I am sharing it with you now.
Imagine if we were to get rid of 80% of our clothes that we barely ever wear ... surely we would be able to see the clothes we actually wear.
So the benefits I have discovered so far:
1. It saves time
I no longer waste 30 - 90 minutes in the morning trying out outfits I will only discard. Instead I start with something that takes my fancy and build from there. It took me a total of 5 minutes to put my outfit together this morning.
I know what I have and can easily assemble outfits. I do not need to worry about how I look ... as the clothes I kept flatter me. The idea of a capsule wardrobe takes this concept further. With a few select items that all go well together there is a possibility of mixing and matching without the need of additional thought.
2. It makes you look great
Okay this one is a little harder to achieve but is not completely impossible. If we shed all those outfits that do not flatter our body shape or colouring we are that much closer.
Ten years ago I got occasional questions of whether I was pregnant. Today I would be classed as average by many (maybe on the exception of BMI and my mother - both are convinced I am overweight). And I was 3 sizes smaller back then! The difference is either I am much better at picking the clothes I wear or the people I surround myself with are less rude.
Enter Kibbe. David Kibbe is not a natural choice for a minimalist wannabe, however using some of his thoughts on yin and yang balances in clothes I am that much better at picking flattering clothes to both my body and essence.
Enter Kibbe. David Kibbe is not a natural choice for a minimalist wannabe, however using some of his thoughts on yin and yang balances in clothes I am that much better at picking flattering clothes to both my body and essence.
3. It saves money
The physical act of decluttering is unlikely to get you a lot of extra cash, unless you have some designer gems you are willing to let go and sell. (Selling items also cuts in on the saved time). The change in the way you approach shopping is where the secret lies. I personally no longer need to go on massive shopping sprees that used to be a 'necessity' to my wellbeing. (The thought of spending money on something I may need to declutter at a later stage sends me into cold sweat).
Once you have a finite wardrobe you are able to better curate it, better match it, the amount of items can be reduced by careful selection. And by only replacing items once in a while there is a potential for investing in an item that is better quality and will last that much longer.
4. Less stress
I read somewhere that clutter correlates to levels of stress and tiredness. As such less clothes means less stress and more energy. I am still putting this to the test ... Hence the wannabe in me.
Are there any benefits that I have missed?
Until soon,
Lija
P.S. I may brave sharing photos of the progress I made in the clothes department next time,so stay tuned.