Time is one of the things I value most in my life. During the holiday seasons, my time feels even more restricted than usual. However, I am always striving to spend my time in ways that feel meaningful and productive to me. By gradually paring down my belongings and making do with less, I’ve also gained time. When I have less things, I have less to think about, consider, and cleanup. This even includes things in the digital world such as social media or email accounts, Facebook “friends”, and digital photos.
Over the summer I watched a movie called Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. One segment that really resonated me was about a woman who started Project 333. The project is to select 33 items to wear in rotation over a period of 3 months. The 33 items include shoes, accessories, and outerwear! Read more about it here.
I can see the good points of this kind of system and often lament how much time I waste getting ready on some days. Sometimes I’m just having one of those days where nothing seems to feel, or look, good on me. On those days I often promise myself that I will try Project 333, if for no other reason than to save time in the morning by limiting my clothing options.
Then I start to feel envious of people like Steve Jobs, who wore a black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers every day while he was still living. I understand now that he decided to wear the same thing everyday not to be a minimalist, but rather to conserve brain power in making so many decisions in the morning. One of these days, I will get around to trying Project 333 and limit my wardrobe to just 33 items, something I don’t even do when I go on vacation for week!
Although I still waste precious time and brain power on deciding which clothes to wear each day, there are plenty of other areas where I have managed to reduce my options, thereby saving myself time and energy. I often find myself overwhelmed and pressured by the abundance of stuff and options around me non-stop this time of the year. My best strategy is to maintain my priorities, remain focused and not be distracted by all the glitzy, shiny objects around me. I remind myself that less is really more.
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