Wardrobe Editing - part 2
Thank you for all your messages and comments on part 1! It sounds like some of you have done a great job of editing already and are feeling the benefits… and some of you are starting the process or want to get back on it.
So this week I’m going to talk a bit about how I edited down my home/wardrobe, using a mish-mash of methods to motivate myself. It’s a long one so grab a cuppa!
I personally think the clearing out needs to be done hand in hand with planning how you want your edited home/wardrobe to look. I will talk more about planning next time in the third and final part - but here are some of the methods that helped me get stuck in with the clearing process!
Packing party
This is the method that Ryan from The Minimalists used. He packed everything he owned into boxes as if he was moving and covered all furniture in dust sheets. Then after a certain amount of time (I think he did 30 days), he got rid of EVERYTHING that hadn’t been unpacked and any furniture that hadn’t been uncovered!
It’s pretty extreme… but if you are actually moving house, then maybe it’s an opportunity to see what you really use and if there’s anything you don’t miss while it’s packed up. If you have things in storage, perhaps it’s time to think about whether you need to hold onto them?
I didn’t do the extreme version of this method, but I’ve found it helpful on a smaller scale - particularly with my wardrobe. I boxed/bagged things up to see which things I unpack. I’ve also turned hangers to face the wrong way then turned them round when I wear that item so I can see what’s not getting worn. I did this over a long period of time so I could take the seasons into consideration - obviously I’m not wearing my shorts in the winter and mittens in the summer!
The Minimalism Game
This is great if you’re planning to edit down your whole home and was great for getting me into the rhythm of letting things go.
On day one you get rid of one thing, on day two you get rid of two things… etc etc - until you’re parting with thirty things on day thirty! Beardie and I both did this - so by the end of thirty days we had cleared out almost 1000 things between us. It sounds difficult, but to be honest I was shocked (and more than a little bit horrified) at how easy it was! After the thirty days I just wanted to keep going.
The Minimalists say that anything you’re getting rid of should be out of the house by midnight that night, but I personally think that just encourages throwing stuff in the bin. So instead we had boxes on our landing and separated out things for gifting, recycling and selling and spent a bit of time each weekend getting stuff out of the house. It was a nightmare tripping over the boxes and carrying heavy bags to the charity shop - but it definitely meant we felt literally lighter and clearer when it was all done.
The Konmari Method
Whenever I talk to anyone about minimalism and editing down my home, they always seemed shocked that it wasn’t inspired by Marie Kondo! I still haven’t read any of her books, but I did enjoy her Netflix series and feel like her methods are helpful for clearing out and organising what’s left.
For example - creating a mountain of clothes on your bed is a great way to actually acknowledge how much you have, and vertical folding so you can see all your clothes is the best… why did I ever have things in piles?!
With this method it’s important to be honest with yourself about what ‘sparks joy’. Does that lovely dress you never wear spark joy because it’s beautiful… but also make you feel guilty because it cost loads and you never wear it? Would more space in your wardrobe so that you can see everything clearly spark more joy?
Happy Inside
I recently received Michelle Ogundehin’s book Happy Inside and I really wish I had it when I started the editing process! It’s a beautiful book which will take you through the whole process of creating a happy and healthy home. I’m only about 15% into it, but would definitely recommend.
Michelle is also doing a 100 day challenge over on Instagram to fast-track you to a happy home and has loads of information on ‘clean cleaning’ in her highlights (if you’re interested in cutting out toxic cleaning products in your home).
Project 333
Wear just 33 items for 3 months. That includes shoes, jewelry and accessories! I never successfully did 33 items, but I did 40 items and was pretty proud of that! I did this in late winter/early spring so I needed to allow for sunglasses and sandles as well as winter coats, hat, gloves and scarf… you get to 33 quite quickly!
I would highly recommend the challenge though because it was eye opening how much easier it was to choose what to wear and how little I really need. It’s a great way to change habits and good to do alongside planning how you want your wardrobe to look long-term (I’ll talk about this more next time).
Yarn
I had to work out my own method for editing down my yarn stash! I decided what space I wanted it to fit in before I started sorting and that has helped me with not allowing the stash to build back up.
Full disclosure - It’s still a decent size stash. I have ‘the chest of shame’ - ie, a wooden chest full of all my WIPs in the living room. In addition to that I have two small cases with ‘projects-worth’ of yarn and two small boxes under the bed with oddments for blankets/small things/whatever. I also have a small basket of baby yarn in the nursery.
It’s a dramatically smaller stash than it was! I gave myself a list of questions to help me let go of LOTS of yarn…
Do I have a definite project in mind for it? If yes - keep! If no…
Do I love it? If no - get rid! If yes…
If I sell it on/gift it now can I replace it if I change my mind (ie- is it still available? Can I afford to replace it?) If yes - get rid!
This left me with only what I have definite things in mind for and irreplaceable yarn. Yay!
Taking Time
I used a mixture of all the above methods to help me, but by far the most helpful thing was accepting that it would take time… a long time! I knew that I needed to be consistent and do something every week. That sometimes meant attacking a whole room - and other times just a small drawer or pot of pens! But committing to doing something every week kept me going.
In Marie Kondo’s first Netflix series, she recommends dividing things into types - so you would do all your clothes, then all your paperwork etc. I personally divided things into areas… in minute detail! I had a tick list which included every area/drawer/box in the house so if I was flagging a bit I could look at the list and think ‘oh - I’ll just do that easy shelf this week’.
When I had ticked off everything on the list and completed the initial clear-out… I re-made the list and started again! Because let’s face it - it’s difficult to let go of lots of things at once and sometimes we need time to sit with a decision. I knew that I could edit down further.
The first pass was easy, got me in the rhythm of letting go of things and helped me appreciate the benefits of having less stuff. That allowed me to be more honest with myself on the second (and third) passes about what I really need/love.
A note on sentimental and handmade items…
It is so difficult to let go of these items! The main thing that helped me with sentimental items was acknowledging that memories don’t live in objects - they live in me.
Letting go of something isn’t letting go of the memory or the thought that someone put into choosing a gift for you - you can hold onto those memories, thoughts and feelings without holding onto the object.
I always kept my mind on my original goal - to only have things that I either use/wear or love. Many sentimental items fit into that anyway!
Handmade items are really tricky because I think we all feel guilt if we spend a lot of time (and potentially a lot of money) making something and then it languishes at the back of the wardrobe. I decided that instead of allowing space for that guilt - I wanted to make more space for the items that I do love and wear.
I hope that the many handmade garments I took to charity shops are being worn and loved by others. I put a lot more consideration into my makes now (I’ll talk about this more with planning in the next part) and my handmade clothes are all worn regularly (apart from my wedding top!).
When letting go of sentimental or handmade items, I always take a photo of them and I have a file set up called ‘memories’ just in case I want to see those things… I’ve never actually looked through it, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
Regret
One of the things that stops us letting go of all the stuff we don’t need/use is that little voice at the back of our heads saying ‘but I might regret it’. I can honestly say that I have never regretted a single thing that I’ve parted with and everyday I appreciate the extra space and time that I have as a result of editing down my home and wardrobe.
The Minimalists talk about ‘just in case’ items versus ‘just for when’ items. We all have things we don’t need every day but need ‘just for when’ - like Christmas decorations and snorkels. But ‘just in case’ items are different. Do you really need all those empty jam jars or that box of miscellaneous wires?
They say that if you can replace something within 20 minutes for less than £20 then get rid and worst case scenario - replace it when you need it! Depending on your financial situation you might want to tweak the amount - but this really helped me to part with a LOT of ‘just in case’ items. And I haven’t missed them.
I hope that this has been helpful… it’s made me realise that I have a few things I haven’t worn/used in a while - so I’m off to do some more editing!
