A Personal Challenge Update

3 months ago I set myself a personal challenge to see if I could halve my current wardrobe. Well I did it! I learnt along the way a few tricks that helped me reach my goal.

Just do it
It sounds simple enough but I had to just bite the bullet and start. So many times before I have procrastinated and ended up doing the laundry/vacuuming/music playlists instead. I built up a lot of stress and pressure that this was going to be a hard process. It honestly was a lot easier and took a lot less time than I thought it would.

Small bites
I found if the inspiration had hit me hard like a hammer then not to try to do it all at once. I focused instead on working through it in 10 minute bursts or even just a particular small section - like my sock drawer - and if still inspired to go from there. Having simple quick wins along the way made me feel positive about letting go of my things.

Understanding its worth
Probably my hardest hurdle was coming to terms with the very expensive jacket that sat in my cupboard. Because it lived all day in my wardrobe it wasn't actually worth the expense because I had never used it. It was a waste. I realised that I'm not gaining any value to my life with it living in the wardrobe gathering dust. Keeping it was just keeping the guilt associated with the expense. An unexpected bonus of letting it go has meant I've been able to let go of that guilt.

Just in case
I knew I would freak out if I piled all of my donations into a car and took it to charity straight away. So I gave myself a mental buffer. I placed all of the items in a basket and put it in another room and agreed that I would donate them in 3 months time. If I didn't use the item over the last 3 months then it didn't deserve to be in my home.

Focus on the end goal
Whenever I found myself really struggling I would remember to focus on the end goal. My personal goal was being able to open my wardrobe and see only cherished, well used and loved items. I've heard of others focussing on a particular style like 'effortlessly chic' to help them with their clean-out. My taste is too eclectic for that so instead I chose to keep everything that looked great on me and that I loved to wear.

This has been a really big deal for me and I'm so happy that I stuck to my guns and finished this challenge. I am celebrating by looking at upgrading to a super organised wardrobe to pimp my Boudoir. A pretty and clearly labelled wardrobe for my well loved treasures.

A Personal Challenge

Earlier this year I completed a personal challenge to stop buying things just for the sake of buying them. 3 months on and I'm happy to say that I am still feeling comfortable making do with what I have & have been able to control the urges to shop. My focus these days are on experiences not possessions.

Before however if I took a fancy to something it was brought home. I have always had a bent for clothes that are retro inspired especially anything from the 70's or British Mod 60's. But to be honest I was a bower bird. If it was brightly coloured, sequined, patterned, feathered, fluffy, textural, shiny, fuzzy or just plain silly I'd buy it. I have a very large dress-up box full of bizarre eclectic creations.

I was chatting with a friend the other day and she told me a story of watching a largely over weight man eating a cream filled bun. She watched the man eating it and realised that he wasn't even enjoying the experience. Food meant nothing to him. I realised for a long time I used to be this way with shopping. It was something I just did to fill the void.

When I do purchase something to live in my wardrobe now it has to be spectacular, fit me perfectly and make me feel amazing. Now that I have those parameters in my mind when I do finally bring something into my wardrobe I know it will be there for a long time and get a lot of use.

In saying that I still have to live with the gluttony of my past excess. I'm not proud of it, but I currently have more clothes than I need or even use. I estimated that I could wear a new piece of clothing every day & never repeat any for more than 2 years. My clothes live in more than one room in my house. When I look at all the clothes I own I realise that I only wear a small percentage on a regular basis. Most just hang on their hangers looking pretty.

I've decided that I need to shed my old skin & embark on another challenge: to halve my current wardrobe. This is not going to be easy but if I chip away at it constantly it shouldn't be too daunting. For the pieces that I cherish but just never wear I'm hoping I can let go and donate or give away to loving homes. Hoping by the end of this challenge I can see the holes in my wardrobe more clearly and have promised to let myself splurge on some new treasures.

I'm looking forward to being able to look in my wardrobe and only see pieces that I love or need. Its time to banish the bad choices from my life and move on. In saying that I still don't think I can give away my canary yellow fur coat.

Any helpful hints and suggestions on how I can do this is more than welcome!