If you have a ton of clothes, you may occasionally contemplate downsizing to create a "capsule wardrobe," comprised of basic pieces — like sweaters, plain shirts, and jeans — that can be mixed and matched to create multiple outfits. Of course, actually doing it is a lot harder than imagining what it might be like to have a pared-down closet. What if you get rid of an item that would be just perfect for some future outfit? What if you then have to go buy a new one to replace it? That’s where Project 333 comes in. This technique can help you figure out what really belongs in your collection, without forcing you to give anything up right off the bat. The general idea behind Project 333 is that you should be able to create plenty of appropriate outfits with just 33 different pieces. The 33 pieces don’t include underwear or jewelry. Everything you don’t select gets put somewhere else, like in storage, in the attic, or in a location far away from your closet. Then, you only wear outfits mixed and matched from those 33 pieces, and you aim to do this for 3 whole months — hence the extra “3” in the title. When the 3 months are over, you can return to the boxed-up items and look at them with new eyes. Did you end up needing anything in there? Anything you find that you easily did without can be donated or tossed. You’ve already proven you don’t actually need it to create great outfits.
