What Is Project 333?

I first heard about Courtney Carver’s Project 333 in a podcast a long time ago, and ever since then, I’ve been thinking about trying it myself. If you have no idea what I’m talking about: the idea behind Project 333 is to choose 33 items (including clothes, shoes, and accessories) that you’ll wear for the next three months – and store the rest somewhere else.

Since I do what I do for a living, I’d say I’m pretty good at keeping my closet free from clothes I never wear or that don’t fit. But I was still curious – 33 items still seems like very little. I’ve never counted my clothing before, so I couldn’t really imagine how 33 pieces could be enough.

What Are the Rules of Project 333?

The concept is simple: choose 33 items to wear for the next 3 months – including clothes, shoes, outerwear, and accessories. Everything else is packed away out of sight. Things like underwear, sleepwear, and workout clothes (used only for workouts) aren’t counted.

The idea is to make getting dressed easier, reduce decision fatigue, and help you appreciate what you already own. As Courtney Carver puts it, it’s about simplicity – not self-denial.

You can read the full list of rules on her site here:

Project 333 Challenge – Be More with Less

Why I’m Trying It Now

Recently, I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed. It’s the same every spring – the weather is getting better, which is lovely, but everything else speeds up too. My kids have school field trips (extra things to prepare), dance shows, choir performances, birthdays and celebrations – and spring also tends to be a busier time with my clients.

Of course, these are all good things, but a full calendar can still be stressful.

That’s why I thought this would be a good time to try the experiment. It’s something I can control, and I hope it will help me feel lighter, reduce decision fatigue, and align with my values around decluttering and simplicity. And maybe – it’ll be fun, too.

My Starting Point

Like I said earlier, I do my best to only keep clothes that I love and that fit me. But I definitely have more than 33 items. I store my work and more formal clothes on the right side of the wardrobe, and my casual pieces on the left. Jeans and shorts are in boxes, and the purple box is for donations.

Following the official Project 333 guidelines, I’m excluding:

• My wedding ring
• Underwear
• Sleepwear
• In-home loungewear
• Workout clothes/shoes (which I only wear for workouts)

These items are stored in drawers. I quickly sorted through them to see if there was anything to declutter, but I didn’t count them. I’m also choosing to exclude my two ORDNA T-shirts, since I only wear them when I’m working with clients.

5 Questions to Declutter Your Clothes

If you’re doing this challenge, or just decluttering your wardrobe in general, these questions can help you decide what to keep. Be honest with yourself! Hold up each item and ask:

1. Do I wear this – really? When was the last time?
2. Do I feel good when I wear this?
   (Confident, comfortable, like myself?)
3. Would I buy this again today?
   (Style, color, fit – is it still me?)
4. Does this fit me now?
   (Not “someday” or “once I…”)
5. Am I keeping this out of guilt or pressure?
   (Gift? Expensive? Just in case?)

What’s In My Summer 33

I already knew there were a few items in my summer wardrobe that I didn’t love or wear much, so those were easy to remove. I took the rest of my hanging clothes out of the wardrobe and laid my favorites out on the bed. I had to count and rearrange a few times, but it didn’t take long to choose 33 pieces of clothing and shoes.

I decided not to count accessories like jewelry or sunglasses in my 33 items, since I only wear a few simple earrings and the same pair of sunglasses every day – they’re more of a daily habit than a wardrobe choice for me.

These are the 33 items I’m keeping in my wardrobe from mid-May to mid-August:

The experiment has officially started — and I’m excited to see how it goes!

What I Hope to Learn

I hope this experiment will confirm what I already believe — that less really is more. My wardrobe was already pretty minimal (not extremely, but also not overfilled), but I still hope to feel even more freedom, appreciation for what I own, and just to test my own limits.

I’ll report back in a month — or at the end of the three months! Wish me luck!

Warmly,

Malin