3 tips to help you maintain your new, minimized and joyful wardrobe AFTER you use the KonMari Method.
One thing that doesn’t get talked about in Mari Kondo’s Netflix series, Tidying Up, is what happens AFTER you’ve KonMari’d your home. Today, I’m going to focus on your wardrobe, as this is the most popular place to start decluttering. (and also the recommended place to start if you follow the KonMari Method).
So you’ve piled up every piece of clothing you own and gone through them one-by-one, asking yourself that special question, “Does this bring me joy?”. Perfect. Now you’ve probably also returned the keepers to your closet and bagged up the rest. Great. But now what?
I’m a firm believer in accountability. We have to own up to our clutter. Your closet didn’t fill itself up. YOU DID IT. Your habits (my habits!) filled those drawers. And now, after conquering your closet, you’re left with what you actually love – the real challenge is keeping it that way.
Here are 3 steps to take AFTER you KonMari your clothes, so you can maintain your new, minimized and joyful wardrobe.
1. Review what’s left.
Do your pieces of clothing still work together? Can you make an outfit? Is something missing? These are the questions you need to ask yourself – Because at the end of the day, you might love each individual article of clothing, but if you can’t make an outfit you’ll have nothing to wear. So set aside some time over the next couple evenings to create outfits with what’s left in your wardrobe.
2. Make mindful purchases going forward.
After reviewing what’s left, you’ll quickly find the pieces that don’t “mesh” with anything and you can act accordingly. Either let those items go, (donate, toss, etc), or make a mission to complete that outfit. But be mindful about it! You don’t need to rush into finding the right replacements – instead take your time and look for pieces that are of high quality and versatile with other outfits in your current clothing stash.
The idea here is to have several ‘go-to’ outfits. It’s kind of like packing for a vacation, if you know what you’ve got in there, you’re ready for each day with little effort.
Shopping Tip! Once you find a quality piece of clothing to add to your collection, plan to spend a little more money than you might normally. Quality rarely comes cheap! But if you can afford it, you’ll thank yourself down the road as it outlasts other pieces.
3. Find joy in yourself.
So now your wardrobe is filled with outfits that make you feel good when you wear them. But what happens when next season’s styles hit the stores? Or when your colleague, Miss Trendy-Pants, shows up to work declaring “Boot cut is back!”?
If you’ve just purged half of your closet, you may be vulnerable to filling it back up with the latest and greatest. I mean, you’ve probably got room in there, right?! After the initial purge, surely there’s an empty spot between the sock drawer and those 90s tees you keep around ‘just for painting in’. 😉 This is when we need to be careful. Just because you have the space, doesn’t mean you should fill it. And just because someone else looks good in a new style, doesn’t mean YOU will. It’s time to curb your shopping habit. (Not sure how? You can watch my video on how to stop shopping here!)
Quick Tip! The clothes we keep should be relatively timeless. As in, they last at LEAST 2-5 years. Trends will come and go, and perhaps you’ll integrate pieces from them – but the most important thing we can do going forward is know what clothing works for us, and love ourselves while wearing them.
The ‘Joy” Mari Kondo speaks of should not be from SEEING the item, it should be from wearing it. Remember, only YOU know how you feel while wearing something. If you feel good wearing it, it doesn’t matter what season it’s from. Find joy in yourself and you won’t need to chase next season’s trends.