Determine What You Actually Wear and Need

This is part of Stewie's Guide to Ruthlessly Declutter Your Clothes Today.

Hey there!

Early in my career as a software developer, I was always busy—juggling multiple projects, joining every committee, and attending endless meetings. It felt productive, but in reality, I was just spinning my wheels.

Then there was Tim, a coworker who did things differently. He’d vanish for a couple of days to build a new feature. We called it “going rogue,” skipping meetings and being unavailable. It seemed unprofessional.

But Tim shipped more code in two days than I did in two weeks.

You’d think I’d learn from that, right? Focus on real productivity? Unfortunately, I didn’t. I kept up my busy facade and eventually found myself in the first wave of layoffs.

Looking back, the lesson is clear: to avoid the same fate as everyone else, sometimes you have to do the opposite.

I’ve applied this to decluttering clothes. Traditional advice tells you what to discard or suggests minimal steps like “just declutter one item.” But what if we flipped the script? Instead of focusing on what to get rid of, let’s identify what we truly need. Imagine if your wardrobe disappeared overnight—what essentials would you replace?

Starting with what to keep sets a solid foundation. And surprisingly, that list is often shorter than you’d expect.

If this feels daunting, consider these questions to guide you:

  1. How often do you do laundry?
  2. What do you need for daily life?
  3. What about special occasions or activities like exercise, gardening, or camping?
  4. How do different seasons affect your clothing needs?

Let me share my answers:

1. Laundry Frequency: I do laundry weekly.

2. Daily Essentials: My job has a relaxed dress code—basically, “No naked Zoom calls.”

So, my staples are:

3. Special Events and Activities: I’m not into outdoor hobbies requiring special gear. For exercise, I use a recumbent bike at home.

For dressing up:

4. Seasonal Needs:

That’s it. If my house burned down, I’d repurchase these items over the next year.

But that’s me. Your list might look different. Maybe you have hobbies needing specific gear, or your job requires formal attire. For example, my father-in-law wore a suit to work every day for 40 years. (He even wore stained dress shirts while gardening.)

The key is to assess your own needs. Write down the essentials for your lifestyle.

This is the first step in your decluttering journey. Embrace it, and you’ll find clarity and freedom in knowing exactly what serves you best.

Next steps…