Life Hack #1: The Laundry Basket Method
On my journey to figure out what success is and how I can better achieve my own version of it, I have identified a few key areas that I want to improve on that are on a more personal level than in business, finance, or investing.
One big area for me is productivity. My ability to focus and get things done more efficiently and effectively. This might not be the same for everyone, but in my own life, I’ve noticed that I do much better when I remove distractions and declutter my environment. This includes, but is not limited to…
My closet!
What is the Laundry Basket Method About?
How do you know when it’s time to do your laundry? Easy, you have run out of clothes and need something to wear! Duh! Seems simple right? Next time you need to do laundry, go look in your closet or look in your drawers. Are they empty? Have you exhausted every piece of wearable clothing before you do your laundry?
Hopefully, you see where this is going. The idea is that we have a tendency to hold on to things that we don’t need just in case we need them. But, if it’s not important enough to wear before you need to do laundry again, is it really that important to keep?
There’s always exception to the rules, like that ugly sweater you wear every Christmas. You can keep that. Preferably deep in the closet where it never sees the light of day.
The laundry basket method is looking at what remains after you’ve utilized what you really NEED. Then evaluate if whatever is left is worth keeping. Go channel your inner Marie Kondo and see if anything left will Spark Joy. If not, get rid of it. It’s most likely an unnecessary distraction that’s blocking your vision from the things you really need and will actually use.
The process
Wait until you NEED to do laundry
Empty your closet of the clothes you want to evaluate & put them on your bed
Look at each item & determine why you still have it in your life. (Your laundry basket is already telling it might not be NEEDED)
Anything you want to keep put back/hang back up
Anything you want to get rid of, put in a pile
Determine best method of disposal (this is an important & possibly profitable step!)
Note: I recommend that you do this in pieces. Break it down in to components of your closet. For me that might mean t-shirts, polos, jean/chinos, dress shirts, suits, dress pants. You don’t want to judge your dress pants by how often you wear a t-shirt. Same goes for seasonal items. It may be difficult to judge the NEED of a winter sweater in the dead of summer
Determine Best Method Of Disposal
Disposal might be a strong term. A better way to look at this is, how can your life profit from this removal?
The easy answer here is to bag everything up and donate. I am a big fan of clothing donations because I know there are people who are need of some of the most basic necessities. When you talk about a profiting from getting rid of clothes, never discount the mental profit you get from helping someone else. It’s super rewarding knowing that you can declutter your life and help someone else at the same time.
At the same time, though, I am also a realist in the fact that there are a lot of items that we have barely used and may be able to sell for a profit (or recoup some of the money spent).
This is where side-hustle-AJ likes to chime in.
The internet is an amazing place where you really can start a business with less than nothing and sell almost anything for a profit. Including your old clothes. Sites like Poshmark, Mercari, Ebay, and Facebook Marketplace make this all possible. One day I’ll do a post on these different sites & how to properly use, but for now, know that options exist!
If you don’t end up selling that’s completely fine too. Sometimes it’s ok to just get something out of your life so your focus isn’t clouded by the unnecessary. It might not lead to a positive life profit, but it’s removing a daily expense in the form of time & mental capacity.
Why is this important?
These things you’re removing from life are time wasters. Imagine, every day, you spend 30 seconds staring at the same shirt & trying to figure out if you should wear it, then never do. 30 seconds a day for an entire year is ~3 hours of you life that you’ll never get back every year. Over a shirt. This might not seem like a lot, but I guarantee you that your closet is only one place where you lose this type of time.
Imagine if you could start gaining back days of time every year? Starting to sound more interesting. This is where productivity comes in to play. The small things on a case by case basis don’t have significant impact on a daily basis, but they build up over time.
Laundry Basket Method, More than Just Clothes?!
Believe it or not, yes, much more than just clothes. Think about anything that has wasted time in your life with clutter or unnecessary mental capital. This method works for those things as well. What’s in your garage, in your basement, or even bigger with what’s in your business or life in general.
We hold on to a lot in our lives that is unnecessary. Take time each week to re-read this article and evaluate a different portion of your life. Eventually you’ll get to some hard decisions about things much more difficult than just an old pair of jeans.
In the mean time, though, start in your closet and don’t be afraid to do this exercise often!