Welcome to the last installment (for now) in my Deliberate Closet series.
These insights were inspired by a conversation with my friend and former colleague Yidi Campbell, founder of Indyx. In this post, you’ll learn:
The daily practice that’s bringing me closer to wardrobe contentment
Five other habits that have curbed my shopping desires
How writing this series helped me figure out this newsletter’s DNA
If you’d like, you can listen to our 30-minute podcast conversation. It’s full of many other gems, including how Yidi knew it was time to make a values-driven career change and leave her corporate job to start Indyx.
What are Closet Habits?
In my last post, I shared the systems I use to organize my deliberate closet. But systems only work if you actually use them.
That’s where habits come in: habits are the small, repeated actions that make your systems run on less effort.
The beauty of habits is that once they’re established, they require less willpower and mental energy, freeing you up to focus on the things that matter more than what you wear.
How long does it take to form a habit? You may have heard it takes 21 days, but that’s a myth. Research shows it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic, though it can range from 18 days to >8 months depending on the person and the complexity of the habit. Simple habits form faster than complex ones, and consistency matters more than perfection (missing one day won’t derail you, but being very inconsistent will).
The good news? The six habits mentioned here fall on the simpler end of the spectrum (easier than dragging yourself to the gym!). With consistent practice over a few weeks or months, they can become part of your routine, and you can reap the benefits while investing less effort.
The tool that’s helped me cultivate these closet habits is Yidi’s brainchild, the Indyx app. It’s a brilliant platform that lets you catalog your closet digitally; plan and track outfits; get styled by friends and experts; and more.
I’ve been a fan of Indyx for several years, but I finally upgraded to a premium membership this summer because I found value in its benefits (check out Abby’s Latest at the bottom for app-related tips).
But keep in mind, you don’t need an app to adopt these habits! And this post is not sponsored.
Now, onto the game-changing habits…
Daily Habits
Log what you wear. This seemingly simple practice has many benefits. It creates a visual record of your style; helps you see what you actually wear versus what sits unused; and informs future purchasing decisions. Yidi told me that this practice has “brought peace to the chaos that is [her] wardrobe.” Having just completed 90 days of outfit logging, I get it! We both do this in Indyx, but you can use a simple paper-based system or snap a mirror selfie – whatever suits you. Tracking my outfits for 3 months has been eye-opening. For example, I always covet dresses, but I wore a dress only twice last month — turns out puppies like to chew on their hems (I’ll remind myself of this when I find myself shopping for my fantasy life). Speaking of shopping, seeing how much I already own has dramatically decreased my desire to add anything else to my closet!
Plan outfits ahead of time, not in the moment. One major benefit of a digital closet is that it allows you to separate the act of planning from the act of wearing. Use downtime (your commute, waiting to pick up a kid) to think through future outfits when you’re not rushed. This reduces morning decision fatigue and helps you show up feeling more put together. Admittedly, I don’t do this daily, but if I have a big meeting or event, I’ll assemble a go-to outfit ahead of time so I can just grab and go that morning instead of standing in front of my closet in a panic.
Travel Habits
Start packing for trips early. Packing is the use case that first got me hooked on Indyx (I told Yidi it was my “gateway drug”). Ever since I hired Conni Jespersen to help me pack for a multi-week book tour, I’ve followed her packing process, which involves taking pictures of outfits. Now I create a collection in Indyx a few weeks before a trip and start building complete outfits rather than throwing random pieces in a suitcase. I’ve used Indyx to pack for 6 trips so far, from long weekends to 2+ week trips, and I’m proud to say it’s helped me avoid travel-induced panic shopping, even for a week on the East Coast that included a 20-degree temperature range, work meetings, and my college reunion!
Make your travel outfits work overtime. I’m Team Carry-on Only when I travel, which means I need every piece I bring to do double and triple duty. Indyx has helped me challenge myself to create multiple looks from fewer pieces. Can that dress work for both the nice dinner and daytime sightseeing (with different shoes and a jacket)? I’ve found this travel habit not only lightens your luggage, but trains you to see versatility in your everyday wardrobe.
Best tip for versatility? A reversible jacket!
Pre-Purchase Habits
Test before you invest. Ever since I learned about Indyx’s wishlist feature from Yidi, I’ve been making good use of it. Before buying anything new, try making outfits with it alongside pieces you already own. Can you create at least 3-5 different looks with it? Does it fill an actual gap in your wardrobe or do you have something similar already? This serves as a purchase pause of sorts and helps you avoid hitting “checkout” with a piece you’ll ultimately return — and prevents the classic mistake of buying the same puzzle pieces. Speaking of…
Question the second color/duplicate. I’ve been guilty of finding a great item and proceeding to purchase it in a second (or third) color, especially if it’s on sale or I find it on a resale platform. While that’s ok for a base layer, like a cotton t-shirt, when it comes to something more specific like pants or shoes, I’ve found the original color gets worn more than the subsequent purchases. I was relieved to hear Yidi confess she does this as well. And as she noted, it’s then not such a great deal: “If I’m buying two of the same item, I’m spending full price even if [they were] 50% off.” Build the habit of asking yourself whether that second version is truly additive.
More than Just Clothes
When I shared my first deliberate closet post a year ago, it felt like a risk. I remember hitting “schedule” and wondering whether readers would unsubscribe en masse.1
Fortunately, the opposite happened; I’ve been delighted by the positive response.
Writing these posts helped me crystallize an eternal tension of mine: the tension between loving style and stuff while wanting to be a conscious consumer.
And that tension helped me identify a fundamental truth about Practically Deliberate: it’s for people who want to live intentionally in a world where it’s easier to slide.2
I’m highly aware of just how overused the word “intentional” is these days. It’s so ubiquitous that The New York Times just published a piece titled When Did Everything Become So ‘Intentional’? [gift link]
While I don’t love that “intentional” is trending, I also kind of do – because there’s a tension between my goals (in clothing and in life!) of being timeless and remaining current. This mirrors other tensions I’ve written about:
Being financially responsible while also wanting to enjoy life (here)
Embracing technology without sucked in by it (here)
Pursuing professional ambitions while maintaining personal priorities (here)
The key to navigating these tensions? Being intentional!
In future posts, I’m excited to explore other tensions, including:
Raising tech savvy kids without losing the benefits of an analog childhood
Embracing urban life while maintaining a connection to nature
Connecting with peers while building relationships across generations
Are there other tensions you’d like me to excavate in future posts? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Thanks for being along for the journey — I’m grateful that you continue to invite me into your crowded inbox.
Abby’s Latest
I’m sharing Indyx tips in this section (where I typically wax poetic about a current obsession), in case they’re helpful in your own closet habit journey.
I didn’t upload my whole closet to Indyx all at once; logging my outfit each day felt like a more manageable approach. Due to my packing planning and outfit logging, I estimate I’ve now uploaded 80% of my wardrobe, which has made using the app much easier, faster, and more fun.
I don’t use my own photos if I can help it. Instead:
For pieces I’ve bought online recently, I take a screenshot of the item on the retailer’s website and upload that to Indyx.
For older items, I snap a pic of the piece, and then use the Google Lens search function to find professional images of the same (or a similar) item, which always look better than my photos.
If I can’t find a professional image without a model, I sometimes ask AI to generate an image of the item for me without the model, but it doesn’t always work so well (sometimes it adds random items into the image or changes key garment details).
I haven’t used Indyx’s styling features yet so I can’t report on them, but I am excited to check them out in the near future. I love how Indyx is redefining “styling” as something separate from shopping.
If you decide to check out Indyx, feel free to use code “abbydavisson” to receive a $10 credit at sign-up.
Regardless of what method you use to cultivate them, I hope these habits bring you closer to closet contentment!
Deliberately yours,
Abby
I typically finish my posts in the evening and then schedule them to go out early in the morning so I don’t continue to obsess over them. “Schedule” is an easier button than “publish!”
In our book, Money and Love, Myra and I discuss the concept of sliding (taking the path of least resistance) vs. deciding (making a conscious choice) as it relates to couples moving in together. But this concept can be applied to many areas of life, not just romantic relationships. Ultimately, sliding happens when you default to the status quo or what everyone else is doing.
