My Minimalist Closet
I’m secretly obsessed with the A&E TV show Hoarders. I think I watched my first episode years ago in a hotel room somewhere in Eastern Kentucky while traveling to teach students ACT test prep.
I sat stunned as I watched men and women alike hold onto their stuff, justify their stuff, and elevate their stuff above people, relationships, and family.
I felt compassion for people who were trapped in a lifestyle they couldn’t escape from. How does this happen? How do people become so overwhelmed by their stuff?
While the counselor in me understands the layered complexity of hoarding, the practical part of me knows this: once you are overwhelmed, it’s easier to just stay in that mess than to address it.
I like a clean closet. I like systems. I like easy.
My youngest son is about to return to Harding University for the final semester of his senior year. He’s been living out of his suitcase while home for Christmas and his closet and his bedroom—well, they're a mess.
And in many ways, his closet and his room remind me of the overwhelming, unforgiving, and intimidating ACT RED BOOK.
Students come into my classes carrying this book. And in many ways, it has already shut them down, rendered them immobile, and intimidated them to the point that they are too afraid to even try.
In all honesty, I’ve had closets and rooms that look just like my son’s. What do I keep? What do I give away? Who do I give it to? What if I need that later? I paid good money for that dress, even though it is too short in the waist for my long torso.
A few years ago, I was introduced to Project 33, a capsule wardrobe system introduced by minimalist Courtney Carver. The challenge was this: Wear 33 pieces of clothing for three months and see how life goes.
While I didn’t follow it perfectly, here’s what I learned. People really don’t care what I wear. I wore the same outfit multiple days in a row because it wasn’t dirty and no one even noticed. As a result, I decided I would only wear the clothes that fit me well and I felt good wearing them. Everything else? Donated.
Walking into my closet with only a few outfits has been so freeing. It’s easy to get dressed in the morning and move on with my day. By simplifying my closet, my life became easier.
Marie Kondo then gave me a great suggestion about the boxes of artwork that I had saved from my kids' elementary days. Display what you love. I picked out my very favorite pieces of art and took them to a local framer where we picked out colorful and complementing mats and frames.
I then hung my children’s “original art” on the walls of my closet. If you love it, use it. If you love it, display it.
I believe that many of us live in a state of overwhelm. We are bombarded with constant information, new products, great sales, and endless opportunities. It’s easy to overcommit, overdo, and overspend.
Helping our children with ACT test prep feels like one more BIG THING that is waiting to take us down.
Let’s look at this intimidating red book, The REAL ACT Prep Guide, and do to it what I did to my closet. Keep what you need, and toss the rest. Literally, cut it up.
The ACT Mom explains why we use The Real ACT Prep Guide
So what is it that you actually need?
THE TESTS.
The explanations…not so much. The ACT is not going to teach us how to beat their test. But, the tests themselves will.
When I was a student at the University of Kentucky in the late 80s, my astronomy professor told our class of 100-plus students that he had put some hard copies of previously administered final exams in the library, and he strongly recommended that we check them out and review them before the next test.
“That was weird,” I thought. But, hey, this is college, so I went with it.
I walked into the library. I checked out the tests. I looked through six to eight previously administered multiple-choice tests.
When I showed up to take my final exam a few days later, I saw that there were many of the same questions on that final exam that had been on those earlier tests stored in the library. My grade was significantly higher than it would have been if I had not taken that professor’s advice and studied those past tests.
ACT test prep is just like that. It all starts with a test. All you need to raise your ACT score is past tests and insight.
The REAL ACT Prep Guide provides the tests and my 13-plus years of taking them provides the insight.
It’s as beautiful and simple as my minimalist closet. Every grammar rule, every math problem, every new skill that I learn finds its place in my closet. Now that the clutter is gone, learning is simple, easy, and fun.
For more on both my in-person ACT test prep class and my ACT online prep class, click here.