5 Ways To Start Living Intentionally Today

Build a Timeless Capsule Wardrobe

When you dress for the day, you want to find the perfect outfit with a minimum of effort. A capsule wardrobe, in which each piece works with any of the others you have, is an excellent way to cut down on closet complexity, while encouraging you to choose sustainable pieces that will last a lifetime. Everyone has a slightly different idea of what a capsule wardrobe should include, so you’ll want to match your choices to your personality, but almost every closet needs classic items like white leather sneakers, a camel coat, and tailored blue jeans.

Seek Out Unique Homewares

It’s easier than ever to find well-crafted items for your wardrobe, but when it comes to decorating your home, many people struggle to find a good local source for the artisan goods that make a house your home. New online marketplaces are solving this problem by gathering cutting-edge designers, artists, and crafters in a single storefront, allowing you to shop by category just as you would at a department store. Shops like The Citizenry and Maison Numen offer a unique perspective on home goods, making it simple to collect the pieces with a story that you’ve always wanted for your living space.

Learn to Recognize Artisan Details

Whether it’s for your closet or your home, every object you choose to set the tone for your lifestyle has both a story to tell and subtle indications of the effort that went into its creation. Understanding what differentiates mass-produced wares from their hand-crafted counterparts is an important part of living a designed life. For instance, as you transition to a capsule wardrobe, you’ll start to notice that craftsman-quality clothing and bags sport different stitching techniques and fabrics than you see on mass-market options. Noticing the small details is an important part of developing your sense of taste, and as you do so, you’ll appreciate the presence of exceptional objects even more.

Favor Quality Over Quantity

Artisan goods and investment pieces are more expensive than what you can buy at a typical big-box store, and for good reason; those prices are reflective of the expertise, time, and materials involved in creating the final product. For this reason, you’ll want to be more selective with what you purchase and start to cultivate a minimalist mindset when you shop. Curating your purchases will allow each one to shine, since they aren’t competing with clutter for your attention. It also makes it easier to keep things neat and tidy, and a clean, organized space encourages the calm, focused thinking you need to achieve your important goals.

Remember to Design Your Time, Too

A beautiful, organized closet and living space are wonderful additions to your life, but they can only support the lifestyle you want, not create it. For that, you need to take a deliberate look at the way you spend your time. It’s easy for long-term plans to get lost in the shuffle of a busy routine, so carve out time to reflect on your goals at least once every few months and think about how you can break major objectives down into smaller, achievable jobs. Once you have a plan of action, start scheduling those tasks into your daily life so you make sure to work on big projects every day—not when it’s too late. Next time you reflect, you’ll be happy to see the progress you made. Of course, anyone who wants to live a purposeful, curated life should have an elegant planner to keep track of it; fortunately, day planners and agendas have come a long way since you might last have touched one in high school or college. Intentional living takes a little extra effort, but that’s really the point; planning your time and environment so that you can live the life you want is both rewarding and a reward unto itself.