For years, I’ve been wearing the color green almost exclusively.

I don’t quite dress in it from head to toe — I normally opt for blue jeans or brown boots to tone things down — but green is always my base color.

This began when I was around sixteen and started to learn about minimalism. The movement resonated with me and I realized that my wardrobe was excessive and cluttered. I had lots of clothes, but they were all items I’d bought on a whim. Nothing matched and I never knew what to wear.

My overflowing wardrobe dated back from a phase I’d had in my early teens of going on shopping trips with my friends — there aren’t many other activity options for young people in a small town.

Before I knew it, I ended up possessing all kinds of impractical and cheap clothes. Chinos. Sleeveless vests with flower-filled crosses. Baggy crop tops with pockets.

Then I found an alternative.

Minimalism appealed to me, but I didn’t fancy wearing black and white all the time like the minimalists you tend to see in the media. Instead, I chose to always wear green.

It’s gone beyond clothes now — everything that I can get in the color green, I get in the color green. Bedsheets. Kitchen utensils.

I understand that some people might not like the idea of restricting themselves in this way, but it definitely has its advantages.

Shopping is much faster

Back when I wore all the colors of the rainbow, shopping was exhausting. I had to walk around the whole shop trying to find something I liked. Nothing was off-limits.

This was a perk when I was thirteen years old and had nothing better to do on the weekends than spend hours browsing through $5 T-shirts, but as I got older it began to feel more like decision fatigue.

As soon as I committed to only wearing one color, things became a lot simpler. Whenever I entered a store, I simply made a beeline for the green items and decided whether or not I liked them. No more rash purchases or feeling overwhelmed by choice.

If I want to shop online, it’s even easier, because I can filter the items by color. I don’t even have to look at other colors out of the corner of my eye

Everything coordinates without trying

I used to worry about having the right cardigan or shoes to match my outfit. Now it goes without saying that everything will match.

As long as the shoes, accessories, and jackets I buy are either green themselves or look good with green, I’m set. I can wake up in the morning and throw on a green T-shirt and jeans without having to waste any precious brainpower on selecting my clothes.

With my green coat on top, everything becomes magically coordinated, despite putting zero effort in.

You can pretend you have a fashion sense

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a visual person. Some people possess an uncanny ability to make anything and everything aesthetically pleasing, from their lecture notes to their cabinet display. I’m not one of those people.

Developing a fashion sense was always going to be a challenge for me.

But when all your clothes coordinate and you wears the same thing day in day out, you automatically have your own timeless Unique Style. If I can get complimented regularly for my outfit choices, you can too.

If you stick to black and white like most minimalists, people will give you less credit for always being able to match your outfits. It’s an easy option at best and downright cheating at worst. When you choose a proper color — like green — everyone will congratulate you on how put-together you look.

You get a personal brand without trying

An unexpected benefit of wearing one color is that you passively create a brand for yourself.

Everyone remembers me for being the girl who always wear green. In almost every photo of me, I’m wearing green. If I can choose to have something in green, I’ll have it in green.

Before you know it, your whole life has ‘house colors’.

I ended up branding myself. It might not be a particularly good brand, but it’s something.

The benefits of minimalism

Voila! There you have it, a simple and easy way to trick everyone into thinking you’re the kind of person who puts thought into their outfit choices.

There are some superficial benefits, but the main advantages of minimalism are internal.

According to ‘The Minimalists’ Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who are known for popularizing the movement for the digital age:

Spending less time thinking about your outfit choices, or which color to choose for anything, frees up time to spend on other aspects of your life.

In a strange and roundabout way, wearing one color increases mindfulness.