Some of the world’s most successful people choose to wear uniforms, because they’re militant about preserving mental energy.
Reduce low-ROI decisions by automating wherever possible.
They limit routine and low-return day-to-day thinking, like what to wear, to save as much brain space as possible for high-return thinking, like what to create or innovate.
Why Successful Individuals Wear the Same Outfit Daily
If monochromatic style isn’t your thing, there are other ways to save time and energy on getting dressed.
PANTS-FREEDOM! It’s a start…
When it comes to saving time and mental energy getting dressed, the first and possibly simplest approach is to simply not get dressed. Working from home means you can reject clothes altogether and spend entire days in your pajamas (or your underpants. Or less, you saucy minx!)
If you routinely leave the house or do anything that involves clothes, the pants-free strategy may not be enough on its own.
Your Personal Uniform (or UniFreak!)
Uniforms are one of the best ways to cultivate a signature style while also conserving your creative energy on a day to day basis. Your approach doesn’t have to be as fizz free as the Jobs or Zuckerberg style.
Even investing a little thought and energy upfront can help to simplify all your fashion related processes, so you can maintain your swagger without losing brain bling in the process.
Start by listing the most common scenarios that involve leaving the house in clothes during a given week.
Here’s an example (not mine. I only dress like I go to the gym.)
Mon & Thurs: Gym
Tuesdays: Client Video chat
Wednesdays: Volunteer at the library
Fridays: Video podcasts
Make a list of common clothing categories, no more than a handful.
Two uniform collections would work for the example above: Work Out (also great for staying in) and Client/Camera (also good for volunteer stints at the library).Assign a single mix & match palette to each context.
Do a ruthless inventory.
Pare down your wardrobe to the handful of pieces you actually wear and enjoy.
Approach this like a savvy traveler who packs an entire work-week in a carryon.
25 Ways to Mix & Match Outfits with Just 8 EssentialsGet rid of non-essentials.
If you’re not good at letting go, have your most militant friend come to help, or hire a professional. It’s worth it. The purge process may be painful in the moment, but in the end it feels SO GOOD! Trust.
Work Out Gym uniform (The WOG)
Other than pajamas, workout wear is probably the most common style being rocked in home offices. And pretty much everywhere else.
Breaking a sweat is optional.
Unless you’re against physical fitness for some reason, consider investing most of your uniform budget in this context.
And even if you’re not (technically) fit (yet!), a good WOG uniform can boost your fitness motivation while taking the guesswork out of getting dressed. Win Win!
The key is being intentional about your work-out uniform, meaning you legitimately could and would it while working out, whatever that means for you.
(My WOG is mountaineer’ish and full of wicking action, because I work out by slashing through mud puddles in the forest.)
Athleisure wear is more than an ironic fashion choice for women drinking coffee on mid-morning shopping sprees. It’s a legit uniform investment.
There’s nothing wrong with living in a WOG uniform if it makes you feel good, motivates you to move, and makes getting dressed a no-brainer.
Ignore the haters and the ironic memes. You could do a lot worse than dressing like an athlete who likes leisure.
Fun Fact! 9 out of 10 scientists agree that they’re 100% more likely to do cardio when wearing cute gym clothes.
Client / Camera uniform
If you regularly shoot videos or meet with clients, design a uniform to simplify the process of looking your best, so you can save your energy for creative and client.
Here’s an article about the staples to have on hand for regular video shoots.
Kid Chauffeur uniform
This is the uniform for freelancers whose parental duties bring them into public view.
First consider the kid duties you can cover in Workout / Gym wear.
Then, for ongoing parental obligations that can’t be handled in your WOG, come up with an easy rotation of mix and match options that don’t need ironing or cufflinks.
Keep in mind that uniforms are for recurring contexts happening on a daily or weekly basis, not every possible situation involving clothes.
Sometimes an existing uniform will work for ad-hoc occasions. Other times, dressing takes more effort, and that’s okay.
It’s about spending your mental energy with intention, rather than letting it drain from your brain in drips and drabs. As long as uniforms streamline the dressing process on a day to day basis, they’re doing their job.
Work Only At Home (WOAH!) uniform
The WOAH is what you wear when you have no plans to leave the house, or work out, or shuttle children, or otherwise engage with the public.
(Introverted freelancers call this 4-Star Fashion days.)
This uniform is similar to the minimalist’s pants-freedom strategy, but more deliberate. And more fun.
Saving time and mental energy is just the beginning of a WOAH uniform. It’s a way to take advantage of all the privacy afforded by your freelance or WFH lifestyle and engage your imagination.
It’s like this: If you never get dressed, you’re still wearing a uniform. It’s just not on purpose.
An intentional uniform, like anything done with intention, is always better than an accidental one.
Spark Mad Men creativity
without all the day drinking and bad behavior!
If you’re creative, and you look creative, you’ll also feel more creative.
Your WOAH can be more like a costume than any other uniform. It’s a chance to enjoy what you’re wearing purely for kicks alone.
Imagine what it would do to your mood and creative energy if, on any given day and without primping or fussing, you were effortlessly adorned in something outrageous or quirky, or wild or retro, or even just remarkably plain but decidedly sophisticated.
Hot shot executives in power suits aren’t the only ones who can experience a surge of swagger that comes with wearing the right clothes.
Your home uniform can be an accidental patchwork of afterthoughts or a purposeful creation that sparks your creativity and boosts your swagger.
EASY BATCH CLOSET
Collect clothes in advance
If you prefer a wide variety of clothes that don’t really mix-match or play nicely together, or if you’re just not ready to commit to a minimalist, uniform, an Easy Batch routine can help to streamline your dressing process.
This is a common practice for office workers. Rather than figuring out their clothes each morning, they spend time each Sunday coordinating all their outfits for the week. You don’t have to commute to a cubicle to benefit from saving time and brainspace where clothes are concerned.
> Night cap mini batch >
Setting out your clothes at bedtime is basically a bite-size version of the Easy Batch process.
While a quick bedtime session is better than using your precious wake-up energy on fashion choices, you can save more time and daily decisioning by spending a single extended session organizing your clothes for the entire week.
Batching rituals don’t have to be a chore. It can actually be a chance to relax and enjoy yourself.
(Do you really need to stress about clothes at your age anyway?)
Turn on some music, make your favorite drink, and play dress-up.
These are also super easy, low stress opportunities for mini closet purges and organization. Without a lot of added effort, you can pull unwanted clothes for charity, and organize what’s left, keeping your wardrobe in smooth working order.
There’s nothing like the satisfaction of a perfectly tidy wardrobe. Except maybe the satisfaction of feeling outfitted all week without a bit of effort on any given day.
KEY POINTS
Autopilot styling may sound boring, but it’s really just a way of preserving your brain-space for more important thinking and creativity.
Create simple mix-and-match uniforms for your most common weekly contexts like working out, parental duties, client meetings, or just feeling like the most creative, amazing version of yourself at home (WOAH!).
Athleisurewear is a great solution for people who work from home and workout. One uniform, two contexts!
If you’re not into uniforms, then batch your outfits for the week.
Weekly batching can be feel like playing dress-up and keeping your closet organized at the same time.