Phoebe Philo, Mark Zuckerberg, and Karl Lagerfeld all have one thing in common—they tend to stick to an outfit formula. Phoebe loves her Stan Smith sneakers, Zuckerberg can’t live without his grey hoodies, and Lagerfeld is never seen without his black suit. But why would any individual choose to wear the same thing everyday? The reason is simple, to avoid decision fatigue—that awful feeling you get when you’ve spent way too much time and energy trying to decide what to wear.
Removing the little decisions—such as which outfit to wear in the morning—results in more mental space for the rest of your day and increases your ability to achieve personal and professional success. You’ve probably felt frustrated and upset when you couldn’t figure out what to wear in the morning more often that you’d like to admit. Imagine not having to make outfit decisions every morning, it would make you a more productive, efficient, and decisive person throughout the day.
If you agree with this concept, but are wondering how you can still look stylish with this type of mindset, we’ve got just the solution for you. Below is our foolproof 5 step process to avoid decision fatigue without compromising your personal style and wardrobe.
1. Have Less, Love More.
Opening a packed closet is definitely overwhelming, especially when it’s the first thing you do every morning This is why it’s vital to take the time to edit down your closet. Ask yourself these questions—Do I love it? Is it flattering? Does it represent me and the image I want to portray? Have I worn it in the past year? If it’s a no to any of these, it no longer belongs in your wardrobe.
2. Build a Capsule
A capsule is a curated selection of versatile pieces in your wardrobe. Each piece should go with multiple items in your wardrobe and be able to carry your style for many seasons. Chose between 10-20 pieces that you use on a weekly basis and keep them front and center in your wardrobe. This helps you figure out what pieces you wear the most versus the things you love but maybe don’t wear as often.
3. Create Looks
Follow these three easy steps—create outfits for work and weekend, lay them out (see below!) and photograph them. Yes, it will take a some time to do but it’s well worth it. With organized looks, you’ll spend virtually no time, energy, or thought on which outfit to wear each morning.
4. Rotate after each season
Off season clothing is considered clutter and can be distracting when getting dressed in the morning. Make sure your winter wardrobe is not visible during mid summer and vice versa, check out some of our clothing storage tips!
5. Set a limit on purchases
If it is especially hard for you to avoid shopping, set a limit for yourself. This will ensure you only purchase items you really love that won’t crowd your closet.