You may have already read about people deciding to wear a self-imposed uniform. It may be jeans and a turtleneck shirt, black pants and a white blouse, or rotating between blue and black suits. Articles love to use highly successful people who dress like this as examples. It’s as if you, too, could be just as successful if you did the same. If only it were that simple!
The idea behind the uniform strategy is that by minimizing even small decisions, we prevent decision fatigue. When I first heard about this concept, I was skeptical. After all, it doesn’t take long for most of us to decide what to wear every day. How could it make any real impact on our daily life? Then I began to notice more and more articles on how to simplify life by eliminating choices. Headlines that include the word “simplify” always get my attention. There was a time when I’d buy just about any book that had “simplicity” or “simplify” in the title, which certainly didn’t simplify my personal library. [insert ironic smirk here] I began to consider that perhaps I was too hasty in dismissing decision fatigue.
One reason for the popularity of this strategy is that a good number of people have trouble making decisions. They waste time overthinking every little choice they see in front of them. They worry about all the possible ramifications of each decision, no matter how unlikely. While I don’t generally have a problem with small decisions, I definitely overthink the bigger ones. I worry, I obsess, and I drive everyone around me crazy. (Overthinkers, tell me I’m not alone in this!) Sure, it’s important to consider some decisions carefully, but when taken too far, it becomes overwhelming and exhausting.
I made a small decision. I would experiment with making some daily choices so automatic that I wouldn’t think more than a second about them. I started with clothing. I’m not a uniform, capsule-wardrobe kind of person, but I could automate minor choices: socks, underwear, workout clothes. Bras are folded and lined up (a la Marie Kondo) in a drawer, so I just grab the next one in line. All of my underwear has the same style and my socks are exactly alike, so no need to make any decisions. Grab and go.
I generally exercise in the mornings, so when I get up, I simply pull out the next pair of yoga pants and a shirt (also rolled and lined up). Even when changing into regular clothes, I simply take the pair of pants next in line. Tops are my only variable. To my surprise, I began to feel the benefits of eliminating even these tiny choices within a week. It has made the mornings a bit easier for this night owl.
I made another small decision. I would try to automate more meals. My breakfast has been almost the same for years, with a few variations on weekends and holidays. I decided that I could now standardize lunch. During the work week, I have several meals I rotate. Most of the time, I stick with these choices, and that has saved me time during the work day. It also makes my grocery shopping simpler.
The evening meal is up for grabs. This can become a problem because by the end of the work day, I don’t have much mental energy and sometimes lapse into the easy (though not always healthy) way out by heating up a frozen meal or getting take-out. Part of me would like to develop a routine meal for each day of the week, something similar to the one I’ve seen on the show, The Big Bang Theory. Each night had a prescribed theme: Chinese, pizza, Indian, etc. The other part of me rebels. I want more variety in my life, including food. I’m still searching for some middle ground, at least for the work week.
I have continued to make small decisions to minimize decision fatigue. I created a list of weekly chores and assigned them a specific day. I had done this when my kids lived at home, but since then, I had relapsed. This has usually meant that laundry and other chores were neglected until absolutely necessary and then, in a panic, done quickly. No need to remember the last time I cleaned the bathroom or mopped the floors. It’s written up on my white board. I have a morning routine and an evening routine that I follow most days. I’ve incorporated some automatic routines in my work life as well. Even though the demands of the job may change day to day, there are still some tasks that need to get done every day.
Is my life robotic and dull because of automating these decisions? Not at all. We make hundreds of decisions a day, so I’ve really eliminated or minimized just a small percentage of them. I also make exceptions. I enjoy a “no rules” Saturday, and some of my routines are for the work week only. If I meet friends for a meal, have an unexpected change in schedule, or feel poorly, I’ll change it up. Sometimes I go wild and change up an entire routine that hasn’t been working so well even though I know it will take a couple of weeks for it to become automatic. After all, it’s my life. No one is forcing these strategies on me.
Do I still overthink some decisions? Sure. I’ve made a few big decisions lately, and I know that there will be many more decisions to make in the coming months as a result. It would be easy to fall back into obsessing and overthinking every little decision. All the more reason, to free up my mind by minimizing the smaller ones.
RESOURCES
Carver, Courtney Simple Ways to Be More with Less
Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More
Project 333 (capsule wardrobe)
Kondo, Marie The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Susanka, Sarah The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters
For more resources, go to this page: Resources
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I love this! I completely agree, and have done much of this myself. Glad you are finding it beneficial! 🙂
I generally find that the simpler life is the better!
This is my goal too. I am amazed at how comforting my morning routine is: shower, dress, feed cats, to go coffee, to go greek yogurt & fruit, prepacked lunch, car, go. Comforting and no think. Now to create more routines…
It’s an ongoing process!