Power of A Personal Uniform
Part two: Benefits of A Personal Uniform
Yesterday we talked about what a personal uniform is, and today we will explore the benefits of wearing one. The same outfit every day may sound a bit boring, but the benefits it brings are astounding.
All Superheroes Have Personal Uniform, Why Not You?
If it takes longer than a minute to decide what to wear, you definitely need a uniform. A personal uniform doesn’t mean you need to wear the same exact outfit every day, but having some idea what you like, what looks good on you, and what is comfortable is important. Removing all the pieces that you don’t particularly like is a totally life-changing idea. A personal uniform gives you simplicity, great style, control, and consistency.
Without further ado, let’s check out the 7 benefits of having some kind of uniform.
1. More Time
We all know how long it takes when choosing what to wear in the morning, before an important meeting or party. By reducing down your clothing and developing some kind of personal uniform for different occasions, we can save a considerate amount of time. And time, as we know, is a finite and most precious resource we possess. We can earn money, buy things again, but once we spend time, there is no going back – lost time is never found again.
Having a uniform will not only save you time every day when choosing what to wear but also when shopping. Once you find a piece of clothing you know fits perfectly, you don’t even need to leave the house to buy more of it when the current rotation is no longer presentable. Thanks to today’s modern technology, you can purchase your favorite T-shirt online. Even better if you buy in bulk. Order several of the same garments, or in different colors, and you’re done with shopping for at least a year, if not longer.
If you’re wondering how much time an average person spends on choosing an outfit, the answer is around 17 minutes per day. Imagine, in a year that is 6205 minutes, or 103 hours. In course of our working lives that amounts to a full 287 days. Nearly a year of your life is spent choosing outfits. What would you do if someone gives you 287 days to do whatever you want? Would you start a company? Or get healthier? Or make a discovery? By wearing a uniform, we can all save around 103 hours per year. Use that time wisely.
2. More Money
I am going to say something that might hurt, but it’s not clothes you buy and wear that cost you – it’s all the stuff that sits in your closet and doesn’t get worn. The average person spends around $161 per month on clothes. Women spend nearly 76% more than men in a course of a year, and the average family of four spends around $1800 per year on clothes. That’s a hell of a lot of money.
By creating a personal uniform, you will spend way less than the average, and most of the clothes you choose and buy will be of better quality and thus last longer.
When you spend less money on clothes and accessories you don’t really need, you can use that amount for more important things in life – exotic vacation once a year, weekend getaway, personal development, faster debt reduction, more freedom, fewer hours at work, and so on.
When choosing what to buy, I always look at the cost per day/per wear/per use. It’s the same rule for clothes, electronics, gadgets, and everything else I buy. If I buy $100 shoes and wear them every other day, that means I spent $0,54 per year on them. But if I buy a $50 T-shirt that I use only 5 times per year, then the actual cost per wear is way higher, and therefore not profitable for me. I would rather use that money for something more important.
Remember: more money = more freedom. Don’t spend your freedom on something you don’t intend to wear. Develop a uniform and really get the most of your clothes.
3. More Mental Energy and Willpower
One of the best benefits of a personal uniform is certainly decreased decision-making process. The majority of successful men around the world prefer to wear the same outfit every day to harness the power of their brain and thus have more mental energy and willpower for more important decisions later in the day.
You don’t have to think about what to wear, so the entire process of getting ready in the morning is automatic. Save your mental energy and willpower and use them for more important tasks. As Obama said in an interview with Vanity Fair,
You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. You can't be going through the day distracted by trivia.
4. Signature Look
By creating a personal uniform/your signature look, you will be:
A) more memorable
B) you can tell your story
C) you can control your message
A) Be more memorable
When you think about a fashion icon, a cool guy or gal, how many outfits do you think they own? Just think about James Dean or James Bond? Do you have a picture of them in mind? I guess you do because they knew exactly what works for them, and they used it often. Their look remained memorable.
By creating a personal uniform, you can also be more memorable. If blue looks amazing on you, and you like the color, then implement it in your wardrobe. Are you a suit and tie guy, or a dress girl? Or maybe you like sports clothes. Create a uniform and stick with it no matter what. You will look amazing in the clothes you like to wear, and others will notice your confidence. Your outfit will become synonymous with you – and your signature look will be born.
B) Tell your story
When you have a signature look, you can send a clear message about who you are. But when you wear different styles every few months and try to be trendy 52 weeks a year, you don’t know who you are, let alone the people around you. Why? Because you send different messages with your clothing every week. Dressing like a businessman one day, an edgy fuckboi the next, and a lumberjack the day after, makes it more difficult for people to get a proper sense of who you really are.
Send your message, and tell your unique story by using the same or similar clothes every day. If you’re an artist and like printed T-shirts, use them all the time. If you’re a businessman, a suit and tie will send the best message. When creating a uniform, always choose clothing that conveys your personality, interests, and lifestyle.
C) Control your message
Similar to the point above, control your message is all about the message you want to send, and a personal uniform can help you with that. When you think of Steve Jobs, you remember a black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers. Despite his wealth, he wanted to send a message that he is a normal guy who doesn’t want to spend precious mental energy and willpower on choosing clothes. When you think of Barack Obama, what do you think of? Gray or blue suits. He is sending a message of a person who is confident, trustworthy, and a leader. Also, by wearing a uniform, he needed to make fewer decisions every day, and instead focus on leading a country.
Control your message by using different types of uniforms. Need to go to a business meeting or an important job interview? Have a ‘formal uniform’. Are you going to the gym? Use your ‘gym uniform’. A modern, urban look? No problem, ‘jeans and white T-shirt uniform’ is ready.
5. Less Clutter
By creating a personal uniform, you would need fewer clothes, thus more space in your closet. If we’re being honest with ourselves, there are probably more than 80% of clothes you own right now that just sit in the back of the closet. The Pareto principle, or the 80-20% rule, says that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time, and 80% of our money is spent on 20% of our clothes. Choose your 20%, create a personal uniform, and get rid of everything else. You will feel better, lighter, and the space you will get will be invaluable next time you open your closet. Remember: a cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind.
6. Higher Quality and Better Fitting Clothes
You should feel confident about what you wear every single day, not just when you wear your favorite shirt. I bet that the outfit you wear the most is usually the one you love best, fits you like a glove, and is of higher quality than the rest of your wardrobe. Then why not just use clothes that you really like? Buy 5 T-shirts of the same model, 2 pairs of jeans of the same model, and a jacket and here you are: a uniform. (P.S.: you can choose different colors, if not, that’s okay too). You will wash your clothes more often, so invest in higher quality. Your wallet and your mind will thank you in the long run, and you will feel more confident and happier.
7. Favorite Clothes Every Day
By wearing a uniform, you’re always wearing your favorite clothes. Why wait for a special occasion, party, or something similar to wear clothes you like, that fits you perfectly, and that sends the right message about who you are. Get rid of everything that doesn’t suit your lifestyle, is of inferior quality, or incorrect fit. Get rid of all colors and fabrics you don’t enjoy wearing. To look your best, you need to commit to nothing but wearing your favorite clothes.
…
I hope some benefits of wearing a personal uniform sound appealing to you and will nudge you to give it a try. You don’t need to extend a uniform approach to everything you wear, but to harness most benefits, the more automatic your behavior gets, the more benefits you will experience. Some people have a uniform only for the gym, work, or home. And that’s fine. You can choose what works best for you. Even a small reduction in choices can improve your life a lot.
If you know a few other benefits, let me know in the comments down below.
Cheers!
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