A few weeks ago, I donated almost all of my clothes.
Not that I had a lot, to begin with. I think the last time I shopped for my own clothes was before Instagram existed.
I went from a guy who had tons of clothes he never wore, to a guy with ten regular outfits and some other essentials that I get a lot out of.
Why did I do it? In all honesty, I just kinda did it to do it. I felt crowded by things I don’t use — not a lot of reasons here.
But I can tell you what I learned by doing it.
Remove decision fatigue.
You’re going to make a lot of decisions today. We won’t go over them. Each one you make requires some level of brainpower and some, more than others. One of the first (and most drawn-out) decisions in the morning is, “What the hell do I wear?”
Steve Jobs is known for his uniform of jeans and a really uncomfortable-looking black shirt.
Having a regular uniform won’t make you a top CEO, but it will make your day easier. My uniform is workout clothes (I own a gym), which means I’ comfy and I get to make some different combinations each week.
*I also have a couple of nice polos for when I’m on video calls with other entrepreneurs. The shorts stay on, dammit. they don’t see that half anyway.
Make better choices with less.
If you have a lot of chances to do something, you can get away with mediocre. If you only have a few opportunities, you’re going to make them count.
That’s not a quote. It’s literally me telling you that. Amazing, I too, can be pithy at times.
I only kept the clothes that I either
A) Saw quality or value in.
B) Really Really like.
But I made a rule that if I bought anything new, I would buy for the long term. I got a new shirt and a pair of jeans from barbell apparel. The shirt is nice. I wore it at our Christmas party. BUT THE JEANS
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE JEANS
They are not only incredibly comfortable, but they also stretch. And friends, let me tell you something. Ladies have done jeans right all along because of this. I can work out in them, jump, squat, run, wrestle a hobo. It’s sky’s the limit.
If you have 3 pairs of jeans, you can have a favorite pair and two lesser pairs. But now, I really really like 100% of my jeans.
Save time
Having less stuff to tend to means more time to focus on and enjoy what matters.
I found myself with extra time in the morning. I spent a few of those mornings getting to my first meeting much early than usual. I spent a few more just sitting there, wondering what I did to deserve this.
I use to spend time searching through drawers and piecing together outfits. But now that I only have so many outfits, I set them out for the week each Sunday. My mornings have been slower. I’ve been reading, doing some yoga, enjoying my coffee, hanging out with my dogs, and playing with them.
My dogs are way more playful in the morning. If for no other reason, it’s been worth donating most of my stuff to make that sweet little discovery.
