Personal Uniforms: Simplifying Your Daily Routine

Having a go-to outfit can become your key to personal and professional success.

A Simple Life In Layers

Introducing the 2nd blog in my 4-part blog series about the connection between slow fashion and sustainable living.

This blog is about how outfit repeating is not only a great choice for the environment, but can further help you to simplify your daily routine, eliminate decision fatigue, and unlock your highest potential.

• 5 Adventure Challenge
• Personal Uniforms & Simple Routines
• What’s Wrong With #Repeating?
• Hacking The Color Palette Challenge

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Have you ever stopped to think about the role of uniforms in your own life? As someone who was once required to wear a school uniform every day from kindergarten through senior year of high school, the mere thought of ever putting on a plaid skirt again is enough to make me laugh - or cry.

Despite my automatic association of uniforms with an emotion, one might call disgust, they undoubtedly played a central role in my most formative years.

My first year at college proved to be more challenging than expected when I had to spend extra time in the morning planning what to wear each day. Queue in lots of embarrassing style experimentation on top of that too.

But did you know that adopting a personal uniform is a strategy many high-functioning professionals have used to fuel their success?

Suppose you’re interested in the psychology behind why having a go-to outfit that might be the key to significantly improving your life, or in learning tips on curating an everyday ensemble you’ll want to wear on #repeat. In that case, this guide is designed for you.

Uniform Ups And Downs

The concept of a personal uniform has a long history, as it has been a fixture in academic, religious, and various professional institutions for hundreds of years.

Within work and education systems, uniforms promote ideals of equality, safety, cohesion, and efficiency. They can also encourage a sense of professionalism and discipline in certain environments.

On the other side, uniforms have commonly been deemed monotonous. They can be ugly (a certain plaid skirt comes to mind), ill-fitting, or leave little room for experimentation with style or color. To put it plainly, uniforms have also become synonymous with boring.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. When executed properly, wearing a personal uniform can become your secret to building confidence and eliminating trivial decision-making - a strategy accomplished individuals from media to tech to politics use.

A Strategy For Success

A classic example of the power of uniforms is Barack Obama’s suit. For his career, Obama has become known for wearing the same neutral yet professional outfit every day, sporting a suit that is either navy or gray. When asked why, he rationalized that having a daily personal uniform helps him overcome decision fatigue, as he can essentially eliminate the need to make trivial choices to save energy for the more important decisions.`

Decision fatigue is consequential, and yet it often goes unnoticed. It is estimated that the average adult makes between 33,000 to 35,000 total decisions every day.

Each of these decisions requires brain power, and it can become difficult to make choices, even simple ones, after a long day of weighing the odds and deciding the best courses of action.

Other successful figures who implement a uniform regimen into their personal or professional routine include Adele, Mark Zuckerberg, and Anna Wintour.

These high-achieving individuals have found that by eliminating the trivial, they can avoid unnecessary stress in their lives. Thus, creating space and energy to focus on what matters.

In other words, having a personal uniform transforms the daily chore of choosing an outfit into a simple task that requires no extra exertion or precious mental effort.

Atomic Habits And Personal Productivity

A book that has been currently occupying my free time is Atomic Habits by James Clear. In this book, Clear explores the human psychology behind the building and breaking of habits. He asserts that maintaining good habits and eliminating bad ones, is the key to compounded success over time.

Throughout the book, Clear emphasizes the importance of repetition in forming good habits, as this allows for the building and strengthening of neural pathways.

He believes that repetition can be used to your advantage with something called ‘motivation rituals’, which is the practice of conditioning yourself to associate certain habits with things you enjoy or that motivate you.

The book clearly describes how a certain boxer found himself to have increased focus whenever he put on his headphones, even if no music was playing, and how athletes engage in the same pre-game rituals to shift into a competitive mindset.

This same idea of creating a ‘motivation ritual’ can be applied to your personal uniform. If you start wearing the same outfit as a part of your daily routine, your brain will begin associating these clothes with productivity and focus.

Think of how some people put on running shoes to motivate themselves, even if they have no plans to leave the house. If you associate a certain staple outfit with enhanced performance, you will feel confident and ready to start the day simply by putting your clothes on in the morning.

If you equate your everyday ensemble with success, you will begin to see yourself as a successful person. This is also referred to as enclothed cognition. In general, personal uniforms also possess the power to strengthen your identity and connection to yourself.

Stick To Finding Comfort And Quality In Basics

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of adopting a personal uniform, let’s get into how you can customize yours to jumpstart your journey into outfit repeating.

When designing your personal uniform, choose comfortable and practical clothes that allow you to maintain a professional appearance. It can be difficult to concentrate on work if your shoes are too tight or your sweater is scratchy on your skin. Take a note from the theory of enclothed cognition, and wear apparel that looks and feels good so you can enjoy maximum creativity and focus while working.

Investing in high-quality materials is another necessary component to ensure that your go-to outfit is as comfortable as possible. Luckily, Oliver Charles makes super soft sweaters from khullu, making them a perfect choice to incorporate into your personal uniform.

Opting for high-quality clothing will also ensure that your uniform becomes a closet staple for many years, without worrying about replacing items that might develop holes or rip after extended wear.

Don’t be afraid to be basic. Stick with versatile clothing that can be worn in all environments and every season. While you can integrate interesting colors and shapes into your personal uniform, think realistically about the types of places you work and live in, as well as what pieces you naturally gravitate towards daily.

Consider Incorporating An Oliver Charles Sweater Into Your Uniform

I hope this short personal uniform guide is a useful tool for learning a little more about how you can use outfit repeating to your (and the earth’s!) advantage.

If you’re feeling ready to start the search for your perfect personal uniform, consider browsing the Oliver Charles website for some tried and true basics proven to be ideal for repeated wear.

If you believe that every good wardrobe starts with owning less and owning better, consider buying yourself an OLIVER CHARLES sweater.