Reduce the Noise
Image: Adobe Stock
Have you walked into your closet lately and been so consumed by having too many options? This happens all too often. In fact, a study conducted in 2016 found that women on average spend 17 minutes each day debating what to wear, and men 13 minutes. For context, this equates to approximately 4 full days per year for women and 3 days for men. That’s a staggering amount of time spent contemplating choices that don’t always guarantee success at-bat each morning. What counts are RBIs (Relevant, Beautiful, Intentional) and complete outfit home runs.
Decision fatigue is real. You experience it in all aspects of your life. When too many choices need to be made by you, it becomes overwhelming and exhausting. Your clothing choices each day are not excluded from this frequent phenomenon. This is why “Spring Cleaning” is and has always been an important part of preparing for the sunshine season ahead. You’ve spent plenty of time indoors thanks to winter and surges in the pandemic. But we’re at a pivotal moment that miraculously arrived at the perfect time: Spring!
You clean your home to remove the dust, allergens, and debris that built up over the past six months. This creates a fresh palette for a change in the season and inevitably a change in perspective. As humans, we all need these transitional phases. We’ve been conditioned to respond to a seasonal, looping calendar. Why would you look at your closet any different? Reviewing the lineup and reducing the noise (both physical and abstract) creates opportunity for creativity and efficiency, adversely, clutter can affect your mental health negatively.
A male client texted me this morning saying, “...it really feels good to wake up and know that I will feel comfortable in whatever is in my closet. No more choice paralysis or feeling like I’m wearing clothes that don’t help me present the image that I want to present to the world.” What a relief that is to wake up, walk to your closet, with the day ahead rushing into your consciousness, to be able to make a seamless choice about what you’ll wear, knowing that it’s guaranteed to be a grand slam. This sets up the next phases of your day to be a runaway win rather than a loss, due to stressing about your outfit, therefore, setting a tone of anxiety, rushing, and distraction.
Spring training is coming to an end and game time is about to be upon you. Spring has arrived, schedules are filling up with dinners, events, travel, and fun activities - all in person. Dust off the past two years and all the noise that accompanied them.
Interested in regular styling advice and shopping recommendations?
Sign up for my weekly Style / Substance newsletter…
