Recap Overview Uniform Experiment

Well Hello!  Where did the month go?  So I continued with my uniform experiment with a few variations for the month of September.  I mainly wore black and white or black with a basic type of top. I kept it very simple.  I was amazed at how much easier this felt. I just got up and put on the basics. There were no piles of clothes left on the floor from multiple changes of outfits or thoughts back and forth "should I wear this or that".  It felt much less stressful.  More peace of mind.

My outfits are kindof boring but at the same time I felt much lighter by not being so worried about what to wear.  I'm continuing on with this experiment to see what else I can discover.

I've also been doing a very intensive productivity course this past month and its all about cleaning out the clutter from your mind and your life overall so that you have priorities set and less time to have to think about things that are really not all that important.  I've been working on simplifying my life as much as possible, especially at work.  Its been great in some ways and very challenging in others.

Highly recommended is this book I've recently read: The Life- Changing Magic of Tidying Up . I started with my clothes a few weeks ago and what a huge relief. My closets and drawers all look so beautiful now since I've organized them all so neatly.  I've donated bags and bags of stuff to the thrift stores.

One of my bonus weekends this month was going shopping with Sheila again.  She is a luck magnet thats for sure. We saw so many great things, stuff I would never find on my own.  And, as always, I'm always inspired by her awesome flare for fashion :) and thankful to spend time shopping and hanging out with her.   Shybiker... we are still waiting for you to book your trip up to visit us :)

Thats all for now. I hope you are all enjoying your weekends.

Uniform Week 1 Experiment

Alright. Week 1 of the "Uniform" which is basically black and white basics.  It was actually fun-- I did not have to think.  I even wore the same pair of pants 2 days in a row.  I would NEVER do that otherwise and I would NEVER even wear the same piece of clothing 2 times in 1 week.

I've been doing alot of reading about productivity since its something I've always had a passion for and even train staff at work in.  One of the things I keep coming across is how taxing it is to have to make so many decisions in each day.  That one should reserve great thinking and decision-making for important things and minimize taxing your brain on small things (ie. what to wear today, what to eat for breakfast, etc).  

I'm not saying I want to be like a robot and automate everything or take away choice. I'm just playing around with things right now to see how it impacts my thinking and ability to focus.

My plan for Week 2 is to plan out my 5 outfits in advance to I have them ready and also can put together some combo's that are abit different.  We'll see how it goes.

My favorites from this week were the outfit with the scarf (it has bikes on it :)  and the all black with the pointy flats.

What are your thoughts on the connection between productivity and decision-making and how it all connects?

Uniform Experiment Day 1

I actually felt really good in this outfit. The photos are bad quality. Thats what happens when you ask someone else who does not know how to use a camera all that well to take your photos :(

Onward!

Work Uniform Experiement

Its been a crazy busy month. For unforeseen reasons, we had to move out of the building where our work office is. That is 10 staff and 10 years of stuff we had to sort, purge, shred, pack up.  Not much got done this month other than all the preparations for a move that had to take place in less than 1 month.  Between that and the rest of busy life, I've not even thought about outfits or fashion- its all been about whats comfortable for being in the basement sorting archives.

Anyway, our big first day at the new place is September 1.  We'll be sharing the space with about 25 other people doing similar work.  I must admit I've been feeling a bit of stress around having to dress better given I will be around alot more people on a daily basis. Don't you know its all about looking good? :)

I came across an article about Matilda Kahl, an art director in New York who got tired of focusing on
how to dress each day and chose to create her own work uniform so it took the thinking out of what to wear each day. She said that she was way more productive out of doing it and felt alot less stressed. You can read all about her story here.

I'm going to take this on for the month of September and see how it goes. My plan is to keep it simple and basically wear black and white as basics and can add accessories for color.  I'm planning on posting regularly so lets see how this goes!

Has anyone else tried something like this?