For the Female Bosslady: A Simple Sunday Routine I Can’t Live Without.
Last year as my business was growing from five to twenty, I realized a major thing was holding us back — my lack of routine. I was proud to say “I have no routine” and I swear, never did I take a shower, brush my teeth or even wake up at the same time everyday… until two business coaches took me out to lunch and told me it was time for me to put my big girl pants on and become the badass CEO they knew I could be.
So I sought out many words of wisdom. I enacted the 5am wake up. and committed to a morning routine. I added coffee and water travel mugs so I would never be without nourishment. I searched high and low for a cute backpack that also accomondated my ridiculous schedule and need for coffee and water at all times. I cleaned out my extra bedroom and made an office so I could always have a safe space to work. But this one I am going to share with you today… this… has been my absolute FAVORITE routine.
Every Sunday I put together my entire wardrobe for the week. Yes, you heard that right. Socks. Bras. Jeans. Underwear. Tights. Dresses. Shoes. My backpack is ready to go — complete with all my work needs. EVERYTHING. Each hanger has an entire outfit on it. I commit to 7 outfits with one “oh shit, the weather sucks” backup (I live in Buffalo, it is important!) and an extra sweater or two, just in case.
I stick with a capsule approach. Dress up or dress casual. I always have one dress up boot / coat / scarf and one casual boot / coat / scarf. I stick to similar colors (black, grey, brown, navy) and spend money on specific pieces instead of what I find on the sale rack. In this photo, I only have black bottoms — black Levi jeans, black “leggings”, black tights. My blundstones have become a major staple due to the weather we have in Buffalo. I find style influences from Paris, Berlin and Toronto… with a rust belt “Buffalo” twist, of course.
How do I do this routine? I check the weather and my calendar to determine my needs for the week. Then, I wash all my clothes and instead of folding… I put them together on hangers immediately. As they go on hangers, my outfits begin to take shape! I grab a sweater… then the pants… then the undergarments… and stick my socks in the pocket… and pretty soon I have my outfits for the week. Instead of going into my normal closet, I bought a small clothing rack from food 52 which is only for my weekly wears. Everything else stays in my drawers and closet… and yes, I do swap stuff out from time to time.
Why? Experts recommend to simplify your daily routine to avoid mental exhaustion and decision fatigue so you can make more (and better!) decisions… look at all the major CEO’s — you got Zuckerburg who wears the same tee and Steve Jobs had a turtleneck, jeans and sneakers, always. With this routine, I wake up, grab my outfit and get dressed. I save myself a solid 20 minutes of “what should I wear time”. Over the week, that is approx. two hours saved and less decisions to be made! Over a year, that is over 100 hours saved!
TIP: Don’t let perfection get in the way of the good. I don’t always follow it precisely — last week I said no to an outfit just because I wasn’t feeling it…and ended up not wearing the shoes I thought I would. Whatever, if it works 85% of the time, its a big win.
I can’t say enough about this small weekly routine! If you review my medium account, you’ll see that I’m a big fan of minimal wardrobes to begin with so this weekly routine is basically my capsule wardrobe. Less is more. Most importantly, reviewing my weekly agenda, checking the weather and getting my outfits together… all helps make my day start better, my week flow better and let’s be honest, look better which matters when I want to slay at my Monday morning meeting.
