Much of society will make a big deal about the clothes that a person wears. This is very apparent when you see magazines that highlight the outfits that celebrities wear to events and even in their everyday lives. The commonly accepted saying “the clothes make the man” is just another indication that so many of us are obsessed with the clothes that we and other people wear.
This could lead one to believe that clothes can make a significant difference in the life of the wearer and that the time and money that people invest into clothing is well spent. However, one must question whether this time and money is really well spent fretting over material possessions. When there are really important decisions to be made and serious goals to be accomplished, wouldn’t it be better to focus your efforts on the things that will truly make a difference?
Some of the most accomplished individuals in the history of mankind took the approach that a simplified wardrobe was the best approach. From Steve Jobs with his black turtleneck and jeans to Albert Einstein who had a closet full of the same suit, it seems that many great thinkers chose to avoid spending their time thinking about their clothes. For people that have many large decisions to make and really important things to think about, the idea of wasting time and brainpower on a decision that is relatively meaningless just didn’t make sense.
Whether they realize it or not, the reason that people adopt this principle is to avoid decision fatigue, a psychological condition where the mind gets tired from decision making and thought processing. With this being a practice of some of the world’s most successful people, it could be true that a simplified wardrobe can make a difference.