People like to mock me for it, but I’m pretty sure that’s because they’re actually jealous that they didn’t think of it first.
One stressful aspect of my current job is that attire matters a great deal more than it did at my previous job. I am not a clothes person. I am terrible at putting together outfits, and I hate spending money, so it’s been hard for me to adjust to needing a more professional wardrobe.
For a while, I was wearing my favorite outfits repeatedly. Too repeatedly. I was also forgetting about other clothes I had that I should have been wearing. And most mornings, I would stare at my closet in a panic, thinking, “What in God’s name am I going to wear?” It was not sustainable.
However, there was a solution! THE OUTFITS SPREADSHEET!
Starting with my warm-weather attire, I typed in every acceptable work outfit I had into a Google spreadsheet. Then, each time I wore that outfit, I typed that day’s date into the spreadsheet. As I acquired new clothes, I added new outfits to the spreadsheet.
So, what am I going to wear tomorrow? Well, just LET ME SEE. It seems that I haven’t worn my teal sweater and striped gray pants since 10/27/11, so that seems like a perfectly valid option.
People mock me, but it has completely improved my life. One of my co-workers told me, “You have way too much time on my hands!” Implying, I suppose, that only a bored fool would take the time to organize her wardrobe. But of course I have more time on my hands! The time I spent stressing about my wardrobe has been eliminated! Who’s the fool?!
(If the outfits spreadsheet could only wash and iron my clothes as well, then I would truly be in business.)
I LOVE THIS IDEA! You’re a genius.
I can’t put together outfits, either. My solution is to cut out pictures from magazines and ad mailers and pin them to the wall in my closet. I select only outfits that I can mimic using items already in my closet or items that are inexpensive to buy.
I think I’m going to STEAL your spreadsheet idea. In combination with my clipped pictures, I’m pretty sure I’ll have people tricked into thinking I’m a fashionista in no time!
I am a huge fan of dresses, since it makes for an entire outfit (more or less) with ONE item of clothing. And I’m seeing more and more dresses that are constructed to look like a nice blouse and a skirt, but it’s still all only ONE piece. Amazing.