Tired of the Morning Work Outfit Panic?

How 20 minutes sets me up for success with my work outfits for a whole week.

Why I Create My Work Outfits A Week Ahead

How often are you running around in the morning trying to put an outfit together for work?

And how often do you grab clothing items you feel great in only to be disappointed because you wore them just days before?

Contemplating an outfit for the day before 7am puts me in a bit of a panic. If I can’t make a decent decision in the time I have for myself it also has a potential to throw off my day because it began with me being rushed and disorganized. 

I start work early Monday through Friday and for a good while I was constantly running out the door disheveled, hoping I matched getting ready in dim lights, and still not quite feeling awake.

I was ready to change my strategy! 

From Stress Mess to Ready, Set, Go

I knew prepping my work outfits ahead of time was going to help me out a whole lot. Peace of mind, items that match, clean items, no repeats, etc.

I listed my reasons and took my first step. I caused a plot twist I wanted to be proud of!

So, I started taking a few minutes the night before. I would look at my options and pair together. I did feel better . . . pretty instantly in fact.

Pants, shirt, shoes . . . awesome! Hang on the closet door. Done!

As I began to get into this habit, it started to make sense to me that I would save even more time and feel prepped and ready if I just went ahead and did the whole week at once.

Just like you would plan outfits for a trip so you don’t have a bunch of random pieces that don’t coordinate and fill your whole suitcase. Plus, you never know what unexpected plot twist is going to pop up the night before.

It didn’t seem enough ahead of time for me to not still feel rushed in the morning. I learned my lesson a couple of times when I realized I was right back to where I started scrambling in the morning before work. 

So, Here is an Example

I’ve got my black skinny Editor pants from Express with a blue blouse, then a black dress with my denim jacket, followed by a leggings outfit, then pants with a tank and blazer, and lastly a jeans day work shirt combo.

Boom ready! My work outfits are all clean, steamed in a jiffy, and hanging in order. 

Here are a couple closet organization accessories that I like to use to keep everything neat, sorted and together for the work week. They are cheerful and easy to spot among the items hanging.

These labeled closet dividers help keep outfits in line for the day you have planned. You just slide it over when you add more outfits.

It’s brilliant to be organized by the day of the week! You may have seen these types of dividers for sizes in clothing stores as well as for growing children (3mos, 8mos, 2T, 3T, etc.). Why not use it for ourselves? Definitely will get a lot of use.

These closet hanger connector hooks are a fabulous invention for keeping all the little pieces of an outfit together. For example, camisoles, belts, scarves, panties . . . and big hooks for shoes, like ballet flats = awesome!

Getting in the Routine of Things

There were moments when I couldn’t remember if I had already worn that item this week. I also still had a closet full of beautiful clothes I never chose to wear. I would just grab the items in front or the ones that I knew still fit this week.

I, like you, have a few staple items that I feel the most comfortable wearing. For example, my Pixie pants from Old Navy, denim jackets, black leggings . . . well, anything black. I would wear black-on-black everyday if I could keep it chic and happy!

Lovin’ a variety and feeling good about what I am wearing each day. It’s great not to worry about it when my brain is already focused on my to-do list.

I progressed to planning my work outfits for one week, then two weeks. Sometimes, even the whole month ahead of time.

It’s amazing how relaxing this can be. Outfit Therapy – woot woot! Organizing my closet is now peaceful and one of my “things”. 

When Do I Do It? How Long Does it Take?

Taking maybe 20 minutes during a Sunday-morning-coffee time to plan my outfits for a month FEELS SO GOOD! It’s also nice to lay it all out in front of me so I can see if I am wearing five blue tops in a row. 

So, saunter up into that closet of yours. Pick up a top that you are feeling happy about and start match-making. You may surprise yourself at how fast you can do this!

Let’s say . . .

• Choose black pants for Monday, excellent!

• Now maybe a dress for Tuesday.

• Leggings with a tunic for Wednesday.

• Back to black pants on Thursday, fabulous!

• Throw in that pleated skirt and t-shirt look with your favorite denim jacket you’ve seen all over Pinterest – love it!

Why stop there? Wore a black dress last week? Green dress the next.

You’ll find yourself seeing the combination of colors for the week and balancing them out. No need to go black on black every day or three days of pink dresses unless you’re really in the mode.

When I come home from work in the afternoon and change into my comfy clothes (or evening clothes, workout clothes, whatever I’m in the mood for), I just grab the next outfit and hang it on the closet door.

This is a great spot for me for my work outfits, but maybe yours is on the bathroom door ready to change after your morning shower . . . or wherever your perfect “grab-and-go” spot is that allows easy access and no decisions in the morning.

Make the Space That Works for You

I used to color coordinate my closet (so pleasing to the eye!). And then my big thing became separating my hanging items by type: tank tops, t-shirts, blouses, sweaters, jackets, mini dresses, maxi dresses (and then of course color coordinate within the section because I can’t seem to help myself). Love it! And I still do this.

My goal was to have an organized closet 98% of the time. I just needed to change my strategy with a habit hero. So now, I separate items into a new section I dub “work outfits”.

What I wear for my career is drastically different from what I choose outside of it. I’m a jeans-and-t-shirt kinda gal.

But at work: nice pants, nice blouses, dresses, yes to denim jackets . . . basically business casual style. And then jeans and work polos on Fridays . . . thank goodness for that mental break! 

Just to clarify, I don’t have 20 different tops and 20 different pairs of pants. But I do have about 10 tops that I rotate for work, 5 dresses, about 5 pairs of pants, and some staple sweaters and jackets. Of course, this depends on the season as well. 

I made my new “work outfits” section easily accessible to myself and roomy enough to move things around (not shoved in).

If your closet is so tight you can’t see what you have or one item can bring down the surrounding items if you pull it off the bar, LET SOME GO!

Sell it on Poshmark. You’ll thank yourself. 

Why I Love This Habit Hero

So I plan out my work outfits for the week. Doesn’t seem wild to me.

I feel good and ready for Mondays. I’ve saved a bunch of time each day.

It’s pretty fabulous to play with what I have and discover what items work together. I tend to combine those outfit pieces again.

Reading this, you may think this habit hero sounds a little wild for you . . . or perhaps too methodical for you. A little more about why I love this habit of mine: 

• I’m set up for success.

• I feel calm when peeking in my closet.

• There is organization and room to move items around.

• This saves lots of time (believe me)!

• I now wear those hidden items that rarely saw the sun.

• Outfits are easy access for me.

• I’m ready for plot twists and mood swings .

If I change my mind the morning of or the weather changes, I have outfits laid out to choose from. I just swap the order.

You are in control. You are set for plot twists. You are ready for your work week! Inspired and hoping for more Habit Heroes? I’ve got you covered here.