No clothes

When is it good to have no alternatives?

The best time to have no alternatives is in the morning for me. Not just any morning, but on the days that I get to go to work or I have an appointment or deadline to meet. I'm actually thinking of my closet, my clothes and the choices I have to make every day regarding what to wear.

I've found that what works best for me, is to leave myself with no alternatives in the morning.  Hmmm, how can you accomplish this? Well, I began going to the gym several years ago. I tried to go after work in the evenings. But it seemed that it was often easy to convince myself that I was "too tired" to go and work out or too busy that day. And often it was difficult to find the time in the evening after work to go to the gym, then get home, cook dinner and get ready to do it again the next day.

 I began going to the gym in the mornings. This was not an easy thing to get into the habit of doing, if you're not a morning person already. I was never a morning person, I prefer to stay up late at night, and sleep in the next morning. When I awake, I'd prefer to eat cereal and drink coffee, watch a little news on the TV. In case you're wondering, I'm still trying to get to the point of no alternatives!

 My largest obstacle, and most time consuming daily task was making a decision about what I would wear to work. Remember, I said I was not a morning person, so here's what happened in the mornings, I would stand in my closet, with a cup of coffee in hand, and stare at my clothes. Still kind of in a sleepy haze. I would finally make a decision, then change my mind. If I picked out a pair of pants or a skirt, then I'd have to choose a blouse or top. Then I'd second guess myself, and start looking for a better alternative. This could go on long enough that I would end up being late for work or having to rush to get to work on time.

In order to meet the six a.m. exercise class at the gym, I had to streamline my routine at home. Since I am not a morning person, I wanted to stay in bed as long as I could. I began choosing my clothes the night before, and this is not something I have ever perceived myself doing! I always wanted to wait and see how I felt that day when I chose clothes. Back to picking out my clothes at night, this was a great motivator to make a choice, because by the time I was in the closet picking out clothes, I was tired and ready for bed. So it became easy to make a decision, because I could then go to bed.

The best part of going to the gym and getting ready for work there is that I have no alternatives regarding my clothes at that point. I have what I have to wear. Not to say that I might have to make a mad dash to the store for a necessary item, because it's too far to go back home.