The uniform I used to wear at my old car dealership job was black and baggy. And it was stifling, especially in the heat of Southwest Florida.
Big, black pants. A large polo emblazoned with the Audi logo. A shiny name tag that identified me to the world as a capable service advisor named Jason Fieber.
If you’re interested, you can see what this uniform looked like by checking out my interview with the Today Show.
I wouldn’t say that I regularly thought about or looked forward to ditching the uniform during journey to financial freedom, but it was something that would cross my mind occasionally.
Wearing something which was designed to identify me with tasks I didn’t want to do wasn’t enjoyable.
However, ironically enough, I still wear a uniform, even though I quit my job almost five years ago.
Why would I choose to do this?
Choice
First, one of the biggest benefits of FIRE is the freedom of choice.
You choose what to do, why you do it, when to do it, where to do it, and whom to do it with.
It’s all up to you.
While this is a scary idea to some people, I relish it.
I cherish the ability to structure my life in the way that best suits me. In a world where customization is a premium product/service, I can’t imagine something being more worth customizing than my own life.
As such, it’s one thing for a boss to say to me, “Jason, you have to wear this uniform.”
It’s quite another thing altogether for me to say to myself, “I’d like to wear this particular clothing, uniformly, every day.”
I now proudly wear my uniform in part because I choose to wear it.
What uniform do I choose to wear pretty much every single day?
Exercise clothing.
If you were to run into me, here in Chiang Mai, on any given afternoon (other than a Saturday – my day off), you’d see me wearing running shoes, a pair of Nike Dri-Fit pants, and a t-shirt (usually Nike Dri-Fit).
That’s my uniform. I identify myself by that clothing during the day time (productivity time).
FIRE allows me to wear anything I’d like, but I choose to wear this.
The Clothes Make The Man
I now see the value of a uniform, although it took me some time post-FIRE to crystallize this perspective.
See, the clothes make the man.
What I mean by that is, the “uniform” you wear, if you choose to wear one post-FIRE, sets you up for whatever tasks you want to be productive with.
You end up judging yourself by the clothes you’re wearing in a way that kind of “forces” you to stick to whatever passions you decide to pursue in your life.
For example, I hit the gym six days/week. (I didn’t wake up like this.)
And so it’d be silly for me to leave my apartment at noon in clothes that aren’t putting me in the best possible position to carry out that daily task and actually go to the gym.
How easy it might be for me to skip the gym if I’m wearing shorts and sandals.
However, because I’m dressed for the occasion, I know, for sure, I’m hitting the gym in the afternoon, after I’m done writing and doing everything else I enjoy at the coffee shop.
Moreover, this is is activewear we’re talking about.
It puts me in the mood to be active and productive.
I’m a man on a mission. It sets everything up for me. So when I am at the coffee shop, sitting with my laptop in front of me, I’m motivated to put content together and give it my best effort.
Now, if I were into other passions during my days, I’d be dressed for those occasions.
Let’s say I were into gardening. Well, you can bet I’d be wearing the overalls, gloves, knee pads, and whatever else as soon as I started my day. I’d set myself up for success and drive right out of the gate.
Eliminating Low-Value Choices
I talked about choice earlier.
Choice is wonderful. It truly is.
If you have choices, you have options.
Options give us the opportunity to explore our true selves and live a more authentic life.
But having unlimited choices can overwhelm someone if they’re careful not to prioritize.
This is why eliminating low-value choices from our lives is key to a successful life in FIRE.
And one of the lowest-value choices I can possibly think of is what to wear during the day.
This is one reason why you’ve seen people like Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs (when he was still alive), and Mark Zuckerberg essentially wearing the same thing every day.
The last thing these people want to do is sit in front of a closet and waste time thinking about what they’re going to wear. They likely have their outfit for a Wednesday next March already picked out, because it’s the same thing they were wearing on a Wednesday last March. I know that’s the case for me.
They look the part. They’re dressed for their respective occasions.
Mark Zuckerberg basically always looks like he’s ready to comfortably sit down in front of a computer for a 12-hour coding session. He’s busy with other tasks these days, but that’s how he came up.
Conclusion
Maybe you’ll end up wearing a uniform once you reach FIRE.
Maybe you won’t.
But I’d encourage you to really think about adapting the idea.
Dress for the occasion and set yourself up for success right out of the gate. Eliminate low-value choices from your life.
It’s not a uniform as a concept that’s a bad idea. It’s only the idea of wearing a uniform that someone else selects for me, which identifies me with tasks I don’t want to do, that bothers me.
Now that I’ve been freed to wear whatever I want, I’ve chosen to wear a uniform that best identifies me with the engaged writer, fitness enthusiast, and carefree guy I’ve always wanted to be.
I’ll conclude this article by noting that this concept only applies during the daytime (when I aim to be productive and pursue my passions). I wear a greater variety of clothing in the evening (depending on what I’m doing), although my choices in that department are also limited (by design) since everything I own can fit inside of two small bags.
What do you think? Does wearing a uniform in FIRE sound appealing? Why or why not?
Thanks for reading.
P.S. If you’re interested in FIRE, which may or may not involve wearing a uniform of your choosing, check out some phenomenal resources that I personally used on my way to achieving financial freedom in my early 30s!
Great Rock impression in your photo! 🙂
Scott,
That’s what I was going for. I made that face after seeing a guy sit on a bench and check his phone at the gym for 30 minutes straight. I think DJ would be proud. 🙂
Cheers!
Love your uniform, Jason! 🙂
When I hit FIRE, my daily outfits will likely be workout clothes, too! Partially because I love to work out every day, and partially because my after-work side hustle (and will-be FIRE passion gig) is teaching Pilates. 😀
On a daily basis, I have worn a uniform of my own making for years now. I find a comfy black pant and buy multiples, and find a comfy tank top and buy multiples in a few colors. I wear them, on repeat for years, until they wear out… then repeat the purchase process as needed. Every morning, I am pleased with the ease of simply grabbing one of each and heading to my day without having to waste any time or effort.
I have other clothes, of course, for when the situations call for them, but having the daily outfit decisions be a non-issue is such a pleasure!
I’m not surprised at all to hear you’re also part of the self-styled-daily-uniform club! 😛
Juli,
That’s great! Glad to be part of the club with you. 🙂
People waste too much time with choices that have basically no impact on their lives. Sitting there and thinking about what to wear is a waste. Nobody cares. Just automate it, and make sure the choice you make at the outset is in line with your identity going forward.
Enjoy the Pilates!
Best regards.
Your post made me happy, because it was a reminder, that my job may not be so bad after all regarding the clothing topic. We can show up in the office exactly like you, in sportswear as well as fully dressed up in suits – nobody cares.
On the other hand we have ultra strict clothing regulation because of a cleanroom class 10, where everybody has to wear a tight cleanroom ” burka” 🙂 But it doesn´t bother us, it´s part of the job and even a bit funny and special, just like a diver would crawl into his diving suit.
What´s giving people headaches are crappy office politics and “business-style” regulations, just because upper management may have decided on the topic in a specific way, but often without a real root cause.
It´s the politics whcih is driving us into FIRE – with the functional clothes I could live. 🙂
Greetz
SC
SC,
That’s a neat office “perk”. Even if I had my choice back in the day, though, I wouldn’t have worn my workout clothing. It would have been ruined in the shop. 😂
I wouldn’t say the uniform was a big bummer for me. Like I noted in the article, getting rid of the uniform wasn’t something that I thought about often. But it is nice to now dress in a way that better meshes with my identity.
Cheers!