What do Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, President Barack Obama and Albert Einstein all have in common?

They've all worn the same outfit, pretty much every day.

Why? It isn’t a coincidence. Jobs and President Barack Obama, for example, are both part of the same-outfit club, but for different reasons. And both are logical, from both a scientific and business perspective.

The Science

If you notice, Obama wears a blue or gray suit all the time (when he wore a tan suit earlier this year, it nearly blew up the Internet). Why? Here’s the explanation he gave to famed writer Michael Lewis, via Vanity Fair:

“You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits,” Obama told Lewis. “I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”

That logic is backed up with some pretty convincing science. Two college professors who have studied decision-making, Kathleen Vohs and Barry Schwartz, both found that a person has a limited amount of brain power in a day, so the more decisions they have to make, the weaker their decision-making process becomes.

"The mere act of thinking about whether you prefer A or B tires you out," Schwartz told The LA Times. "So if I give you something else that takes discipline, you can't do it -- you'll quit faster. If I have lifted weights in a gym, later trying to lift a 30-pound weight is impossible."

Vohs conducted a study where she asked a group of random people how many decisions they made that day, and then asked them a series of simple math questions. The more decisions they made in the day, the worse they did on the math questions.

Steve Jobs’ Reason

Jobs, meanwhile, garnered the additional benefit of more brain power by choosing to wear primarily a black turtleneck, blue jeans and white shoes, but that wasn’t his main motivation. Instead, Forbes reports Jobs – one of the great marketers ever – did it to establish himself as a brand.

“It is also great to have a trademark look,” William Arruda, a branding expert, told Forbes. “It makes you memorable and distinctive.”

It makes sense, when you think about it. After all, who can’t picture Jobs without that iconic black turtleneck? Or Zuckerberg, with his gray shirt, portraying the ultimate irreverent, precocious 21st-century Internet entrepreneur? Or heck, even Bono, and his ever-present yellow shades?

For these people, that look has become part of their overall mystique. And that makes them more iconic, like a Homer Simpson, which people can recognize instantly.

Albert Einstein

Similarly, Albert Einstein reportedly bought several variations of the same gray suit so that he wouldn’t have to waste time deciding what to wear each morning. This is all related to the concept of decision fatigue. This is a real psychological condition in which a person’s productivity suffers as a result of becoming mentally exhausted from making so many irrelevant decisions.

Simply put, by stressing over things like what to eat or wear every day, people become less efficient at work.

This is precisely why individuals like President Obama, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Albert Einstein decided to make life easier by adopting a monotonous wardrobe.

Obviously, as these are some of the most successful and productive individuals in history, they are on to something.

Indeed, having a diverse collection of clothing is overrated. We waste so much time worrying about things that have no substantial consequences, and don’t even realize how easily we could change this.

We might all consider simplifying our lives a bit more by reducing the amount of time we spend thinking about pointless aspects of our day. In the process, one might find that they are significantly less stressed, more productive and more fulfilled.

Life is complicated enough, don’t allow the little things to dictate your happiness. Simplify, simplify.

https://www./20141105164315-283620963-the-genius-of-wearing-the-same-outfit-every-day

http://elitedaily.com/money/science-simplicity-successful-people-wear-thing-every-day/849141/

Please share and maybe somebody will thank you one day for setting them on the path to success

We have successful peepz in Africa too but they dont wear 100 shades of a piece of clothing.

nice one

OP on the surface your prefix and the supporting arguments sound convincing.

But a deeper analysis will prove you false on all grounds, I think you are being subjective here.

Good grooming is a sign of respect, but not necessarily a determiner of success .

super interesting

Obijulius:
OP on the surface your prefix and the supporting arguments sound convincing.

But a deeper analysis will prove you false on all grounds, I think you are being subjective here.

Good grooming is a sign of respect, but not necessarily a determiner of success .

Mr man, please come up with your "deeper analysis". The article states that not worrying about what you wear allows you to focus on being a successful person not that you must dress a certain way in order to be successful. Apparently there are successful people who do not wear the same clothes everyday and the article does not argue against this fact. If this was a comprehension test, you would have failed woefully.

Nice and enlightening piece.

dont8:
I don't think the article and PMB's mode of dressing should be in the same sentence because he doesn't have a particular mode of dressing known to me, GEJ would have been a better example of a trade mark dressing IMO.

Are you really serious??

In you people's defence of this one man, you worship him like he can't be flawed even in any respect.

Topic said PMB has a trademark dressing. You, in guaranteeing defense, brought in GEJ.

As if PMB doesn't dress one way almost all the time.

INTROVERT:
We have successful peepz in Africa too but they dont wear 100 shades of a piece of clothing.

Otedola is almost always in white Kaftan

am almost always on black boxers

Its not genius at all....1st you'll look like you never change clothes and 2nd there's an African proverb that says if you stayin with one thing too long you'll attract flees.

Sai baba
sai baba
sai baba
sai babalawo!
he still dey sleep ni?

robinicule:
am almost always on black boxers

chai !!; nigerian youthsssssss shaaaaa.....


And yeah, i agree that PMB and GEJ fall in that category.. It shows that certain concepts come natural when you wear greater responsibilities

Nice piece.

INTROVERT:
We have successful peepz in Africa too but they dont wear 100 shades of a piece of clothing.

Does that invalidate the theory/science of ADDITIONAL decision making capacity from reduced redundancies

I guess this is one of the reasons the systematically cerebral scientist, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was more productive as president for five years despite extra-ordinary challenges compared to the Agbaya of Owu.who ruined us for eight years TALKING nonsense

Bifwoli:
Its not genius at all....1st you'll look like you never change clothes and 2nd there's an African proverb that says if you stayin with one thing too long you'll attract flees.

You have Mis-applied the proverb.

Secondly and perhaps most importantly how PRODUCTIVE and how much real VALUE do we create as Africans

How many of us think beyond 3-5 years range for past or future activities/projects with continuous improvement/maintenance/refinement/RECORDS?

Any wonder why we are the SCUMBAGS of the earth

How come no one complained about the same fedora one Mr clueless wore all his life?

Yungwizzzy:
How come no one complained about the same fedora one Mr clueless wore all his life?

What did you just do and have you been on Mars all the while?

Or perhaps you are nobody!

Obijulius:
OP on the surface your prefix and the supporting arguments sound convincing.

But a deeper analysis will prove you false on all grounds, I think you are being subjective here.

Good grooming is a sign of respect, but not necessarily a determiner of success .

The op didn't say it is a "determiner of success". What his argument supports is that it makes the task of being successful a bit less tedious. Having not to worry so much about what to wear gives your brain room to accommodate more productive thoughts.

Get the drift now??

OKNkanu:
Long Boring Story

On the contrary, I think the writeup is quite interesting and gives an insight into why some world leaders have trademark appearance.

You should read it.

anonimi:


You have Mis-applied the proverb.

Secondly and perhaps most importantly how PRODUCTIVE and how much real VALUE do we create as Africans

How many of us think beyond 3-5 years range for past or future activities/projects with continuous improvement/maintenance/refinement/RECORDS?

Any wonder why we are the SCUMBAGS of the earth

Make ROSSIKE catch you.

lomaxx:

Are you really serious??

In you people's defence of this one man, you worship him like he can't be flawed even in any respect.

Topic said PMB has a trademark dressing. You, in guaranteeing defense, brought in GEJ.

As if PMB doesn't dress one way almost all the time.

Without meaning to turn this enriching thread to GEJ vs GMB, it is useful to point out that Buhari does NOT dress one way almost all the time.

More like 40% - 50% of the time when you take in his dress mode in Defence House and since 2003 when he has been trying UNSUCCESSFULLY till 2015 to be employed by us to our nation's top job.

omenka:
Make ROSSIKE catch you.

I nor send person oh.

anonimi:


I nor send person oh.

If I were you I'd retract the statement now that I have the chance oo.... Don't say I didn't warn you oo.

The outfit he wore to Germany is a different outfit from others.
Outfit 1 is different from outfit 2,3 and 4

what is this OP saying? and who told you buhari said he'll stick to one kind of dress...please worry about other things?

omenka:
If I were you I'd retract the statement now that I have the chance oo.... Don't say I didn't warn you oo.

Thanks for the warning. I hope he shows up, WHOEVER he is.

That does not apply to our always on white wearing politicians. They are simply wearing the signet of their fraternal leanings.

Hope my boss knows nothing about this.

Obijulius:
OP on the surface your prefix and the supporting arguments sound convincing.

But a deeper analysis will prove you false on all grounds, I think you are being subjective here.

Good grooming is a sign of respect, but not necessarily a determiner of success .

Why don't you go ahead and write yours? Those who are always busy adding sand to others' salt will eventually eat sand. Yeye!