You are wasting time wearing something new. (The Aldi Approach)

An analysis of the most successful people turned up something quite amazing. They generally do not change their public appearance often, and on most occasions, never. It may seem trivial, and you could be thinking. "So what? they were the same cloths, who cares?" But there is a science why you need to be wearing the same outfit day in day out. I'll explain.

Saving your brain.

Studies show that having to make too many decisions can leave people tired, mentally drained and more dissatisfied with their purchases. It also leads people to make poorer choices -- sometimes at a time when the choice really matters. So adding what seems like a basic process of picking your clothes, can in fact be extremely detrimental. Do the math, say you spend 10 minutes per day deciding your attire, most agents work 6 days a week. That is 1 hour a week spent on clothing, or 50 hours a year. Imagine 50 hours more of strong business development.

Pick now, pay later.

You may think, so what, I'll spend a little more time picking my clothes. However what you will realise, is that your decision making processes, when they matter are fatigued and not as sharp as they can be. Using brain power on essentially insignificant details can mean when it comes to negotiations, later in the day, you won't perform at your best. Especially if you account for cumulative issues that create fatigue, such as lack of sleep, poor diet, and over complication decisions, you can see why people get lazy at the back end of the day. 

The scientific evidence.

Researchers found that the more choices shoppers had made, the worse they performed on simple math problems they were then asked to complete on the spot. Put this down to basic brain power, and equate simple math problems to your daily decisions. If you bombard your brain with too many choices, it can fail on the basic ones. This can be extremely detrimental. Imagine if you offer a client a commission rate of 1.5% instead of 1.75% that extra .25% could be worth thousands for the exact same amount of work you were going to do anyway. 

Decisions become lazy and incorrect

As people get fatigued, people make either the simplest decision or the one they make most often. What this can lead to is poor patterns of behaviour and not thinking about different ways to provide solutions. Relying on past decisions for future ones is incredibly dangerous. Put simply, don't do it. Ever!

The ALDI methodology.

Why has ALDI been so successful? Simple. They provide less items for sale and can therefore drill down on the items they buy. When they buy these items, they can negotiate larger buying power and just purchase that one thing, rather than trying to negotiate with other wholesalers to buy thirty products. ALDI sells 1350 products, that's it. Coles and Woolworths sell ten times the amount of products. People make better decisions when there are less and you can focus on building up those ideas when you don't have distractions. 

So what are you waiting for? Stop making decisions and start making choices that will ensure your life runs more fluent. The smartest businesses in the world focus on a few core principles and providing limited choice. There is something behind that. 

About the Author:

Todd Schulberg handles all things marketing for Homely.com.au - Living and breathing property, Todd has a keen interest in the movements in the market and how agents can utilise new tools and technology in order to be more connected. Todd has a focus on improving work flows and making things more efficient whilst keeping things just as effective.