You’re going to be remembered by the work you do.

Probably not by the amount of news you consume.

You probably have a few things that fit okay. That are relatively new.

But here are the clothes you should buy before you show up on day 1.

• A dark blue suit. Not black, not pinstripe. Solid, dark blue. Fitted, tailored.
• A dark gray suit. Not light gray, not seersucker. Solid, dark gray. Fitted, tailored.
• Two white, collared shirts. Fitted.
• Two light blue, collared shirts. Fitted.
• One pair brown shoes.
• One non-reversible brown belt.

On Monday and Wednesday, wear white. Tuesday and Thursday wear blue.

You can’t be Jobs or Zuck or Einstein and wear the same exact same thing every day.

But there are so many benefits of this practice, though.

And this is the closest you can get.

[Note: I wish I had known this when I was working in an office. Today, I have a version of this practice. I wear a one of a dozen v-neck t-shirts with the same pair of jeans every day.]

Start the dialogue today.

But set it up so you can continue it tomorrow.

Back and forth is for conversation.

Not email.

You should plan for tomorrow.

And make the plan today.

So when tomorrow comes, you can let the last thing you did yesterday handle the toughest task of your morning.

Have a look around their office.

Is it filled with pictures of themselves?

Is it covered with framed press clippings of their work?

Is it blank?

Before you take the job, do the deal, or hire the contractor, have a look around their office.

It says a lot.

Capture their hearts and minds, and they’ll buy what you’re selling.

The smart move? The wise move?

Nah.

Sell something they can be proud of buying.

Embarrassment, like feeling awkward, is an internal emotion.

It’s up to you to feel embarrassed. Or not.

It’s up to you to laugh it off and get back to doing what you do.

Don’t relive it.

Acknowledge it, yes. Laugh at it again.

But smile and get back to work.

And get back to loving your family.

You’re going to get called into status meetings. Eventually, you might even lead them.

Yes, they are an incredible waste of time, money, and resources.

But if you’re not paying for them, try to enjoy yourself. Or, at least do something productive in the background (like learn to code).

These meetings are not going away.

And when you go off on your own, you’ll never have to do ’em again.

[HT to Jason Fried for articulating the painful reality of status meetings.]

When you flip through Netflix, you can find a reason not to watch every choice. So you get to the end, and there’s nothing to watch.

So maybe if you go in with a plan, you’ll save yourself time. And, of course, actually end up with something to watch.

Let’s find a silly comedy. Let’s watch a classic we’ve seen before. Let’s pick a stand-up special. Let’s watch a documentary. Let’s dive into a new show.

A plan.

And, of course, realistic expectations.

Sleep is not overrated. Staying up late is.