Last year, I did Dry January. I’m happy I did it, so that I never have to do it again. Of course, alcohol is best enjoyed in healthy moderation and good company. But corralled into the corner of a bar, with a friend of a friend of a friend recounting their grad school application process directly into my ear, I wanted something stronger than soda water and bitters.
I have heard many Dry January believers explain why they do it. (How could you not? Lunchroom Army recruiters are subtler with their approach.) And I suspect that the benefits people claim from Dry January, such as feeling good in the morning and focusing at work, can be achieved without forgoing alcohol.
You just have to wear a suit every day.
I think I got the idea from my father, who wore a suit every day for his whole career. There are many differences to how we work: he works at a big company, I’m a freelancer; he goes to an office, I work remotely; he sits in a chair at a desk, I recline on a couch with a MacBook balanced on my sternum. But I have always suspected that if I just put on the suit, everything else would fall into place.
This year, I put Suit January to the test. Thirty-one days of putting on a shirt, jacket, and tie, and seeing if it changed my life any more than skipping booze did. Can you actually dress your way to success?
Click here to find out how the experiment went.
Related:
