I know, it sounds crazy and my husband makes me feel as if I were each time he sees me jotting down what I wore the day I saw so-and-so. Yes, you read it right: I keep a clothes diary. Why? Because I don’t want people to see me wearing the same outfit each time they see me and because I see so many people per week, I can’t keep track of what I wore unless I write it down.

It’s a small time investment and one that works wonders in managing your professional image. I learned that trick the hard way: I used to visit a client of mine in Montreal twice a year, Spring and Fall. One year, the weather was still pretty chilly in the Spring and I wore the same outfit to visit him. The first thing he told me when I entered his office was, “time to ask for a raise, Valérie, each time you visit, you wear the same suit!” Useless to say how embarrassed I felt. From that day on, I have kept a clothes diary and make sure that nobody will ever be able to make that comment to me again!