Probably the biggest psychological hurdle for me getting up and ready for the train in the morning is getting dressed.

I’m pretty picky about wearing clean clothes every day, and looking halfway decent (well, for a guy anyway). Making sure you have clean socks, underwear, pants, T-shirt, shirt, and can find your matching belts, ties, shoes, and coat can be a real hassle, especially as laundry day approaches…

Get 294 issues of The Wall Street Journal for Less then $.67 per issue

If I know I’m going to be rushed in the morning, I will absolutely pick out my clothes the night before - everything. It makes getting up in the morning much easier, as I know I will have limited decisions to make. I have always wanted a men’s valet, but there is no room in our bedroom for it - it provides a place to hang out everything for the next day without it getting wrinkled.

Modern technology has also brought us the wrinkle-free shirt, although, in practice, this has resulted in some shirts of questionable style, comfort, and wrinkle-free-ness. Well, no more, because now I wear Brooks Brothers Non-Iron shirts, which my wife bought me, and they are fantastic. You pull them out of the dryer, and they are absolutely ready to wear, and look just great - even the collar. Even if you leave them in the laundry basket, the need for ironing is rare, and if they do need ironing its just a quick touch-up that takes seconds.

Whats more, they come in a great range of prints for their casual button-downs, and colors for their iron-free dress shirts, they are extremely comfortable, and they dont shrink at all. They are the miracle shirt. Yes, they are expensive, but it is absolutely one of those situations where they pay for themselves. Since I have started wearing these shirts, I haven’t retired one of them - they still all look brand new. They are magical.

Even if they weren’t iron-free, they are still some of the best looking and best fitting shirts out there.

Another way to make your life a little easier is to make sure you are well-stocked on socks and underwear, and have appropriate shoes and belts for whatever you are wearing. There is nothing worse then getting dressed and coming up short on socks, or realizing that you dont have a decent pair of black shoes to go with your new black pants - thats just insulting. As for socks, I reccommend Gold Toe - they stand up pretty well in the wash, and because they have the gold toe, pairing is easy.

Finally, undershirts. GAH. They just don’t make them like they used to. Recently, out of frustration, I bought a pack of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Jockey, and a few other brands. I used to be a firm believer in Calvin Klein - they fit very well, and held up well. However, from what I understand they have a new manufacturer and it shows - were talking about real shrinkage here.

In the end, I think the best bet is the Tommy Hilfiger Stay-White - they are pretty good at staying white, dont shrink much, fit ok - thats all a guy can ask.