You may know by now that I hate winter. Iowa winter, to be exact.

It’s cold. It’s gray. It’s cold. It’s snowy and icy. It’s cold.

To get through this winter (my fourth in Iowa), I have developed a ritualistic way to make it a little more cheery and give me a little more reason to get up on those dreaded Monday mornings: Ridiculous Outfit Monday.

The rules are simple:

1. Go into your closet.

2. Pull out one article of clothing that is colorful.

3. Blend the rest of your outfit around that single article, but in a way that makes you step out of your comfort zone.

4. The finished product should be office appropriate and make you happy. It should be colorful and experimental. Play with color combinations, patterns, layers, fabrics. Anything goes as long as the dress code gatekeepers won’t frown and write you up for the outfit.

5. Repeat each Monday.