Wearing 8 Polo Shirts in the Cold: Why Repeating a Phrase Isn't the Same as Understanding It

A few years back, I worked with a guy from California who came out to Colorado for a quick work trip. It was February. It was cold. He was here to help commission a train control system - outdoor work, in Denver, in the dead of winter.

He showed up with no coat. No hat. No gloves. Just eight polo shirts.

When I asked him what the plan was, he said he’d “layered up.” Apparently, he’d heard the advice to “layer your clothes in the cold,” and his interpretation was to just put on every polo shirt he packed.

Spoiler alert: he froze.

Midway through the day he muttered, “This whole ‘layer in the cold’ thing is total BS.”

But here’s the thing - it wasn’t bad advice. It just wasn’t understood.

Anyone who’s grown up in a cold climate - shoutout to northern Wisconsin - knows that “layering” isn’t about quantity, it’s about strategy. There are three layers that each serve a purpose:

1. Base layer: Wicks moisture away from your skin.

2. Insulation layer(s): Traps warm air close to your body.

3. Outer shell: Keeps out wind, snow, and rain.

And the second part? Have multiple insulating layers. You adjust those layers throughout the day. Too warm? Shed a layer so you don’t sweat (because wet insulation is useless insulation). Too cold? Add one. That’s the real power of layering - not eight polos deep and still shivering.

So why am I telling you this in a blog about construction project management?

Because this isn’t just about clothes. It’s about understanding versus repetition.

There’s an idea in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (remember that from High School?) where characters repeat programmed mantras like “Everyone belongs to everyone else.” Those phrases work because society has been trained on how to apply them. But then there’s another example, where someone recites “The Nile is the longest river in the world.” They can say the words, but they don’t actually know what it means. They can't apply it. The knowledge is useless.

And that’s exactly what I see all the time on construction sites - people parroting phrases like “Prioritize the Critical Path” without truly knowing what it means.

It sounds smart. It gets nods in meetings. But unless you’re actually clear - every single day - on what the Critical Path is, and unless you’re actively elevating it over every competing distraction, then you’re just wearing eight polo shirts in the snow and wondering why you’re not making progress.  If you believe that the last 10% takes 90% of the work, then you don’t understand the Critical Path.

Understanding the Critical Path isn’t just about marking tasks on a Gantt chart. It’s about knowing, in real time, which activity is the linchpin for your schedule. It’s asking: If this slips by a day, does the entire project slip by a day? If yes, then that's your priority. Full stop.

If you don’t understand that - and act on it - you’re not managing the project, you’re just going through the motions.

There are tons of phrases like this in our industry:

• “Document everything.”

• “Don’t assume - verify.”

• “Plan the work, work the plan.”

All great advice - if you understand them. Dangerous if you only repeat them.

So next time you hear a project management phrase that sounds smart, ask yourself: Do I actually know what this means in the field? Can I apply it?

If not, it might be time to stop stacking polo shirts and start learning how to dress for the weather.

Drop your favorite misunderstood construction management (or other) phrase in the comments.