And we’re not talking about sitting at your desk in a full-blown suit, of course not. Comfort is just as important as anything else when working from home. The point is, change into something other than your pajamas.
I’m going to be honest with you, I do not get dressed when working from home every day. And sometimes, even if I do, I wear an over-sized hoody and running trousers. But when I do decide to dress up properly for the day, I tackle the day with a whole different mindset. Here’s what I mean:
Why You Should Get Dressed When Working from Home
It prepares you mentally
If you’ve been involved in the world of full-time work, you know that our routines before work tend to stay the same. And a big part of that routine is dressing up appropriately.
No matter if it’s an actual work uniform, or just changing off from your pajamas and into clothes that you can leave the house comfortably in. When you put those clothes on, you send a message to your brain that it’s time to act a certain way.
In this case, time to get ready to work. Mindset is a funny little thing, it’s affected by the smallest thinking patterns and habits. And getting dressed when working from home easily sets your mind on the right track.
Separating work and home life
Not all of us have a house big enough to include an actual office in there. But even if you live in a studio, you should separate the time you spend at your work station from your everyday life as best you can.
One way to do this would be by getting dressed when working from home. It’s a simple enough thing, but it gives the signal to you, and the people you live with, that the day has started.
Especially, if you have small children. It helps them to separate the time of day when they suddenly see you at home all day every day.
We teach our children boundaries to help them better navigate the stormy seas of real life. We should maintain those boundaries also when working from home. Getting dressed for the day means business, and during those business hours one should not be disturbed.
Obviously getting dressed won’t be 100% effective, but it’s a signal to the right direction.
You gain confidence
It has been proven so many times, that when we dress up in a way that we feel like we look good, it boosts our confidence immediately. And when we feel confident, we can literally achieve anything. And more importantly, we WANT to achieve anything.
Happiness is all about appreciating the little things in life. And one of those little things is being aware of what a change the way we dress has on our overall mood. When we foster the good mood with these little actions in our everyday lives, it becomes a habit, which then becomes a feeling.
Getting dressed when working from home keeps you more accountable and is you affirmation to yourself every morning that you mean business. Which is more important now than ever.
Feeling fresh and productive
My last point is an obvious one, but shouldn’t go neglected. I found myself lounging about on the couch one evening with my hair greasy af and having spent the 3rd day in the same underwear.
Not an appealing thought, and also, not an appealing thing to see. You feel icky when you are icky, that’s just the truth of it. So, make sure you don’t start work feeling and looking icky.
Productivity is often talked about as the metric of success. Personally, I don’t believe those 2 things have anything to do with each other.
But your productivity is measured more when you work from home. So, you want to make sure that you keep producing the results that are expected of you. Even if the circumstances are different. Getting dressed when working from home can really help you with that.
My first week self-isolating was definitely not a stylish one. But I noticed the effect it had on my mood and productivity when I looked like a homeless person. So, I’m going to promise myself to do better from now on.
We don’t know how much longer we need to self-isolate. It may be weeks, it may be months. Thus, our mindset is going to be our greatest weapon in keeping the productivity up. And the way we dress can really help us with keeping that mindset up.
