Many of us are working from home at the moment. This is a situation, that we are not used -in least not in the extent that we experience right now -because of Covid-19. We can read a lot about outfit ideas, but what about the knowledge that tells us about the importance of how you dress? Let´s take a look at that today -especially if you want to get something done!
Dress to impress?
Usually we get up, get dressed and go to work, but today many of us just do the first thing; we get up and that is it!! We don´t get dressed (we will wear our PJ all day) and we obviously don´t go to work. Wearing our PJ all day is is cozy and comfortable, and why should we dress up, when we have no one to impress and no dresscode to allign with?
If you dress lazy -you become lazy
Before you decide to enter your day in a PJ (again), let´s see how clothes affect your inner state of being. A suit makes you feel more powerful, and so does high heels. We feel empowered, ready for life and ready to get things done. Many experiments have been done on this subject, and the conclusion is clear: What we wear affect how we feel inside and also how others percieve us. In an experiment created by Professor Adam D. Galinsky, students were told to wear a white coat. Some were told that the coat was a doctor coat, others were told that it was a painters coat. Afterwards the students was going to write an essay and the students wearing the “doctors coat” had the best results. As Professor Galinsky says: “Clothes invade the body and brain, putting the wearer into a different psychological state”. This is why we need to pay attention to what we wear -especialy when we work at home.
Maybe you have already noticed a difference while wearing a PJ for a week? Everything goes slower, you are more tempted to stare into the fridge and the couch feels sooo appealing. If you are tired of this state of being I highly recommend that you change your strategy of “work from home dresscode”. Leave the PJ in the bed (where it actually belongs) and get into some nice looking clothes from your wardrobe (we all know you have it, you don´t wear sweatpants at work right?).
The perfect “work-from-home outfit”
So what is the trick? What is the best outfit for our work-from-home situation -especially if we want to get sxxx done and be effective? For me a shirt always does the trick. It is comfortable, but you still feel dressed. If you don´t want to wear tight jeans (because you have simply become too relaxed after your week working from home) -you could either put on some running tights (makes you feel energized + you can go for a run or excercise during the day) or some good looking pants -with stretch! For shoes I recommend sneakers, because they both look good and makes you feel good. If you are used to a more corporate look, put on the shoes you wear at summer while looking hot and elegant (this works for both women and men).
How to begin?
If you have already turned into a coach potato it is about time to get out of the couch -even though the computer is in the couch with you. GET AWAY FROM THE COUCH ASAP!! Use your dining table or a desk if you have it. Make your surroundings as office-like as possible. You want to get something done, not watch Netflix and chili (or you might, but wait until you have had dinner). If this crisis goes on longer that we think, we have to find somekind of everyday rhytm that makes sense and feels good. We are priviledged. We can stay home with our family, save time from transport and actually organize the day as we want. And yes, I know having kids around can be quite a challenge. Make sure to give them structure, so they know what to do and when to do it -even with the small ones.
We can do this -and we can do it even better if we dress up for it 😉
Enjoy your day -and now get out of that PJ, ok 😉
Love Manou