Should you dress up or stay in sweatpants for the second day in a row? It’s a question we’ve probably all asked ourselves while working from home. If you’re not an essential worker who has to (bravely) truck out into civilization everyday, then it’s all too tempting to fall into a cycle of wearing sweats, pyjamas, and maybe the occasional nice shirt for Zoom meetings. While it’s definitely good to relax in comfortable clothes and easy outfits, it’s also important to get dressed up in “real” work clothes.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a personal style guru, there are multiple benefits you can get just from putting in a little extra effort toward your appearance.
Benefits of Work From Home Outfits
Better Mental Health
Putting on casual work clothes while working from home helps your mind create a separation between working time and relaxing time. This helps prepare you for your day and signal to your brain that it’s time to be productive and may even help get you out of a mental funk. This is an important step! If you go through your day wearing the same outfit, it can be hard to strike the right work-life balance. At the end of the work day, changing clothes helps signify that your work day is over and it’s now time for you to unwind.
It’s all too easy to let your work and home life mix together when you work from home, which can quickly lead to overwhelm and stress. Wearing work clothes is an easy way to create a divide between your work life and home life.
Stay On Your “A” Game
Even if your workplace is casual, it’s important to display professionalism. Even just putting on a casual outfit helps keep up appearances. It signifies that even though you’re at home, you’re still working. You also want to be putting your best foot forward at work, so there’s no harm in making sure your work from home outfits come across professionally.
It’s Just Fun!
If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to wear some of your fanciest clothes, now is your chance. Put on your favorite heels, dress, or accessories. If you feel too dressed up for a video conference, you can throw on a cardigan or pullover to dress “down” your outfit.
More Creativity
Try putting together a creative work from home outfit and wearing something you’ve never worn before. Mix and match articles of clothing that you wouldn’t normally wear to stretch your creative muscles.
Increased Confidence
You’ll do better work when you feel better about yourself. Dressing up and putting your best face forward helps you start the day off right with a beam of confidence. This is especially important if you have important meetings that day or just generally feel like you could use a boost. Spend some extra time getting ready in the morning and see what happens!
Impact On Your Colleagues & Family
It’s all too easy to let your personal style standards slip when you see your co-workers doing the same. If you take the initiative to dress up and put on fashionable business attire for your next video call or Zoom meeting, then you might inspire your colleagues to do the same. While wearing the latest fashion finds isn’t usually a requirement for most work from home jobs, it can still be fun to dress up.
If you have kids, then getting dressed in work clothes every day signals a sign of normalcy. It also helps your kids distinguish between work time and play time, for them and for you. If they’re participating in distance education, sticking to a daily routine can be extremely useful.
Indulge In Productive Retail Therapy
While cooped up at home, many of us have turned to excessive retail therapy to help ease boredom and loneliness. Don’t get us wrong, we understand! Who doesn’t love a little online shopping spree? Just one bit of advice before your next online shopping binge:
Online shop with the right intentions. Instead of filling up your Amazon cart with needless purchases, use this time to shop for clothing, accessories, or self-care items that are both fun and functional. If you’re not a fan of buying clothes online, then shop for accessories that will lift your spirits and will continue to be functional once the world returns to “normal.”
Casual Style While Working From Home
So you know the benefits of dressing up while working from home, but how do you actually make it happen?
Treat Work From Home Days Like Any Other Workday
Wake up on time and follow whatever morning routine you usually do. According to licensed psychologists, keeping a routine can reduce anxiety. Try to keep the same morning routine for drinking coffee, eating breakfast, getting the kids ready, showering, and whatever else your morning includes.
Don’t just roll out of bed and immediately start working. Take advantage of the fact you don’t have to commute and try to squeeze in a little extra “me” time in the mornings to get ready for your day. Be kind to yourself during these times, and let your mind relax before rushing full force into the workday.
Think About Your Outfit the Night Before
If your mornings tend to be on the hectic side, then spend a couple of minutes the night before thinking about what you want to wear the next day. Want to make things even easier on yourself? Lay out your clothes the night before so they’re ready to go first thing in the morning. You can put a sticky note on your door or a reminder on your phone to help you remember to pick out the next day’s clothes before you go to bed.
Keep It Simple
A few chic staples go a long way. A statement necklace, bracelets, earrings, and bracelets are all simple ways to elevate your outfits. Don’t feel like you have to pull out your power suit to look professional on your video calls. If you’re trying to pull yourself out of a fashion-rut, just try to put on something that signifies “I’m ready for the day and won’t fall asleep at my desk.” After all, most of us are aiming for a casual style, not being runway ready.
If you find wearing pyjamas and hoodies all day keeps you happy and productive, then don’t feel the need to change your routine. The most important thing is that you figure out what works for you. If you’ve felt your productivity waning during your time working from home, then you might want to try changing your work from home outfits and accessories to something more business casual.
