It’s a common misconception that some of the advantages to working from home include working in your trackies, napping whenever you want and scavenging the fridge for leftovers when ever you feel like it just to name a few. While it is nice to do these things now and again, it isn’t productive to do them all the time.

Here is one way to work from home without sacrificing productivity:

Dress for Success

How you are dressed, often reflects your attitude. When you are working you want to look professional so you can feel professional. You won’t feel like a business professional if you are wearing your pyjamas all day.

When you feel confident about how you look, your confidence will flow through into your daily operations, from making a tough phone call to crafting outstanding presentations.

Boundaries

Dressing professionally will also help you develop boundaries for your work and home life. When you are dressed for work it will be easier to focus on projects for your business and avoid projects for your home.

You can create a schedule that works for you. Then get up and get ready to “go” to work everyday. This will also help friends and family respect your work day even though you are working from home. You may find your work/life balance more satisfying as a result of simply changing the way you dress.

Energy

Getting dressed for work will give you more mental and physical energy. When you wear trackies all day you can feel lethargic or unmotivated.  Instead, when you have a big project to get done, put on that outfit that makes you feel like you can conquer anything. When you feel good your productivity will skyrocket.

Prepared

You will also be ready at a moment’s notice to meet with a client or colleague. If someone calls you and wants to meet, you don’t want to be caught off guard. You want your time to be available for preparing instead of used getting dressed. Being dressed for work will help you mentally prepare for any spur of the moment situation.

When to Relax

Everyone has the occasional late night working or day when you are feeling sick. You can take advantage of being home and relax a bit while still getting work done. However, making it a habit can severely cut into your productivity.

Getting Help

If you need help getting out of your trackies and into your heels find out how JMJ – EA for a Day can support you with the right mentoring package.

Top 5 Takeouts: How you will benefit from dressing for success.

  1. Dressing like a business owner will help you feel and act like a business owner.
  2. Dressing professionally will help you set boundaries.
  3. You will be prepared for anything, including face to face meetings.
  4. Being dressed well will improve your self confidence.
  5. Dressing professionally will increase your mental and physical energy.

How do you get ready to “go” to work when you work at home?

Image credit courtesy of: Victor 1558