I am the first person to confess that one of the pleasures of working from home for me is to be able to work in my robe, my sweats or my pajamas. On the other hand, there are times when getting dressed up and doing things in a more “traditional” way is a boost to my business…
I am not in a particularly “dressy” industry. I write, and when I am not writing or doing public relations work for businesses, I work as a meeting and conference planner. Even my planning work is really done mostly in jeans and sweaters. Unless I am actually at a conference or meeting with someone, I really don’t have any motivation to get out of my casual clothes—unless I want to FEEL more professional and I need a boost to my feelings of confidence and success.
There are days when I actually miss my past life as a nonprofit management executive purely because I miss dressing up—those smart suits and fashionable slacks hanging in my closet are quickly going out of style since I really don’t wear them much any more. I do sometimes miss the way I felt about myself and work when I was dressed up just so. Call me shallow, but clothes and appearance can make a difference.
If you are in an industry where dressing up is acceptable, or working a home business where you do have substantial public contact, dressing up can be helpful. Not only can it be helpful, it might also be required for certain occasions. Just because we are working from home does not mean that we cannot use those typical boosts to our confidence and appearance that come from getting dressed up before getting down to work. If you’re used to swearing sweats to work, try getting dressed up a little and taking your show on the road—it might make a world of difference to your motivation!