Why dressing for Success can create the right mindset

I’m sure almost everyone would agree that one of the big perks of working from home is that no specific dress code applies.  If you feel like working in your pyjamas all day, no one is stopping you.  It’s your choice, but does it have an impact on your productivity?  Sorry guys and gals, but research has shown that it actually does.  The author of The Golden Apple:  Redefining Work-Life Balance for a Diverse Workforce says that work clothes do impact you on a business and a personal level.  It is also important to set boundaries between working hours and personal time.  When the official work day is over, it’s best to change out of the business attire otherwise you could feel like work never ends.

Self discipline and how you dress does pay off

A few years back I worked half day for an elderly man who was a magazine publisher and worked from home.  Every morning when I arrived at his home office, he was dressed in formal office wear.  I asked him why he bothered.  His answer was that if he were to dress casually, he would be more inclined to first wander around his garden and play with his dog than get to the office and before he’d realise it, most of the morning would have gone by and he’d have achieved very little.  He only worked mornings, accomplishing what he had set out to do and then changed into casual wear and spent the afternoons playing golf, meeting up with other retired friends or pottering around in his garden.

I had a mentor once that set her goal to be a millionaire before she turned thirty, which she did achieve.  She started out working from home in her garage.  Every morning she would get dressed up in her working attire complete with heels and handbag and be in her garage office by 9am sharp.

Gaining respect and being taken seriously

What impression do you give those around you?  Do you look like you take your business seriously?  I experienced this first hand with family members.  When you look like a frumpy mum, that is pretty much how everyone is going to treat you.  Step up your game by dressing to match your business and see the difference in the attitude of those around you.

Dress up to resist multi-tasking

 When working from home it is easy to get caught up in exhausting multi-tasking.  When wearing your sweats it’s easy to dash from your desk to the washing machine, desk to the wash line… and so on.  If you were dressed for work, you would be less inclined to do some of these things.  Agreeably, there are the benefits to multi-tasking, but it can also affect your overall performance.

Casual days

If dressing up every day really doesn’t appeal to you, throw in a casual day or two into your week.  You are the boss after all so you get to choose. 😉