Work at Home: Can You Really Work at Home in Your Pajamas?
How Many Of The Millions Of Unemployed In This Economy Will Begin To Work At Home?
Are you unhappy at work? Do you find yourself daydreaming about working from home? You are certainly not alone.
Millions of successful, professional people are finding that working at home is the answer, whether they have been downsized, rightsized, paradigm-shifted, or simply couldn’t take hearing another buzzword.
Of course, the work at home industry is not without its own buzzwords. Like freelancing, outsourcing, virtual assistance, consulting and others which continually overlap, making the whole work at home concept very confusing for first-timers.
Perhaps even more mind-blowing and confusing than these word games, though, is the pervasive concept that everyone who works at home does so in their pjs, coffee in one hand, sugary treat in the other, and both slipper-clad feet up on the desk.
Enticing as this image may be, only Hugh Hefner gets away with this trick. For the rest of us, pajamas simply won’t work, and here’s why:
Wearing pjs or gym clothes may interfere with your productivity.
Choosing a blend of casual comfort and professionalism creates the best work at home wardrobe. Our clothes define how we feel and, to a great extent, who we are.
Remember that time you ran a quick errand in a pair of old sweats and a slightly ripped t-shirt? Remember how you ran into Sue from across the street and avoided her like the plague?
The same thinking applies to working at home. Sure, no one is going to see you. Sure, you’re only talking on the phone. But you can see you.
When you dress for the job, you feel prepared to meet the day’s challenges, ready to present yourself as a competent professional. Must you put on a full suit and tie? No. But pajamas aren’t going to cut it either.
If you’ve ever tried it, you know what I mean.
These four tips will help you remain comfortable and productive:
1. Always go for comfort, but not too much. No highly-starched shirts, ties, or wool that drives you nuts. An Oxford-style or Polo-style shirt is great looking, comfortable, long-wearing, (and you’re half-ready for the golf course, just in case).
2. Sweats are for the gym. Pajamas are for bed. Your office is not where you work out or take a nap. Feeling too comfortable and casual may spill over into your demeanor, and this can translate into unprofessionalism.
3. And remember your shoes. Shoes impact work attitude, believe it or not. Barefoot feet say “Relax! Take a load off!” and, while you don’t want to be a ball of nerves, a workday is not a day at the beach.
4. Shave and shower to begin your day. Grooming has a psychological effect on mental preparedness. You simply “feel” ready after a nice hot shower and a shave.
Still believe you can work at home in your pjs?
Not if success is part of your master plan. The concept is simply more sales pitch than professional reality. At the end of the day, reality is what pays the bills.
Best,
Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad, succeeding in this economy
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