What’s on the iPod: The Joker by Steve Miller Band
Dressing? For freelancing? Is she kidding? you must be thinking. Actually, I’m quite serious. Despite the fact that I sit at home with very occasional “remote” work days, I dress for my job.
That’s not to say every day I put on a business suit, heels, and do my hair (read that never, except for the hair part, and that happens rarely before noon). That means I take time to put on clothes that make me feel polished or at least neat enough to get the job done. Thursday, it was pinstriped shorts, a dark grey t-shirt, ivory crocheted vest, and a neat necklace that goes to the navel. I was casual, but I felt pretty darned good.
I’m a big believer in how you look affecting how you feel and how you function. Wednesday of last week I had on a purple sleeveless top and a khaki pencil skirt. I got more done than the day before when I was in my shlumpy orange t-shirt and black shorts. Is it a coincidence? Maybe, but there’s certainly a correlation between appearance and attitude, which is definitely connected to your performance.
I rarely get out of the house during the week (and yet I have a shoe wardrobe that’s surpassed sinful levels), but it makes me feel better to know I’m dressing for me even if no one sees me, not to mention using some of those shoes. I can carry on that negotiation with a client knowing I feel presentable enough to myself to exude that confidence.
Sure, I have my slippers-and-yoga-pants days, which I love. It’s that I have the flexibility to dress down that I love. But more importantly is that I don’t say no to dressing for just myself. Nor should you.
Do you notice that dress affects your attitude? What’s your favorite way to dress when you’re working?
18 responses to “Dressing for the Job”
I mostly wear yoga clothes or "cute casual" when I'm at home — but never pjs, or all I want to do is sleep.
I have various casual clothes I keep close at hand for leaving the house — somehow, I have to run errands almost every day — and dressier ones for when I have meetings or events.
I can't write in my pajamas — I simply can't feel creative that way. Yoga clothes or casual clothes are fine — and that way, I get up regularly and stretch. But I don't leave the house in them!
PS — today, because I have errands, it's a navy blue LL Bean tank top and dark green capris. When I go to Solstice tonight, I switch out of the capris into a skirt.
I'm a guy, but even so, I feel that I work better when I'm dressed and clean. I'm rarely productive if I'm lounging in my flannel pj pants. The same also goes with work space. If the apartment is a mess, I have a hard time concentrating. My desk MUST be organized before I can wok.
I dress like a beach hobo on a week-long bender.
I rarely wear shoes.
Works like a charm for me.
Sure, I'll dress "appropriately" when out and about. Force me to hit a suit and tie event and I'll be the best-dressed guy there 9 times out of 10.
Day to day? Bum.
That "correlation between appearance and attitude" isn't universal.
For me, part of the joy of being my own boss is that I don't need to play dress-up every day.
I'm with Josh on the clean part, though. And the work area organization. I can't imagine getting a day started without a long, insanely hot shower. And If the house is too out of control (and it sometimes is with two munchkins on the loose), I find myself distracted, even though my office is safely hidden in the basement.
I'm with Carson… I've tried getting dressed at least like I was going to the store and I feel silly. Besides, I often spill things down my front… I'd rather do that with my beach bum clothes.
Different Strokes!
That sounds like a great way to dress, Devon. Casual and movable, yet spiffy enough to feel good about your appearance (did I just say "spiffy"?).
Joshua, I'm the same. I can't work in pjs. It feels too much like I can't commit to the waking-up portion of my day. No way I could be productive like that.
Beg to differ, Carson. Your appearance – beach bum chic, let's call it – IS reflective of your attitude and your relaxed style. You feel good about yourself when you're dressed like that, no? That reflects in your work. And your ability to change your appearance to suit your mood is just as related to your confidence as dressing head-to-toe in Armani.
I have days where yoga pants make me feel good. I'm saying dress to please yourself – and that's key. If you put no thought into what you're wearing, that's going to be reflected in other areas of your life. If you are pleased wearing Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts, then you'll feel more confident in general.
Anne, I don't put on dresses or heels at the computer. I put on comfy things – today it's shorts and a tank top. But I washed my face before noon – that's a feat! 🙂
I'm sort of in-between. It's not a good idea to lounge around in PJs when you have a dog to take out last thing at night and first thing in the morning and the neighbors' houses are less than 12 feet away.
I'm always barefoot, but with cute toenail polish. I've never owned business clothes or a suit. I have what as a kid I would called "play clothes" for around the house, some nicer casual clothes for errands, and a handful of dressier items for those rare occasions I need them.
I do have sweat pants that are nice and warm for winter, but I don't wear those in public. As someone whose unofficial junior high and high school uniform involved wearing blue jeans on a daily basis, I probably last wore jeans in college. (After high school, my dad no longer paid for my clothes, so I could buy what I wanted – not jeans.)
Like Devon, I've got on (olive) capris today, with a chocolate brown V-neck t-shirt with a few coppery sequins along the V. (I'm not normally the sequin type, but it was on sale and is actually understated and cute.)
That said, I do have a better attitude on days like today than on laundry day when I'm down to over-sized t-shirts and the ratty old shorts I usually reserve for yard work, painting, and heavy-duty cleaning/painting.
Lori, I have to admit that i DO feel more productive when I'm dressed; but I frequently wear yoga gear when working – especially because I dart in and out throughout the day to drop kids off and pick them up from school. I do need for the house to be neat, although my desk is an exception to this rule…
I guess I should have said that the correlation between dressing in a what would generally be considered a more "professional" manner and one's attitude isn't universal. That was really my point.
However, I really don't think that the link between what's on your back and what's on the page is that pronounced.
I worked out in the world of monkey suits and nice watches for a few years. Did well. Thought the costuming was silly. Empirically, the nature of my clothing hasn't had an impact on my productivity or performance.
I don't feel good, bad or indifferent about myself based on what I'm wearing. Yeah, I appreciate the comfort and convenience of dressing like a warm climate homeless fella, but it doesn't matter all that much in terms of output. If I had to work the keyboard in a suit, I'd turn up the A/C a few degrees and would keep on plugging right along.
This is the most I've thought about clothing choices in the last six years combined, lol.
One to quickly jump on a trend… I created a poll – http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/2010/06/to-dress-or-not-a-poll/
Love it, Anne! 🙂
Paula, I can understand completely. I have to feel comfortable but not a mess or I'll be conscious of it should the doorbell ring.
Kim, maybe that's your level of neatness? I'm pretty much the same. Like Paula said, when the laundry is piling up and the choices are few, I don't feel "ready" for work, even if it's just my favorite shorts and a clean t-shirt.
Love the poll, Anne!
I usually dress in jeans and t-shirt or sweatshirt, depending on weather. The biggest thing for me is that I have to have my tennis shoes on. No, they're not red, sparkly or have the power to send me to Kansas, but they do seem to keep me focused on my work.
Been a busy day so I'm jumping on the bandwagon late. I also just took Anne's poll so you'll all recognize my comments when Anne publishes them.
I never wear shoes-mostly just socks. I think it's 30+ years of shoes (heels for about 20+ of them). My feet are bad-this from someone who is going to walk her 7th 3-Day, 60 mile walk for breast cancer. Hey, maybe that's why they're so bad! 🙂
So, no shoes, but as I told Anne, I cannot take a customer call in jammies. It's like I think they can see me. 🙂 My best writing time is in the morning so I often bang out the 1st blog/article/whatever and then go jump in the shower. My usual "work" outfit is a t-shirt-or polo shirt, my exercise (what a misnomer that is!) pants and my fuzzy socks–or barefoot if it's warm.
Comfy clothes and no shoes for me.
I absolutely have to be showered and dressed before I can set foot in my office. It's not only that I feel more productive – it's that it just won't happen until I realize my husband's on his way home from work if I don't knock it out first thing. I'll keep telling myself, "In a minute… in a minute…" until it's almost too late. 🙂
no way. Since I've been working out at 530 in the morning, I generally sit around all gross in my workout clothes until someone sniffs me and makes me change.
In all fairness, my workout clothes are super cute though.
Now, during the school year, I chill in my sweats til it's time to pick up the kids. Unless I have AM car pool duty, in which case I am presentable.
Now, if I meet with a client, well, I'm a girly-girl, so I love dressing up. But me and the mailman have a tacit agreement not to care about what I look like while I'm rocking out word count.
I have mixed feelings about the clothes.. I spent one long day in my blue fluffy robe w/ leopard slippers until my son walked by and asked if the coffee cup in my hand needed to be traded for a White Russian.. Now I try to put on clothes.
Maybe I'll try a little dressing up for the job and see if it makes a difference?
As Rimbaud said: "Je est un autre".