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Isn’t the point of working from home is that you don’t have to wear pants? Although this idea is appealing — and probably among the reasons you decided to work from home — it’s not the healthiest attitude to keep. Dressing up for work, whether that’s in an office building or from your dining room table, boosts your mood and helps you be more productive.
Despite this, employees and employers have adopted a much more casual dress code over the past 20 years. While this change isn’t all bad, a casual dress code can negatively affect the workplace. It may bring more casual morals, manners, and productivity.
Here are some ways to increase productivity and get the most out of working from home.
Get Ready for Work
Perform your morning routine as if you are headed to an in-office job. Shower, eat breakfast and do your hair and makeup. If you have a hard time getting motivated for this, consider investing in some fun accessories.
Buy a new pair of earrings or a colorful scarf to wear with your work basics. They will make this chore more fun and in the long run, increase productivity.
Physically Go to Work
It’s hard to separate your work life from your home life when you work at home, but it’s vital. Separate your home office from the rest of your house, even if it’s only by a doorway.
Although you’ll have the shortest commute anyone could wish for, separating the two will make you less likely to get distracted by household responsibilities. Yes, the dishes need to be washed and the laundry is piling up. But by “commuting” to work, hopefully, you’ll ignore these chores during work hours.
And your family will thank you come dinnertime when you’ve left work at work.
Get out of the House
If your job enables you to work from anywhere with an Internet connection, set aside a few hours each week to work from a local coffee shop or public library.
If you are easily distracted by noise, bring headphones with you and put on some classical music. Listening to classical music has been known to increase productivity thanks to the “Mozart Effect’.
Be Prepared
If you have a job for which impromptu meetings are probable, don’t get caught off guard.
If you aren’t already getting ready in the mornings, have a go-to outfit ready. Make sure the outfit is pressed and clean and your shoes look fabulous.
Have a purse or briefcase packed too. A designer handbag can really bring an outfit together — it’ll hold all you need and make you look polished and put together on the fly.
Plan a Lunch Date
Working from the home office can sometimes mean you don’t see other adults all day long. That’s why using an employee engagement app like Blink is vital. Not only does it help keep remote employees connected to their work and the companies goals, but it’ll also increase productivity too.
Have a girlfriend close by who might want to meet for lunch? Put it on the calendar.
Taking a lunch out once a week to catch up on celebrity gossip and family woes can recharge your social batteries, and in turn, increase productivity when you sit back down to work at your desk.
Pajama pants certainly have their place on slow Sunday mornings with cartoons. But keep them out of the home office. Dress the part. Your attitude and your productivity will reflect it!
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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