The Secret to Your Productivity Working from Home

Thank you, Betabrand, for sponsoring this post! Learn more about Betabrand and their super comfy Dress Pant Yoga Pants 😍

As more people are working from home these days to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I want to share my secret to productivity when you have to work from home. I’ve worked from home for years now and guess what is the biggest secret to productivity when doing that? Getting dressed! 

I know it’s so tempting to work from your pyjamas but trust me, this makes a huge difference – hear me out. Here are some of the benefits of getting dressed in the morning when working from home:

1. Sets you up for productivity during the day

Getting dressed isn’t about impressing other people, it’s about making yourself feel better and perceive yourself as more professional. I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you put on something you like, your level of confidence and mood improves.

Let’s be honest, your pyjamas put you in a lazier/more relaxed mode – which is something that doesn’t go well with productivity. So put on something that will set you up for a better, more productive and successful day!

2. Creates a routine and sense of stability in your life

We all strive for stability, especially in these uncertain times. Having a routine of getting dressed first thing in the morning will help bring back that sense of stability.

You can also attach other productive behaviours and create a full-on morning routine. Those help me so much!

3. Helps you stay more focused and productive even when you work from home

As I’ve already mentioned, certain clothing will put you in certain modes. When you’re wearing something that feels comfortable (you don’t have to wear a suit) and yet reminds you that you are in your professional mode, it creates a nice distinction between work and relaxation time.

4. Helps create boundaries

On the topic of distinctions – changing your clothes for when you start your workday and then changing back into something more relaxed, can help you create boundaries between work and leisure. Which is nice when we don’t get to physically switch our environments!

I haven’t tried doing this myself yet, but I will – as I’ve read a ton of positive reviews of this technique from work at home entrepreneurs. Apparently that made them less prone to checking emails out of hours and feel more put together and focused during the workday.

5. Good for mental health

Clothing is part of our self-expression and they make us feel a certain way about ourselves. There’s no reason to take that outlet away from us while we are social distancing! We dress for ourselves, remember? Using clothes to make us feel good about ourselves can be part of your self-care during these times!

I’ve had a personal experience of not caring about what I wore – even though I worked at an office at the time. After a while, it has made my self-esteem and confidence drop significantly. I didn’t feel like myself and wasn’t as creative. It took a lot of intentional work to get myself out of that state of mind and now I stay away from that psychological trap.

What should you wear?

Anything that feels good and puts you in a good mood. You don’t have to wear a suit or something super professional – stick to things that are comfy and that allow you to move freely. Because taking active breaks is essential to maintaining productivity when working from home.

That balance of comfort and positive/productive vibes is essential here. I’ve been living in these Dress Pant Yoga Pants by Betabrand, which are so incredibly comfortable. They make me look and feel professional and put together while being as comfy as my yoga pants! And the best part is that when I need to take a break and move around, they are perfect companions. For example, they allow me to do this:

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A post shared by Masha | Stereotype Breaker (@codingblonde)

I’m definitely hooked on Betabrand’s products and I love their approach to designs – they listen to customer feedback and often test new designs through crowdfunding campaigns. If a design performs well, they add it to their store! So their clothes are basically designed by you. As someone who is obsessed with Design Thinking and User Experience, I think this is awesome. Check out the current crowdfunding campaigns to see what new designs are being born right now.

What are you wearing when working from home? Let me know in the comments or tag me in your outfits on Instagram!

I hope you’re staying safe and productive during these unprecedented times! Get my full list of Work From Home productivity tips in this post.

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#productivity #workfromhome #workingfromhome