The only long-term job other than writing I ever had was working as a flight attendant and I loved having a uniform so I didn't have to think about what to wear.
Now since I live out of a backpack and don't have many clothes to choose from, I pretty much work in the same two or three shirts, and no, I will not answer how many days in a row I have worn the same shirt. THAT IS NO ONE'S BUSINESS! Okay, fine, my "record" was four. Please don't unfollow me now.
Alaska Airlines, my old airline, has awesome uniforms now! But back in my day? OMFG, they were HIDEOUS! We had red-striped shirts and looked like we belonged in a soda fountain serving ice cream. I never had to wear a horrible hat, so there's that!
I still have a commute, but on the rare occasions I "work from home" now I might wear pajama bottoms with work appropriate tops--for Zoom! The mullet of workwear?
According to the SHRM survey, an "office appropriate top" paired with casual pants is the choice for 17% of those who work from home.
I have to say, if I couldn't dress top-to-bottom for the office every day I'd for sure go all-casual. The pajama bottom with office top combo would make me totally crazy!!!!
Yes, the zoom mullet is exactly the way to go! It blows my mind that people wear hard pants when they don't have to. I wear pajama bottoms almost exclusively at home. Hard pants are for outdoors only.
When I used to do National Novel Writing Month (15 years in a row, winner each time), there was one piece of advice I really made great use of. They advised that you pick an outfit or a piece of clothing, no matter how small or large it was, and put it on when it was time for you to write. You only wear it during writing time, and that's it. I had a thrift store, camel color, corduroy suit jacket that got me through so many years of novel writing. It really did make me feel like, "This is writing time. Let's get it done."
That said, I work from home in lounge pants and casual tops like sweatshirts and t shirts. I don't shower til the end of the day, most days. If I have a zoom meeting or something, though, I'll put on a hat or do my hair and put on a company-branded shirt.
I embraced working from home in the remote pre-pandemic past precisely because I wouldn't have to "dress up."
But here is my rule about feeling professional while working at home. If at all possible, DO NOT work in a room with a BED in it. A fold out couch is okay, but NEVER a bed. It ruins the whole professional vibe and is too tempting. If you have no choice but to work in the extra bedroom, KEEP THE BED MADE to hotel standards.
I do like the advice of "showing up for yourself." I have a collection of bracelets made from beach stones, so that might be a nice addition to my standard wardrobe of nothing special.
I'm with you on the bed. Not literally *on* the bed... *about* the bed! I've only been in bed during a work meeting once, and kept falling asleep. Erm... Yeah, that wasn't such a good idea! 😂
Love this so much! Every day of the pandemic I still got dressed as if for a normal day and I think it helped retain a sense of normalcy while everything else felt distinctly not normal. Now, working from home, I still get dressed up every day. I fall asleep at night thinking about what I'm going to wear the next day.
Claire, having met you a few times and being a regular reader of your newsletter, I'd FOR SURE guess that you're on my squad when it comes to dressing up work from home. But it's still great to have this confirmed!
I work in my casual clothes because I do my best thinking while sitting cross-legged in a chair -- much more comfy to do while wearing yoga pants and a fleece!
I don't dress up quite as much as for my onsite days, but I do put on a real outfit and do my hair and mascara when I'm working from home. Most people in my organization don't have WFH days, so in solidarity with them I try to be professional even when I'm at home.
Dressy clothes are too limiting. I am currently wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. My hair is neatly pinned into a bun and I'm wearing zero makeup. I did a Zoom meeting like this today and it was just fine. This outfit is good for writing, meetings, walking the dogs and cooking and cleaning -- all of which I will do between now and bedtime. When I worked for a newspaper, I did usually wear a dress and heels -- but as soon as I got home, I changed to something that was better for cooking and cleaning and yard work etc. I am not about to make it a habit of dressing for an office while I'm home and then changing into practical clothing for doing chores while I'm also home. Seems a terrible waste to me. Now, perhaps you pay others to perform your cooking, cleaning, yard work etc, but otherwise this makes no sense to me.
It's just so much faster to put one's hair up into a bun than to do anything else at all. I always spent a ridiculous amount of time styling my layered hair when I was young. I thought I had to have layers because of the natural curl. Now I'm older and fully gray, and I have it long and unlayered. It is so much more practical than any other style I've ever had. I can still style it in all different ways for a night out, but during the day, when I'm focused on working or chores, it's almost always in a bun of some kind. It's down in my profile pic, but 99 percent of the time it's up! For my hair type, the longer my hair is, the easier it is to care for. Wish I'd realized that decades ago.
It's 'casual' clothes, caring for elderly parents full-time at the moment but before October '24 I was commuting between my place and theirs twice a week and definitely needed some sort of coffee/snack break between places.
My last full-time job took me overseas a number of times and I lived out of suitcase for years, renting a room for the times I was back "home." When that job finished and I ended up back "home" someone gave me a closet (or we call it a wardrobe here). As soon as it was put in my room I almost had a panic attack...I didn't want to unpack my suitcase at all (and still keep a few things in it on top of the closet for the next time I travel whenever that might be).
If I ever get back to full research/writing days, I can stay in bed for hours (especially in the winter), with coffee, then perhaps even a second coffee, until it's time to get up and unfreeze the leg joints...
I guess we come to love whatever feels familiar, Ruth. It's good for me to keep that in mind. What at first might seem unpleasant (like living out of a suitcase) may soon come to seem normal or even comforting.
I always dressed up when I worked from home. I got ready in the morning, went into my office, took a break at lunch, then back at it. I didn't feel comfortable working in casual clothes. I needed a distinction between work and relax modes.
Another great fun one. I LOVE Dennard’s outfit! Cool dude! And yay to Angela too. (And well done to you Anne too.) I think you’ve given a lot of us food for thought. I’m lucky enough to be retired but I still do a lot of volunteer work from home. The occasional urgent bit will be done before I’m properly up and about, but usually I’ll prioritise getting my exercise out of the way first - a lovely walk around my village - so I’ll be dressed casually and will stay that way unless I’m catching up with friends or heading into town.
But ‘proper work’ from home? It would have been interesting to see how COVID would have affected me. Anyway, a really cool read. Thanks so much. Enjoy your week. Hugs and best wishes.
It's so fun to hear people's morning routines. There's sort of a whole culture and industry around it these days. Yours sounds great. When I retire, exercise before I start the work day will definitely be my routine. Haha I just wrote that forgetting that retiring means no work day. But you know what I mean!
The beauty of retirement is that we CAN still work, but on our own terms. Volunteering is so good for that. You’re a useful member of society, still connected, still keeping the mind and body active, but you set all your own priorities and just fit in the work that gives you pleasure. The perfect life. 😃
I have a casual dress job, so I'm usually dressed fairly casually at home, too. I need the concrete separation that a change of clothes does for me - otherwise I would be in a limbo of half slacking, half frantically working all day!
I suspect there is a strong correlation, Celina, between letting your work life infiltrate your your downtime, and wearing the same clothing for work and lounging. And as I am sure you are alluding to, mixing one's work with one's slacking is not much fun.
The only long-term job other than writing I ever had was working as a flight attendant and I loved having a uniform so I didn't have to think about what to wear.
Now since I live out of a backpack and don't have many clothes to choose from, I pretty much work in the same two or three shirts, and no, I will not answer how many days in a row I have worn the same shirt. THAT IS NO ONE'S BUSINESS! Okay, fine, my "record" was four. Please don't unfollow me now.
Michael, I have now worn this shirt (or one of its duplicates) every day since October 1, so no judgement here!
Flight attendants, even these days, often have very cool uniforms. I just found a whole website devoted to this of course...
http://www.uniformfreak.com/
Alaska Airlines, my old airline, has awesome uniforms now! But back in my day? OMFG, they were HIDEOUS! We had red-striped shirts and looked like we belonged in a soda fountain serving ice cream. I never had to wear a horrible hat, so there's that!
I still have a commute, but on the rare occasions I "work from home" now I might wear pajama bottoms with work appropriate tops--for Zoom! The mullet of workwear?
The "workwear mullet." Great phrase Jennifer!
According to the SHRM survey, an "office appropriate top" paired with casual pants is the choice for 17% of those who work from home.
I have to say, if I couldn't dress top-to-bottom for the office every day I'd for sure go all-casual. The pajama bottom with office top combo would make me totally crazy!!!!
Yes, the zoom mullet is exactly the way to go! It blows my mind that people wear hard pants when they don't have to. I wear pajama bottoms almost exclusively at home. Hard pants are for outdoors only.
"Hard pants" another great phrase!
My great secret is wide-legged linen pants! They look professional but are basically pajamas!
Barbie: "Pants are HARD!"
When I used to do National Novel Writing Month (15 years in a row, winner each time), there was one piece of advice I really made great use of. They advised that you pick an outfit or a piece of clothing, no matter how small or large it was, and put it on when it was time for you to write. You only wear it during writing time, and that's it. I had a thrift store, camel color, corduroy suit jacket that got me through so many years of novel writing. It really did make me feel like, "This is writing time. Let's get it done."
That said, I work from home in lounge pants and casual tops like sweatshirts and t shirts. I don't shower til the end of the day, most days. If I have a zoom meeting or something, though, I'll put on a hat or do my hair and put on a company-branded shirt.
Justin I love this NNS advice. And I can't imagine a more writerly garment than a camel-color corduroy suit jacket from the thrift store. Well played!
Rock band? Excuse me?
Full Throttle Aristotle 1990-2001, The Anabolics 2002-2007. Recording solo stuff in my living room 2007-2019 and then...nothing!!!
Collecting souls in a box the size of a baby's hand since 1990!
Was The Anabolics motto really “We put the laughter in manslaughter” ?
There is a great story here waiting to be told if you have not already told it. Where can I read it?🐰
This all happened before the internets got big, so there pretty much zero record of any of it, O L O. Which good!
Anne, you are a fantastic writer. Make up what you have to!🐰
motion seconded!
I embraced working from home in the remote pre-pandemic past precisely because I wouldn't have to "dress up."
But here is my rule about feeling professional while working at home. If at all possible, DO NOT work in a room with a BED in it. A fold out couch is okay, but NEVER a bed. It ruins the whole professional vibe and is too tempting. If you have no choice but to work in the extra bedroom, KEEP THE BED MADE to hotel standards.
I do like the advice of "showing up for yourself." I have a collection of bracelets made from beach stones, so that might be a nice addition to my standard wardrobe of nothing special.
Liza I think that is true. I think it's very powerful, the signals that your clothing—and your surroundings—are sending to your brain.
I'm with you on the bed. Not literally *on* the bed... *about* the bed! I've only been in bed during a work meeting once, and kept falling asleep. Erm... Yeah, that wasn't such a good idea! 😂
please tell pumpkin I love her
Message delivered, Molly!
Love this so much! Every day of the pandemic I still got dressed as if for a normal day and I think it helped retain a sense of normalcy while everything else felt distinctly not normal. Now, working from home, I still get dressed up every day. I fall asleep at night thinking about what I'm going to wear the next day.
Claire, having met you a few times and being a regular reader of your newsletter, I'd FOR SURE guess that you're on my squad when it comes to dressing up work from home. But it's still great to have this confirmed!
This newsletter inspired me to put on pants.
LOL
Let us know how it goes Mr.Stephenson...
I think I need to have them taken out...
Well, I suppose one of the joys of walking around half naked is that you don’t have to wear a nappy🐰
I work in my casual clothes because I do my best thinking while sitting cross-legged in a chair -- much more comfy to do while wearing yoga pants and a fleece!
Cross legged in a chair! Yes, that would be a problem in a pencil skirt for sure, Heather.
Depends on the location and depth of the slit.
I don't dress up quite as much as for my onsite days, but I do put on a real outfit and do my hair and mascara when I'm working from home. Most people in my organization don't have WFH days, so in solidarity with them I try to be professional even when I'm at home.
Commiserative outfitting. Love it, Jenne!
Dressy clothes are too limiting. I am currently wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. My hair is neatly pinned into a bun and I'm wearing zero makeup. I did a Zoom meeting like this today and it was just fine. This outfit is good for writing, meetings, walking the dogs and cooking and cleaning -- all of which I will do between now and bedtime. When I worked for a newspaper, I did usually wear a dress and heels -- but as soon as I got home, I changed to something that was better for cooking and cleaning and yard work etc. I am not about to make it a habit of dressing for an office while I'm home and then changing into practical clothing for doing chores while I'm also home. Seems a terrible waste to me. Now, perhaps you pay others to perform your cooking, cleaning, yard work etc, but otherwise this makes no sense to me.
I bet it's all in the bun, Michelle. I bet one could accomplish anything wearing a bun. It is a power do for sure.
It's just so much faster to put one's hair up into a bun than to do anything else at all. I always spent a ridiculous amount of time styling my layered hair when I was young. I thought I had to have layers because of the natural curl. Now I'm older and fully gray, and I have it long and unlayered. It is so much more practical than any other style I've ever had. I can still style it in all different ways for a night out, but during the day, when I'm focused on working or chores, it's almost always in a bun of some kind. It's down in my profile pic, but 99 percent of the time it's up! For my hair type, the longer my hair is, the easier it is to care for. Wish I'd realized that decades ago.
It's 'casual' clothes, caring for elderly parents full-time at the moment but before October '24 I was commuting between my place and theirs twice a week and definitely needed some sort of coffee/snack break between places.
My last full-time job took me overseas a number of times and I lived out of suitcase for years, renting a room for the times I was back "home." When that job finished and I ended up back "home" someone gave me a closet (or we call it a wardrobe here). As soon as it was put in my room I almost had a panic attack...I didn't want to unpack my suitcase at all (and still keep a few things in it on top of the closet for the next time I travel whenever that might be).
If I ever get back to full research/writing days, I can stay in bed for hours (especially in the winter), with coffee, then perhaps even a second coffee, until it's time to get up and unfreeze the leg joints...
I guess we come to love whatever feels familiar, Ruth. It's good for me to keep that in mind. What at first might seem unpleasant (like living out of a suitcase) may soon come to seem normal or even comforting.
I always dressed up when I worked from home. I got ready in the morning, went into my office, took a break at lunch, then back at it. I didn't feel comfortable working in casual clothes. I needed a distinction between work and relax modes.
We are a small but mighty minority, Michele!
Amazing and topical!! I talk about this all the time--cannot write/work unless i am dressed!
We will have to start a club, Zoe. Or even better, a SOCIETY.
I will follow you Dear Leader, Anne!
Another great fun one. I LOVE Dennard’s outfit! Cool dude! And yay to Angela too. (And well done to you Anne too.) I think you’ve given a lot of us food for thought. I’m lucky enough to be retired but I still do a lot of volunteer work from home. The occasional urgent bit will be done before I’m properly up and about, but usually I’ll prioritise getting my exercise out of the way first - a lovely walk around my village - so I’ll be dressed casually and will stay that way unless I’m catching up with friends or heading into town.
But ‘proper work’ from home? It would have been interesting to see how COVID would have affected me. Anyway, a really cool read. Thanks so much. Enjoy your week. Hugs and best wishes.
So glad you enjoyed, Beth!
It's so fun to hear people's morning routines. There's sort of a whole culture and industry around it these days. Yours sounds great. When I retire, exercise before I start the work day will definitely be my routine. Haha I just wrote that forgetting that retiring means no work day. But you know what I mean!
The beauty of retirement is that we CAN still work, but on our own terms. Volunteering is so good for that. You’re a useful member of society, still connected, still keeping the mind and body active, but you set all your own priorities and just fit in the work that gives you pleasure. The perfect life. 😃
I have a casual dress job, so I'm usually dressed fairly casually at home, too. I need the concrete separation that a change of clothes does for me - otherwise I would be in a limbo of half slacking, half frantically working all day!
I suspect there is a strong correlation, Celina, between letting your work life infiltrate your your downtime, and wearing the same clothing for work and lounging. And as I am sure you are alluding to, mixing one's work with one's slacking is not much fun.