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What are you wearing?
Tagged Under : clothing, freelance, telework
Yes, I really want to know.
Just yesterday I was having a Twitter discussion with fellow Anywhere Jeremy Lattimore about how feasible it would be for someone to sell their home directly instead of going through a realtor. Jeremy made the following comment:
Probably use realtor just so I didn’t have to be at every showing… lazy I guess
Good point. However, we are Anywhere People so I responded by saying that we’re usually already at home working anyways, so would that really be a big deal? His response:
but if you stay… you’d need to put your pants on… problem for #telework
How true is that??!! I nodded and laughed in agreement. FYI – as I type this it is almost 10 AM and I am still wearing my Timberwolves shorts and a t-shirt, aka my PJs.
The constant running joke in freelance, telework, and other Work Anywhere circles is that we work in our pajamas. Or underwear. Or maybe even nothing at all.
Honestly, that is one of the cool things about living this lifestyle. No longer do I need to keep a closet full of suits, ties, shiny shoes, etc. along with a whole separate collection of business casual attire. While I do still meet with clients on a regular basis and need a modest collection of business-style clothing, most days I can wear pretty much whatever I want. For me that’s usually a t-shirt and jeans, or swap the jeans for shorts and flip-flops if it’s hot out.
But here’s the scoop: I often find that what I’m wearing during the work day affects my attitude, efficiency, creativity, etc. For example, if I’m on a call with a client and I’m still wearing my PJs, I seem to have less confidence, less command, etc. However, if I am fully dressed and wearing something worthy of a public appearance, I seem to have a much better attitude.
If I’m working on a design project, I often do my best work if I have the right music going, my desk is clean, and I’m wearing something that makes me feel creative. A lot of times that even means wearing shoes in my home office. I have no idea why – it just seems to bring out more creativity in me than if I was working in my PJs.
On the other end of the spectrum, if I’m deep into a late night of programming on a web app, I need to convince myself that I’m really not working and am instead working late for fun. In this case, I go for as comfortable of an outfit as possible. Usually fresh socks, t-shirt, and athletic shorts do the trick. In this case, dressing like I would during the daytime hours just doesn’t feel right.
Here is my adaptation of the classic quote by Mark Twain:
Clothes make the [Anywhere] man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Am I off my rocker here? Is working in our pajamas really worthy of all the hype it usually gets?
What do you wear? Does it affect your Work Anywhere life?
