I must admit that one of the biggest perks of my job as a full time freelance copywriter is that I am able to roll out of bed in the morning and start working at my desk while snuggled in my pajamas and cradling a warm cup of coffee. My work uniform in the past has consisted of a pair of plaid Hello Kitty pajamas and a super-fuzzy pink robe with hearts on it. Ive had many days on the job when my boyfriend comes home from his job in the evenings and I havent even gotten dressed yet.
However, I have recently been noticing that working in your pajamas can sometimes have a negative effect on your productivity as a freelance writer, and that dressing for success can be important even if no one can see you!
Dont Get Too Comfortable
Of course, its very nice and cozy to work in your sweatpants and fluffy bunny slippers, but it is a slippery slope to getting too cosy with your writing. Soon you will take the laptop with you and curl up on the couch or the bed to write. Then its very hard to resist turning on the television for some background noise, or laying your head down for a nap. If you get too comfortable, you can end up snoozing your day away and not getting any work done!
Wearing your pajamas all day long can have the effect of blurring the line between working and leisure. You will never really feel like you are at work, but you also will never really have the satisfying feeling of finishing work either. If you lollygag through the day, its easy to stretch a few hours work into a full day. Its best to get your freelance copywriting work done as efficiently as possible, and then use the rest of your time to enjoy yourself.
Getting In The Right Mind-set
If you get dressed every morning as if you are going to leave the house and go to an actual job, it can have a surprising subconscious effect on your productivity. By changing into your work clothes, you are telling yourself that its not time for relaxing anymore, its time to get down to business.
Im not saying that you have to wear high heels, pantyhose, or a suit jacket and tie every day! A simple casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt or a jumper is fine. As a rule of thumb, try to wear something that you wouldnt be embarrassed to wear around the corner to the shop to pick up a loaf of bread!
Head into your office, sit upright at your desk, turn a bright light on and focus on the task at hand. Set yourself a goal of how many articles or blog posts you need to finish by the end of the day, and keep yourself at a steady pace to get them done. Stop for a quick coffee and stretch break every hour or so to keep yourself fresh, but stay on task.
Once you have finished your full day of focused work, you can log out of your email, shut down the laptop, and walk away from the office. Now your work day is over, and its officially you time so go ahead and wear whatever you want!