There is this whole weird part of culture that is all about staying in your jammies (Pajama Jeans, anyone?), and one of the most remarked upon things when I talk about working from home is the fact that I get to work in my PJs.

This is a typical workday outfit. Minus the kicky scarf and the pose. No jammies here!

I’ve probably perpetuated this myth myself on occasion (mostly to make my friends jealous).  While its true that I stay as far away from “office wear” as I possibly can, I do get dressed in the morning, including showering and doing my hair.  Part of it may be so that I can run to the store without scaring the rest of the population.  The other part is that I work better, and feel better if I’m actually dressed.  I’ve actually been known to slap on some lipstick and heels when I’m trying to write or am getting on a call, just for a pick me up.

I’ve talked to a number of people who work at home and was surprised that I’m not the only one – most people that I talk to also tend to get dressed in the morning.  We’re not all slapping on heels and lipstick, but it seems that a good portion of us are in “work mode” if we’re actually dressed.

When you work from home, its important to delineate “day” from “night” and “on time” from “off time.” Getting dressed is a big part of that.  I would recommend that anyone who makes the jump to working for yourself, or to working from home either continue or modify their morning routine to help put yourself in “work mode.”  In my last post, I talked about having office hours and how important that is, but making a transition between working and not by what you wear can be very helpful too.

Everybody has their own little rituals, and mine have changed over the years – now it’s wake up, have some coffee, feed the baby, get dressed and then hop online when the babysitter gets here for office hours.  If you work at home, what’s yours? I’d love to hear it! I’d especially love to hear from those who do work at night. What do you do?