Hi ladies! We hope everyone is coping well while staying safe in your homes. It is definitely a dreary period for all of us now but we believe that with the right mindset and plenty of positive vibes only, we will be able to do our part in flattening the curve and conquering the on-going pandemic!
With most of us working from the comfort of our houses and telecommuting online, we’re curious to know how the lifestyle of each and every one of you has changed. Do you still wake up at the same time as before or have you abandoned your usual routine completely? It is understandable for all of us to be more relaxed about our daily routines now that we do not have to be out and about anymore, but we definitely advocate the continuous effort of dressing up while at home!
You must be thinking, it is such a waste of time and effort to dress up when I’m just going to be spending the whole day at home with the occasional conference calls and online meetings. However, did you know that how you dress, even when you’re at home, could affect your work performance?
“Look good to feel good” – we have constantly heard of this saying and it is not a myth! The importance and empowerment of dressing in the right clothes is centred around the psychological concept of enclothed cognition, where the symbolic meaning of clothes and physical experience of wearing them allows us to adopt the characteristics of the clothes.
Here’s a quick example: imagine yourself decked in a new blazer and your smartest attire, all ready to tackle the day. Now picture yourself in a worn out T-shirt and sweatpants, we’re sure you would not feel as confident in the latter. Research has shown that we associate qualities, such as professionalism or efficiency, with smart attire such as suits, blazers and dress pants. When you dress up, you are inevitably putting yourself into different social roles according to your outfits!
This is also illustrated from how we judge others by their outfits as it is our instinct to do so. Clothes, or even make-up, have striking features that we pick up immediately when we meet a person for the first time and thus stereotypes towards that person are formed at first sight. This explains why we view ourselves differently when decked in different attires as we apply the same stereotypes formed on ourselves.
Of course, being efficient doesn’t have to be derived from putting on a suit. Just by making the effort to continue your usual routine before work, such as waking up early to enjoy a quick shower and hearty breakfast or putting on some make-up to look rejuvenated, you will be able to maintain the same level of efficiency as before! This is because all these little steps help to put yourself back into the social role when you are working in the office.
Here’s hoping these nuggets of information will help power you through your work at home days. Continue tagging us in your stay home #TCLOOTDs as we would love to see them! Feel free to share some work from home tips below with us as well.
Once again, we would like to encourage all of you ladies to stay home and stay safe! Keep up the positivity and we will be able to get through this difficult period together!
Love,
TCL