Our Outfit Affects Our Productivity

Why I ditched “the sleepwear for work-from-home” trend on the first working day of 2021

Photo by Windows on Unsplash

The Perks of Working from Home

Working from home has been popularized and equated as working in bed with your PJs anytime you want. Your schedule is fully flexible. Your work, your ways!

Being an employee who wakes up at 4 AM and leaves the house at 5 AM to avoid traffic (I work in the traffic-laden Manila), made me jealous of all those working from home. It became one of my wishes that was unintentionally granted because of the pandemic. In mid of March 2020, I was finally working from home.

I was living my dream work life during my first months in the comforts of our bedroom or our dining room. No waking up early, no taking a bath at 4 AM, and no commutes. I had time to exercise, see my kids all day, cook, and bake. Home seems to be a heavenly workplace.

The Downside of Working From Home

After 3 months, I noticed that being fully flexible with time working from home has its downsides. I’m losing discipline and I’m not maximizing my productivity. I jump from work-related tasks to home tasks back to work tasks by the hour. The temptation is real.

I can still complete the 8-hour work time required of me every day but the time is scattered throughout the day. I begin working as early as 6 AM only to complete my 8-hour period a minute before midnight. No focus. My work and personal schedule were best friends trying to stay and have fun together all the time.

What I Did To Combat The Downside

I decided to take action on the matter. I stopped working on the dining table or in the bedroom. I set up my home office. I bought office-like furniture including a black desk chair that swivels and moves. I put a whiteboard to write my month, week, and daily schedule and reminders.

I positioned my desk in a command position. I’m a lady boss once again. I always get the comment “are you in the office?” during my Zoom meetings because of my office-like background.