Dressing Up to Get Things Done

Getting up and ready for the day is often a challenge for me. While I desire to be prepared for the day ahead, I find it very difficult to make myself get up on time to make that happen. However, when I do get up on time and get fully dressed and ready for the day, I find that my day goes more smoothly and I get a lot accomplished.

Over 14 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom, I pledged to myself that I would get up and get dressed for each day. I wanted to have at least a little bit of make up on, too. Why did I do that?

I decided that even though I was going to be at home most of the time, I still wanted to look my best. I did not want to let myself go just because I didn’t have to go to a job or get out very often where I’d see people. And, I didn’t want my husband to come home to a wife who looked as if she was not taking care of herself.

Also, I learned from The FlyLady that when you are fully dressed even down to your shoes, you begin to act differently. You feel more prepared to take on the day to accomplish the tasks on your to-do list. The FlyLady has a great article on the importance of wearing shoes and how it affects your productivity and mindset. You can check it out here.

I should stop and clarify something here. When I say I get dressed, I am not talking about wearing my very best clothes. What I wear depends on my schedule for the day. If I’m going to be home most of the day or running errands, jeans and a simple shirt are fine for me. If I’m going to Bible study or out to lunch with a friend, I may wear something a little nicer.

Now, there are days when I know I’m going to mostly be involved in cleaning house or doing chores that will leave me all sweaty and dirty. On those days, I do not put on my regular clothes. I wait to take a shower until I have all the dirty work done. Then I get dressed.

I know some of you out there are wondering if I’m asking you to give up your yoga pants or other comfortable clothing. The answer is “NO!”

I think you should wear what makes you feel comfortable. However, I do think it is important to dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. When you feel good about yourself, you are more confident in tackling your to-do list.

Getting dressed down to my shoes definitely helps me to be more productive. There is something about putting on my shoes that triggers the thought, “It’s time to get to work.”

I challenge you to give this a try. If you are a stay-at-home mom, a work-at-home mom, or you are home a couple of days out of the week, try getting dressed down to your shoes and see what difference it makes in your productivity.