International Sweatpants Day? Why Should I Care?

You probably didn't know it, but today is International Sweatpants Day. Remember when we went to the office to work? This was the day it was supposed to be "ok" to wear sweatpants to work. It seems a bit unnecessary now, doesn't it?

One of the advantages of working from home is that we can wear what we want and be as comfortable as we want. At the risk of being seen as the fashion police, there are some possible unintended consequences to (very) casual work attire. Here are two of my thoughts on the subject.

What we wear impacts our attitude. You know this. Think about a day when you were wearing something you loved and looked good in. On those days, you were energized and had a more positive attitude. My fifth-grade teaching grandmother used to say that kids were always best behaved on dress-up day. When you are dressed the same way you lounge on the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon, don't you think that might impact your energy and focus?

Routines matter. When you can literally get out of bed and go to work, you literally have no mental distinction or division between work and the rest of your life. And we wonder why we have work/life balance issues? Just because you can wear your pj bottoms all day, doesn't mean you should. (I've written about the importance of routines as we work at home several times in the past few months, including here.)

I really don't care what you wear to work, but after you celebrate today, I would encourage you to think about it a bit more – and consciously consider what attire will balance comfort with positive energy and productivity.