I dress up in my work outfits while WFH to see if it'll increase my productivity

"Nothing brings to life again a forgotten memory like fragrance," so goes a quote by contemporary American poet-musician Christopher Poindexter.

In my case, my senses were jolted in a sudden rude awakening after I applied hair oil on my tangled up mane that has seen better days. My tresses have been starved of after-shower hair care products since the start of work from home (WFH) measures.

As I took another whiff of the rose oil, the not-so-distant memory of squeezing on the bus every morning, and having to commute for more than an hour to work came rushing back to me, and I caught myself shuddering at the thought. After coming to my senses, I quickly slapped on my makeup before heading to my living room to work.

As someone who feels perfectly comfortable working from home in active wear, I wondered if dressing up for WFH really helps boost productivity, especially after reading articles about how it helped some others. So, I decided to put that theory to the test. 

Day 1 

The experiment kind of failed right off the bat. After more than a month of being bare-faced, I took longer than usual to draw my brows and put on my makeup. 

It was like I had completely forgotten how to draw the perfect brow arch in under a minute. My makeup skills — which weren't so great from the start — were obviously starting to get rusty.  

The effort also caused me to be almost 10 minutes late logging in for work. So much for being more productive.

To kickstart the WFH dress-up experiment, I put on a slip dress that I'll usually wear to the office. Considering how humid it's been, what with the bouts of rain, I decided to put on something less suffocating than say a pair of jeans for the first day.

Working in a dress is certainly different than being in my usual workout shorts and sleeveless tops, which has become my go-to WFH attire throughout this CB.

I was maintaining a proper sitting posture like how I would in the office. I did not prop my legs up on the chair or sit however I liked, even though I was at home. 

But have I been more productive? Not really. I did not find myself completing my articles faster nor was I slower than usual. I was still equally focused at work, maybe because I had deadlines to meet. It was status quo.

Day 2 

I chose a casual floral skirt and a plain blue top to end the workweek. And because I had to film myself in the morning for a video series, which required a bit of cooking and walking in and out of my kitchen, I needed to be in an outfit that won't restrict my movement. 

Thankfully, it didn't take long before I got the hang of putting on makeup again and I managed to log in to work on time. Not that anyone has been keeping tabs, I hope.

To be honest, I felt no different after dressing up or putting on makeup. What changed though, is the condition of my skin. It became oily from the clogged pores, and I also had a few sebum plugs appearing on my cheeks. Likely, it was caused by the makeup brushes that I hadn't used in a while which probably needed a good wash.

Day two went by quickly and I was starting to wonder why would people feel more productive during WFH when they're dressed up; clearly it hasn't worked its magic on me. 

Day 3

It was the final day of my experiment and I wanted to push myself a little further. I hesitated quite a bit before slipping into a pair of jeans that I'd normally wear to the office; I thought maybe this might do the trick. 

Because I was already wearing a pair of jeans, I decided to go easy on the makeup, putting only concealer and drawing my brows. This is what I'll sometimes go to work in when I'm too lazy or am rushing to get out of the house.

I attended a team lunch meeting via video call in my jeans and also alternated between sitting on the couch and at the dining table during work to emulate what I'll do in the office when I didn't want to work at my desk. 

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Regret soon set in. Wearing jeans only made my day more uncomfortable as the hours went by, especially since I didn't want to incur the cost of turning on the air condition. The only thing that was motivating me to complete my work faster was the thought of changing out into something more comfortable after submitting my assignment.   

The more I thought about my usual comfortable, stretchy workout leggings, the more unbearable it was to be in jeans. Just a few minutes shy of the end of the workday, I changed out and felt a sense of relief.

Moreover, wearing workout attire makes me more motivated to exercise. I can't speak for the rest who have benefitted from dressing up during WFH, but the only time I became "productive" and rushed to finish up my work was when I wanted to change out of my "formal" outfit at the end of the day.

I guess it isn't so much about dressing up to feel productive but dressing in what you're most comfortable that will help you get through the day with a more positive mindset.

It's given me a reason to think that I should start wearing athleisure outfits to office once circuit breaker measures are lifted. It'll probably give me the motivation to be more productive during the day, OT less, and hit the gym after work.

Click here for AsiaOne's Circuit Breaker Survival Guide (CBSG). 

melissagoh@asiaone.com