Why it’s OK to wear pajamas while working from home
Work-from-home guides are trending on social media. Especially Twitter and LinkedIn are getting flooded with well-meant recommendations for those who are new to remote work. What do they all have in common? Pajamas!
Apparently, the one crucial recommendation to be successful when working from home is changing out of your pajamas in the morning. Working in your pajamas is heresy, and you’ll experience a lack of productivity if you do not abide by the no-pajama rule.
Here’s the thing, though.
Maybe you are not productive, because you are worried sick about your parents. Maybe you can’t concentrate while your toddler is trying to climb up the kitchen cabinets.
Or maybe you are distracted by your partner spending the entire day on video calls.
Remember, this is not normal work-from-home territory.
Related: there is not one single study that shows that working in your pajamas has any impact whatsoever on your productivity. None. Cero. At all.
If you want to work in your pajamas, you have my permission.
It’s about habits, and structure, not about your pajamas
Now that we’ve established the viability of working in your pajamas, let’s have a look at why this recommendation has become so popular. It’s about structure, about control, and about habits. Changing out of your pajamas can be a proxy for your brain to understand that you are not in bed anymore.
And there are loads of other ways you can get that same signal to your brain.
For your brain to do its (her?) best work, she needs to know when is work time and when it is relax time. Brains love predictability and control. They love habits, and they will make anything a habit if they can get away with it. And this is your advantage.
When you work from an office, changing out of your pajamas is only one of many cues for your brain to get ready for work-mode. It is not the only cue though. You can use almost any cue to trigger “work mode” as long as you do it repeatedly and consistently.
How to signal your brain it’s time to work - in pajamas
Since you can’t physically go to the office, the theory is that you should “pretend” to go to the office, creating an office-like environment. If you were just catapulted into work-from-home, you probably don’t have the space or the ingredients to make this happen. So here are things that have worked for me or my colleagues and clients.
Label a specific place as your office space. This flies in the face of the also popular advice to change places often to avoid getting stuck. But let’s be real here. You are trying to survive a pandemic while working from home, go easy on yourself. Defining that that specific chair at the kitchen table is now your work chair is absolutely fine. Just make sure you don’t accidentally sit there for dinner or to watch a movie.
Use hardware to indicate work. For me, my external monitor signals work. If I am plugged into the big screen I am “in the office”. If I am anywhere else with my laptop, I am probably writing, consulting, chatting or reading. Another friend uses his external keyboard for the same objective. A special coffee mug can also work, or
Create your work playlist, and use it for work only. I enjoy electronic music so I don’t get carried away by any lyrics. Currently, I am working away with this Deep House Relax playlist. If I ever hear one of those songs at a party, I’ll probably whip out my laptop and start reviewing GitHub issues.
You can get a similar effect by using noise-canceling headphones ONLY when working. This is a great solution for those who are used to using those headphones while working on plane travels. Activate noise-canceling, restrict your leg space, and you are in productivity mode by default.
Bribe yourself based on results. Get a snack once you’ve read and acted on all pending GitHub notifications. Take a shower once you’ve finished this report. Play an online game (restrict your time!) when you’ve prepared for tomorrow’s call. You get the gist.
Create an office environment via video. I’ve worked with people who have a perpetual google hangout or zoom window open on their laptop so others can pop in and say hi, co-work for a bit, or just hang out. For extroverted people that can be a lifesaver, especially during this time of physical distancing. If you are an introvert, keep tabs on your energy level though. You might want to reserve it for loved ones.
If it works for you, keep it. If it doesn’t change it.
The main takeaway here is: experiment! Find what works for you, alter what doesn’t. Give yourself the time to try out new stuff for a couple of days and then decide whether it makes sense for you and your situation. And remember, this is not a work-from-home dream scenario - not for you and not for most other people. Be kind to yourself and others. Assume that everybody is doing the best they can, given their circumstances.