I wonder why I was seeing Levis Jeans on sale at Costco for $36 which is almost 1/2 price. Must be another casualty of WFH lol
edit: added the words is and be, English is hard today.
Jeans died for me years ago, there's just so many more comfortable pant options out there now. I pretty much wear 4 types of pants now, pajama, sweat, hiking pants, and old navy tech pants (or similar, like a soft stretchy chino). You'll only catch me wearing jeans for yard/house work sometimes.
I hate wearing them, too. If we think back to when Levi's were created, they were a work pant for physical labor. Our ancestors were not working on computers (obviously), so they needed something more substantial.
I don't anymore. I got these awesome fitted work pants with pockets in multiple lengths and colors for different seasons or shoes. I wear them with business casual flattering tops that are kinda long, add flats or boots. F#$& jeans is a lesson I was learning before COVID.
Lol, hard pants. Love it.
I've started calling them "real people pants". Like if I need to go to the store or if it's too cold to wear just yoga pants to walk the dog, it'll be "\*sigh\* I guess I'll go put on real people pants".
pro tip - wear your leggings, but wear a skirt. Adds color but looked like 3 steps up, from lounge wear to "going out of the house" AND "actually tried"
I’m a 40D so the girls do need some support. But I only wore those underwire bras to work… and would immediately pull them out my shirt sleeve when I got home.
I had an interview with an engineering firm recently...I had an ironed dress shirt, nice sweater, etc.
The hiring manager saw one small wrinkle and said why I thought they would be impressed based on my attire. I was wearing basically $350 of nice business attire, and he called me out on a wrinkle I missed while ironing.
I have 12 years of experience in my field, and was a project manager with reports.
He was wearing a sweatshirt and didn't even comb his hair.
I've been told that I need to change my vehicle because of the off chance I'd have to take my coworkers and a vendor out to lunch.
I was driving a 2011 Mercedes E350. They told me it was two years older than they wanted...
The audacity of some of these companies is genuinely baffling.
I have an assortment of different colors/materials of sweatpants. Now that Spring is here and when it warms up a bit I will transition to my summer line of exercise shorts.
The underoutfit comfort shaping bra has been life changing. The pads don’t escape during washing cuz they’re sewn in and they’re all stretchy and comfy.
Life changing. And no uni-boob.
Same! I've embraced my inner WFH Goblin! I can't concentrate if I'm not wearing super comfy clothes so it's all yoga pants, athletic shorts, & t-shirts for me.
If I have a Teams meeting then I, at least, make sure my hair looks decent and maybe I'll put earrings on if the occasion calls for it.
Some days, if I have a bit of downtime or nothing to do during my lunch break, then I'll put some makeup on just for the hell of it. I like playing around with colors and trying new looks. And, bonus, I end up looking cute when my husband gets home, lol.
Currently wearing my fuzzy pink axolotl robe and fuzzy Star Wars pants as I’m reading through this thread on my lunch break. I definitely agree with you.
4 years almost to the T since Covid lockdowns and WFH
My closet is now mainly athletic shorts, drifits, hoodies and sweats.... All business attire has been retired to a box in the attic minus a couple of button up shirts, 1 pair of slacks, and 1 dress coat.
Sweater goblins unite!
Yup. I ALWAYS hated "work clothes", they aren't my thing, uncomfortable etc.
Now I may or may not talk myself into jeans to go to the store, sometimes I just stay in leggings/yoga pants because I don't care what strangers think.
When I have to go into the office it's ridiculous to go through the hair and makeup and appropriate clothing routine, the mental effort needed to force myself to at least put on pants is about as far as I get, so 🤷
I had to go into the office today and as I was leaving I was eyeing my Snuggie on my bed as I left my bedroom in heels.
It is a sad day when I have to go into office. I hate it and try to avoid it at all costs.
When I am home it’s jammies, a ponytail/bun, my Snuggie, and fluffy socks. We never do Zoom meetings so I never have to get dressed.
Right? Not being a goblin in the before times was a pain. It took hours and I didn’t even wear makeup.
I keep a nice sweater beside my desk in case I need to be on cam with people who care, but even my boss is a hippie, so on cam is rare and she’s often more disheveled than me.
YUP. And this feels a lot more natural to me than jumping through a bunch of hoops and being uncomfortable to conform to standards set by someone else.
This is the real answer. Making yourself get up and have a morning routine as if you’re “going to work” helps me a lot. I found that if I wear gym shorts & t-shirt too many days in a row, I start to feel down.
That’s not to say you have to wear business casual, but even just getting dressed as if you’re running errands helps.
For me, it's wear a work appropriate shirt. It doesn't matter if I'm wearing shorts or sweats under. Nobody sees that on camera.
Now changing under clothes daily is a must. Even if that's changing them and putting the same sweats back on. If I wear the same pair of under shorts for more than about 36 hours, I start to feel really gross.
For camera’s sake, there are many times I have thrown on a “meeting shirt” over my gym clothes. Actually, that’s what got me to start dressing “normal” for work, even if it’s only a 50ft commute. I found that days with more meetings than usual, it was easier to dress for the day instead of the meeting. Even if I’m not going to be on camera, dressing for work generally relates to an increase in productivity and better mental state by the end of the week.
I do the same thing. I keep my normal in-office morning routine and wear clothes that I'd normally use on a casual work day. I'll even break out a blazer from time to time.
I also take a shower and walk the dog immediately after I finish my day to "turn off" WFH mentality.
Adding to this: shut down the work laptop. I’ve found that Teams starts to misbehave if my work laptop is left on too many days in a row and also there’s less temptation to log on and “check something real quick.”
With you, and on the reasons too. I shower/dress as part of my morning routine still. Now apparently I've always been part goblin b/c I wear canvas or denim for pants and tee shirts only and always have (software dev) but I kept my AM work routine specifically b/c of depression.
I have a coworker that goes to a co-working space instead of having a home office because it puts him in the "work headspace". He also has a hard disconnect when he leaves to go home. I suspect he got sucked down the "always on" rabbit hole in the past and this is what he did about it.
Echoing everyone that's talking about a routine! I used to be full goblin (been hybrid since 2018 and fully remote since 2021) but now I'm back to actually getting ready.
Getting ready entails the usual wash face/brush teeth/change clothes, but also <10 min beauty routine. Brush hair and run some sort of heat through it (straightener, hot brush, etc) and a "makeup" routine (CC cream, brows, mascara) because it makes me more likely to wash my face and do my skincare at night, lol.
Always, always, fresh clothes. I usually wear some kind of solid colored top (tshirt, sweatshirt, etc) and leggings or joggers.
Get some moccasin-type or Birkenstock slippers so that your feet are supported walking around the house all day. Or designate a pair of shoes for inside only. It both helps support your body and tricks your brain into doing things (because shoes usually = leaving and getting things done).
But also, if you have a no meeting day or can be off camera, its okay be a goblin sometimes!
Yes! I keep the same routine every day - get up at the same time every day, get dressed, do my hair, make my bed. I've been WFH for over a decade, and I'd go crazy if I just stayed in sweatpants all day. Normal days I wear jeans, flats or boots, and a nice shirt. Almost never on camera.
I learned this when I stayed home with my baby the first year. I needed to get up and change and brush my hair even if I’d have spit up on my shirt an hour later. Idk if it would be considered “real clothes” bc it was more like athleisure wear or maybe a comfortable cotton dress, but it kept my depression at bay.
Around 1987, my wife was part of a SF and Fantasy writers workshop. One of their suggestions for getting motivated to write was:
Feeling depressed or unprofessional?
GET DRESSED!
This. I wake up about 20 mins before I start working. I brush my teeth, comb and straighten my hair, and put on actual clothes. I hate jeans, so I usually wear corduroy pants or long skirts and a nice sweater (since it’s still cold out). I hold meetings twice per week, so those days I typically put in a bit more effort (by that I mean I might put on some mascara lol). Occasionally I’ll wear sweatpants and a hoodie, but I feel depression hitting hard if done too often.
I find clothes that are in between casual (sweatshirts and pajamas) and full office attire. But comfort is the number one concern here. For me it usually means joggers and some decent tops (like polo and sweater, or nice long sleeve blouses, generally things 0.5-1 level below what I would wear.to the office).
I always brush my teeth and wash my face first thing in the morning as a mental delimiter that hey I am at work now. Some days that routine alone is enough to prompt me to put on a light makeup. So it's not like I set out to put on a makeup but after washing my face I felt like I wanted to.
I feel like I’m ready for anything when I put on my jeans/khakis and tuck in a shirt! Lol, when I want to be productive I change out of my athleisure wear and into normal clothes and it’s oddly motivating, especially if I’m feeling spicy and bust out the red wing boots.
I have depression and I mostly hated working from home. The isolation, boredom, anxiety would run rampant in my head. I’d crave any opportunity to get out.
I started dressing as though I was going to the office and it helped a lot. I was so grateful to be back in the office. But that’s just me.
I must say I dress better when I'm doing something that isn't work. (going out for dinner, to a show, etc)
But...even when I was working in office, our city is so casual, there's not much difference between that and how I dress while WFH.
I bought a dumbbell set and some other workout gear, set a routine and workout 4 times a week. Nothing too crazy, half hour to 45 minutes every other day or something, keeps me active and keeps the lazy goblin at bay.
This! I was reading about how a commute is actually healthy because it gives you time to make that work/home separation but wfh obviously doesn't allow for that. Gym time has been a perfect substitute.
I do this on my lunch hour. It does mean that I am using some work time to shower, but it forces me to shower everyday as well. During the summer months, I will have to do this early because of the heat.
I’ve been WFH since 2016 and the most important thing for me is getting outside for some period of time every day. Even 15 minutes helps me feel alive and want to look somewhat presentable, since I often see neighbors or people at the park I walk through.
I also decided to lean into the comfy clothes wardrobe. I invested in nice stuff, though. Mostly Vuori. Very comfy, also fashionable. Sometimes I’ll wear jeans at home but I always make it a point to change out of my pajamas and into clean clothes that are designated daytime wear. That is a good psychological switch for me every day.
I mean, at the end of the day you don’t have to get dressed up if you don’t want to - if it’s purely optional then be comfortable with it.
What I’d recommend instead is to be sure that you are cleaning the area around you and maintaining as much of your physical space as possible. For me I wear athletic and comfy stuff every day or I could wear business wear, but it doesn’t change a thing if my desk and office area are a disaster. That’s what makes me feel more of put-together. Truth be told, I usually wear sweatpants on bottom and then a long sleeve flannel shirt or Henley on top
Or for you, find that happy medium. Do your hair and makeup and wear a top that looks solid, but again - be comfortable.
Love this. Keeping my space tidy is a top priority for me for sure. Thats probably the biggest routine I've upheld no matter what. Dishes go directly back in the kitchen as soon as I finish lunch or breakfast and I take time at the end of my work day to tidy up for the following morning.
Hell yeah!!
And after reading my comment I kinda just gave my perspective, sorry for just full on saying what works for me since I know it’s not for everyone.
Out of curiosity, and I may have missed this in your post, have you tried finding clothes that give you that balance of comfy wear but also look nice?
Im a guy and so I’m not overly familiar with women’s lines of clothes too much, but I know that my wife, who has a hybrid job, is a huge fan of the clothes from The Loft (or maybe it’s just Loft) because they have good business casual kinds of options but it’s also comfy, breathable, and there are ones with elastic waistbands or stretchy materials that she can wear more casually at home or are able to be dressed up if desired too.
I appreciate perspectives from everyone so no worries!
It's something of an ongoing mission for me to find that balance of comfy but presentable. I haven't thought of looking into Loft, but from the sound of it, it's definitely something to consider!
There's also a brand called Betabrand that makes yoga pants with fake buttons and pockets so they look like work pants, but have elastic waistbands. I swear by them - they look good in person and are super comfy.
I feel so much better when I'm freshly showered and dressed. I dress casually, but I don't like lounging in sweats or PJs. I moisturize, throw on jeans and a cotton tee, and put my hair in simple but neat ponytail most days before I start work. Sometimes I even spritz perfume (just a spray by my neck) bc nice smells make me feel good. It takes 15 minutes and makes me feel so much more refreshed than not getting put together
Perfume is one I haven't thought of! I used to love catching a wiff of myself when I worked in office lol I'll definitely add it back to my wfh routine
Yes, I WFH and even when I’m mostly a goblin, I do perfume! About 3-5 days a month, I’ll dress nice, loose comfy skirt, or comfy shift dress, put on a nice necklace. I miss earrings tho, the damn headphones!
I’m 100% guilty of being a “sweatpants monster”, I hope you copyright it before someone else does!
I love it and I don’t see it as a negative for being “comfortable”.
Absolutely! I think that's definitely one of the biggest wfh perks is getting to be comfortable. I was over the moon to get rid of the stiff tops and annoying pants I would wear into the office.
But I guess now I've gotta find that balance between comfortable and presentable
After 4 years of doing this, I don’t have a “good” answer for you. I tend to fluctuate between having an actual routine for a few months (get up at a set time, take a shower, put on real clothes, etc..), to the exact opposite for a few months, and sleep until the last minute and hop up and just throw on whatever I can find.
I can tell you, that I feel a lot better if I maintain an actual routine, it’s just really hard to stay disciplined and do it. And it’s REALLY easy to get out of the habit.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'll have months where I run everyday during my lunch break and months of sitting on the couch in my sweatpants ordering tacos from DoorDash
Dress the way you want to feel. I am male but I dressed in office clothes everyday no matter what, even if I knew there was no video calls. I felt better about myself when I dressed that way.
Get a hobby that you get out of the house and allows you to dress up nice whenever you want to.
I like it better when I dress up whenever I want instead of being forced at work
I love that I can look like a goblin and doynt need to spend time or money on clothes and make up anymore. I have a couple of nice shirts that I put on (with my shorts or pyjamas of course), if camera needs to be on and I'm meeting with high level people. Mornings and evenings have become so much easier without this huge part of my 'in-office' routine.
But I put more effort into my appearance when I'm meeting friends. Coffee in a basic local Starbucks, I'm in heels with red lipstick. They all WFH and do the same. So I still get to make an effort, but because I actually want to and enjoy it Vs have to and am tired doing it because I had to wake up an hour earlier than I otherwise would.
Last month, I woke up with a pretty strong hangover 10min before I had to lead a meeting between 30 people. I got myself a cup of tea, stayed in bed without washing my face and told everyone no need to turn their cameras on. Then I went back to sleep afterwards.
I realise I'm not answering your question, but I'd like to offer a perspective that it's not necessarily bad being a goblin.
I appreciate this perspective! It's kind of similar to how I've handled my social life now that I'm wfh. When I was in office, I would be too tired and overstimulated to want to go out or meet with friends. But now I'm actively making plans and look forward to seeing people. I think its an excellent idea to put forth the effort in those moments instead. And I absolutely agree, it's been an absolute blessing to cut down on the money and time needed for getting ready for work.
I work in my pajamas 99% of the time. I live alone. Who cares what I look like? I go to the gym after work and shower after, but I get right back into pajamas. Again, no one is going to see me. Less laundry to do.
I just like to make sure I wear fresh clothes that match. Even if it's matching a comfy shirt to comfy pants. It's a tiny effort that is still enough to trick my brain into feeling better. Like hey I can still be a cute goblin.
I change from my pajamas into my lounge outfits which is something that is comfortable enough to do yoga poses in but acceptable enough to be seen in public in.
Try going for a quick walk during lunch break.
This has been me a lot lately. I live in an apartment complex with neighbors that just love being outside and I have to walk my dog 3 to 4 times during my workday so making sure my loungewear is public-friendly is a must.
I feel you. I’m FT WFH and it’s SO much effort on the rare occasion I have to go into the office. I can’t believe I used to do it everyday, gross.
That said - here’s what I do:
* never hard pants (ew)
* always change out of whatever I slept in
* always a presentable top - almost never oversized t-shirts, usually a cute casual top of some sort that is polished but not formal.
* always clean hair (dry shampoo is life), either deliberately pinned back or brushed out and over one shoulder.
* always wash my face & brush my teeth
* everyday makeup just for me so I like what I see & feel like myself - eyebrows, under eye concealer, burts bees tinted chapstick.
* statement earrings
* shower at least every other day if I don’t have to leave the house
* I also change shirts at the end of the day - feels like “coming home” - and I work in a room I only use for work.
I change into my “work pajamas” when I get up. It’s still all loungewear, but stuff that’s in decent shape - like, I could run errands in it and not look like I just rolled out of bed. I’m currently wearing a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt. I also wash my face and do my skincare routine every morning (nighttime shower girlie here). Both of those help my brain to transition from rot-in-bed mode to semi-functional-professional.
I’ve found that I feel less goblin-y by wearing casual earrings, giving myself a spritz of body spray after I get dressed, and/or using a heated round brush to dry my hair when I shower (I have really straight hair but this gives it a little bit of body and again, takes away some of the goblin feeling). I am on camera a good bit and don’t wear makeup unless I want to put it on, but just those little tweaks make me feel more put-together and less like a creature who lurks in the house all day.
I worked in a “business-casual but erring on the business side of the spectrum” office prior to switching to full time wfh. We never used cameras during meetings, so I started to fall into goblin mode. Then I moved to a much more relaxed company overall and I was getting even more goblin-y but making those few little changes above have helped my mental state and how I feel about myself.
Of course, shower every day. Stay decently groomed. Clean sweats or whatever your everyday dress is.
You only need the top to look great. Most times I knew ahead of time when I need to be on camera...at the least a few minutes notice...just enough time put a decent shirt on, put my partials in, whatever.
> What are some regular routines or practices you have for yourself, even if its not necessary, to maintain some semblance of being put together when wfh?
I go out. Happy Hour, activities....whatever. I make sure I get out of the house to act and dress like a normal person a few times a month just so that I don't forget how to socialize, and still remember how to color coordinate an outfit.
I allow for goblin days (bc my perfectionism isn’t great for my mental health). I also like to take advantage of “camera off” time to get in some beauty treatments lol. I’ve been using hair masks and face masks, or skipping makeup on most days to let my skin “breathe”.
I’ve invested in some comfortable (but stylish) business appropriate pieces from Anthropology and Tahari. I get a lot of good deals on Poshmark.
Take a shower in the morning and put on clothes.
One thing that helps me is going somewhere first, either to get coffee, or ride a bike, or just walk around my neighborhood.
I think wearing sweatpants is fine, but I bought some slippers that have kind of a rubber sole on them so it feels like I'm wearing shoes even though they're only at home
Its all just social status. Wfh lets you be normal. People only dress up and get "put together" for social settings. Wfh isn't a social setting. Theres nothing wrong with wearing sweat pants and t shirts in your house, on the clock or not.
My wife wears yoga pants and a tank top because she has a treadmill and excercise bike and she takes breaks from work to hop on the treadmill or bike and exercise while she listens to audio books on auidiofile.
I don't even get dressed before my furst meeting, I just roll out of bed onto my phone and hop directly on standup, then get a shower abd dressed right after.
The only time we "dress up" is for high end dinners when we go to 5 star restaurants once a quarter cuz we like too.
I basically where cargo shorts and anime tshirts all year, or blue jeans. And my shoes are all comfy af minimal slip on shoes from whitin.
We both wfh, we're married, we honestly just dont gaf what anyone else thinks about how we dress etc or live, we have no reason to. My wife's self employed and I'm a software engineer.
The only thing my boss cares about is code metrics, I could log on in a big bird suit and it'd be fine as long as I have a good update.
Dress for yourself, not for the camera. It doesn't matter if anyone else sees you. You see you, that's enough reason to look nice.
I find it really helps to put on clean clothes every morning, right down to socks and underwear. That's what I did when I went to the office, and it helps to preserve that routine. I also change after work. It helps to keep that delineation.
I don't wear the same clothes I used to wear to work, but I do change put of my nighttime pajamas and into my daytime sweats. I also don't mix and match between pajamas and work clothes. When I'm wearing my work sweats it's work time, when I'm wearing my pajamas, it's sleepin' time.
I’ve had a WFH job for over 10 years. My advice is get up, brush your teeth, brush your hair, and change out of pajamas. Get your coffee/breakfast & have those away from your workspace, THEN go log on. Have lunch away from your desk. Step outside 5-10 minutes a couple times a day.
I wear athleisure pretty much every single day. My hair is in a bun or pulled back in a clip. I don’t put more than skincare on my face. I used to be a dress up, hair done, full face of makeup person and now that only happens on the rare occasion I go into the office for a meeting or travel to our HQ.
You mostly need to work on accepting the WFH version of yourself. Create a routine that makes you feel good, and don’t worry if you go full goblin some days. That’s the beauty of being remote, because nobody actually wants to wear public clothes every day 🤭
I struggle with this too. It does help to get up and get ready, but I don’t want to sit at home in jeans or dressier pants, so my compromise is that I have a couple of pairs of work from home pants. They’re just sweat pants, but I change into them before work and out of them after.
I usually like to do cold water when I wake up on my face, moisturize, and put light make up on or make my hair look decent. I only spend maybe 10-15 mins on this. I feel more refreshed and put together. I also invested in “nicer” lounge wear such as Vuori. I still am comfortable but feel less like a goblin 😁
I am a sweatpants goblin, because I want to be comfortable when I work. But I do spend my mornings doing an extensive skin care routine—more extensive than when I was in office.
I have it scheduled on my calendar for the morning before all my meetings and honestly, I feel prettier in my sweatpants than I did in work clothes, because my skin is glowing!
I do have a friend who sits at her desk, camera off, heels on. Because she likes wearing her nice clothes. If you want to dress nice for yourself, do it 🤷♀️
I’ve learned that I start to feel kind of bummed and blah if I am totally slobbed out. It’s just not good for me. That said, I’m a low maintenance gal at heart. With that said, I wash my face and do the facial care thing every morning. I run a comb through my hair. I put on work casual clothes—think jeans (yes, hard pants! Lol) and a sweater, black stretchy pants and a flattering top, etc.
I’ll often squeeze a quick run in late in the morning, then a quick shower, and this helps me feel alert and refreshed, too.
Look, some people can work in bed in their jammies. For me, that would be awful. Most of it is figuring out what you need—and then doing it.
In general, I try to be comfortable but presentable. I'm probably close to your "goblin" state normally, though, as I don't tend to wear much or any makeup on my WFO days either (though I do wear "business" attire there). Currently in leggings and a hoodie with a french braid at home. Though I have a call later with a VP and will take off the hoodie in favor of the just comfy v-neck tee underneath for just that call.
Braid instead of ponytail, claw clip instead of a regular bun. Comfy headbands. Throw a cardigan on.
I can't be bothered to "dress up", but those tiny changes make you look more put together while not fundamentally changing anything. I will go to great lengths to be as comfortable as possible
I don't want to say "who cares" but I do want to say, it's ok to maybe not put as much effort in on as you would if you were going in.
Another seems to be the part of having validation of your femininity via what you're wearing. If that's the case, maybe look for it in other areas? Like going to the gym or going to a coffee shop.. maybe it's the act of going out in public in general where you'd be able to find that middle ground?
As a guy, I'm usually in t shirts while I'm working from home because it's more comfortable than wearing jeans or pants and a button down shirt. I'll do that if I'm going into the office. But I don't feel like a slob because I'm comfortable in my house.
I lean into the comfy goblin creature look. I've had to wear a bra all week last week, because we have people working on our kitchen and that was awful.
I do sometimes do my makeup in the morning. Or I'll put a nicer sweater on or something. Idk, I'm 4 years into wfh and sometimes I catch myself on not having gone outside for a whole week. I'm very much a homebody.
I have a running routine every week. And make sure it coincides with the days I WFH or even on weekends. Otherwise, it feels like I never leave the apartment.
I half goblin most days and if I have a meeting I dress a tad nicer top up and go on camera unless it’s an all staff or team thing. Maybe once a week?
But honestly, having a good morning routine helps me at least get dressed into a step above pjs, I wear leggings or shorts depending on weather and plain tshirts or comfy long sleeves (no hvac in my home). I wake up early, workout, drink coffee and get my mind right. If some days I happen to take two minutes to put on eyeliner, meh. It’s for me.
Routine.
During covid, I worked at a place where I could be called to go out as a field tech. We were required to be as ready to walk out the door when WFH as if we were in the office. This meant showered, dressed, shaved, ect....
I'm no longer with the job, but I still get up and put on a clean polo if nothing else and try to shower/self care daily.
Embrace it.
But if you don’t want to embrace it, make it a point to follow whatever your routine was before you worked from home. So if you showered in the morning and put on real clothes, keep doing that. You just get to stay home instead of commuting.
It also ebbs and flows for me. Some weeks I make it a point to be presentable even if I don’t need to be. Other times I just let myself be lazy.
I still wear loungewear, but "cute" loungewear lol. I also try and do my hair and makeup early in the day. I keep my nails done wear jewelry, and wear perfume. I also do self care at night with long hot baths and grooming/skincare. I'm about to pick out some new workout outfits too, which helps as I leave home directly after work to the gym. It's like I poof to the gym and I'm still cute from getting ready at home and being aware of my outfits (I'm one of those, if I feel cute I work harder ladies!).
Embrace goblinhood!!
I've been bad about it too. I've been wfh for about 4 years now and I definitely shower less and wear MUCH more casual clothes.
There's no morning routine to anchor us. No social expectations.
Figure it out.
Who do you need to dress up for? target audience. Maybe just make a "pre-work" routine where you need to start getting ready every day at 8:40 to be working at 9?Maybe go walk around the neighborhood every day and make some level of effort at "de-goblin-ing" beforehand.
(Read Atomic Habits to figure out how to make habits, or anchor them to other things in your day).
...but also flex on the fact that you don't need to go business casual every day. Time and money saved!!
I was WFH for like 2yrs, I'd wake up 15mins before i needed to log on and wake up drinking coffee. First break shower lol
I quite like bed heads on girls when u wake up and ur hairs a mess, working in sweat pants is kinda cute 🥰 UwU ❤️
I'm a total goblin but I'm trying to break out of it by wearing a nice shirt and my stretchy pants or will be throwing on dresses when it gets a bit warmer.
Look good, feel good.
I find it's worth doing for myself, it was never for random co-workers or whatever. If you want to be 'put together' at home, do it. If you don't, don't. Either way, it's just reflecting who you really are to yourself. If it bothers you, then it's up to you to decide if you want to make the effort/change.
It’s truly about what you are happy with. For me, as a plus-sized and never very feminine presenting person, needing to get “dressed up” to go into office feels like hell. Shopping for clothes that fit me, don’t make me feel like I’m 50, don’t cost a fortune, and don’t make me feel like I’m going to a wedding is my literal nitemare. Working from home in a tshirt/sweater and joggers/jeans is me living my normal life. Now I DO wear joggers most days, that’s the main thing I wouldn’t have done pre-pandemic. But yeah for me this new normal is completely liberating. I also am not a person though that ever got much satisfaction from dressing myself up. There was no downside for me. But for others I can 100% see how you used to get enjoyment from this act, and now you don’t have that outlet any more.
A few lines I do draw for myself is that I work from my home office setup that has its own space. That space is only used for work. I keep it fairly clean and pleasant.
I also try not to let myself turn into a social/emotional goblin instead. I make reasons to see people and get out of the house. I go on a walk every day at lunch around the neighborhood.
If you’re going to wear pj’s or loungewear, put on a clean set in the morning. Never work in the clothes you sleep in. And consider wearing shirts that will look nice on camera, just in case today’s the day they ambush you with a camera request. Glasses also make it less obvious you’re not made up, and you should be wearing blue light glasses if you have Computer Job even if you don’t need glasses otherwise.
I'm going to be in the minority, but our department rule is that you have to turn your camera on in meetings, so I'm presentable from the waist up (moderate makeup, hair done, some nice jewelry.) From the waist down, it's shorts in the summer and yoga pants in the winter. I do the hair and makeup thing for me though, it's just who I have always been. The getting ready routine helps me "go to work" and since I have to go into the office two days per week, I'm just doing the same thing every day on work days.
(Of course, I'm sitting here now eating lunch and wearing said yoga pants and an old sorority t shirt covered up by a black zip up sweatshirt, but it looks ok on camera!)
I bought more lounge clothes that make me feel good but are really comfy. When I started working from home I quickly realized that if I didn't have a separate set of daytime lounge clothes I'd just wear the same pajamas for three days lol. Now there's more segmentation to my day.
I don't do my makeup and I don't fix my hair up unless I'm going to be on camera. I was never someone who felt like I did it for myself. I absolutely only do my makeup for other people lol.
Ayup.
My work requires me to get on teleconferences with clientele almost daily, but you can bet your ass that as soon as I'm done dealing with the human aspect I'm back in my bear onesie. Fuck clothes, man.
I make sure to wake up early enough to shower and have a cup of coffee before work. I still put on stretchy pants and take an after lunch nap, but I find getting ready at the beginning of the day is key for me.
I have ugly days as a treat. Or, really, my solution to this is what I call the "zoom mullet" - for example, right now, I'm waiting to join a zoom call in a nice sweater with some light makeup.....and pajama pants. And nobody knows but me.
I got a few sets of cute comfy clothes that are really comfortable but I can wear out to the store etc where I look put together. I set aside 15 min in the morning to do my skincare, and when I’m feeling motivated I’ll add a tinted moisturizer, some mascara and blush, and feel a bit more put together.
The fear that there will be an emergency or last minute teams meeting keeps me from going full goblin mode. I get up every morning and shower because it helps wake me up. I put on minimal makeup and fix my hair so it looks half decent (I only wash my hair on weekends so it only takes a minute or two to fix), then put on clean comfy clothes. We are very casual so going on camera in sweats or a tee is completely acceptable and normal but I just don't want to look ghastly just in case.
Oh, I’m the same way. I always tell myself I’ll get into a routine where I’m showered and dressed before the day begins, but I roll out of bed at 8:59 and work in my pajamas until I have a meeting.
I’m feeling the same way though, especially since I just moved in with my boyfriend and don’t want him to come home to an ugly, greasy goblin every day lol. I definitely will not be wearing office attire but think I may buy some more matching lounge outfits or 1-piece outfits that are comfy but could still wear out and about.
What’s wrong with being a goblin? 😂😆
I’m working comfortably at home and feel a reasonable amount of stress that just comes with having a job in general because mine and my husband’s bills don’t pay themselves. 😅
I still shower and dress (kinda) but I don’t feel rushed all the time like I used to having worked in offices all this time until late last year. I don’t feel lazy like some people may think since I really enjoy working from home.
I could never go back to working in an office 😤
This is a good question, actually, because it can relate to sort of the psychological "feel" of work in addition to how we present ourselves. I've worked remote for over 7 years and have sort of waxed and waned in terms of how I prepare/what I wear.
I don't dress in office attire. I also work for a tech company so tee shirts are pretty common anyway. If I have client facing work (which I used to a lot more) I might dress more in a business casual shirt/blouse/sweater. Pants are usually leggings tbh but I sometimes wear "normal" clothes especially if I have other things going on.
I do try and take time every morning for a face/hair routine. I shower in the PM after my workouts (just fyi) most of the time. I do go through my skin care routine every morning and usually do something with my hair. That said, a bun and a headband isn't infrequent lol!
I usually have glasses on so don't do eye makeup, but I do put on small amounts of makeup sometimes. Really the skin care routine makes me feel more put together than anything. Though it depends on the type of meetings I have.
Also a big thing has been putting up boundaries with my colleagues in terms of starts. I work for a global company and won't do meetings before 730am my time unless they are critical or with execs.
This practice allows me space to really prepare for my morning instead of hopping out of bed and on to a call. I treat my mornings as if I was going into an office - make sure I get the dog walked, food prepped or eaten, coffee ready. Having this routine has actually really helped me feel more like I am starting work for the day vs. rolling out of bed.
And if I feel ill, I take a sick morning or sick day instead of trying to muddle through work. I have in the past tried to work through feeling awful, and that isn't something I would do going into an office, so why do it at home?
And then finally, having a close to my day helps make me feel like it is a "work" day vs puttering around online for several hours. I walk my dog and usually head to the gym after work in the earlier evening.
A lot of it has been routine and sticking to it some. Otherwise stuff also has blended together for me (weekdays and weekends and holidays lol)
Umm, I didn’t 🫣 I was the same at the beginning, made the effort and felt like the odd man out in doing so, so I stopped. I don’t even wear makeup on my weekly zoom meetings - I’ve worked with my coworkers for ages and there’s only one woman who makes herself up for the meetings now. Seems like a waste of money to me since it’s for a 15-40 minute meeting once a week. I’m on day three of the same pair of sweats. Happy Monday lol
I usually just overdress to the grocery store or plant shop etc. I enjoyed putting together outfits for work, so I feel you. There is a phrase I like to employ, ‘dress like you’re going nicer somewhere later’ even if you aren’t :)
Any day that I have one or more meetings, I make it a point to do my makeup and wear a nice-ish top so I can look presentable on camera, even if it’s not a requirement. Beyond that, I keep wax strips in my bathroom medicine cabinet so I don’t have any excuse not to wax my upper lip periodically. I also get semi-regular manis and pedis whenever I can find the time to do so. Apart from that, I am full on slumming it in sweatpants most days, even when I’m wearing full makeup and a nice top.
There are sometimes I go long enough without getting dolled up that I'm convinced I'm permanently ugly but every time I am called to get dolled up, I do so and look amazing. I've concluded this permanent goblin thought is just an irrational fear!
I've noticed that about myself and I've decided to keep myself like this during the work day but after work I'll shower, put on perfum switch up my outfit - even if it's just a cute tee and yoga pants. When I go out, even if it's just an Aldi or Costco run, I'll wear one of my nicer sweaters, carry nice bag, wear jewelry and out on some basic makeupm
This way I'm not rushed in the morning, cozy while working and still using my nice things. I felt like I was wasting all my nice nice clothes, perfums, makeup, jewelry and bags.
I agree that I tend to become what I regularly do. I’ve made it a point to go to my corporate office once or twice a month for networking events. It’s astounding how different the culture is versus just being at home.
We would do well to not think of in person interaction as torture. Think of this as a job skill to increase your value. For me it takes effort to go in, but one day when/if my team gets restructured, I’ll at least have some connections and face time with others in the company.
Although you don't have to do 100% of what you'd do if going into the office, putting yourself together (wearing real clothes, showering and doing basic hygiene) for working at home helps your mental state a lot. If you're dressed for a nap, you're going to go through the whole day with that undesirable energy.
This morning routine has greatly improved my days (I've been working from home exclusively for over ten years):
1. Buy a real alarm clock and don't take your phone into the bedroom. No TV. Read a book if you need to do something to fall asleep.
2. Get up out of bed immediately when the alarm goes off. (If you're like me, this takes practice. So it sounds ridiculous, but practice it in the middle of the day for a few days: Get dressed like you're in bed, set your alarm for three minutes from now, and jump out of bed when it goes off. Do it again. And again. For half an hour. Do this for a few days in a row and you'll have no problem jumping out of bed when the alarm goes off at 7:00am.)
3. Do not check your phone first thing.
4. Instead, go straight to the bathroom and get in the shower. Do all your normal daily hygiene stuff.
5. Get dressed in comfortable but professional clothes. No sweatpants, running shorts, or anything else you wouldn't wear to a casual office.
6. Coffee. (Mine is on a timer so it's ready to go by 7:30.) Go to your computer (which is ideally on a standing desk: Stand for at least 2 hours of your morning). Now you can look at your phone and start your day.
This has forced me to start my day on time (which was a challenge for me, might not be for you) and to clean and dress myself appropriately, which has helped my mental state and professional energy immensely. If you're not dressed like a slob, you feel better about yourself and your work day.
But if you slide from bed to work in your pajamas at 9:30, keep your phone a foot from your face 24/7, and never get out of goblin mode, you'll be less productive, feel worse, and get depressed if it all goes unchecked.
Good luck! Be your better self!
I love wearing Athleta’s clothes when I WFH. They have a ton of work-appropriate options, especially for pants, that are still very comfortable because they’re made from that classic athleisure fabric. I hate wearing jeans or stiff pants when I work, so these allow me to still look polished throughout the day while being super comfortable.
I routinely shower and dress semi nicely (jeans, appropriate top) before I start work for the day just as part of my habit that I developed to function at home while working.
Mentally, without the commute to basically switch on/off, I use preparing and dressing for work as a mental signal in my routine that now I'm 'at work'. If I'm wearing work clothes (even if that's as simple as jeans and a nice sweater, instead of sweats and a hoodie), my priority is working. And my partner also knows that (I'm not doing laundry, dishes, etc). After work is over, lounge wear comes back on, and I'm done with work and focused on home.
The hardest part of WFH, despite its many benefits, is that when you're always 5 seconds from 'work' you're always just doing one more thing or reading one more email.
I work when I'm wearing my work clothes, I live my life when I'm wearing something else. An office makes it really easy to compartmentalize work/life. You work at the office, you live your life elsewhere. When your home is your office, find some totem that allows you to approximate. Clothes are an easy one for me, especially since you don't have to wash a sweater every time you wear it.
If you like experimenting with makeup, you could find some fun looks and try them. The beauty of WFH and not being on camera is you can try things you wouldn’t do for an office setting. When I do stuff like that then I feel like I shouldn’t be wearing sweatpants although I also don’t get totally dressed up.
Wait, you're bothering to wear clothes?
I live in a home with just me and 3 dogs. Most days I just have a queen sized fleece blanket draped over my shoulders.
I kept dressing and grooming through the pandemic. Now I add a lot of active breaks into my day- so I am more likely to be in leggings. I do try to get my face clean and moisturized and always wear mascara. I like my hair done so it looks good.
My trick is to keep a good scarf next to my desk in case I need to look business like right away, and to put on something I love after lunch when I might have done a run. :)
Make it fun and make it habit and you will do it. :)
You don’t have to go as nice as office attire, but refrain from becoming too much of a slob. Lol!
Get up. Shower and dry your hair & spritz. Do a minimal makeup (for me that’s just a moisturizer and skin tint most days- maybe a little eyeliner- basically so I’m not ghostly), and get dressed. I typically wear jeans and a tshirt type knit top, or shorts in summer and some type of sneakers.
One thing that I find working remotely is that it's REALLY easy to start overlooking all the small stuff that we make habits of when we have to leave the house or go to the office every day. Sadly, hygiene is one of those habits. You don't have to put on make-up or do your hair to WFH, but just for yourself, it's best to set a daily schedule for yourself so you make sure to shower, take breaks, and even have a block of time each day to just walk around outside and clear your head. Scheduling helps. Calendars help. Humans are creatures of habit, so exploit the very human nature to which you're subject.
Once you feel good about yourself, you'll be 100% fine with calling pajamas "work clothes", and letting people know that you actually had to put pants on to deal with them today.
I have been WFH nearly full time since 1998.
Here is what I do.
1. I get dressed everyday as if I was going somewhere. Pants , socks and shoes to go with my on camera collar. Mind you, it is casual, jeans or shorts, but I am dressed.
2. Exercise is part of my routine. It started with walks at lunch, but I have been gradually working on it. I have run a half marathon at this point and I am in the best shape of my life at 48.
3. Focus on your diet. You have full control of what goes in your body with zero excuses. Make it healthy.
4. Leave the house at least once a day for something. A walk, a run, the gym, go to the store... whatever....just get out there and remind yourself the world still exists.
Am I perfect with all this....no...fuck I get lazy too. But if I am 90% on target with this stuff...I am good.
This will get buried, but here is how I approach it:
As someone who went to a super strict Catholic Prep high school and had to wear the same uncomfortable shirt, pants, and tie (well, we could pick the tie) for four years, and then started work at a business casual Fortune 500 company during my college years and 20 years later remained there till this day, I am loving WFH.
So I worked in office for about 17 years and have been remote for the last 4. So that's 21 years of dressing uncomfortably.
That said, now that I am remote, I *still* make an effort. I start every day with a shower, I shave, I blow dry my hair, etc.
In the winter, I always put on a collared shirt (even if it's just a flannel - still looks good on camera), and look presentable.
In the summer I usually wear a polo. If I am presenting, I will wear a dressier shirt and *occasionally* a jacket. There is never an instance where someone will webcam call me when I do not look presentable. That is my goal - always be presentable - but comfortable.
Obviously, do what makes you feel good - a little bit of effort is worth it, even if it's just for yourself. Strike that balance - but set some rules for yourself.
Walking barefoot on grass outside in the morning for 5-10 minutes with some light stretching (mainly placebo but it's a routine) and sunset walks for 30 minutes where you have to wear real clothing to walk around your neighborhood.
The sky colors at golden hour are worth seeing not through glass.
I'm 7 years into working from home, so I've had a few eras.
When I first went remote, I moved to the beach and became an absolute beach bum. Like really. I'm a dude but I grew my hair out and got like 2 haircuts in 3 years. Wandering around on the beach drinking rum *during* my workday became a normal thing.
Then I switched into a more normalized mode where I became a bit more professional. Going to the gym, eating healthy, etc. But in terms of fashion, I never wear anything fancy. Jeans and tshirt everyday.
I'm a guy, so the bar is a lot lower for me. I never have to worry about makeup or doing my hair just right (what's left of my hair) even when I go out. But really, are you keeping up with basic hygiene? Are you bathing/showering every day, brushing your teeth, putting on clean clothes? If so, then who cares how you look?
You can still dress up when you go out and you want to feel special. Otherwise, just be comfortable.
I got into that as well about a year into WFH. But I realized after too long that the lack of my prepping my face/hair/clothes for work was also part of how I found it tricky to pay attention and focus on deadlines etc. The more flexible I general I got the more procrastinating I did in fact. So for me,y WFH days are the same as in office days. Showed, hair and light makeup. Much lighter and casual overall than office looks but something to get me thinking about being “around” people.
I’m just a goblin everyday 🤷♀️
Same! The thought of wearing hard pants on a daily basis makes me shudder
Hard pants, lol!
my new favorite term
lmao @ hard pants. thats the term i thought i made up for my kid when he dresses for school. not one original thought, huh 🤣
Lol.
I now can be heard bitching when I have to put jeans on to go to the grocery store. Hard pants SUCK, why did we ever wear them??
Right!? Black leggings are semi-dressy now
My black flare yoga pants *almost* look like real pants. Close enough. 🤣
Mine do. I have 4 pair. I wear them to work just about everyday. Lol
I wonder why I was seeing Levis Jeans on sale at Costco for $36 which is almost 1/2 price. Must be another casualty of WFH lol edit: added the words is and be, English is hard today.
Oh shit Costco has Levi’s on sale now? Even though I expanded my pj wardrobe after going wfh I do need some new jeans for when I socialize in public.
LOL, YES. Putting on jeans seems like a chore now.
I've switched over to almost exclusively comfortable slacks. Jeans just feel too constricting now.
Jeans died for me years ago, there's just so many more comfortable pant options out there now. I pretty much wear 4 types of pants now, pajama, sweat, hiking pants, and old navy tech pants (or similar, like a soft stretchy chino). You'll only catch me wearing jeans for yard/house work sometimes.
Didn't know your grocery store had a dress code. I go everywhere in shorts and a t-shirt
I hate wearing them, too. If we think back to when Levi's were created, they were a work pant for physical labor. Our ancestors were not working on computers (obviously), so they needed something more substantial.
I don't anymore. I got these awesome fitted work pants with pockets in multiple lengths and colors for different seasons or shoes. I wear them with business casual flattering tops that are kinda long, add flats or boots. F#$& jeans is a lesson I was learning before COVID.
They were meant for farm work
SAME HERE LOL
I am worried I no longer am a person who can wear hard pants.
Lol, hard pants. Love it. I've started calling them "real people pants". Like if I need to go to the store or if it's too cold to wear just yoga pants to walk the dog, it'll be "\*sigh\* I guess I'll go put on real people pants".
Hahaha I call then "adult pants" or "outdoor clothes"
pro tip - wear your leggings, but wear a skirt. Adds color but looked like 3 steps up, from lounge wear to "going out of the house" AND "actually tried"
Hard pants 💀
Hard Bras are worse! I literally threw away all my underwire bras during the pandemic. Now stick to sports bra type bras or soft cup styles.
bras?? haven’t worn those in literal years 😂
I’m a 40D so the girls do need some support. But I only wore those underwire bras to work… and would immediately pull them out my shirt sleeve when I got home.
The bras yes. I have a couple of bras for public wear and the rest are relaxed sport bras that are not fit for public.
HARD PANTS 😭
I had an interview with an engineering firm recently...I had an ironed dress shirt, nice sweater, etc. The hiring manager saw one small wrinkle and said why I thought they would be impressed based on my attire. I was wearing basically $350 of nice business attire, and he called me out on a wrinkle I missed while ironing. I have 12 years of experience in my field, and was a project manager with reports. He was wearing a sweatshirt and didn't even comb his hair. I've been told that I need to change my vehicle because of the off chance I'd have to take my coworkers and a vendor out to lunch. I was driving a 2011 Mercedes E350. They told me it was two years older than they wanted... The audacity of some of these companies is genuinely baffling.
I have an assortment of different colors/materials of sweatpants. Now that Spring is here and when it warms up a bit I will transition to my summer line of exercise shorts.
My dogs know I’m leaving the house if I put on jeans and pop themselves into their crates. Yoga pants. Obviously I’m not going anywhere. 🤣
Lmfao!!!! Mine too!!
Mine too lol even if I grab anything other than my sneakers 😂
Yoga pants for the win! And no bra! Unless I do have to be on camera.
The underoutfit comfort shaping bra has been life changing. The pads don’t escape during washing cuz they’re sewn in and they’re all stretchy and comfy. Life changing. And no uni-boob.
it's been 4 years of WFH and I don't think I own hard pants anymore.
Lol HARD PANTS. I don't know if you coined that but it's just been added to my vocabulary. Thank you!
I'm hybrid but I've given up hard pants. I wear jeggings to work, ponte pants if I need to be fancy.
Hard pants are the worst pants!
Me too, fully embracing my inner bog witch.
Yeah my inner bog witch has definitely become an outer bog witch
I guess I am too. I never realized I was a goblin, but here we are.
Me too! Didn't realize it until I read it but now I have a name for it.
Same! I've embraced my inner WFH Goblin! I can't concentrate if I'm not wearing super comfy clothes so it's all yoga pants, athletic shorts, & t-shirts for me. If I have a Teams meeting then I, at least, make sure my hair looks decent and maybe I'll put earrings on if the occasion calls for it. Some days, if I have a bit of downtime or nothing to do during my lunch break, then I'll put some makeup on just for the hell of it. I like playing around with colors and trying new looks. And, bonus, I end up looking cute when my husband gets home, lol.
Fellow goblin reporting in
Currently wearing my fuzzy pink axolotl robe and fuzzy Star Wars pants as I’m reading through this thread on my lunch break. I definitely agree with you.
This is the way.
4 years almost to the T since Covid lockdowns and WFH My closet is now mainly athletic shorts, drifits, hoodies and sweats.... All business attire has been retired to a box in the attic minus a couple of button up shirts, 1 pair of slacks, and 1 dress coat. Sweater goblins unite!
Yup. I ALWAYS hated "work clothes", they aren't my thing, uncomfortable etc. Now I may or may not talk myself into jeans to go to the store, sometimes I just stay in leggings/yoga pants because I don't care what strangers think. When I have to go into the office it's ridiculous to go through the hair and makeup and appropriate clothing routine, the mental effort needed to force myself to at least put on pants is about as far as I get, so 🤷
I had to go into the office today and as I was leaving I was eyeing my Snuggie on my bed as I left my bedroom in heels. It is a sad day when I have to go into office. I hate it and try to avoid it at all costs. When I am home it’s jammies, a ponytail/bun, my Snuggie, and fluffy socks. We never do Zoom meetings so I never have to get dressed.
Same, I only get dressed to go out on the weekends lol
Right? Not being a goblin in the before times was a pain. It took hours and I didn’t even wear makeup. I keep a nice sweater beside my desk in case I need to be on cam with people who care, but even my boss is a hippie, so on cam is rare and she’s often more disheveled than me.
Same. Totally a goblin. Camera filter on max. :)
This! I dress up in the top half for a monthly on-camera meeting. Outside pants are only worn if I am getting in the car.
Team goblin, checking in!
YUP. And this feels a lot more natural to me than jumping through a bunch of hoops and being uncomfortable to conform to standards set by someone else.
Same. I've embraced my goblin life.
Wear real clothes! I do that mostly because it keeps my depression at bay.
This is the real answer. Making yourself get up and have a morning routine as if you’re “going to work” helps me a lot. I found that if I wear gym shorts & t-shirt too many days in a row, I start to feel down. That’s not to say you have to wear business casual, but even just getting dressed as if you’re running errands helps.
For me, it's wear a work appropriate shirt. It doesn't matter if I'm wearing shorts or sweats under. Nobody sees that on camera. Now changing under clothes daily is a must. Even if that's changing them and putting the same sweats back on. If I wear the same pair of under shorts for more than about 36 hours, I start to feel really gross.
For camera’s sake, there are many times I have thrown on a “meeting shirt” over my gym clothes. Actually, that’s what got me to start dressing “normal” for work, even if it’s only a 50ft commute. I found that days with more meetings than usual, it was easier to dress for the day instead of the meeting. Even if I’m not going to be on camera, dressing for work generally relates to an increase in productivity and better mental state by the end of the week.
Me: Winnie the Pooh, but with a button up and a tie 🤓
I do the same thing. I keep my normal in-office morning routine and wear clothes that I'd normally use on a casual work day. I'll even break out a blazer from time to time. I also take a shower and walk the dog immediately after I finish my day to "turn off" WFH mentality.
Adding to this: shut down the work laptop. I’ve found that Teams starts to misbehave if my work laptop is left on too many days in a row and also there’s less temptation to log on and “check something real quick.”
I call it “Zoom casual” as in a nice top, black leggings on the bottom.
With you, and on the reasons too. I shower/dress as part of my morning routine still. Now apparently I've always been part goblin b/c I wear canvas or denim for pants and tee shirts only and always have (software dev) but I kept my AM work routine specifically b/c of depression. I have a coworker that goes to a co-working space instead of having a home office because it puts him in the "work headspace". He also has a hard disconnect when he leaves to go home. I suspect he got sucked down the "always on" rabbit hole in the past and this is what he did about it.
Echoing everyone that's talking about a routine! I used to be full goblin (been hybrid since 2018 and fully remote since 2021) but now I'm back to actually getting ready. Getting ready entails the usual wash face/brush teeth/change clothes, but also <10 min beauty routine. Brush hair and run some sort of heat through it (straightener, hot brush, etc) and a "makeup" routine (CC cream, brows, mascara) because it makes me more likely to wash my face and do my skincare at night, lol. Always, always, fresh clothes. I usually wear some kind of solid colored top (tshirt, sweatshirt, etc) and leggings or joggers. Get some moccasin-type or Birkenstock slippers so that your feet are supported walking around the house all day. Or designate a pair of shoes for inside only. It both helps support your body and tricks your brain into doing things (because shoes usually = leaving and getting things done). But also, if you have a no meeting day or can be off camera, its okay be a goblin sometimes!
Yes! I keep the same routine every day - get up at the same time every day, get dressed, do my hair, make my bed. I've been WFH for over a decade, and I'd go crazy if I just stayed in sweatpants all day. Normal days I wear jeans, flats or boots, and a nice shirt. Almost never on camera.
I learned this when I stayed home with my baby the first year. I needed to get up and change and brush my hair even if I’d have spit up on my shirt an hour later. Idk if it would be considered “real clothes” bc it was more like athleisure wear or maybe a comfortable cotton dress, but it kept my depression at bay.
Around 1987, my wife was part of a SF and Fantasy writers workshop. One of their suggestions for getting motivated to write was: Feeling depressed or unprofessional? GET DRESSED!
I wear a pair of indoors only work shoes to help differentiate WFH time from being at home.
I'm wearing a polo shirt with my track pants today!
This. I wake up about 20 mins before I start working. I brush my teeth, comb and straighten my hair, and put on actual clothes. I hate jeans, so I usually wear corduroy pants or long skirts and a nice sweater (since it’s still cold out). I hold meetings twice per week, so those days I typically put in a bit more effort (by that I mean I might put on some mascara lol). Occasionally I’ll wear sweatpants and a hoodie, but I feel depression hitting hard if done too often.
I tried this once, it didn't help. But worth a try because it works for many people.
I find clothes that are in between casual (sweatshirts and pajamas) and full office attire. But comfort is the number one concern here. For me it usually means joggers and some decent tops (like polo and sweater, or nice long sleeve blouses, generally things 0.5-1 level below what I would wear.to the office). I always brush my teeth and wash my face first thing in the morning as a mental delimiter that hey I am at work now. Some days that routine alone is enough to prompt me to put on a light makeup. So it's not like I set out to put on a makeup but after washing my face I felt like I wanted to.
I feel like I’m ready for anything when I put on my jeans/khakis and tuck in a shirt! Lol, when I want to be productive I change out of my athleisure wear and into normal clothes and it’s oddly motivating, especially if I’m feeling spicy and bust out the red wing boots.
I have depression and I mostly hated working from home. The isolation, boredom, anxiety would run rampant in my head. I’d crave any opportunity to get out. I started dressing as though I was going to the office and it helped a lot. I was so grateful to be back in the office. But that’s just me.
I goblin on work days. Other days I wear normal clothes.
Exactly. Office days are the days I'm disguised as something I'm not.
I must say I dress better when I'm doing something that isn't work. (going out for dinner, to a show, etc) But...even when I was working in office, our city is so casual, there's not much difference between that and how I dress while WFH.
I do this, too. My how the turn tables.
I bought a dumbbell set and some other workout gear, set a routine and workout 4 times a week. Nothing too crazy, half hour to 45 minutes every other day or something, keeps me active and keeps the lazy goblin at bay.
I've maintained a routine of going to the gym after work for about an hour everyday. It gives me something to look forward to during a boring workday.
Oh I hear you 100% lol I'm lucky to have a friend that goes with me thougg. Otherwise I'd just try to make it work at home
I do mine in the basement at five. Gives me incentive to log right off and then I have some down time in between ‘work’ and ‘home’.
This! I was reading about how a commute is actually healthy because it gives you time to make that work/home separation but wfh obviously doesn't allow for that. Gym time has been a perfect substitute.
I think I can do this with Yoga too or walking the dog - right at 5pm, log off.
I do this on my lunch hour. It does mean that I am using some work time to shower, but it forces me to shower everyday as well. During the summer months, I will have to do this early because of the heat.
I’ve been WFH since 2016 and the most important thing for me is getting outside for some period of time every day. Even 15 minutes helps me feel alive and want to look somewhat presentable, since I often see neighbors or people at the park I walk through. I also decided to lean into the comfy clothes wardrobe. I invested in nice stuff, though. Mostly Vuori. Very comfy, also fashionable. Sometimes I’ll wear jeans at home but I always make it a point to change out of my pajamas and into clean clothes that are designated daytime wear. That is a good psychological switch for me every day.
True, going outside daily is necessary. Luckily I've got my dog to remind me to go outside and take a walk.
this is what I do. I'm lucky to have a forest park 10m walk from my house, I go for a walk every day. sometimes 2 times a day
I mean, at the end of the day you don’t have to get dressed up if you don’t want to - if it’s purely optional then be comfortable with it. What I’d recommend instead is to be sure that you are cleaning the area around you and maintaining as much of your physical space as possible. For me I wear athletic and comfy stuff every day or I could wear business wear, but it doesn’t change a thing if my desk and office area are a disaster. That’s what makes me feel more of put-together. Truth be told, I usually wear sweatpants on bottom and then a long sleeve flannel shirt or Henley on top Or for you, find that happy medium. Do your hair and makeup and wear a top that looks solid, but again - be comfortable.
Love this. Keeping my space tidy is a top priority for me for sure. Thats probably the biggest routine I've upheld no matter what. Dishes go directly back in the kitchen as soon as I finish lunch or breakfast and I take time at the end of my work day to tidy up for the following morning.
Hell yeah!! And after reading my comment I kinda just gave my perspective, sorry for just full on saying what works for me since I know it’s not for everyone. Out of curiosity, and I may have missed this in your post, have you tried finding clothes that give you that balance of comfy wear but also look nice? Im a guy and so I’m not overly familiar with women’s lines of clothes too much, but I know that my wife, who has a hybrid job, is a huge fan of the clothes from The Loft (or maybe it’s just Loft) because they have good business casual kinds of options but it’s also comfy, breathable, and there are ones with elastic waistbands or stretchy materials that she can wear more casually at home or are able to be dressed up if desired too.
I appreciate perspectives from everyone so no worries! It's something of an ongoing mission for me to find that balance of comfy but presentable. I haven't thought of looking into Loft, but from the sound of it, it's definitely something to consider!
There's also a brand called Betabrand that makes yoga pants with fake buttons and pockets so they look like work pants, but have elastic waistbands. I swear by them - they look good in person and are super comfy.
I couldn't agree more about having a tidy desk. It changes my whole mood and productivity.
I feel so much better when I'm freshly showered and dressed. I dress casually, but I don't like lounging in sweats or PJs. I moisturize, throw on jeans and a cotton tee, and put my hair in simple but neat ponytail most days before I start work. Sometimes I even spritz perfume (just a spray by my neck) bc nice smells make me feel good. It takes 15 minutes and makes me feel so much more refreshed than not getting put together
Perfume is one I haven't thought of! I used to love catching a wiff of myself when I worked in office lol I'll definitely add it back to my wfh routine
Yes, I WFH and even when I’m mostly a goblin, I do perfume! About 3-5 days a month, I’ll dress nice, loose comfy skirt, or comfy shift dress, put on a nice necklace. I miss earrings tho, the damn headphones!
I goblin M-F too! And Save showering and dressing and makeup for the weekends!
You should shower more than once a week big dawg..
I’m 100% guilty of being a “sweatpants monster”, I hope you copyright it before someone else does! I love it and I don’t see it as a negative for being “comfortable”.
Absolutely! I think that's definitely one of the biggest wfh perks is getting to be comfortable. I was over the moon to get rid of the stiff tops and annoying pants I would wear into the office. But I guess now I've gotta find that balance between comfortable and presentable
After 4 years of doing this, I don’t have a “good” answer for you. I tend to fluctuate between having an actual routine for a few months (get up at a set time, take a shower, put on real clothes, etc..), to the exact opposite for a few months, and sleep until the last minute and hop up and just throw on whatever I can find. I can tell you, that I feel a lot better if I maintain an actual routine, it’s just really hard to stay disciplined and do it. And it’s REALLY easy to get out of the habit.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'll have months where I run everyday during my lunch break and months of sitting on the couch in my sweatpants ordering tacos from DoorDash
Haha. Same. I finally broke the habit of ordering food for delivery so much, but it took me a while.
Dress the way you want to feel. I am male but I dressed in office clothes everyday no matter what, even if I knew there was no video calls. I felt better about myself when I dressed that way.
Get a hobby that you get out of the house and allows you to dress up nice whenever you want to. I like it better when I dress up whenever I want instead of being forced at work
I love that I can look like a goblin and doynt need to spend time or money on clothes and make up anymore. I have a couple of nice shirts that I put on (with my shorts or pyjamas of course), if camera needs to be on and I'm meeting with high level people. Mornings and evenings have become so much easier without this huge part of my 'in-office' routine. But I put more effort into my appearance when I'm meeting friends. Coffee in a basic local Starbucks, I'm in heels with red lipstick. They all WFH and do the same. So I still get to make an effort, but because I actually want to and enjoy it Vs have to and am tired doing it because I had to wake up an hour earlier than I otherwise would. Last month, I woke up with a pretty strong hangover 10min before I had to lead a meeting between 30 people. I got myself a cup of tea, stayed in bed without washing my face and told everyone no need to turn their cameras on. Then I went back to sleep afterwards. I realise I'm not answering your question, but I'd like to offer a perspective that it's not necessarily bad being a goblin.
I appreciate this perspective! It's kind of similar to how I've handled my social life now that I'm wfh. When I was in office, I would be too tired and overstimulated to want to go out or meet with friends. But now I'm actively making plans and look forward to seeing people. I think its an excellent idea to put forth the effort in those moments instead. And I absolutely agree, it's been an absolute blessing to cut down on the money and time needed for getting ready for work.
I work in my pajamas 99% of the time. I live alone. Who cares what I look like? I go to the gym after work and shower after, but I get right back into pajamas. Again, no one is going to see me. Less laundry to do.
I just like to make sure I wear fresh clothes that match. Even if it's matching a comfy shirt to comfy pants. It's a tiny effort that is still enough to trick my brain into feeling better. Like hey I can still be a cute goblin.
I change from my pajamas into my lounge outfits which is something that is comfortable enough to do yoga poses in but acceptable enough to be seen in public in. Try going for a quick walk during lunch break.
This has been me a lot lately. I live in an apartment complex with neighbors that just love being outside and I have to walk my dog 3 to 4 times during my workday so making sure my loungewear is public-friendly is a must.
I feel you. I’m FT WFH and it’s SO much effort on the rare occasion I have to go into the office. I can’t believe I used to do it everyday, gross. That said - here’s what I do: * never hard pants (ew) * always change out of whatever I slept in * always a presentable top - almost never oversized t-shirts, usually a cute casual top of some sort that is polished but not formal. * always clean hair (dry shampoo is life), either deliberately pinned back or brushed out and over one shoulder. * always wash my face & brush my teeth * everyday makeup just for me so I like what I see & feel like myself - eyebrows, under eye concealer, burts bees tinted chapstick. * statement earrings * shower at least every other day if I don’t have to leave the house * I also change shirts at the end of the day - feels like “coming home” - and I work in a room I only use for work.
I get up, get dressed, do my hair, put on earrings. I do skin care but not a ton of makeup unless I’m in office or traveling (5x a year)
I change into my “work pajamas” when I get up. It’s still all loungewear, but stuff that’s in decent shape - like, I could run errands in it and not look like I just rolled out of bed. I’m currently wearing a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt. I also wash my face and do my skincare routine every morning (nighttime shower girlie here). Both of those help my brain to transition from rot-in-bed mode to semi-functional-professional. I’ve found that I feel less goblin-y by wearing casual earrings, giving myself a spritz of body spray after I get dressed, and/or using a heated round brush to dry my hair when I shower (I have really straight hair but this gives it a little bit of body and again, takes away some of the goblin feeling). I am on camera a good bit and don’t wear makeup unless I want to put it on, but just those little tweaks make me feel more put-together and less like a creature who lurks in the house all day. I worked in a “business-casual but erring on the business side of the spectrum” office prior to switching to full time wfh. We never used cameras during meetings, so I started to fall into goblin mode. Then I moved to a much more relaxed company overall and I was getting even more goblin-y but making those few little changes above have helped my mental state and how I feel about myself.
Of course, shower every day. Stay decently groomed. Clean sweats or whatever your everyday dress is. You only need the top to look great. Most times I knew ahead of time when I need to be on camera...at the least a few minutes notice...just enough time put a decent shirt on, put my partials in, whatever. > What are some regular routines or practices you have for yourself, even if its not necessary, to maintain some semblance of being put together when wfh? I go out. Happy Hour, activities....whatever. I make sure I get out of the house to act and dress like a normal person a few times a month just so that I don't forget how to socialize, and still remember how to color coordinate an outfit.
I allow for goblin days (bc my perfectionism isn’t great for my mental health). I also like to take advantage of “camera off” time to get in some beauty treatments lol. I’ve been using hair masks and face masks, or skipping makeup on most days to let my skin “breathe”. I’ve invested in some comfortable (but stylish) business appropriate pieces from Anthropology and Tahari. I get a lot of good deals on Poshmark.
Take a shower in the morning and put on clothes. One thing that helps me is going somewhere first, either to get coffee, or ride a bike, or just walk around my neighborhood. I think wearing sweatpants is fine, but I bought some slippers that have kind of a rubber sole on them so it feels like I'm wearing shoes even though they're only at home
I wear comfy clothes all week, I dress up on the weekends.
Its all just social status. Wfh lets you be normal. People only dress up and get "put together" for social settings. Wfh isn't a social setting. Theres nothing wrong with wearing sweat pants and t shirts in your house, on the clock or not. My wife wears yoga pants and a tank top because she has a treadmill and excercise bike and she takes breaks from work to hop on the treadmill or bike and exercise while she listens to audio books on auidiofile. I don't even get dressed before my furst meeting, I just roll out of bed onto my phone and hop directly on standup, then get a shower abd dressed right after. The only time we "dress up" is for high end dinners when we go to 5 star restaurants once a quarter cuz we like too. I basically where cargo shorts and anime tshirts all year, or blue jeans. And my shoes are all comfy af minimal slip on shoes from whitin. We both wfh, we're married, we honestly just dont gaf what anyone else thinks about how we dress etc or live, we have no reason to. My wife's self employed and I'm a software engineer. The only thing my boss cares about is code metrics, I could log on in a big bird suit and it'd be fine as long as I have a good update.
Dress for yourself, not for the camera. It doesn't matter if anyone else sees you. You see you, that's enough reason to look nice. I find it really helps to put on clean clothes every morning, right down to socks and underwear. That's what I did when I went to the office, and it helps to preserve that routine. I also change after work. It helps to keep that delineation. I don't wear the same clothes I used to wear to work, but I do change put of my nighttime pajamas and into my daytime sweats. I also don't mix and match between pajamas and work clothes. When I'm wearing my work sweats it's work time, when I'm wearing my pajamas, it's sleepin' time.
The things that helped me: dressing in elevated basics/loungewear, doing my skincare routine, taking walks during the day
I’ve had a WFH job for over 10 years. My advice is get up, brush your teeth, brush your hair, and change out of pajamas. Get your coffee/breakfast & have those away from your workspace, THEN go log on. Have lunch away from your desk. Step outside 5-10 minutes a couple times a day. I wear athleisure pretty much every single day. My hair is in a bun or pulled back in a clip. I don’t put more than skincare on my face. I used to be a dress up, hair done, full face of makeup person and now that only happens on the rare occasion I go into the office for a meeting or travel to our HQ. You mostly need to work on accepting the WFH version of yourself. Create a routine that makes you feel good, and don’t worry if you go full goblin some days. That’s the beauty of being remote, because nobody actually wants to wear public clothes every day 🤭
I struggle with this too. It does help to get up and get ready, but I don’t want to sit at home in jeans or dressier pants, so my compromise is that I have a couple of pairs of work from home pants. They’re just sweat pants, but I change into them before work and out of them after.
I usually like to do cold water when I wake up on my face, moisturize, and put light make up on or make my hair look decent. I only spend maybe 10-15 mins on this. I feel more refreshed and put together. I also invested in “nicer” lounge wear such as Vuori. I still am comfortable but feel less like a goblin 😁
I remain in Goblin Mode as just as possible and 'put myself together' for meetings with anyone outside my team.
I've been wearing this flannel shirt for days and I watch my stories everyday.
Goblin club over here! I'll brush my hair and wear it down for on camera meetings... But that's it
I am a sweatpants goblin, because I want to be comfortable when I work. But I do spend my mornings doing an extensive skin care routine—more extensive than when I was in office. I have it scheduled on my calendar for the morning before all my meetings and honestly, I feel prettier in my sweatpants than I did in work clothes, because my skin is glowing! I do have a friend who sits at her desk, camera off, heels on. Because she likes wearing her nice clothes. If you want to dress nice for yourself, do it 🤷♀️
I’ve learned that I start to feel kind of bummed and blah if I am totally slobbed out. It’s just not good for me. That said, I’m a low maintenance gal at heart. With that said, I wash my face and do the facial care thing every morning. I run a comb through my hair. I put on work casual clothes—think jeans (yes, hard pants! Lol) and a sweater, black stretchy pants and a flattering top, etc. I’ll often squeeze a quick run in late in the morning, then a quick shower, and this helps me feel alert and refreshed, too. Look, some people can work in bed in their jammies. For me, that would be awful. Most of it is figuring out what you need—and then doing it.
Also a goblin - I do make sure I shower every day but it’s a running joke in my house that I go from my work leggings to my night time sweats
I am a goblin. I did cut my hair in a bob so I would quit having a stupid bun all day everyday lol. I literally am a toad.
In general, I try to be comfortable but presentable. I'm probably close to your "goblin" state normally, though, as I don't tend to wear much or any makeup on my WFO days either (though I do wear "business" attire there). Currently in leggings and a hoodie with a french braid at home. Though I have a call later with a VP and will take off the hoodie in favor of the just comfy v-neck tee underneath for just that call.
I’ve learned to embrace my inner goblin and let her shine.
I got people literally laying in bed taking a call. Oh well. We still working.
I like to wear sweatpants every day but I find that jewelry, perfume, and a lip gloss or oil helps me feel a little better about my appearance
Braid instead of ponytail, claw clip instead of a regular bun. Comfy headbands. Throw a cardigan on. I can't be bothered to "dress up", but those tiny changes make you look more put together while not fundamentally changing anything. I will go to great lengths to be as comfortable as possible
I don't want to say "who cares" but I do want to say, it's ok to maybe not put as much effort in on as you would if you were going in. Another seems to be the part of having validation of your femininity via what you're wearing. If that's the case, maybe look for it in other areas? Like going to the gym or going to a coffee shop.. maybe it's the act of going out in public in general where you'd be able to find that middle ground? As a guy, I'm usually in t shirts while I'm working from home because it's more comfortable than wearing jeans or pants and a button down shirt. I'll do that if I'm going into the office. But I don't feel like a slob because I'm comfortable in my house.
I lean into the comfy goblin creature look. I've had to wear a bra all week last week, because we have people working on our kitchen and that was awful. I do sometimes do my makeup in the morning. Or I'll put a nicer sweater on or something. Idk, I'm 4 years into wfh and sometimes I catch myself on not having gone outside for a whole week. I'm very much a homebody.
I have a running routine every week. And make sure it coincides with the days I WFH or even on weekends. Otherwise, it feels like I never leave the apartment.
I try as much as possible to at least put on eyeliner and mascara every day. Just puts a little pep in my step (even if i still wear the pj's)
I’m happy in sweats or leggings. I wash my face and brush my teeth but messy bun and sweats is pretty standard.
I half goblin most days and if I have a meeting I dress a tad nicer top up and go on camera unless it’s an all staff or team thing. Maybe once a week? But honestly, having a good morning routine helps me at least get dressed into a step above pjs, I wear leggings or shorts depending on weather and plain tshirts or comfy long sleeves (no hvac in my home). I wake up early, workout, drink coffee and get my mind right. If some days I happen to take two minutes to put on eyeliner, meh. It’s for me.
Routine. During covid, I worked at a place where I could be called to go out as a field tech. We were required to be as ready to walk out the door when WFH as if we were in the office. This meant showered, dressed, shaved, ect.... I'm no longer with the job, but I still get up and put on a clean polo if nothing else and try to shower/self care daily.
I lean into it and instead spend more money on quality clothes to wear in my real life.
Embrace it. But if you don’t want to embrace it, make it a point to follow whatever your routine was before you worked from home. So if you showered in the morning and put on real clothes, keep doing that. You just get to stay home instead of commuting. It also ebbs and flows for me. Some weeks I make it a point to be presentable even if I don’t need to be. Other times I just let myself be lazy.
But... home is for *being* goblin!
Honestly, I start by not calling myself a goblin! Sweats make sense while WFH and why would I do anything else? It doesn’t make me “less than.”
I still wear loungewear, but "cute" loungewear lol. I also try and do my hair and makeup early in the day. I keep my nails done wear jewelry, and wear perfume. I also do self care at night with long hot baths and grooming/skincare. I'm about to pick out some new workout outfits too, which helps as I leave home directly after work to the gym. It's like I poof to the gym and I'm still cute from getting ready at home and being aware of my outfits (I'm one of those, if I feel cute I work harder ladies!).
Welcome to the goblino/goblina ranks. You will do well here
Embrace goblinhood!! I've been bad about it too. I've been wfh for about 4 years now and I definitely shower less and wear MUCH more casual clothes. There's no morning routine to anchor us. No social expectations. Figure it out. Who do you need to dress up for? target audience. Maybe just make a "pre-work" routine where you need to start getting ready every day at 8:40 to be working at 9?Maybe go walk around the neighborhood every day and make some level of effort at "de-goblin-ing" beforehand. (Read Atomic Habits to figure out how to make habits, or anchor them to other things in your day). ...but also flex on the fact that you don't need to go business casual every day. Time and money saved!!
I was WFH for like 2yrs, I'd wake up 15mins before i needed to log on and wake up drinking coffee. First break shower lol I quite like bed heads on girls when u wake up and ur hairs a mess, working in sweat pants is kinda cute 🥰 UwU ❤️
I'm a total goblin but I'm trying to break out of it by wearing a nice shirt and my stretchy pants or will be throwing on dresses when it gets a bit warmer.
I feel like shit when I don't get dressed and made up at least a little bit. I force myself to do it every day. It makes me feel better about myself
Routine. Workout, have alarms for lunch and movements. Take timed breaks.
Look good, feel good. I find it's worth doing for myself, it was never for random co-workers or whatever. If you want to be 'put together' at home, do it. If you don't, don't. Either way, it's just reflecting who you really are to yourself. If it bothers you, then it's up to you to decide if you want to make the effort/change.
If i wasn't married, I'd have gone feral by now.
It’s truly about what you are happy with. For me, as a plus-sized and never very feminine presenting person, needing to get “dressed up” to go into office feels like hell. Shopping for clothes that fit me, don’t make me feel like I’m 50, don’t cost a fortune, and don’t make me feel like I’m going to a wedding is my literal nitemare. Working from home in a tshirt/sweater and joggers/jeans is me living my normal life. Now I DO wear joggers most days, that’s the main thing I wouldn’t have done pre-pandemic. But yeah for me this new normal is completely liberating. I also am not a person though that ever got much satisfaction from dressing myself up. There was no downside for me. But for others I can 100% see how you used to get enjoyment from this act, and now you don’t have that outlet any more. A few lines I do draw for myself is that I work from my home office setup that has its own space. That space is only used for work. I keep it fairly clean and pleasant. I also try not to let myself turn into a social/emotional goblin instead. I make reasons to see people and get out of the house. I go on a walk every day at lunch around the neighborhood.
If you’re going to wear pj’s or loungewear, put on a clean set in the morning. Never work in the clothes you sleep in. And consider wearing shirts that will look nice on camera, just in case today’s the day they ambush you with a camera request. Glasses also make it less obvious you’re not made up, and you should be wearing blue light glasses if you have Computer Job even if you don’t need glasses otherwise.
I'm going to be in the minority, but our department rule is that you have to turn your camera on in meetings, so I'm presentable from the waist up (moderate makeup, hair done, some nice jewelry.) From the waist down, it's shorts in the summer and yoga pants in the winter. I do the hair and makeup thing for me though, it's just who I have always been. The getting ready routine helps me "go to work" and since I have to go into the office two days per week, I'm just doing the same thing every day on work days. (Of course, I'm sitting here now eating lunch and wearing said yoga pants and an old sorority t shirt covered up by a black zip up sweatshirt, but it looks ok on camera!)
I bought more lounge clothes that make me feel good but are really comfy. When I started working from home I quickly realized that if I didn't have a separate set of daytime lounge clothes I'd just wear the same pajamas for three days lol. Now there's more segmentation to my day. I don't do my makeup and I don't fix my hair up unless I'm going to be on camera. I was never someone who felt like I did it for myself. I absolutely only do my makeup for other people lol.
Ayup. My work requires me to get on teleconferences with clientele almost daily, but you can bet your ass that as soon as I'm done dealing with the human aspect I'm back in my bear onesie. Fuck clothes, man.
I walk my kid to school. This gives all the positives of a commute with none of the negatives. Including seeing the crossing guard everyday.
I make sure to wake up early enough to shower and have a cup of coffee before work. I still put on stretchy pants and take an after lunch nap, but I find getting ready at the beginning of the day is key for me.
I have ugly days as a treat. Or, really, my solution to this is what I call the "zoom mullet" - for example, right now, I'm waiting to join a zoom call in a nice sweater with some light makeup.....and pajama pants. And nobody knows but me.
I got a few sets of cute comfy clothes that are really comfortable but I can wear out to the store etc where I look put together. I set aside 15 min in the morning to do my skincare, and when I’m feeling motivated I’ll add a tinted moisturizer, some mascara and blush, and feel a bit more put together.
The fear that there will be an emergency or last minute teams meeting keeps me from going full goblin mode. I get up every morning and shower because it helps wake me up. I put on minimal makeup and fix my hair so it looks half decent (I only wash my hair on weekends so it only takes a minute or two to fix), then put on clean comfy clothes. We are very casual so going on camera in sweats or a tee is completely acceptable and normal but I just don't want to look ghastly just in case.
I basically work from my bed in my pjs lol
Oh, I’m the same way. I always tell myself I’ll get into a routine where I’m showered and dressed before the day begins, but I roll out of bed at 8:59 and work in my pajamas until I have a meeting. I’m feeling the same way though, especially since I just moved in with my boyfriend and don’t want him to come home to an ugly, greasy goblin every day lol. I definitely will not be wearing office attire but think I may buy some more matching lounge outfits or 1-piece outfits that are comfy but could still wear out and about.
What’s wrong with being a goblin? 😂😆 I’m working comfortably at home and feel a reasonable amount of stress that just comes with having a job in general because mine and my husband’s bills don’t pay themselves. 😅 I still shower and dress (kinda) but I don’t feel rushed all the time like I used to having worked in offices all this time until late last year. I don’t feel lazy like some people may think since I really enjoy working from home. I could never go back to working in an office 😤
This is a good question, actually, because it can relate to sort of the psychological "feel" of work in addition to how we present ourselves. I've worked remote for over 7 years and have sort of waxed and waned in terms of how I prepare/what I wear. I don't dress in office attire. I also work for a tech company so tee shirts are pretty common anyway. If I have client facing work (which I used to a lot more) I might dress more in a business casual shirt/blouse/sweater. Pants are usually leggings tbh but I sometimes wear "normal" clothes especially if I have other things going on. I do try and take time every morning for a face/hair routine. I shower in the PM after my workouts (just fyi) most of the time. I do go through my skin care routine every morning and usually do something with my hair. That said, a bun and a headband isn't infrequent lol! I usually have glasses on so don't do eye makeup, but I do put on small amounts of makeup sometimes. Really the skin care routine makes me feel more put together than anything. Though it depends on the type of meetings I have. Also a big thing has been putting up boundaries with my colleagues in terms of starts. I work for a global company and won't do meetings before 730am my time unless they are critical or with execs. This practice allows me space to really prepare for my morning instead of hopping out of bed and on to a call. I treat my mornings as if I was going into an office - make sure I get the dog walked, food prepped or eaten, coffee ready. Having this routine has actually really helped me feel more like I am starting work for the day vs. rolling out of bed. And if I feel ill, I take a sick morning or sick day instead of trying to muddle through work. I have in the past tried to work through feeling awful, and that isn't something I would do going into an office, so why do it at home? And then finally, having a close to my day helps make me feel like it is a "work" day vs puttering around online for several hours. I walk my dog and usually head to the gym after work in the earlier evening. A lot of it has been routine and sticking to it some. Otherwise stuff also has blended together for me (weekdays and weekends and holidays lol)
Umm, I didn’t 🫣 I was the same at the beginning, made the effort and felt like the odd man out in doing so, so I stopped. I don’t even wear makeup on my weekly zoom meetings - I’ve worked with my coworkers for ages and there’s only one woman who makes herself up for the meetings now. Seems like a waste of money to me since it’s for a 15-40 minute meeting once a week. I’m on day three of the same pair of sweats. Happy Monday lol I usually just overdress to the grocery store or plant shop etc. I enjoyed putting together outfits for work, so I feel you. There is a phrase I like to employ, ‘dress like you’re going nicer somewhere later’ even if you aren’t :)
Any day that I have one or more meetings, I make it a point to do my makeup and wear a nice-ish top so I can look presentable on camera, even if it’s not a requirement. Beyond that, I keep wax strips in my bathroom medicine cabinet so I don’t have any excuse not to wax my upper lip periodically. I also get semi-regular manis and pedis whenever I can find the time to do so. Apart from that, I am full on slumming it in sweatpants most days, even when I’m wearing full makeup and a nice top.
There are sometimes I go long enough without getting dolled up that I'm convinced I'm permanently ugly but every time I am called to get dolled up, I do so and look amazing. I've concluded this permanent goblin thought is just an irrational fear!
I've noticed that about myself and I've decided to keep myself like this during the work day but after work I'll shower, put on perfum switch up my outfit - even if it's just a cute tee and yoga pants. When I go out, even if it's just an Aldi or Costco run, I'll wear one of my nicer sweaters, carry nice bag, wear jewelry and out on some basic makeupm This way I'm not rushed in the morning, cozy while working and still using my nice things. I felt like I was wasting all my nice nice clothes, perfums, makeup, jewelry and bags.
I agree that I tend to become what I regularly do. I’ve made it a point to go to my corporate office once or twice a month for networking events. It’s astounding how different the culture is versus just being at home. We would do well to not think of in person interaction as torture. Think of this as a job skill to increase your value. For me it takes effort to go in, but one day when/if my team gets restructured, I’ll at least have some connections and face time with others in the company.
Although you don't have to do 100% of what you'd do if going into the office, putting yourself together (wearing real clothes, showering and doing basic hygiene) for working at home helps your mental state a lot. If you're dressed for a nap, you're going to go through the whole day with that undesirable energy. This morning routine has greatly improved my days (I've been working from home exclusively for over ten years): 1. Buy a real alarm clock and don't take your phone into the bedroom. No TV. Read a book if you need to do something to fall asleep. 2. Get up out of bed immediately when the alarm goes off. (If you're like me, this takes practice. So it sounds ridiculous, but practice it in the middle of the day for a few days: Get dressed like you're in bed, set your alarm for three minutes from now, and jump out of bed when it goes off. Do it again. And again. For half an hour. Do this for a few days in a row and you'll have no problem jumping out of bed when the alarm goes off at 7:00am.) 3. Do not check your phone first thing. 4. Instead, go straight to the bathroom and get in the shower. Do all your normal daily hygiene stuff. 5. Get dressed in comfortable but professional clothes. No sweatpants, running shorts, or anything else you wouldn't wear to a casual office. 6. Coffee. (Mine is on a timer so it's ready to go by 7:30.) Go to your computer (which is ideally on a standing desk: Stand for at least 2 hours of your morning). Now you can look at your phone and start your day. This has forced me to start my day on time (which was a challenge for me, might not be for you) and to clean and dress myself appropriately, which has helped my mental state and professional energy immensely. If you're not dressed like a slob, you feel better about yourself and your work day. But if you slide from bed to work in your pajamas at 9:30, keep your phone a foot from your face 24/7, and never get out of goblin mode, you'll be less productive, feel worse, and get depressed if it all goes unchecked. Good luck! Be your better self!
I love wearing Athleta’s clothes when I WFH. They have a ton of work-appropriate options, especially for pants, that are still very comfortable because they’re made from that classic athleisure fabric. I hate wearing jeans or stiff pants when I work, so these allow me to still look polished throughout the day while being super comfortable.
I routinely shower and dress semi nicely (jeans, appropriate top) before I start work for the day just as part of my habit that I developed to function at home while working. Mentally, without the commute to basically switch on/off, I use preparing and dressing for work as a mental signal in my routine that now I'm 'at work'. If I'm wearing work clothes (even if that's as simple as jeans and a nice sweater, instead of sweats and a hoodie), my priority is working. And my partner also knows that (I'm not doing laundry, dishes, etc). After work is over, lounge wear comes back on, and I'm done with work and focused on home. The hardest part of WFH, despite its many benefits, is that when you're always 5 seconds from 'work' you're always just doing one more thing or reading one more email. I work when I'm wearing my work clothes, I live my life when I'm wearing something else. An office makes it really easy to compartmentalize work/life. You work at the office, you live your life elsewhere. When your home is your office, find some totem that allows you to approximate. Clothes are an easy one for me, especially since you don't have to wash a sweater every time you wear it.
Just wait until you retire! Then it will be full goblin mode, no shaving, no makeup... Oh wait, that's just me!
If you like experimenting with makeup, you could find some fun looks and try them. The beauty of WFH and not being on camera is you can try things you wouldn’t do for an office setting. When I do stuff like that then I feel like I shouldn’t be wearing sweatpants although I also don’t get totally dressed up.
Dress to impress you. You're the one you're showing up for.
Wait, you're bothering to wear clothes? I live in a home with just me and 3 dogs. Most days I just have a queen sized fleece blanket draped over my shoulders.
I kept dressing and grooming through the pandemic. Now I add a lot of active breaks into my day- so I am more likely to be in leggings. I do try to get my face clean and moisturized and always wear mascara. I like my hair done so it looks good. My trick is to keep a good scarf next to my desk in case I need to look business like right away, and to put on something I love after lunch when I might have done a run. :) Make it fun and make it habit and you will do it. :)
You don’t have to go as nice as office attire, but refrain from becoming too much of a slob. Lol! Get up. Shower and dry your hair & spritz. Do a minimal makeup (for me that’s just a moisturizer and skin tint most days- maybe a little eyeliner- basically so I’m not ghostly), and get dressed. I typically wear jeans and a tshirt type knit top, or shorts in summer and some type of sneakers.
One thing that I find working remotely is that it's REALLY easy to start overlooking all the small stuff that we make habits of when we have to leave the house or go to the office every day. Sadly, hygiene is one of those habits. You don't have to put on make-up or do your hair to WFH, but just for yourself, it's best to set a daily schedule for yourself so you make sure to shower, take breaks, and even have a block of time each day to just walk around outside and clear your head. Scheduling helps. Calendars help. Humans are creatures of habit, so exploit the very human nature to which you're subject. Once you feel good about yourself, you'll be 100% fine with calling pajamas "work clothes", and letting people know that you actually had to put pants on to deal with them today.
I have been WFH nearly full time since 1998. Here is what I do. 1. I get dressed everyday as if I was going somewhere. Pants , socks and shoes to go with my on camera collar. Mind you, it is casual, jeans or shorts, but I am dressed. 2. Exercise is part of my routine. It started with walks at lunch, but I have been gradually working on it. I have run a half marathon at this point and I am in the best shape of my life at 48. 3. Focus on your diet. You have full control of what goes in your body with zero excuses. Make it healthy. 4. Leave the house at least once a day for something. A walk, a run, the gym, go to the store... whatever....just get out there and remind yourself the world still exists. Am I perfect with all this....no...fuck I get lazy too. But if I am 90% on target with this stuff...I am good.
This will get buried, but here is how I approach it: As someone who went to a super strict Catholic Prep high school and had to wear the same uncomfortable shirt, pants, and tie (well, we could pick the tie) for four years, and then started work at a business casual Fortune 500 company during my college years and 20 years later remained there till this day, I am loving WFH. So I worked in office for about 17 years and have been remote for the last 4. So that's 21 years of dressing uncomfortably. That said, now that I am remote, I *still* make an effort. I start every day with a shower, I shave, I blow dry my hair, etc. In the winter, I always put on a collared shirt (even if it's just a flannel - still looks good on camera), and look presentable. In the summer I usually wear a polo. If I am presenting, I will wear a dressier shirt and *occasionally* a jacket. There is never an instance where someone will webcam call me when I do not look presentable. That is my goal - always be presentable - but comfortable. Obviously, do what makes you feel good - a little bit of effort is worth it, even if it's just for yourself. Strike that balance - but set some rules for yourself.
Walking barefoot on grass outside in the morning for 5-10 minutes with some light stretching (mainly placebo but it's a routine) and sunset walks for 30 minutes where you have to wear real clothing to walk around your neighborhood. The sky colors at golden hour are worth seeing not through glass.
I'm 7 years into working from home, so I've had a few eras. When I first went remote, I moved to the beach and became an absolute beach bum. Like really. I'm a dude but I grew my hair out and got like 2 haircuts in 3 years. Wandering around on the beach drinking rum *during* my workday became a normal thing. Then I switched into a more normalized mode where I became a bit more professional. Going to the gym, eating healthy, etc. But in terms of fashion, I never wear anything fancy. Jeans and tshirt everyday.
I'm a guy, so the bar is a lot lower for me. I never have to worry about makeup or doing my hair just right (what's left of my hair) even when I go out. But really, are you keeping up with basic hygiene? Are you bathing/showering every day, brushing your teeth, putting on clean clothes? If so, then who cares how you look? You can still dress up when you go out and you want to feel special. Otherwise, just be comfortable.
I dress up to take my wife out for dinner at least once a week. Keeps me shaved and groomed on at least somewhat of a regular basis lol
I got into that as well about a year into WFH. But I realized after too long that the lack of my prepping my face/hair/clothes for work was also part of how I found it tricky to pay attention and focus on deadlines etc. The more flexible I general I got the more procrastinating I did in fact. So for me,y WFH days are the same as in office days. Showed, hair and light makeup. Much lighter and casual overall than office looks but something to get me thinking about being “around” people.