How you present yourself says a million things to the people around you. What you choose to wear can say that you’re confident; that you had a rough night, or even that you’re in a great mood.
I know the first thing you want to throw on after a rough night of sleep is a pair of sweatpants or leggings. Hey, I’m guilty of it too! But I know as soon as I put those lounge pants on, I’m not going to have a productive day. It isn’t because I had a rough start. It’s because I didn’t present myself as my best self. According to a study from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, not dressing up may actually affect your work performance. They performed a study where some of the subjects wore a white coat (to simulate being a scientist or a medical doctor) and some did not. They then asked the subjects to say the color of a word being shown on a flash card, rather than the word itself. The subjects wearing the white coat performed better than the subjects not wearing the coats. Thus, by dressing the part you will actually be more productive and quick on your feet.
Don’t go throwing out all of your fantastic yoga pants and leggings yet! It is perfectly okay to wear them on a day off, like on a lazy Sunday. But, if you’re trying to get a tremendous amount of work done or are trying to do a couple of errands, dress the part. It is kind of like putting on exercise gear. You’re more likely to go to the gym and work your butt off if you dress up in your work out gear.
Dressing up will also boost your confidence. Everyone loves that feeling where they get a brand new shirt and they get to go rock it the next day. Dressing up is like that. By putting together a fantastic outfit you’ll walk around confidently.
No matter how you decide to dress make sure you feel comfortable and confident with what you’re wearing. If you’re not happy with what you’re wearing, wear something else. If you feel produtive, confident, and happy in your yoga pants wear them. At the end of the day, wear what makes you happy.