Proper Dress for Home-Based Business Women

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Some time ago I read a blog entry that criticized people who choose to work in pajamas--people like me, for instance. It was the author's opinion that wearing pajamas all day made one want to crawl back into bed and sleep all day. I beg to differ.

If you are doing tasks that you don't enjoy, this might be true. Since I absolutely love everything about my
home-based business, this is not a problem. In fact, my pajamas spend far more time in my computer room and photography area than they ever do in my bedroom.

I hop out of bed in the mornings at around 6 a.m., hurry through the bathroom routine (except for showering), grab a cup of coffee or a soft drink from the fridge, and head straight to my computer room. Most days, I will be there until midnight or later with only infrequent breaks for inconveniences such as using the bathroom and eating quick meals. I absolutely never think about crawling back into bed. Why would anyone want to go to bed when having so much fun!

Most of the professional women I know who work in an office away from home spend an hour or more each morning getting ready for work. At the end of just a few hours, they are exhausted and drag themselves home. The first thing they do when they get there is kick off the high heels and change into comfortable clothes! Doing it my way, I save an hour each day and don't feel exhausted after just a few hours of work.

Hint: Display prominently in your computer room a reminder to take a shower and brush your teeth during your first food break. Otherwise, you are likely to forget it entirely and all the other little crabs will avoid you.

Photo Courtesy of PhotoRack

Now that you have decided you won't go to Hell for wearing pajamas all day long, let's talk about what kind of pajamas are best.

The answer is: It's your life, your business, and your decision!

In her great farewell-to-the-world poem called If I Had My Life to Live Over Again, Erma Bombeck said: "But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute..look at it and really see it...live it...and never give it back." Wear whatever makes you happy, and be content with your decision.

If silk against your body makes you feel like Cleopatra, then go for it. If you are more cold-natured like me, go for something soft and cuddly, like flannel or fleece. My husband does a great impersonation of a polar bear and keeps our house very cool—that's polite-speak for colder than an Arctic bear's behind. Most of the time, you will find me in long sleeves with cozy socks on my feet. (Being part Native American Indian, I don't much care for any kind of shoes.)

Hint: Consider buying pajamas, sweats and blue jeans that are a couple of sizes larger than you currently wear. If your new work-at-home job has you munching junk food as meals and sitting in front of a computer for 12+ hours per day, your rear end is going to spread like butter on a hot English muffin!

Section head photo is a composite of images purchased from BigStock and free use images from morgueFile. Bathroom scale image courtesy of morgueFile.

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Products from The Professional Hermit Crab

I can get a bit cranky when I have to leave my cave to run errands, but sometimes it's unavoidable. You have to run to the office supply house to get toner or paper; you must run to the post office to mail a package; your car has sat so long without moving that it needs a tune-up. And, when your hair makes it look as if you celebrate Halloween every day, you probably need to make a trip to a beauty salon.

Even I strongly object to people running around anywhere outside their immediate property lines wearing pajamas. After all, I do have my standards! The situation calls for a drastic change in wardrobe.

On these occasions, I step out of my PJs and into a pair of loose-fitting blue jeans, a comfortable top, moccasins or suede boots, and a jacket when the weather requires one.

I should emphasize here that I am a "mature" female, married for 40 years, and definitely not in the market for a new man. (Still don't have the first one properly trained yet!) Skin-tight jeans and high-heeled boots have no place in my life. If you are still shopping in the mate-market, such items might be considered necessary to playing the game. However, from my older point of view, I can assure you that dressing in them will result in varicose veins, leg cramps, back problems, and sore feet.

If you doubt the wisdom of my perspective, consider this. How many places of business do you personally know about that now have a casual-dress day when employees are allowed to come to work in their blue jeans (preferably without holes) and a sweatshirt or T-shirt? This usually occurs on Fridays, and employees look forward to it all week long. TGIF has added meaning for these lucky people. But for those of us blessed enough to work from home, everyday can be a "casual day".

Photo Courtesy of PhotoRack

Although I do not have clients who come to my home for business purposes, I realize that many of you probably do. I believe this necessitates abandoning the pajamas and getting just a little more dressed up.

Remembering that many large corporations now allow blue jeans on Fridays, I personally would be comfortable with wearing blue jeans when meeting clients. I would wear a nicer top, but one that is comfortable and soft. You would still find me in moccasins or suede boots. I would probably also make the supreme sacrifice of putting on a little make-up and donning a couple of pieces of jewelry.

If the idea of meeting clients wearing blue jeans completely turns you off or you have very rich, high-powered clients coming to you, there are still good alternatives to traditional office attire.

Slip on a nice pair of comfortable slacks. Mine would have an elastic waistband and be at least one size too large in anticipation of the future growth of my behind. Add a top that is a bit dressier than the ones worn on errand days and a couple of nice pieces of jewelry. Shiny shoes or boots with low heels are a good choice for this outfit. Lastly, this would be a good day to spend that hour in the morning putting on make-up and actually styling your hair.

As mentioned before, if you are currently shopping in the mate-market, you might choose to wear more revealing tops, tighter pants, and higher heels. Re-read the warnings in the blue jeans sections.

Photo Courtesy of PhotoRack

Each of us has within ourselves the power to choose the course of our daily lives. Certainly the needs and desires of our loved ones will impact the choices we make. To whatever extent possible, however, we should strive to be happy in our work and learn to be confident that we know what is best for us.

A famous quote, attributed to an Anonymous Author, states: Never take life (too) seriously. No one gets out alive anyway."

We have few days upon this earth. Make each one count and be happy in it!

The hermit crab photos used in this article and featured on my Zazzle products are legally licensed from Big Stock photo for commercial use.

Professional Hermit Crab merchandise may be purchased from my Zazzle Gallery.

Hop on over and join the Professional Hermit Crab Club (aka guardianstar77)! You don't have to crawl out of your cave, and you can stay in your pajamas while shopping!

guardianstar77 is a writer, graphics design artist, nature enthusiast and lover of everything that resembles a horse. She lives in Central Arkansas and shares her life with a husband of almost 40 years, 2 sons, and 4 fabulous grandchildren. guardianstar77 is not domesticated, finding that spending time doing almost anything else beats doing housework. Her passions include recycling, frugal living, feeding the hungry, old-fashioned vintage everything, nature, reading, writing, flea markets and yard sales, Christmas, mystical creatures, carousels, and artwork filled with glorious earthy colors or nature's warm, soothing colors of green and blue.

guardianstar77 is a devout Christian, a staunch conservative, a passionate American, and a defender of capitalism. Although she is, by her own definition, somewhat of a "professional hermit crab" , guardianstar77 is deeply loyal to her family and those she chooses to have as friends. When not pursuing writing and artistic goals, she spends her time deepening those relationships.

guardianstar77 is a long-standing member of Squidoo, and she shares her royalties with many Squidoo charities. View all my lenses!