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Comment by andrewzah | Hacker News Reader

When people envision working from home, it seems that "wearing pajamas" is a common trope.

That is not a good idea.

The thing about clothes is that they're part of a routine. I.e. I wake up, make some tea, put some fresh clothes on, turn on my computer, and now I'm in work mode. Ideally. In practice it doesn't always work like that, but it's still far better than waking up and just sitting down in front of my computer. Having a routine is really important for not getting lost.

They don't have to be business clothes or whatever, but just something fresh for the day. I'm the sort of nerd that wears chinos and a button up shirt even though I work from home and don't have video calls.

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In addition, blurring work and personal life isn't good. You ideally don't want to work in the same room that you sleep, but this can't be avoided sometimes.

Variety is also key. Sometimes I go out and get work done from a local cafe for a change of pace.

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As a woman the opportunity to wear clothes just for their warmth and comfort is something I will never turn down. Being able to wear pyjamas was definitely one of the top things about working from home. Men don't have the same issues of unpractical clothing and being judged on their appearance.

This so much. During the winter, I've had the option to work from home, and taken it just to wear lined sweatpants and sit by my personal heater in my home office rather than in an open office with a door one row open.

> Men don't have the same issues of unpractical clothing and being judged on their appearance

You missed the incessant satire of Trump's appearance then?

This misses the point I was making. Wearing pajamas is fine, I was referring to the clothes that one slept in. Changing to something fresh is what I meant.

I'm male but my legs get cold from time to time, also, so I keep a small blanket near my desk and a space heater during the winter.

Ah right. I got it.

I'll invest in bed pajamas, work pajamas, breakfast pajamas and lunch pajamas & dinner pajamas.

I'm not at all being snarky here. I haven't decided if I'm being serious. I would happily wear flannel clothes EVERYWHERE given the chance. Being naked has never really appealed to me but wearing soft, fragranced, soft, woolen clothing every where?

Sign me up!

maybe to elaborate OP's point; I never feel fully waken up if I haven't taken a shower and put on a clean set of clothes. I'll also just muck around and procrastinate way more, because the line between working and not working hasn't been crossed yet. Hope this makes sense

"Men don't have the same issues of unpractical clothing and being judged on their appearance"

There's research to indicate that attractive men make more than unattractive men, and the variance is greater than with women:

"Results indicated that more attractive men had higher starting salaries and they continued to earn more over time. For women, there was no effect of attractiveness for starting salaries, but more attractive women earned more later on in their jobs."

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229657356_Attractiv...

While that doesn't address unpractical clothing, I think it does address the last part.

There’s a difference between pajamas and comfortable clothes though. One can wear jeans, sweats, workout clothes, or other things that you could leave the house in, while not getting into full “office” attire.

I think this is a critical item for working at home. You want to be wearing something that you wouldn’t mind answering the door in, or if you had to run an unexpected errand. (and contrary to what the People of Walmart site shows, it is not appropriate to be doing those things in pajamas).

Agreed. Mindset / routine is important here - not just to get you started but also to separate home and work.

I wear office dress code most days (or some comfier version that is "nice-enough-for-video"). I work in a separate room, whose door I can close when the day is over. I've asked my family to text me or call just like they would at an office if they need something or want to talk.

When the day ends, the laptop and door closes, and my commute is short, but those subtle differences make it a change that works, and allows me to relax.

Agreed. When I worked from home I did everything I would do to prepare for a day in a regular office except the clothing selection was fully casual. My one biggest rule was that I had to wear regular street shoes. If I was wearing slippers or just socks, my mindset was that I wasn't "at work."

I agree that having a routine is important. But I think what makes the routine is up to the individual, clothes may be important for some, but not for others.

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