Guilty as Charged
Posted on 05. May, 2010 by Deb in Observations
I was complaining this morning about moving too slow. I had a headache. Felt all kinds of draggy. I had no motivation and found myself slacking more and getting less done. I didn’t understand it. Beyond the headache, which took all day to shake, there was no reason for me to feel so sluggish After getting some client work taken care of, a conference call out of the way, and lunch with one of my best girlfriends, I sat down to read some of my favorite inspirational blogs (all about seeking higher voices on an especially blue day): Christine Kane and Tonya Leigh.
As I was catching up on Tonya’s blogs from the past couple of weeks, I looked down at myself and saw part of what was adding to my sluggish day: white tank top, grey knit shorts, no shoes, hair in a pony tail, no make-up….. Yep. I was totally slacking in my appearance today. No wonder I wanted to lay on the bed and nap with the cat this afternoon! This is my first no-face-to-face client contact day this week, but it isn’t an excuse.
My clue to take the time to look and feel my best regardless of whether I’m sitting at home on the phone coaching or walking the streets of Paris.
That was six months ago.
I’m not surprised that my coaching practice has grown tremendously since I stopped wearing my PJ’s to work.
Everything is energy. Now, when I encourage women to look and feel fabulous, my energy is in alignment. I feel authentic, not like the man behind the curtain with coffee breath and last night’s crust in his eyes.
If you are a work-from-home entrepreneur or stay-at-home mom, and you love hanging out in your pajamas until dinner, and you feel fabulous doing it, I say, “Rock ON!”
However, I discovered that I was using it as an excuse to be lazy, to slack off.
I was hanging my head in shame when the UPS man would bust me at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, still wrapped up in my robe, looking like I had the flu.
Remember, the way you do one thing is the way you do everything.
Treat everything as if it matters, because it does.
via My Chic Awakening (A Must Read for those who Work from Home).
I have friends who are incredibly productive in their jammies. They are able to get all their client work, a dozen emails, an interview, a podcast recorded and fix three meals while in comfy clothes. But I know that I’m not like that. I am most productive on the days that I get dressed in real clothes. No, I don’t have to put on a suit, but it’s amazing what putting on dressy shorts or a spring dress, putting on some perfume and a pair of earrings, and slipping on a pair of sandals does for my production. I love to look nice and smell pretty, so why, on a day when I’m feeling blue or sluggish would I forgo that important twenty-minutes it would take to get all the way dressed, slap on some lip-gloss and slip on some shoes?
When I first began officing from home, I scheduled a regular pig-tail day. It was on Mondays. I didn’t meet with clients, instead, I stayed home and caught up on email, and did my weekly billings and such. On those days, I wore comfy clothes, put my hair in pigtails, and caught up on desk work as well as house work. In recent times, though, with the economy so soft, I work whenever a client needs something done. Even though it’s usually scheduled a week or so in advance, my work schedule varies from week to week. I lost my regular pig-tail day and instead of having a productive casual day, I slipped into having a non-productive slob day here and there.
If I’m going to accomplish my goals, I have to pay attention to these things. I would never go to a meeting like I am dressed right this moment. I’m worth the short investment of time it takes to put on real clothes. Just like I am worth cooking for, even if I’m the only one eating that meal. Because if I don’t nurture myself, who is going to do it?
Treat everything as if it matters, because it does. Amen to that!