How to Avoid Jabba the Hutt Syndrome if You Work From Home

If you’re like me and among the fortunate people that are able to work from your house instead of commuting to an office with gross coffee and an A/C set to -30 degrees, then you can appreciate the bliss of not having to get dressed or even brush your hair to go to work.

When I first ditched my office job, I was all about the flannel pants life and washing my hair once every four days. Then more time went by and the frump started making me feel less like a thriving self-employed power millennial and more like this:

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I’d catch glimpses of myself in the mirrors through the house, and the killer job I did on a project was having a hard time outweighing the fact that I hadn’t brushed my hair that day. Wearing ill-fitting sweatpants made me feel gross even though nobody else was around. So I decided to make more of an effort on how I felt and treated my home a little bit more like an office during the day—and I’m the CEO.

If you work from home and want to feel more bright and sparkly during the day instead of like you’re in a constant state of staring down at yourself on the front camera on your phone, read on.

1. GET DRESSED

No, you don’t have to wear jeans if you don’t want to. But at least put on your favorite yoga pants or joggers that you like the looks of. Brush your hair and re-do your top knot. I like putting on just a spot of makeup to look clinically alive. The ritual of picking out some clothes and fixing your face just for yourself will make you feel like a VIP.

2. SET ASIDE MEAL TIMES

Pick and time to “go to lunch” and resist the urge of working in front of your laptop. Make a meal and put it on a real plate and eat it in your dining room. Read a book or listen to music instead of checking your email. I know, this one is hard for me too.

3. MAKE A SCHEDULE

Office workdays are often broken up into morning meetings, cubicle time, presentations, and more meetings (you miss it yet?). If you find yourself just powering through your work with no beginning and end and feel frenzied, make yourself a time-specific schedule listing what hours you’ll work on different projects, when you’ll take a break to exercise, when lunch is, etc. You’ll feel accomplished and organized.

Being a disciplined self-starter who works from home or owns a business is something to be proud of. Put the same love and care into yourself as you do into your business. You deserve it!