So many of us are working from home now and most of us are talking about it. There are humorous stories of kids and pets showing up in conference calls and Zoom meetings. There are stories of too much snacking and wearing slouchy clothes. I think the most interesting thing is all the women posting about keeping up their daily routes. I’m one of them.
In order to keep order in my chaotic world, I am sticking to my regular schedule. The alarm rings at 5 and I get dressed; hair, clothes, makeup, jewelry, spritz of perfume. Then I go downstairs, press the button on the coffee pot and feed all the hungry pets. I let them out but instead of packing my lunch, I turn on the news. When the coffee is done, I have my coffee in front of the TV. I eat my breakfast at home before I start work. It is nice to have a leisurely start. When it’s time to work, I let the dogs in and give them their milk bones. They are very confused about why they don’t have to go to their kennels, but they like it
Then I sit down to my home office desk and log in to work. Work feels the same once I’m logged in. I still have work to do, decisions to make and meetings to go to. I am very focused once I start working and it doesn’t matter to me whether I am in the office or at home. I like that my home office has lots of windows and sunlight. But I don’t really miss it when I’m in the office because I’m working and when I leave work there’s the long drive home in the daylight.
So after a long week of work from home, I still feel tired and worn out. I still look forward to the weekend even though I know I’m not going anywhere new. But, I will sleep until 6 or 7 and I won’t get dressed for my coffee. I will watch the news in my jammies and I won’t put on any makeup. I’ll get dressed eventually and comb my hair. But no makeup unless I go somewhere. So now I am starting to rethink that. Why do I only feel ready when I have my makeup on?
In all my years of working, I have only gone to the office twice without make up. I don’t remember the reason, but there was something. One time everyone asked me if I was sick. The other time, people asked if I was really tired. Well, that explains why I wear my make up. But do I need to? Can I be ready for work without it? Am I mentally and physically capable of working without makeup? Seem like silly questions. But I’m now quite ready to ditch the make up yet. Not wanting to be the one on Zoom who looks sick or tired. It’s vanity. For now, I’m keeping it. I’ll let you know if/when I change my mind.
It’s the routine of getting ready that preps your mind for the thing you’re about to do! Makeup is just part of that routine. I’ve been slacking on that lately but I think I’ll be turning a corner soon bc I like how I feel when I pull myself together. It’s self-care, not vanity 🙂 Adjusting routines due to the circumstances is unavoidable; we can still be intentional about what we want to present even if we’re quarantined at home <3 Thanks for the food for thought!