How to Get Ready for Work Faster in the Morning
By Amy Jacques
November-December 2021
As workers start to trickle back into physical office spaces — 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic — they’ll have to start getting dressed for work again. Wearing a Zoom-friendly button-down shirt with sweatpants, or wearing PJs all day won’t cut it anymore.
This change in routine may lead to some stress for those who have been working remotely for so long. “There’s a lot of anxiety,” productivity coach Ellen Faye told HuffPost of the return to the workplace. “So that’s where the planning helps. It’s a great time to update the routines.”
Laying out your outfit the night before remains a timeless recommendation, but Faye also suggests planning them for the entire workweek before it starts “so you don’t have to put as much thought into it when you’re standing in your closet in the morning.”
Over the weekend, go through your closet and see what fits well and looks sharp, and what doesn’t. If you know what you have and what looks good on you then you’ll feel confident and getting dressed each day will be easier.
In addition, a simple color palette with a few unifying pieces in your wardrobe will make outfit creation simple, says Cassandra Sethi of Next Level Wardrobe. You can’t go wrong with clothes in black, gray, white and navy colors, she says, and make sure to have staples like simple black pants and a white button-down shirt.
Keep a charger, reusable water bottle, snacks and basic toiletries to leave at the office, so you’ll have what you need and leave the guesswork out of packing each day.
Last, keep a schedule of your morning routine on a sticky note in a convenient location in case “your mind starts to travel and you’re not thinking about your morning routine,” said Faye, who also recommends putting a clock in your bathroom.
“The most important thing is to help manage the stress because change causes additional anxiety. This is about what you need to do to help reduce the stress and to help you really focus on getting out the door. We have to be kind to ourselves.”
Here are some more tips for getting ready faster in the morning:
• Plan your morning routine each week.
• Leave yourself a sticky note with daily to-dos.
• Go through your closet ahead of time before the workday.
• Make sure that you have wardrobe staples.
• Curate your clothing around core colors.
• Simplify packing your work bag.
Amy Jacques
Amy Jacques is the managing editor of publications for PRSA. A native of Greenville, S.C., she holds a master’s degree in arts journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Georgia’s Grady College and a certificate in magazine and website publishing from New York University.
