(PAID PARTNERSHIP WITH ANN TAYLOR)
I think we all can agree that there are far more important things right now than what to wear while working from home but I find reading fashion blogs and watching YouTube videos to be a good (and welcomed!) distraction right now! So today I am going to share with you some working from home tips that I find helpful (and hopefully you will too!) as well as some work from home outfit ideas!
Tip #1 – Get dressed!
I have been working from home for five weeks now (or is it six?!! the weeks are blending together at this point!) and I find getting dressed each day is key for me! It helps me feel like “myself” and it gets me in the work mindset! I usually wear similar clothes that I would normally wear to the office with the biggest difference being instead of wearing high heels I wear flat shoes, slides, or slippers! While working from home, comfort is KEY! I mostly wear clothes that are soft, stretchy, and machine washable!
In the below outfit, I am wearing a beautiful tweed jacket. I love the colors in this jacket for spring and summer! The background of this tweed jacket is a taupe/beige color and the other colors in this jacket include pink, navy blue, light blue, purple,and white! Since there are so many colors in this jacket, you could have so much fun with how you mix and match it with different shirts and pants to create new looks! I paired it with a beige colored shirt to bring out the beige in the jacket and paired it with straight leg jeans, a tan belt, and neutral shoes for a comfortable (but stylish!) working from home outfit! If you can wear jeans to the office then this outfit could also be worn to the office once we return to work!
Shop this look here:
Tip #2 – Have fun experimenting with new skin care, makeup, hair styles, and outfits!
Whenever I order makeup or skin care I usually receive free samples with my order and I now have a box full of samples. I usually try out samples on Sundays when I don’t have anything going on, just in case I have an allergic reaction to them (which has happened before!). But now, I have been using this time at home to try out new skin care, makeup, and hair styles and it makes getting ready in the mornings so much fun!
I’ve been trying to stick to my usual bed time and wake up time to keep my routine going. Mostly because I think it will be easier for me to make the transition of waking up early and commuting into work once we start going back to the office. (And, I’m an early bird! Mornings are my favorite! I actually wake up at 5am on the weekends too!)
As I mentioned, I have been having fun trying out new skin care, makeup, and hair styles, but I have also been having so much fun experimenting with new outfits each day! I wore the below outfit the other day and love how comfortable (and cute!) it is! I can’t wait to wear this outfit more! Navy blue and white is one of my favorite color combinations for this time of year! The navy blue top I am wearing below is a flowy, peplum style that has the prettiest flutter sleeves! I love the loose fit and lightweight material, perfect for the warmer weather! (P.S. This top is meant to be flowy but I did size down one size to an extra small and I would recommend sizing down one size in it!) I can’t say enough good things about these white ankle pants from Ann Taylor! I now have them in four colors and I’m hoping Ann Taylor brings them out in more colors and prints because they are SO GOOD! These pants are high waisted, which is my favorite because I find them very comfortable and flattering on me! I also love that they are stretchy and an ankle length because they look good with flat shoes or sandals but they also look good with heels!
To add a little something “extra” to the outfit, I added a tan belt around my waist to cinch in the top! I love the way this looks especially with the gold sandals! And how cute are these sandals?! These sandals also come in a light tan color and black! I especially like the metallic gold pair for summer and I consider them a neutral! I think they will go with many outfits and I’m excited to wear them more!
Shop this look here:
Another option using the same navy blue peplum top and white ankle pants is to wear the tweed jacket that I had on earlier. Since the tweed jacket has navy blue and white, it pairs perfectly with the navy blue top and white pants! I tucked in the navy blue top into the white ankle pants and by wearing a tweed jacket over the top, it completely transforms the outfit! This outfit is perfect to wear while working from home because it is so comfortable (and so cute!). This outfit also could be worn to the office once we go back!
Shop this look here:
Tip #3 – Keep your office space neat and change it up!
I love my office space because my desk is in front of a large window and I get plenty of sunlight! I also find that because my desk is right in front of a window I don’t get distracted by other things in the room. Along those same lines, keeping my desk neat also helps reduce distractions. I only keep essentials on my desk (a notebook, pen, and coffee!). For the past three weeks or so I have been working from my office desk in the morning and relocating to my kitchen table in the afternoon and it is a nice change of scenery!
Tip #4 – Find a quiet place for meetings
My dog Rockie (who is THE cutest!) is pretty quiet but he barks when the mail carrier comes around and sometimes when people are walking outside. For important meetings, I usually step outside or sit in my car for the call to avoid any sporadic barking sprees during calls!
Tip #5 – Don’t forget to eat your lunch!
I say this somewhat jokingly but also seriously! After talking to several friends, it seems that lunch is sometimes forgotten because time seems to go by so quickly while working from home! It’s easy to get so wrapped up in what you’re working on that you lose track of time! If you can relate, blocking off your calendar each day to have lunch could help remind you what time it is and to step away from the computer to eat lunch! The weather has finally started to warm up and I usually sit outside for a few minutes during my lunch break to get some fresh air and vitamin D and it feels SO good!
And lastly, I will end the blog with one of my favorite everyday outfits, a white t-shirt and jeans! It’s such a simple, easy, and stylish outfit! Love that this outfit looks great on it’s own and also love that it could be layered with a cardigan or blazer as you will see in the second picture below! A blazer, plain white t-shirt, and jeans is one of my go-to casual Friday’s outfit at the office!
Shop this look here:
I hope you found these tips helpful and I would love to hear what your top work from home tips are in the comments section below!
Thank you SO much Ann Taylor for partnering with me on this blog post! It is such an honor to work with one of my favorite brands!