The present nature of our world poses an odd challenge for daily activities like self-care and productivity. With most of the population confined to their homes, completing simple steps to take care of oneself is critical, and for some UI faculty and students, it has introduced an important sense of normalcy.

For me, the first days of recommended self-isolation were rough. As a UI student with online classes who had also lost one of my campus jobs, I found myself staying in bed all day, lounged in my pajamas while I reluctantly did my homework. It ended up being Snapchat that finally pushed me to get out of bed and fill in my  eyebrows and put on mascara every day. My constant photo and video conversations with friends drove me to make an effort to look presentable, and also became the time when I started to notice an increase in my productivity levels.

I began starting my days earlier, taking time to look like I hadn’t just rolled out of bed and showed up for my Zoom class — even better, I started getting more done throughout the day, and feeling better because of it.

In a 2012 study, ScienceDirect introduced the term “enclothed cognition” as a way to describe the effects that clothing has on the person wearing them. For instance, their study found that the concept of a lab coat is “generally associated with attentiveness and carefulness.”  The researchers concluded that the subjects wearing a lab coat had paid more attention to the task at hand, compared to those involved in the study who wore everyday clothes. Their research established that clothing absolutely affects how we think and behave.

This idea translates to professional wear as well. Meghann Foster, a journalism lecturer at the University of Iowa, continues to dress every day in accordance to her normal daily activities. She said she believes that her productivity levels remain the same as it would if she were still teaching on campus, partly due to the fact that she still gets ready and dresses professionally despite the fact that she is going nowhere.

“Everything is so different right now,” Foster said. “Everything has just kind of been turned upside down and I still really need that part of my routine to be the same.”

Related: Initiative to bring affordable professional dress options given green light by UISG

The productivity may not depend on the clothing itself, though. Part of the reason that getting ready every morning may boost efficiency in some people is due to the continuation or creation of daily routines. According to the Harvard Division of Continuing Education, “A good morning routine can positively influence your attitude, energy level, and performance throughout the day.”

Sophia Sear, a freshman at the University of Iowa said that she continues to get ready for her days at home as if she were still on campus.

“I’m more productive when I am trying to simulate life in Iowa while I am at home,” she said. “I think going about my day in a routine and as normal as possible — getting ready in the morning — subconsciously creates a mindset that motivates me to continue normal or ambitious academic behavior.”

Morning routines remain important to people such as myself who could use as much help as possible when it comes to efficiency. Therefore, I’ll continue to slap on some eyebrow gel, mascara, and cute-but-comfy clothes every day in order to remain productive.