Balanced Life -- Put on Your Shoes

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now.

One of my favorite advocates for the strategy of working for happiness by taking manageable, concrete steps every day is the FlyLady. "Baby steps, baby steps" is her mantra.

The FlyLady (Marla Cilley) writes for a very particular audience, with a big emphasis on household chores and clutter. But her principles - and many of her suggestions - apply everywhere.

One of my favorites is her admonition to Put on your shoes. In Sink Reflections, she writes, "You act differently when you have clothes and shoes on....With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says, 'OK, it's time to go to work.' You have no excuse for not taking the trash out or putting that box of give-away stuff into the car. You are literally ready for anything."

When I was in law school, my roommate told me about a study that showed that graduate students who put on their shoes each morning were markedly more efficient than those who padded around in their stocking feet. That was years ago, and I haven't been able to find the study - and she may not have reported it accurately. (Does anyone know the reference?) Nevertheless, I've never forgotten it.

It's absolutely true for me. I'm far more productive and energetic when I have my shoes on - and this is true even for getting writing done, when I'm sitting down.

Of course, for many people, wearing shoes is non-optional (so you get a gold star for keeping this resolution every day!) Also, like all great truths, the opposite is also true - so for some people, not wearing shoes may be the better choice. My father-in-law, for example, goes around in his stocking feet, even at work. The key is to know yourself.

I've heard that wearing shoes in the house tracks in a tremendous amount of dirt, so that from a clutter-clearing standpoint, you're better off leaving your shoes at the door. A lot of my friends have trained their children to take off their shoes in the house, and adults keep their shoes on.

But I know for myself, and judging by my unscientific poll of a lot of people I know, putting on shoes makes you feel ready for action. If you're a shoes-optional freelancer, telecommuter, homemaker, or part-timer, consider wearing your shoes when you're trying to be productive.

What do you think? Does wearing shoes affect your energy or productivity?

* I haven't posted this link before, because it makes me feel sheepish and also like a big self-promoter, but I have to say a huge THANK YOU to the brilliant Colleen Wainwright, a/k/a the Communicatrix, for her amazingly generous post about The Happiness Project book. It's hard to know what to say when someone does something so nice for you.

Comments

[bookworm1]

Hmm. Well, to each his/her own, I suppose, but my experience is a little different. I am a work-at-home writer now, after 35+ years of putting on shoes (and pantyhose!) every day to go to a "real" job. I now wear flip-flops all summer and socks or slippers all winter. My mother told me that even as a baby, once I learned how to get my shoes untied and off, she could never keep the shoes on me again until I was ready to start school. In my last year as a mucky-muck in the bureaucracy, I joked a lot about working at home where I could wear my bunny slippers, and I actually did wear those bunny slippers most of the time during a two-day management retreat. To me, the wearing of shoes for non-utilitarian purposes is a reflection of what I am trying to accomplish. Going to the store, taking out the trash, testifying before a legislative committee, all of those left-brain activities, require shoes. The right-brain activities like writing, daydreaming, relating with co-workers in a creative environment, or going to the spa require the removal of shoes and the relaxation that comes with it. At least that's how it is for me.

Signed, Barefoot for 59 years

[Gemma08]

I agree. I find that once I get home, I cannot relax until I take my shoes off. And once my shoes are off, I wont do anything that requires having to put them on again, if I havent planned to do something specific, like go out.

I'll even take out the garbage or go visit my neighbours in my slippers... (ja... picture me... in day clothes with slippers... pink furry ones with a bow.)

[mozartg]

its a journey... right? great post... I heard one person say that every morning they dressed up in a tuxedo and sat at their desk to write!