Since I left my last job in June, I have found it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

I could tell for weeks that the job would be ending soon. I was surprised, actually, that it had lasted as long as it had. They were in cost-cutting mode, desperately trying to make the bottom line smaller than the top line, and folks in my role are often the first to get cut. I had witnessed round after round of layoffs, said goodbye to people I had enjoyed working with and that I would miss talking to every day.

To cushion the blow, I made a list of things that I could do once that job ended, until I found my next job or it found me:

• Walk every day
• Take up yoga again
• Finish writing the two books that I’ve been working on
• Start a podcast
• Take courses
• Volunteer
• Earn my coaching certification
• Catch up with friends

When the boom finally fell, I structured my days the way that I do when I’m working: I set up a daily checklist and set a destination for the week. Each day, I checked off a few things on the list.

One of the things about working from home – and right now, my work is to find my next job – is that my WFH space is not heated or air-conditioned. My choice is to open the door to the very noisy living room where my husband works and hope a little A/C will blow in; or to keep the door closed, the blinds shut, the fan on, and wear as little clothing as possible.

When I studied acting with Stella Adler, she used to proclaim (in what she freely admitted was an affected voice), “The costume affects you.” And she is right.

When you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt, it is challenging to raise your resume up to the right level or take seriously a job description that you meet 80% of requirements for. You don’t physically feel like a professional, so you don’t emotionally feel like one.

So today, when it is an unseasonable 64º F (18º C) in August, I said, let’s dress for the part. I’m going out this evening anyway. And, as I drew on my professional clothes, I thought, I should do this every day.

Why don’t I do this every day?

It’s like drawing on armor or a space suit or a uniform. You feel different.

I sat in morning meditation, feeling how differently it made my meditation feel.

And while I sat in meditation, the cat came and sat in my lap, curled up and purring. And when my meditation ended, she walked away.

Leaving me covered in white cat hair.

And I remembered why I don’t do this every day.

Because, instead of feeling professional, I feel like crazy cat lady.

Oh, cat.

Join me in the WFH challenge: pick a professional outfit that you can afford to get cat hair on and dress up!