When I wake up in the morning to prepare for my seven-hour day on Zoom, the last thing I want to do is put a pair of jeans on. Why spend my few precious moments away from my various screens and responsibilities worrying about what outfit would look best over a Zoom call where everyone can only ever see half of it at most?

Online school is undoubtedly stressful, and managing school from home presents new challenges to us everyday. We all have a lot on our minds right now; managing school from home is something which none of us have had to handle before this year. However, online school has one built-in advantage: your outfit does not matter.

In a Wall Street Journal article, Cornell University Professor Vanessa Bohns supports this argument, saying, “Just putting on [formal] clothes doesn’t matter as much if you’re just as confident when you’re wearing casual clothes and you feel like you can work just as well that way.”

Although it is fine to put on more formal clothes for Zoom, dressing casually creates a much more comfortable workplace for many. Bohns still recommends changing from pajamas to casual clothes in the morning, however.

Changing clothes breaks up your relaxation time from work time, allowing you to focus on your classes and homework in the right mindset. Therefore, I would recommend your most formal pair of sweatpants for class.

When teachers and students only see the top of your shoulders, don’t waste your time stressing about an outfit nobody can see. The same Wall Street Journal article warns about the risks of dressing up too much. It can make you feel uncomfortable and self-conscious about your outfit.

Being able to sleep a little later in the morning or have a relaxing and slow breakfast is worth sacrificing the nice outfit. If that time was taken up by picking out a formal and nice outfit, something which usually turns into a long and frustrating process, I would no longer have the time to get away from school worries.

You can also take advantage of the extra time to spend at least a couple minutes away from a screen. It is important for us all to have a break from constantly staring at our computer or phone.

All of our makeshift home classrooms are luckily missing one thing: a formal dress code. Take advantage of being in the comfort of your own home. Grab a blanket, put on a pair of sweatpants and stop stressing out about your outfit. We all have enough on our plates and shouldn’t feel bad about not having the time or desire to dress up everyday.