It’s definitely possible to be too vain and shallow — and everyone can crack jokes about that guy who is scared to go out in the rain in case it messes up his hair, or the girl who goes to the gym wearing a full face make-up.

At the same time, though, it’s also possible to go too far in the other direction, and to completely disregard the value of taking your presentation seriously.

In many jobs and domains of life, you don’t really “need” to give much, if any, attention to your presentation. Ladies work boots that have a bit of flair are an optional extra on a worksite, not a necessity. All that’s really required is that the boots offer protection.

All the same, here are a few reasons to take your presentation seriously, even if it’s not technically “necessary.”

Because you will treat yourself differently when you take pride in your appearance

We often think about the way we dress and present ourselves in terms of how it will influence the ways in which other people react to us.

In reality, though, the way we present ourselves may have an equally large impact on how we treat ourselves.

People who start working from home for the first time often find that they need to get properly dressed up as if they are going to the office, in order to get into the right mental zone to be productive. Something about lounging around in your pyjamas on the sofa, with a laptop, just doesn’t inspire peak productivity.

When you take your presentation seriously, you’re more likely to take yourself seriously – and if that is done in a balanced and reasonable way, it can lead to many positive outcomes of its own.

Because life is too short not to seize every opportunity to look and feel your best

It just feels good when you are done getting ready to go out, look at yourself in the mirror, and like what you see.

In life, it’s the simple joys that we should often cherish and appreciate the most – and why shouldn’t you seize every opportunity you can to look and feel your best?

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should go completely overboard and wear evening gown out to go grocery shopping. But there’s no reason not to have a bit of fun with your hair and outfit, all the same.

Because sometimes it really does work to “dress for the job you want”

There’s a pretty well-established and cliched concept that you should “dress for the job you want,” and not the one you have, in order to really develop positive momentum.

It’s easy to make fun of this idea – for example, just imagine someone going to their job at a burger restaurant, dressed as an astronaut. All the same, it really does work, to an extent, from time to time.

Part of this is because, as already mentioned, you treat yourself differently depending on how you dress. But, of course, other people will treat you differently depending on how you dress, too.

When it’s clear that you’re making an effort and paying attention to detail, certain doors are just that much more likely to open for you.