shanghai calling.

//the great wall// //sisters//

I haven't forgotten about the pictures from the most recent China adventure... just haven't had time to edit with all this thesis work and such. I did finally download the beautiful mess app, though, which I'm now addicted to. yay for iphone apps, the perfect distraction when you need one!

happy day!

//flight outfit// //work calendar//

I don't know what makes me happier - completing my teaching contract (in the words of one of my students, "cha-ching!") or jetting off to Paris to celebrate my former roommate's wedding and our four year anniversary. Now if I can just focus enough to get that last draft of my thesis finalized before I go...

planning v. producing

//voce cafe//

Producing > planning. When I'm planning, I'm nurturing the perfectionist inside myself. This woman can write to-do lists, type out optimum strategies, and gather research all day long. Planning is my way of managing imperfect information and controlling what I can. The problem with planning is that it's not results-oriented. I can have the most detailed plans... and nothing to show for them. On those days when I felt really busy but in hindsight don't know what I actually accomplished - those were planning days. My goal for the rest of this month and for July is to execute better. This means diving into a project and letting the next action steps appear naturally v. attempting to map out each detailed to-do from start to finish, sending that email without waiting for the exact right words to come, just editing those photographs v. writing a list of all the sets of photographs that need to be edited. Done is better than perfect.

My action steps:

1. Spend 15 minutes at the beginning of the week and 10 minutes every morning mapping out the week/day, and then stop there. Whenever I'm feeling tired or out of focus, I have this bad habit of editing and adding to my to-do list. That just makes me feel even more tired and overwhelmed. I'm going to change that by only taking out my planner when I have a new idea or need to cross something off my list. Ten minutes of solid planning is enough for a day's worth of execution.
2. Determine my TOP 10. Prioritization is key to feeling that sense of accomplishment. I can get 10 non-critical things done and still feel anxiety because I didn't finish that one thing that I was really supposed to be working on. Each week, I'm asking myself, what do I really want to accomplish this week? This week, I have 7 priorities that I know I'll feel great having accomplished by the end of the week.
3. Create something every day. I love inspiration and seeking out inspiration, but "inspiration-hunting" for me can often devolve into time wasted on blogs, twitter feeds, news articles, and Pinterest. I'm holding myself accountable to creating something everyday, whether it be a blog post, an appendix for my thesis, or an online photo album.

Any tips for making the most of your time? I'd love to know.

This week, I'm also on my BFF Hollyanne's awesome lifestyle blog, hk in love, featured in her new series on coffeehouses.

a collection no. 1

I come across so many things on the internet that I've decided to start a series on this little blog where I curate a collection of what's stood out to me the most lately - everything from accessories to articles. This is a collection, no. 1.

Mantra: take it easy
Dress: joie devitri blouse // zara ballerina with ankle strap shoes // rebecca minkoff woven MAC bag // michael kors taylor mini watch
Read: the shining girls
Work: kids these days // earning to give // how i made it: emily schuman

and not pictured:
Photography: rick poon's a la mode journals