post off: are you as busy as you think?
A few weeks ago, an article making the Facebook rounds caught my eye. In it, author Laura Vanderkam asks “Are you as busy as you think?” Now. To hear me answer that the way I’d like to, you’d think I was giving the President a run for his money in the overburdened schedules department. I always feel busy, often without respite. And the truth is, I am busy. At least in recent years, I haven’t come face-to-face with a block of time I couldn’t fill, but it’s how we choose to use that time, and how we talk about it that matters. For starters, according to Vanderkam it’s our perception of what we’re busy with that could use some work. Most American sleep more and work less than they believe they do. And, we also fill those remaining hours with tasks that may not be in line with our true priorities. To get a better handle on what really fills our days, she suggest three simple things: keeping a time log to help really understand exactly where the time goes, to be honest about how we want to fill that time and to change the way we speak, reminding ourselves that our priorities should dictate our schedules, and not the other way around. For me, it all comes back to a quote by David Allen, (author of this insightful book on the subject): “You can do anything, but not everything.” We have to choose. It seems simple, but in reality proves difficult to put into practice. Do you agree? Do you feel like your days are packed with no escape? Let’s chat!
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want it now: the little printer
I’m not sure why I want it. I have no idea how much it will cost (unannounced). I don’t even know when it will be available (the site only says sometime next year, in beta). Still, I can’t help thinking how much fun it would be to print Onion headlines from my iPhone. Or 1,000 other equally silly but meaningful things. You, too, can get hooked on the little printer. Watch the video, then add your name to the mailing list for launch details — Sarah L.
…wishing my home office was an archipod
Occasionally I am lucky enough to spend the day working from home. I hole up in an upstairs office and power through a ton of things on my to-do list that I can’t do in the “regular” office due to meetings, interruptions and such. But how much more fun would working from home be if we had an Archipod in our back yard! Like a futuristic cottage, these round stand-alone huts are both cozy and space age. The dome shape allows natural light to flood in, making the tiny interior seem bigger than it is. Apparently it arrives in parts that be carried through your house into the back garden — so even city dwellers with row-houses could indulge. Circular desk included! Click here for more info and to see plans. — Angela M.
american apparel gets stationery
Perhaps we should expect some grainy, provocative pictures of pencils and desk lamps in the near future because American Apparel has just launched an office and stationery line. In all seriousness, the products are pretty cute! From tiny erasers shaped like teeth and fruit to crayon rocks, the new stationery line is quirky with plenty of colorful Sharpies and sturdy notebooks thrown in for practicality’s sake. If your office supply list includes gold lame leggings and post-its, consider American Apparel for your one-stop shopping needs. –- Katie D.
site we’re psyched about: poketo
For a few years now, I’ve been spotting these super-groovy vinyl wallets designed by a bunch of different artists all made by Poketo. I’ve always thought they were great, but I knew nothing about who made them at all. So when browsing around one of my favorite shops the other day, I ran across some of the grooviest stationery products I’d ever seen, made by, you guessed it, Poketo. So much more than wallets, Poketo (named after a mispronunciation of the word “pocket”) is, as they call themselves, “art for your everyday” — that means smart and whimsical stationery, housewares, and oh so much more. It’s easy to get lost in this art-filled wonderland; but a couple of points of interest are the brilliant Desk-it calendar (a weekly calendar post-it note pad), the open-dated Clover planner, the rechargeable Music Balloon portable speaker, and the perfect gift for dad: a Cast Iron Tool bottle opener.
Best part? All this “everyday art” is priced affordably for just about everyone. And if they sound familiar, they designed a hyper-popular line for Target last year that went in a flash. Thankfully for us though, they’re sticking around. — Megan B.
