I recently read an article about how “boring is productive” — and they cited numerous CEO-types, including Barack Obama, about how when you take certain choices out of your life, you free your brain to think about other things. Obama was quoted as saying: “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” (Pictured.) [Read more...]
Variety Versus Routine
10/29/2012 By 47 Comments
How Do You Make Your Evenings Productive?
10/18/2012 By 127 Comments
What are the best ways to recharge after work — and reclaim those hours as a productive time for you? Reader R wonders:
Do you have any tips for recharging after work so you can have a more productive night? I keep reading about how mothers like Sheryl Sandberg go home and do another 5 hours of work after they put the kids to bed, but I’m exhausted by then! All I can do is stare at the TV with a glass of wine. Help!
I totally agree, R! I’m curious to hear what the readers say because evening productivity has always been one of my biggest struggles. (Pictured.) I’ve never been very successful at doing work work at home in the evening, but I have had periods where I’ve felt my evenings weren’t a total waste. Things I’ve done in the past include: [Read more...]
Taking Vacation – Without Losing Your Mind
10/11/2012 By 29 Comments
How can you take all of the vacation time to which you’re entitled — without falling behind on work and stressing yourself out? Reader K has a great question:
I’m a prosecutor so one of my benefits is a lot of vacation tine. “Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich”recommends taking it, so I do. I wind up working so many hours in preparation for vacation I am exhausted, grouchy, and usually sick when I leave. Then I spend the first part of my trip recovering. How do other readers get prepared to be out of the office without going crazy?
Sing it, sister — I totally know how that goes. We’ve polled readers to see how much vacation time you’ve taken, and had an open thread about how to prepare for vacations long ago, but I thought it might be worth revisiting. (Pictured.)
Some suggestions:
- Plan, plan, plan. Know what’s due before you leave, when you’re gone, and when you return. Prioritize things based on the schedule, but also based on how much work you can get done, if needed, while on the plane or (heaven forbid) the vacation itself. For example: that fact-based project with a zillion binders? Get that one done at the office. That article you’re writing — for which the research is done but the article is heavily in need of editing? — that’s a great project for the plane, if it comes to that. [Read more...]
Easy Weeknight Dinners (and Kat’s Top Five Lazy Dinners)
10/02/2012 By 272 Comments
For busy women, preparing dinner all too often falls into the “takeout” category. (I’ll admit it: I totally lived off Seamless Web during my law firm years.) But preparing your own meals at home can be so much better — not only do you know exactly what’s in the dinner, it’s almost always cheaper and healthier to make it yourself. We’ve talked about how the crockpot is amazing for quick, easy dinners, my best tips on how to freeze food without a vacuum sealer, as well as great grab-and-go foods for snacking and lunches, but we haven’t totally hit on Reader K’s question before:
I’m starting my first biglaw job next week and I’m looking for a few easy workweek dinner ideas. My husband and I try to avoid eating takeout more than 1X per week, but I’m not sure how I’m going to manage cooking dinner every night with my new schedule. Do you have any advice for making quick and healthy meals during the week?
I can’t wait to hear what readers will say! I know we’ve talked about the crockpot before, but I really do have to stress how great it is — you prepare food in the morning when you still have energy and the best intentions, and you come home to a dinner that’s usually ready to be served up. (And crockpot liners
How to Avoid Ironing
09/25/2012 By 81 Comments
Can you look professional — without ironing your clothes every day? Reader K is particularly curious about how to avoid ironing t-shirts:
Not sure if you or the commentators have any tips or tricks to keep folded shirts from creasing. Certain kind of fold? Only stacking two high? Certain detergent that is less susceptible to creasing? I know this sounds like a silly question, but I hate ironing my cotton t shirts (under cardigans, blazers, etc) first thing in the morning! Thanks.
Wow. I have to say, I’m impressed — much of my laundry routine is based around the fact that I will do almost anything to avoid pulling out the iron. I hang-dry my washable pants so the waists drag them down, straightening them. I buy non-iron blouses and hang-dry those after 15 minutes or — ha ha — I wear sweaters and other things don’t require ironing. But part of this may be because I’ve always lived in NYC, and it’s a pain to get the ironing board and iron set up in the inevitable small space that is an NYC apartment.
I’m curious to hear what the commenters say, but here are some thoughts: [Read more...]
Tales from the Wallet: How to Manage Many Financial Accounts
08/29/2012 By 91 Comments
How do you manage your money without getting stressed out with a million accounts? When we talked about automatic investments a few weeks ago, some readers noted that having too many accounts was stressful to them. So let’s talk about some easier ways to manage the money, how to get a bird’s eye view of your holdings, and some tips to make your general financial life easier. [Read more...]
