Sunday, August 21, 2016

Satur(daze)

The notes app of my phone is full of 1000 lists. Places to go, things to do, stuff to buy... when Apple added the check box feature, I got ridiculously excited. Last weekend, I had a free Saturday for what felt like the first time in forever, and while normally I like to jam pack my weekends with activities, sometimes you just need a day to recoup. To plan for this day, I made a to-do list of course!

I understand that for some,  "a day off to-do list" seems like an oxymoron, but I find that without planning, a day off quickly amounts to zero productivity and leaves me feeling more anxious than well rested.  For me, planning creates a more perfect day, one where I can relax while focusing my energy on things I love and projects I wish I had more time for. 

Below is my last Saturday to-do list:


1. Drink Iced Coffee

I live above a coffee shop in Astoria and I also have an espresso maker in my bedroom. Lacking the foresight to make and refrigerate coffee the night before, I relied on the former for my Saturday caffeine fix. 


2. Eat Breakfast in Bed

I sipped my coffee while making an omelet and then climbed right back into bed for a little breakfast with Netflix. 


3. Blog

Working on Whale & Wishbone is something that doesn't happen nearly as often I would like. I sometimes think people believe blogging is easy: take some photos, write some words, done. Honestly, though, it's an incredibly time intensive process. It takes me hours to put together a single blog post, from planning, shooting and photo editing to writing and revising. Often weekdays leave me too exhausted, so I loved being able to dedicate a few hours to it on weekends.  

P.S. I'm always in awe of bloggers who make it look easy: Courtney, Sarah and Tiffany, and Izy are a few of my favorites.  




4. Take a Walk

I don't like days when I never leave the apartment or change out of my pajamas, because they feel unproductive even if I'm accomplishing things indoors. This particular Saturday happened to be upwards of 90 degrees so I even walking outside for 20 minutes was rough. However, I did manage to grab a few groceries and accomplish my next list item...


5. Buy Flowers

There's nothing like buying flowers just because. The addition of a living thing to my space brings me energy and all around good vibes. 


6. Listen to Records

Remember when I told you I was buying a record player? Well I did and it is my favorite thing ever. It's beautiful and listening to records makes me so happy. My dad keeps sending me albums: Boz Scaggs, the Beatles, Supertramp, the Spinners, hits from Motown... I love them all. It's nice to bring it back to listening to every song on an album rather than just shuffling my library. 


7. Go Makeup Free

I like to occasionally give my skin the day off too. Avène Cleansing Gel, Marcelle Energizing Hydrating Gel, and Glossier Coconut Balm Dotcom are the only products I used during the day. Taking a makeup breather always leaves my skin feeling healthy and refreshed. 


8. Read

For a while, I was never good about finding time to read for pleasure, but recently I've taken to carrying a book around everywhere I go. So now, the majority of my reading happens on the train. Most recently I've read Harry Potter and Cursed Child and Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble. The latter is part of a Birchbox book club my boss organized. We're currently reading Organizing Genius. I'm also getting back into Modern Lovers after a break, which is what I read on this Saturday. 


9. Paint 

I've really been getting into watercolors lately. Mostly, I've been painting a series of dogs that I may eventually share with you. On this Saturday, I broke my K-9 streak and put aside my general dislike for house cats to paint my roommate's cat for her. 


10. Eat Ice Cream

I'm seriously considering doing an entire post about my love for Halo Top. It's 240 calories a pint, A PINT. Try it. Just do it. 


11. Facetime

I will always prefer a call over a text, and on this Saturday I facetimed with my mom and sister for over an hour. Those two make me laugh so hard when they're together that I keep telling them to start a podcast.  These kind of chats make it easier to live 8 hours from home. I snapped a screenshot, but I know they would not be thrilled if I included it here.


Days like these allow me to regroup my thoughts and head into the work week feeling refreshed and re-energized. I had more on my list, but the point is not to accomplish everything. It's to add a little structure to my schedule and remind me to fill my day with projects, people and things that bring me joy

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