Category Archives: Life

A Change of Scenery


This post is sponsored by smartwater. All opinions are my own.

Skirt The Rules // Tips on Working Remotely

When it comes to the daily grind, my weekday routine is pretty much set: office, gym, home and repeat. Besides deciding whether to splurge on soy milk in my morning coffee, I usually don’t switch things up too often. Routines cut both ways. For the Type A kind of people, there’s a sense of control in predictability. For the chaotically disorganized (i.e. me), it can feel a little stifling. So when I had the opportunity to spend some time at the smartwater WeWork space, I knew I had to make the most of it.

Skirt The Rules // WeWork New York CityThere are a bunch of different WeWork office spaces around New York City (and across the globe), but the smartwater space happens to be right in my neighborhood of Gramercy. Even though it’s only blocks away from my apartment, the change of scenery was just what I needed to get the creative juices flowing. From the minimalist work space to the inviting seating area, the new environment felt like a breath of fresh air. I camped out to do a little bit of work and a little bit of blogging, but mostly to find a little serenity in an otherwise noisy and bustling city.

Modern Office Decor with Goldfish

Now that my wedding is over, I plan on settling into this space for a bit — taking a little breather from the rigors of routine so that I can come back focused and re-energized. After I conquer the art of maximizing productivity, I’ll be more ready and more inspired than ever!

Skirt The Rules // Succulents for Office Decor Skirt The Rules // Skirt The Rules // Succulents for Office Decor Skirt The Rules // WeWork New York

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This story is brought to you by smartwater, who believes in making progress every day little by little and sip by sip. That’s how you move up up up.

Think Smart, Work Smarter


This post is sponsored by smartwater. All opinions are my own.

Skirt The Rules // Peonies and Diptyque Candle

Eat, sleep, work and blog. That’s what it seems like my life has been lately — add on the fact that my fiancé and I are gearing up for our wedding in less than two weeks and you can basically remove sleep from the equation.

Skirt The Rules // iMac & Gold Stapler

Not that I’m complaining … this is, hands down, the most exciting year of my life and I plan on soaking up every second of it.  The only caveat: no one ever said it would be easy.  Whether you’re planning a wedding, running a blog, or just getting started, here are a few tips that I use to keep it all together:

1. Know your limits and keep yourself in check.  I’m a notorious procrastinator — just ask anyone who knows me. I’d like to think that I work better under pressure — the closer to a deadline I get, the more productive I become. But that doesn’t mean that I’m running around like my head cut off at the eleventh hour. I keep myself in check with a good old fashion to-do list. It gives me a clear snapshot of everything on my plate and helps me prioritize what I need to get done stat.  (Expert tip: the cuter the stationary, the better!)

Skirt The Rules // Peonies and Diptyque Candle

2. Stay inspired by leading an inspiring life.  Scrolling through Pinterest or flipping through magazines is great for a quick fix, but I prefer something longer lasting. That’s why when I’m in a rut, I try something I’ve never done before. A new experience or a change of scenery is just what your mind needs to jumpstart itself. Most recently, I went to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden and felt inspired by all the gorgeous colors. Next up, I want to try cooking classes with my fiancé in Brooklyn and try my hand at new cuisines. New experiences equals new inspiration!

Skirt The Rules // White Desk

3. Be thoughtful and act with purpose. On any given day, I stay late at work, hit the gym, come home and cook dinner and then finally write my blog post for the next day. By the time I’m ready to pass out, I look back and wonder where the day went. It’s easy to forget your long-term goals when you’re busy enough with the daily grind. Believe me, there are days when writing blog posts feel like a chore and times when wedding planning makes eloping in Vegas seem like a good idea (just kidding, Mom!). But then I think about the big picture and remind myself of what I’m trying to accomplish.  The more you inject purpose into your day-to-day, the more fulfilling the small tasks feel.

I hope you found these thoughts helpful.  Lots of major moments and projects to come and I can’t wait to share them all with you!

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This story is brought to you by smartwater, who believes in making progress every day little by little and sip by sip.

Weekend Plans

Skirt The Rules // Gold Initial Mug

Top // Bralette // Sweatpants // Mug

There are two things about the weekend that I absolutely love: the second I leave the office on Fridays and the moment I wake up in the morning on Saturdays.  Unless I’ve had a late night out, I barely ever sleep in on weekends anymore — it’s kind of a gift and a curse.  I wake up feeling like the possibilities are endless, but also with a sense of urgency.  Like I need to jump out of bed and do as many productive, fun and/or Instagram-worthy things in the next 48 hours.

Skirt The Rules // Weekend Wear

Blame it on the city life.  There’s always something to do.  Somewhere to be.  Some workout class I need to drag myself to.  I fill up my weekends with errands, brunch dates, blog photos and by the time I know it, it’s Sunday night and I’m left wondering where the time went.  Does anyone else have this problem?

Skirt The Rules // Lazy Weekend Outfit

For most people, this is a no brainer, but I’m starting to learn how to chill out on weekends — to cast aside the FOMO of not having the coolest/craziest/most productive weekend ever.  To remind myself that it’s okay to sleep in, lounge around in my favorite t-shirt and sweats and binge watch season 3 of House of Cards.  Happy Friday friends!  Here’s to a relaxing weekend ahead!

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