cute stuff for the office ...

omg ... have you gals out there seen some of the new stuff on see jane work?  

if you haven't take a look!

i started my new year with a nice new notebook ...

i can't tell you how much i love this idea!  52 notecards in a box ...

and finally ... i need to add some style to my office ... and this double duty scribble pad is perfect!

adding something with a little bit of pretty & functional is totally what i need these days!

happy shopping!
-k

{source}

i’ve been reading a lot of self-help books lately and while i’m learning some good stuff one of the things that pops out is that many of these authors don’t work in the corporate world.  now do i blame them – heck no … but when your self-employed there are two very significant differences:  1) you determine your work hours & schedule and 2) generally if you’re self-employed your primary focus is split between getting new/more work and doing the work that you currently have.  there isn’t a lot of “people leadership” that the self-employed have to be responsible for.  additionally by nature their lives can be more simplistic since they are generally working on 1-4 projects at a time.  again this is something that is just so alluring. iI often feel daunted by the 15-20 projects my team is taking on in a given week or month and also the difficult combination of production (getting the work done) and coaching the people who get the work done.  it’s a lot … on top of my home & family life. 

so how do we juggle it?  do you think it’s possible to “have it all”? have you found any books on productivity for being a manager & a mom?

-k

fun with wacky holidays

in order to infuse some fun into every day life i've started celebrating some of the lesser known holidays at work and at home.  the reaction from folks has been really positive so i wanted to share.

{a calendar you can buy}

there is a lot of intensity in my department at work - it's the culture at our company & in order to combat that we take every opportunity to take a break and celebrate milestones on the team (birthdays, anniversaries, etc).  but last year i started noticing that there were some gaps in the celebrations and wanted to add a little more fun into our everyday.  i think i was watching the local news as i was getting ready and they mentioned a quirky holiday and that's when i got the thought to research some of those holidays and bring them into the office to celebrate.  i found this site that has them all listed out and i picked no more than 2 holidays per/month to try out.  one i do for my local team and the second we try to celebrate internationally.  below are some of the holidays i plan to celebrate with my team in the first quarter.  

january 16th - celebrate national hot tea month {local}

january 24th - compliment day {international}

february 7th - opening ceremonies of the winter olympics

february 10th - clean out your computer day {international}

february 14th - valentine's day {local}

february 17th - random acts of kindness day {international}

march 7th - employee appreciation day {local & international}

march 14th - national potato chip day {local}

but i didn't want to just have all of the fun at work ... so i've started doing some fun things at home to celebrate the silly holidays, too.  the kids love the chance to celebrate anything they can and even if our celebration only lasts 15 minutes it's a chance at capturing a memory. 

january 19th - national popcorn day

january 23 - national measure your feet day

february 1st - ice cream for breakfast day
february 2 - ground hog's day

february 7th - opening ceremonies of the winter olympics

february 14th - valentine's day

march 15th - incredible kid day

march 17th - st patrick's day

march 25th - waffle day

when you add it up it's actually a lot to do every month so if you're just starting out keep it small and easy - and if your employees or kids ask why we're celebrating just say it's just a random thing i wanted to try - that way you're not committing to too much.  this year i may try to get some of my other managers in on it too ... i also team up with some of my peers on some stuff {like the employee appreciation day - we can get a bigger group together and have a pizza or ice cream party}.  

the point is just to have fun ... and remind people to live in the moment.  

what are some of the fun holidays you celebrate with co-workers or with your kids?  

-k

holiday desk décor

i don’t like to go too overboard with holiday décor in the office but i’ve found a little goes a long way … and with more corporations not allowing decorations i’ve found putting a few fun little things in my office tends to lift spirits.  i tend to steer clear of anything religious {remember i work in hr after all} but just adding some winter items or pops of holiday color set a festive mood.  here are some ideas to inspire you ... 

 

 

  

 

{pencils, peppermints,  snowflake mugs, green frame, red bowl, file folders, snow globes, paper cups}

happy {work} holidays! 

dress for the job you want ...

you've heard it before but this is something that I really believe in ... and in the current state of "casual corporate" culture I find that there are many working mothers who tend to forget about this little piece of advice.  i'm sure part of it is time ... who has the time to find great outfits and then pick them out day after day.  I can tell you that it's not easy.  I went through a spell where I was working out of the house and told myself that it didn't matter because my clients didn't see me, little did I know I was spiraling into a state of being a shlumpadinka!  It was bad!  I look back on those years and i'm embarrassed to see pictures of myself.  and now that i'm back in the corporate office I see women all the time that fall into this.  either they have lost their style or they never put much value in it in the first place.  don't get me wrong ... all style and no substance is not a formula for success, but showing a little bit of effort in your appearance will not go unnoticed in the corporate environment.

 

in coming out of my own fashion rut ... I thought i'd share some of m tips, tricks and  "go-to" stores ...

 

Tip #1

Find a store or a couple of stores that are your "go-to" places to shop for fashion ... without a doubt my favorite is banana republic.  I know how their sizes fit and know when they have their sales ... so I can do a lot of my shopping online also I can purchase coordinating pieces so maybe get 3 or 4 pieces at a time that look good and I know in a pinch I can pull them together. 

Tip #2

Don't be afraid to copy "be inspired by" a style that you see and like.  I've got a bit of a pinterest addiction ... but I go out there all the time to look for good office fashion and let me tell you there is a ton of it out there.  what I love about pinterest is that it combines a lot of the best places on the internet.  Below is an example of looks that are out there. 

 source

 

Tip #3

Organize your closet into outfits every couple of weeks ...

source

 

disclosure:  this is not my closet but isn't it lovely?  

 

I'll go through my closet and pick out different outfits when I have the time (kids having a play date or hubs practicing with the kids, etc) and I'm feeling a little creative.  I also keep a fashion journal of what I wear everyday ... I always take notes - especially if I'm experimenting or wearing something for the first time - how it felt - did I feel confident or shlumpy?  Would I wear that outfit again? 

 

 

All of that said ... It has taken me almost 3 years to build up my wardrobe from my post baby slump.  I still have those days that I stare at the clothes in my closet and wonder what to wear.  And there are still some tricks that I want to try so I promise to pass them along to you.