Here we are enjoying our day after a national holiday here in the United States and probably working as well even though if you’re like me, it’ll be super slow at work. This past week has been one of new transitions for me as first I replaced my old original Nespresso machine to a new, Nespresso Vertuo model as well as receiving news that I got a job that I interviewed for back in June, and with the new position, instead of working from home full time it will be a hybrid position of working 2 days from home and 3 days in office (which I love and was what I was looking for). With so many exciting changes coming up, I wanted to do this week’s Curated Post dedicated to office-life to provide some inspiration and ideas for myself and others who also may be working in an office either full or part time.
I personally love going into an office to work. I really appreciate the structure and routines that I had while I worked in an office back in 2019. The office building that I work in as well is a nice one that is close to things like Target, Starbucks, other coffee shops and restaurants, but it also has its own top floor cafeteria and dining section as well (including an outdoor dining section). It’s not only the routines that I loved about office life, but also the office style as well. I loved dressing up and wearing my cute office outfits as well as styling my work life in general, everything from my cubicle to my lunchbox was thoughtfully curated for my work life.
Next week we’ll be back to the usual Curated Weekly, but for this week enjoy some corporate girl lifestyle inspiration.
BOOKS, SHOPPING, MEDIA, ETC.
One of the first things that I knew I needed to get was some high heel shoes as most of my heels are from 2018/2019 and are a little wore down over the years. One of my favorite brands to purchase heels from is Nine West as their shoes are great quality, but for a good price. My goal is to get a pair of black, nude and brown suede heels and I was able to get a pair of Fresh Pointy Toe Pumps in black so far. Sadly, their nude and brown seem to be sold out even they are showing online, but I still have a month to find these even they are not from Nine West.
Even though my office does have its own cafeteria, there are certainly going to be days that I want to pack my own lunch as well as any snacks or drinks that I want to take in with me, so I needed to get a new lunchbox. I have been a fan of Modern Picnic for years, and I got this Modern Picnic The Luncher Lunchbox in navy blue off of Poshmark for $50.00. The link provided is to their original site which charges full price, but if you love this bag like I do, you can also search it out on google shopping as there’s often MP bags on Poshmark, Ebay, Mercari and even in stores like Off 5th that sell them at a discounted price.
My signature style for the office is for sure pencil skirts paired with dressy tops (think Rachel Zane from Suits), luckily, I did keep most of my pencil skirts from my previous in-office job since I do wear them to dress up for a nice dinner, so for back to the office I only bought this one Sateen Pencil Skirt from White House Black Market since I do not have a blue pencil skirt already. This should pair well with many of the tops that I already have, and I really loved this shade of blue on this skirt as well.
Also, another good office staple to have in the work wardrobe are a few dresses. If you have been around my blog or Instagram long enough then you know I am a fan of Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory, and BR Factory was the first place that I looked and found what I was looking for. Since my signature style leans into the pencil skirt already, I find the sheath dresses are of the same style and fit, so for my back-to-office wardrobe I purchased the Sculpted Sheath Dress as well as this Basic Knee-Length Sheath Dress. Both items will look great styled with belts, cardigans or blazers.
Moving onto the beauty category for back to the office, when I am working from home I will moisturize daily with a scented lotion as a way to save my Jo Malone Perfume for the nicer occasions, but since I am going back to the office I will be wearing my jo Malone perfume as my everyday scent, but I don’t want to mix a scented lotion with a perfume, so I wanted to purchase a good quality body moisturizer that is unscented. After doing some research I decided to purchase the Nécessaire – The Body Lotion – Firming Moisturizer With 5 Peptides and 2.5% Niacinamide. I am already a fan of this brand, so I am looking forward to using their body lotion soon.
Another office must have for me is a hand moisturizer. When you work in an office you will for sure be washing and sanitizing your hands more often than what you do when you’re simply at home. I do use hand moisturizer at home as well, so I already know that the Ouai Hand Cream will be in my office bag daily. The moisturizer feels very smooth on the skin and the scent of Rue St. Honore is so luxurious. I love this lotion so much that I may be buying one for my office bag and one to keep right there at the office as well.
Going back to the office is so fun for me. It’s like back to school where you get to buy your school supplies all over again, but with grownup money. When I start on July 29th I will be in-office for 5 days a week until I am trained up which may take a month or two, so I want to make sure I have everything I need on hand at my desk. I will be able to assess fully what I might need once I start, but I will be getting a few things that I know I will want off-hand. These items I will simply order on Amazon, and they include, this Aesthetic Thick Spiral Notebook, U Brands Cataline Felt Pens, this Glass Tumbler, some transparent sticky notes, and highlighters.
And of course, sticking with our work life/productivity theme, I am adding some books that I am interested in or have already read and loved to this week’s Curated post. Starting off is 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think. I own and have read this book and find myself coming back to it time and time again. Described as, a collection of author Brianna Wiest’s most beloved pieces of writing. Her meditations include why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: this idea changed my life.
A book that has been on my TBR list for a while is The Pivot Year by the same author as above, Brianna Wiest. This looks to be a great book about transition and is broken down into 365 daily meditations that you can either read right through or take it one day at a time. The book is described as, this is the year you change your life. There’s a saying that when the moment comes, you don’t need words on a page, you need new thoughts in your head. When the moment really comes when you have to find your courage, when you have to let go, when you don’t know what to do, you aren’t going to go to your bookshelf to try to find the answer. You need it with you here and now. Devote the next twelve months of your life to making measured and real change, beginning with your mindset. The Pivot Year is a book of 365 daily meditations on finding the courage to become who you’ve always wanted to be.
And because we can often find ourselves overwhelmed with too much to do, especially when you are working outside the home, this book, The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life will be a great. As a girl who already loves to simplify, I have no doubt this book will be a great read before renterning back into the office. Described as, with the countless distractions that come from every corner of a modern life, it’s amazing that we’re ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary – freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better. By setting limits for yourself and making the most of the resources you already have, you’ll finally be able work less, work smarter, and focus on living the life that you deserve.
While I am a girl who loves being productive and getting things done, I am also a girl who does take time out to rest and recharge. This book is on my TBR as well, The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age. It’s always good for our health to take rest in the midst of our busy-ness in life and this book looks to give all the good inspiration and tips to do so. Described as, much of value has been written about sleep, but rest is different; it is how we unwind, calm our minds and recharge our bodies. The Art of Rest draws on ground-breaking research Claudia Hammond collaborated on: ‘The Rest Test’, the largest global survey into rest ever undertaken, completed by 18,000 people across 135 different countries. The survey revealed how people get rest and how it is directly linked to your sense of wellbeing. Counting down through the top ten activities which people find most restful, Hammond explains why rest matters, examines the science behind the results to establish what really works and offers a roadmap for a new, more restful and balanced life.
Since I am focusing on back to the office this week, I have uploaded some fun, career motivation/productivity or day-in-the-life videos. I love watching these on YouTube for inspiration and ideas, and here are the ones that I have watched and liked recently.
articles of interest
Because I am a goal-loving kind of person and am about to return to office life, I found this article, 7 Career Goals You Set Now and Accomplish by Year-End a good read.
When it comes to computers for work, company backgrounds and lock screens can be so plain or boring. Two places where I get my monthly tech backgrounds from are The EveryGirl and Good Mondays Paper.
If you enjoy a good podcast like I do and are looking for some in the career/productivity genre, try listening to Working Hard/Hardly Working, Busy, Yet Pretty, and Secrets of the Corporate Game.
I do love some good productivity hacks, and in this article on The EveryGirl shares 20 Productivity Hacks to Make Your Day Easier.
If you struggle with time management in your daily life and are looking for some tips, then check out this article, Is Time Management A Skill I Can Develop?
And to round out the list of articles for this week, if you have been working from home a lot like I have these past 4 years, then check out this article, 5 Simple Ways to Manage Work-From-Home Burnout.
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