There are many (many) days that end with our hands in our hair, followed quickly by hefting the closest bottle of Pinot. Sometimes the day just gets the better of you and shit hits the fan. And we are not above that. But when we sat down and thought about it, we realized that each of us have some habits and employ some tools that help keep that mounting inbox-induced panic or to-do list anxiety in check. They don't always work, but laying them out here at least makes us feel like we have our shit together y'know?
Noah Lehava
Senior Editor
1. Professor Pour Over Stand: I'm definitely dependent on my morning cup of coffee, but try to limit myself to just one (you could say I'm a caffeine lightweight). Before I've had my fill, I can hardly form a comprehensive sentence. That's why my goal this year is to make that singular cup the very best it can be. Plus, this little contraption is just so grown up. Adult goals, people.
2. Smythson notebook: This pretty much encapsulates exactly how I treat my notebooks: inconsistently. I have every intention of writing down my to do list every day, but, if I'm being completely honest, I rarely refer back to it. Yeah, this is one area where I need to get my shit together.
3. Sleep Cycle Alarm: My snooze game has gotten a bit out of control. As in, I have to set my alarm a full hour before I open my eyes. Here's hoping this changes my horrible :zzz: habit.
4. Bailey Nelson glasses: You know that awkward moment when someone on the street waves to you and you have to get as close as one foot away to recognize them? Yeah, that's me all the time. Let's just say I've been putting off getting my eyes checked for far too long. BUT guess what? I just ordered my first pair of glasses and they arrived today. So, friends, say hi!
5. Just Not Sorry plugin: I recently wrote about this handy little app and it's actually changed how I communicate. Ladies, download and use. Trust.
Meagan Wilson
Senior Editor
1. Saint Laurent boots: A pair of no-nonsense boots in black with a just-significant-enough heel so that you feel good, but not so significant you're limping after two hours heel is the real MVP. :key: They make me feel one hundred times more confident and go the longest way in making getting dressed in the morning easier.
2. Boomerang for Gmail: I'm a freak who loves to deal with at least a small handful of email late at night, even if I get home in a wee, inappropriate hour to be sending said emails. Enter my Boomerang subscription, which lets me schedule everything to be sent during daytime hours.
3. R&CO Tinsel Smoothing Oil: I'm a creature of habit and crave routine to the point where it's embarrassing. While my dry shampoo pick remains the same month after month, a little bit of this stuff on the ends of my hair is just the thing to balance out the fact that I'm spraying half a can of Batiste into my roots every morning.
4. Cardio: Equally embarrassing and indicative of my obsession with routine is the fact that not only do I still drink the exact same thing for breakfast I told you about six-plus months ago (I also drank it for at least a year before we wrote this story, too...); but I also am becoming the kind of person who craves exercise. I promise I can hang and stuff, but it has also made me feel like a generally nicer, less constantly anxious person. I touched on it here, but it's pretty much the only time I can not think about everything happening on my phone, which is pretty pathetic; but like, hi 2016!
5. Loewe keychain: I'm one of those people who your dad jokes would lose their head if it wasn't attached to them. Fancy pouches and keychains I have to try really hard not to lose are my attempt to nip that in the bud.
Emily Ramshaw
Senior Editor
1. Inbox management: I could write a whole story on this topic alone, because I swear it's a science—also, there's no one way. But here's what works for me: anything I haven't dealt with remains marked unread until I do. Admittedly, this method gets a little scary when my unread number starts to creep up (the red number on my iPhone is my very worst enemy), and some of the messages in that list are embarrassingly old... but I'll get to them eventually.
2. My mornings: I try to make it a rule for myself not to do work until I get to the office; and I stick to a very specific routine that makes me feel like I'm getting a clear-minded start to the day. And there isn't even any exercise involved! Essentially I actually sit down and eat breakfast and drink coffee and read (not from a screen). There's something about having time in the morning (even though I'm constantly running late) that makes the rest of my workday seem manageable.
3. Notebook: I write down as much as I can as soon as I think of it. Even if I'm lying in bed at night. Because you never know when a good idea will strike—am I right?
4. A book: Reading real books (i.e. not the internet) is my form of meditation. If I'm not currently reading a book, I feel distinctly more stressed. Right now I'm reading this one.
5. iPhone: Like most people, if I lose track of my phone, even for a second, I go into full panic mode. I kind of hate how attached I am to the device, but every practical thing (and procrastination tool) I'd ever need is on that phone.
Alicia Cesaro
Editor
1. Comme des Garçons pouch: I'm not sure when my obsession with putting bags inside of bags first began, but I flat out refuse to let everything scatter around the bottom without being properly corralled in another smaller pouch. Like cords, lip balms, pencils, keys, y'know. And yes, I know I sound like a complete nerd right now.
2. NYT Now: I'm all about The Skimm but I've been supplementing that with The New York Times' daily debrief, which is :ok_hand:. Because knowing (even a little bit) about current events is always a plus at dinner parties with IRL adults.
3. Larson & Jennings watch: I may have an iPhone semi-permanently attached to my palm, but I still check my watch religiously. Which is kind of nice, right?
4. Texture App: I used to drop casual $$$ on a couple magazines at CVS whenever I went shopping for, like, mascara. In addition to the monthly subscriptions. And as much as I love a print magazine in my hand, I can't argue with this app, which offers unlimited magazines for $10 a month. it's just fiscally responsible. Plus then I can read Real Simple unabashedly.
5. Connor Stationary: Because, snail mail; especially thank you notes.