Stop Pretending That You Are a Kind Person
When we rounded up our staff’s weekly updates last Friday, our editors were adding sound designs to our bathrooms, selflessly canceling subscriptions, and reimagining our family-friendly expectations.
At the beginning of the new year, we do a thorough cleaning of the apartments, switch to permanent tables, change the usual writing order and save money on Target targets.
What updates have you made this week? Let us know in the comments.
Keep your New Year holidays small
For the second year in a row, my wife and I had a small New Year’s Eve party with less than a dozen guests and no one splashed out completely, which was a big relief. Downgrade: We realized that our streaming app was delaying and the ball in Times Square was becoming useless. So we did a version of Phil Collins’ Start the Year Right , but HE GOT THE WRONG TIME.
Nick Douglas, staff writer
Stick to New Year’s cleaning decisions
I organized my wardrobe and chest of drawers. I washed my bathroom deep and added this shower stall which I really like. I bought a basket that has a removable laundry bag to facilitate transportation from the apartment to the laundry. My roommates and I cleaned up our kitchen, including removing a tall rack filled with food and cookbooks. Basically I spent all my money on a container store, but it was worth it.
alisia adamchik, staff writer
Step into the place where you work
On the first day of 2018, a conversation about meditation somehow morphed into a Craigslist search for a permanent table. By midweek, after a few emails, a couple of text messages, and one incredibly harrowing Lyft ride, I was the proud owner of a used permanent desk. I am skeptical about the whole “standing at the table” movement, but the positive effects that standing can have on my daily activities, combined with the negative effects of sitting on my back all day, are too risky for me to ignore. New year, new table.
Patrick Austin, staff writer
Don’t settle for cold coffee
Our offices in New York have been freezing lately, and when it’s impossible to work from home, we all come up with workarounds. For me, that meant keeping a blanket on the table, as well as ordering tabletop coffee mug warmers , the kind of tiny office knick-knacks that make a surprisingly big difference. My tea will not warm my hands if it cools down after five minutes!
Virginia K. Smith, Editor-in-Chief
Lounge Around in denim pants
I bought velvet cropped trousers with an elastic waist at a sale at Anthropologie the other day and may not have taken them off since. My husband says that I am like Aladdin, and I am a little like him, but I love them very much. They are so comfortable and seem more attractive than my regular yoga pants. It’s new year and it’s nice to feel like a fantasy.
Michelle Wu, parenting editor
Get stuff for your new stuff
I currently use a new Macbook Pro that is fully equipped with USB-C ports, but I still need to use old USB devices, so these adapters are life saving .
Patrick Allan, staff writer
Dive into digital coupons
I’ve always been very resistant to any coupons for whatever reason, but a friend finally convinced me to get the Target app, which was a good move because I go to Target all the time. I saved $ 9 this is a cocktail so I would say it was worth it.
Claire Lowre, Health and Beverage Editor
Add greenery to your bathroom
I put a nice little potted plant in my bathroom. He will die, but until then it only makes me happy.
Beth Skwarecki, health editor
Don’t pretend to be the morning person
As a writer trying to complete several projects in my spare time, I struggled to write in the morning. I’m not an early bird; I can get up if need be, because I am an adult, but choosing to get up before sunrise makes me cry because I am still like a child. (Although I think babies do get up before the sun shines. But I digress.) Anyway, this week I have a new habit: I write at night. And of course, maybe I’m tired of a long day of life hacking. Maybe at dawn my mind will clear up. I do not care. I don’t have to get out of a warm bed while it’s dark. And if I have a bad writing session, it won’t ruin my whole day.
Alice Bradley, Associate Editor