by Solange Lopes | Sep 28, 2014 | Career
Happy Sunday! I hope everyone’s having a great week-end! Dear Hubby and I went on a wine tour and tasting yesterday at the Newport Vineyards, and had a wonderful time (and I’m glad I didn’t have to drive after that
Weekly news update – Photo credit: http://drshannonreece.files.wordpress.com
…). As we’re relaxing and getting ready for a new week, here are the headlines that made me smile, laugh and straight up shake my head:
- So Wall Street may be a boys’ club, Bloomberg BusinessWeek tells us about five Wall Street companies with great paid leave;
- Yes, tomorrow is Monday, again! Fast Company tips us off on how to turn Monday into a day you actually enjoy (yes, it is possible);
- HuffPost Business asks the question: “Is your office space yoga-able” (and yes, unless you work in a shoe closet, it’s doable);
- Refinery 29 writes about how one woman is revolutionizing things for new moms in the start-up world;
- HuffPost Women lists 9 qualities of confident women (and #1 is my absolute favorite);
- PBS News Hour reveals black college grads face greater student loan burden than whites;
- Mashable answers the empowerment question for women and girls everywhere, and technology seems to be the key;
- Worried about which college to attend? Lifehacker compares colleges based on graduate salary;
- WhoWhatWear shows us 5 perfect pants to complete our work-to-week-end look;
- This week saw the return of our favorite Gladiator Olivia Pope, and The Corporate Sister was all over it with the Scandal fashion collection at The Limited.
Happy Sunday!
by Solange Lopes | Sep 26, 2014 | Career |
Post-It Plus App – Photo credit: Fastcompany.com
I love Post-it notes (check out my recent post on related gadgets). And when I read about the new Post-It Plus app in Fast Company, I did my happy dance, inside.
If you love jotting down your random thoughts, stuff to do, or how much you wish your pesky co-worker came with a mute button, you’ll love this iPhone and iPad app too. It allows you to snap a pic of all your random post-it notes, which in turn get digitized and voila!
Bonus: You can save all your team’s Post-It business in Evernote, Dropbox, Excel or PowerPoint!
My $0.05: Get.It.Now.
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Sep 26, 2014 | Career
Liv Flare Leg Trousers – $98 – Photo credit: thelimited.com
Scandal racked 11.9 million viewers last night, and yes, it was a big Gladiator night for viewers out there. And of course, we’re still talking about it, including the fashion of Gladiator-in-chic Olivia Pope. Hence today’s pick of these Liv flare trousers from The Limited’s Scandal collection.
Loving the elegance and confidence of these luxurious pants! They comfortably sit below the waist, and are well-built enough to flatter any silhouette. I’d pair them with these fierce leather
Hollyn Leather Pointy Heels – Photo credit: anntaylor.com
pointy heels from Ann Taylor (which also happen to be 50% off, which comes to a fashionably affordable $69!).
The Liv flare leg trousers are $98 at The Limited!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Sep 26, 2014 | Career |
How to get away with murder – Photo credit: nydailynews.com
Sooo it’s the end of the workday, and as you’re sitting back on your stiff chair as the clock is ticking 5 o’clock, you realize you have done NOTHING, NADA, ZILTSCH…..I mean, if there ever were an illustration of unproductivity, this would be it! Not one of your meetings has been productive, you haven’t gotten any answers to your questions, you’ve had to deal with work interruptions all day, and 99.9% of your to-do list still remains, well…to be done. Now you may not be able to get away with murder like Viola Davis, but there are chances you may just be able to get away with a totally, I mean, absolutely, unproductive day at work.
1. Apply the rule of ONE! Do ONE task, and possibly cross it off your to-do list! It doesn’t matter whether it’s a 5-minute, low impact task or a much more important one. Just get ONE done! It’ll make you feel better, and give you something, no matter how small, to work with.
2. Hack your procrastination! Whether you bet colleagues money (or coffee) that you can complete that audit on time, or you resort to the Pomodoro technique, decide to face the problem head on!
3. There’s always tomorrow! Sometimes, you just have to look to the future and commit to do better the next time. So learn from your mistakes, re-assess your unproductive episodes, get a good night’s sleep and move on to a better, more productive day!
How do you get away with an unproductive day at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Sep 25, 2014 | Career
Handling work interruptions – Photo credit: work awesome.com
Have you ever been head down, deep into the task at hand, when a team member, co-worker, or even your boss just popped their heads in to ask something? At which point you probably used your Super Powers to lift them off the carpeted office floor, Brooks Brothers non-iron shirt and all, and made them fly away? Ok, maybe not…I digress…again…After all, isn’t doing your work and checking tasks off your unending to-do list more important, and more rewarding?
Actually, work interruptions don’t have to be all that bad. That is, if they are managed efficiently:
1. Slow down, take a moment to asses the importance of the interruption! If it’s your boss interrupting you, fixing your frowned face may be a good idea. And if it’s the team broadcaster, breathe and count to three before you dial your desk phone from your cell phone (there is a speed-dial option for that);
2. Help and be helped! Interruptions are sometimes heaven-sent. If you’ve been looking at the same spreadsheet for an hour, or have no idea how to start the quarterly audit memo, you may need to step away and hit your mind’s “Refresh” button. So go ahead and welcome the break!
3. Offer a plea deal! Refusing to help is never well seen within a professional environment. So use your bargaining skills for something else than buying vintage shoes! Offer an alternative time to discuss and help out, all while you’re giving yourself an inner pat on that astute and oh so diplomatic mind of yours!
What do you think? How do you handle work interruptions?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Sep 25, 2014 | Career |
Plaid Cap-Sleeve Dress – $198 – Photo credit: pinterest.com
I fell in fashion lust with this plaid cap-sleeve dress from J. Crew. Just exquisite, and perfect for work and beyond. The plaid fabric is perfect for Fall! Loving the fitted silhouette that elegantly transitions into a flared, playful skirt. It’s the perfect “Schoolgirl Dress” turned “Power Dress”!
I’d pair this dress with simple, toned-down silver jewelry, a sleek ponytail and a vibrant, bold red lip (check out my post onwearing red lipstick at work). And depending on my mood, I may jazz the whole thing up with a striking pair of purple pumps, like this one from
Purple pumps – $350 – Photo credit: shop.nordstrom.com
the SJP collection at Nordstrom, or this more reasonably priced one from DSW.
This plaid cap-sleeve dress is $198 at JCrew!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Sep 25, 2014 | Career
Rewarding yourself in your career – Photo credit: chocolate.org
I love shoes. So does one in five women who happen to be turned on more by their shoes than their significant others (but I digress…). And when I think of a reward, I naturally think of shoes and chocolate (except I can more evidently brag on the shoes, than on the extra five pounds nestled around my waist). Which is only natural, since the very basis of motivation lies in positive reinforcement, aka rewarding yourself. Actually, the very first step in effectively using positive reinforcement is by identifying ways to reward yourself. So how is it that as much time as we spend at work and in our careers, in 2013 alone, only 13% of employees worldwide were engaged and motivated at work? Hmmm….
In this era of making plans and envisioning the future, which often translates in forgetting our present selves most of the time, and many a times ends up in realizing we’ve had it wrong all along, what value does rewarding ourselves have? Not much, apparently, since we as millenials are already spoiled, entitled brats. And do we even know how to reward ourselves, when the later iPhone6 is a must-have and we cannot seem to live without 24-hour Wifi…
1. Set short-term milestones! As a young, single associate in Boston, my major milestone came back on Pay Day every two weeks. So did my shoe rewards…I learnt since then you can’t reward yourself every time your bank account balance increases. And you also can’t wait until you have three degrees and five certifications to buy yourself a Snickers bar (family size). Live and work in the moment, and set short-term, realistic milestones. Completed that audit successfully? Buy yourself the shoes (but go to Marshalls and get your discount on…)
2. Don’t put all your eggs shoes in one basket! When it comes to performance, don’t adopt the “all or nothing” approach. As a perfectionist, I would get ecstatic one minute for successfully completing a project, and give up on life the next because my manager gave me one lukewarm review note on another. Take it one project at a time, and keep in mind, perfection is boring! Reward yourself for a job well-done, and decide to improve on what didn’t work out so well…
3. Enjoy the reward! Really, life is short, so if you’re going to reward yourself, do it and do it well! Buy the shoes, wear the heck out of them, and enjoy the moment! You may look forward to Fright, or your next big break, or the career of your dreams, but for today, you did a great job, right here, right now, and it matters…
Stay motivated!
The Corporate Sis.
