by Solange Lopes | Apr 7, 2014 | Career
madamenoire.com
Happy Monday!
Yes it is Monday…again! And you’re back at the office, after a great week-end filled with good times with family and friends, some welcome R&R, and…zero willingness to do any work, at all!
Mondays are notoriously classified in the “sucky” category, especially when it comes to work. Yet for most of us ambitious, uber-busy and overachieving career chicks, we can’t exactly afford to lose any day, hour or minute, even if it happens to be a dreadful Monday! So what’s a corporate sister short on time yet pressed for results to do when she needs to get her groove back, her work groove back, that is:
1. Beat the Monday blues at its own game! We all know how Mondays are, we can feel the dreaded blues from Sunday afternoon on…So why wait until the procrastination and ineffectiveness set in? Beat Monday at its own game by switching your habits up! Simple things like setting your clock earlier (and actually crawling out of bed when the alarm rings), or minimizing opportunities to be late (like finding your keys before you actually have to turn on the car), can go a long way….
2. Think less…Act More! From personal experience, I know Mondays are terrible days to let your thoughts wander…for the simple reason that they just won’t come back. And it’s definitely the day to act more. These documents you’ve had to scan for a while? Scan them now! This notification email to send out? Delay no more…Check out your to-do list and scratch off anything that requires you to do more and think less, and watch it get smaller and smaller…
3. Be kind to yourself! Transitions are hard, even if just from the week-end to the work week. So when everything goes wrong, you can’t find your keys, your computer has a virus, just remember that you’re doing the best you can! Be kind to yourself, give your mind a break, and know that the work will still be there when you come back from your long bathroom break…
The Corporate Sister
by Solange Lopes | Apr 2, 2014 | Career
Yess, Spring has sprung, finally, and even though it may not feel quite like it in some places just yet, it’s here…
And in honor of the upcoming warmer temperatures, we’ve picked our 3 favorite Spring trends to rock at the office:
Prints:Prints are everywhere this Spring. From bright colors to cheetah prints, prints are calling! I love the bright, festive prints for the office, even for more conservative settings where they can be toned down with a darker-colored jacket or shoes. Loving this stripe sheath dress from Ann Taylor priced at $149!
Scallop Hem Skirt – $69.5- – loft.com
Pastels: Now onto less festive but just as trendy and fashionable this Spring! Pastels are back, and bring with them an array of classic, cool and definitely romantic-looking options this Spring! I personally favor tops, blouses and dresses in pastel colors, as they offer a nice canvas to build professional yet stylish work ensembles on. For our pick today, we are gaga over this scalloped hem skirt from Loft, proved at $69.50 (pssst, use code NEWME for a 50% off discount)!
Lace Stripe Dress – $89.95 – Thelimited.com
Lace: The delicate quality of lace is now in, and can be rocked at the office as well as after hours! Pair a delicate lace top with an elegant pair of slacks or skirt, or add a touch of lace to an otherwise conservative dress to make it unique! For our pick today, we are loving this lace strip sheath dress in Bahama Blue for its delicate versatility and absolute cuteness, in and outside of the office! It’s $89.95 at The Limited, which also happens to have a 50% sale on the first item purchased, and 30% off on the rest.
The Corporate Sister
by Solange Lopes | Apr 2, 2014 | Career |
faithtruthandlovemag.com
Happy Wednesday!
One of the questions we’re asking ourselves (and you, as well) is: “When is it preferable to just send an email and when is one better off just picking up the phone at work?”
With technology and the onslaught of instant (and easy) communication we get exposed to everyday, it is very much tempting to just remain plopped in front of our computer screens and shoot a quickie email. Who needs to pick up the phone and have a real human conversation any more? Even better than email, the Instant Communicators or messaging systems now offered by many workplaces just make it too easy to avoid exchanging actual words with actual people at the other end of the line. Right? Right…
Well, for our $0.05, while the ease and convenience of email and its close instant messaging cousin are certainly appreciated in many a corporate setting, some situations do warrant the occasional phone call:
1. When your emails have gone unanswered (or blatantly ignored): Nothing like a nice, live and friendly reminder to keep your request in the other party’s mind (and ear), while setting the foundation for future…hum requests.
2. When you need an ally: Relationships are crucial everywhere, especially at work, and especially in the corporate world. Learn to present yourself under many different angles, including your charming (and convincing) voice. Think that Director could be a great asset down the line? Skip the email and pick up the phone.
3. Last but not least, when your performance is on the line: Not all assignments are created equal, and when you land on that big, promotion-inducing project, it’s no time to play ghost! Here again, put the mouse down, pick up the phone and get those favors, tips and recommendations that will help you impress your boss in no time!
So phone or email at work, what’s your pick?
The Corporate Sister.
The Corporate Sister
by Solange Lopes | Mar 28, 2014 | Career |
Metro Leather Pencil Skirt – anntaylor.com
For our lunch break, we are still on the leather trend, and are gaga over this metro leather pencil skirt, still from Ann Taylor (check out our moto leather jacket recommendation this morning).
While many are hesitant to sport leather in the office, and justifiably so, I would not hesitate to sport this in the office with a nice blouse or top. The cut is straight and classic, the buttery brown color extremely elegant and versatile, making from a mix of edgy and elegant all at once.
It’s $198 at Ann Taylor, and again, is well worth the splurge….
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 28, 2014 | Career
Leather moto jacket – anntaylor.com
Happy Friday! TGIF!
For our casual, and not-so-casual Fridays, we are loving this moto jacket from Ann Taylor, which works well during the day and in the evening as well. It adds just the right touch of “tough” to your office outfit during the day, while giving an edge to the most conservative ensemble. Love the brown color too, very versatile and can be paired with pretty much any color combination.
At $348, it’s more of a splurge than a bargain, but well worth it.
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 26, 2014 | Career
npr.org
For our lunch break today, we wanted to talk about the Mod notebook, a notebook that syncs to the cloud. For all those out there who like us, are still huge fans of paper notebooks but also like to keep in touch with modernity, the Mod notebook is the perfect alternative.
These beautiful notebooks in traditional thread design are the perfect companions for your daily note scribbling, except that you can actually send them back to the manufacturer to have all your notes digitalized and saved in the Cloud! No more looking for your old notebooks in some old dusty box, from now on, you can scribble away and still access your notes in a safe, digital format from anywhere.
You can get one of these beauties for just $25, including digitization, the app and return shipping. Check out this short video on the Mod notebook:
by Solange Lopes | Mar 26, 2014 | Career |
Happy Wednesday!
For a dose of realistic humor (and vintage sexism) today, we decided to post some vintage sexism, and to remind us all how far we’ve come (and how far we still have to go), here is an excerpt from Thomas D. Horton’s 19545 book entitled “What Men Don’t Like About Women”. We stumbled on it through @SophieGadd’s tweets, who was the first one to uncover this piece of feminism’s historical gold, and since we are still talking about it a few days later, why not post it? Who knew women could be so annoying then?
Women in the office – feministing.com
