Morning Light

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Rise and shine, lovelies! That's right. It's 8:30 a.m. and this girl is already showered, fed, and halfway through a cup of caffeine goodness. How is this possible? Sure I'm not one to cower in the face of daybreak's light, but I'm also not one to get the kettle going until right around this time. This surprising change in routine came after I was unceremoniously awakened at 4:30 this morning. Yeah...that would mean I was up before the sun. Unfortunately, returning to sleep was not an option so I turned to Netflix for a few hours.

It was around 5:45 when I learned how early the sun actually starts to rise. With the morning light creeping through the gaps in my drapes and the beginnings of a gorgeous day underway, I decided that in an attempt to be a proactive adult I would throw on my running gear and hit the asphalt early. Yes. It was a beautiful run and a great way to start my day. This little change (that I would not have done had I not be unable to get back to sleep) really injected some energy into a day that probably would have played out like everyday of these two months since graduation. I have spent the weeks since leaving the 'Burgh scrolling through job descriptions and applying like a madwoman to jobs that may or may not be my dream job—who really knows anymore? Some of those days are even punctuated with the occasional rejection e-mail.

However, today's job search will be performed with just a little more excitement and a little more passion than these last few weeks. This unplanned, and admittedly slightly annoying, early rise and time in the daybreak sun has inspired me to look forward with positivity and put a little more effort in my day—I mean...I am blogging right now. That's a start, right? ;P

<3 Ashley

Are you an early riser? When are you the most productive?

June Letter

The summer months have begun. Of course, at this point I am about a month into my summer and have gotten myself adjusted to the internship schedule. Look at how on top of things I am! This month my focus is on keeping up that momentum. June on Sunday Brunch will have me periodically sharing my organization and productivity tools--just some habits I like to keep of apps that I find particularly useful! Keep and eye out for those and also feel free to share your own tools that you use to maintain your focus.

Of course June is also the official beginning of summer, so summer life and style posts will be featured as well. I am scouring magazine and the internet to find the trends and pick out some of my favorites for you. I will also be sharing my personal summer beauty habits when it comes to keeping my skin and hair looking good when they could look pretty gross.

On another note: since I have started this internship, my schedule is way out of whack from what it was beforehand in regards to my blogging frequency. I am trying to pick it up now since I am becoming more used to my waking and sleeping times. Bear with me while I try to fall back into blogging more regularly!

<3 Ashley

Ready for June? What are your organization/productivity tips? Anything in particular I should focus on this month?

On Productivitiy

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As a college student I have my studies, on campus job and the stress of applying for a million summer internships until some responds telling me that they are interested in giving me money and responsibility. Fingers crossed on that last one, folks! Anyway, I have a lot on my plate plus my commitment to blogging pretty frequently based on my stress level that week. While I do consider myself to be a well organized and responsible person, I do believe that there is always room for improvement.

This month I committed myself to figuring out ways to get even more organized and stay productive. If my assumptions based on the grades that I have gotten back are correct, I have some pretty squeaky clean grades and need to maintain them for this last month of the semester (read: hell month). I have millions of papers and digital media projects due throughout these next four weeks and need to distribute my attention to all of them somehow.

I have cleaned up my tech and downloaded a few apps to keep me organized as the spring semester draws to an end:

- Emails: As I am sure you do, I have more than one email account. I have decided to make the commitment to one and have linked the others so that all of my other mail can be forwarded to one account. This empties my brain of a few passwords!

- Sunrise Calendar: While I do have access to Google calendar, I have heard a lot about the Sunrise calendar app and have fallen in love with it. It is linked up on both my MacBook and my iPhone. I use this in conjunction with my weekly planner and my desk calendar. That way I am reminded constantly of impending due dates and events.

- EverNote: This is another nifty little app that can be downloaded on both your phone and computer. I like to use it for to-do lists, which I like to use for any tasks I have to do at work, and also grocery lists. It is also where I keep record of my blog content. I have several notes specific to different topics (i.e. recipes, lifestyle, etc).

<3 Ashley

How do you maintain your productivity and keep organized?