009. Why Wasta Is Important

In 2004, rather than coming back to Washington, DC for my first semester of my junior year in college, I took off from Boston’s Logan Airport headed for Amman, Jordan, where I would spend my fall semester. It wasn’t an easy choice to leave behind the center of our political universe (and my academic and [...]

Read Full Post »

008. Equal Pay Day: Bust Through the Glass Ceiling!

Today, April 28, 2009 marks the day that that a woman’s salary (on average) catches up with that of a man’s from 2008. She would have to work an extra four months to be paid the same amount as a man in the same position earned in the previous year.

Read Full Post »

007. Inspiration Strikes! and the Way I Do My Best Work

It seems that inspiration can strike any time, day or night, no matter the circumstance or surroundings.

But this got me wondering when and where I do my best work. Where am I the most creative and efficient? Is there a specific time of day that I work best?

Personally, I do my best reading and research early in the day, when the sun is rising, with a cup of coffee or tea in hand, before I have a chance to interact with anyone else (hence why I recently decided to work from 8:30am to 4:30pm at my office). In regards to administrative, management, and other business-related practices, I tend to do best in the middle of the day in front of a computer, where I can manage things by spreading them out across a table or desk and can access any files or other materials I might need to stay well-informed and organized. However, I often do my best creative and artistic work long after this, at night, once the quiet of dusk has settled and I am alone again, usually sitting on the floor or close to the ground with materials spread out all over the floor. For some reason, my center of balance is extremely important to the way my brain works.

When do you do your best work? Do you find different times of day for different types of work? If you could set your own schedule, what would it be like?

Read Full Post »

006. The Question of Attention: To Multitask or Not To Multitask

As many of us go about our days, we find our attention being pulled in many directions: family, work, school, friends, hobbies, taking care of our bodies and minds… I’m sure all of these things sound familiar to you. But how to you have time to balance and juggle all of your responsibilities (and even add a little fun and entertainment into the mix)?

Many people answer: I multitask. We all do it. But should we?

Read Full Post »

005. I’d Say That I Had Spring Fever…

Today is the second day in a row that we have had beautiful weather in the Washington, DC area. It’s cool, but sunny and not yet humid (in the summer, DC often feels like a sauna outside due to the fact that it was built up over a swamp). The cherry blossoms are just past [...]

Read Full Post »

004. Now… How Do I Get There?

For a twentysomething from a small town living in a big city, trying to figure out her place in the world, at least I know where I want to go and what I want to do in my life (which is more than I can say for many). My Five Year Plan includes the following [...]

Read Full Post »