College Dorm: Dresser Top

Your dresser is something that you look at the start and end of your day. It's the bookend to your routine: Decorate and design it according to how you want to fill your day. In this post, I'll share how I design my dresser top.

Read more to develop your own dresser top

Flowers

I've written before about Fresh Plants and Flowers. I love to have a little bit of spring time always here with me; I also suggest having fresh growing plants on your dresser. They will clear out the air for your healthy breathing.

Jewelry and Organization

A beautiful jewelry box is more than just a way to store your pretty necklaces: It's a piece of decoration for you. Don't be shy to have more than one box. Play with the different designs that you love.

• The back black jewelry box is initialed for my first name. I love how the mirrors make the dresser seem larger, reflecting sunlight in the morning. It stores my medications and large bracelets.

• The golden jewelry box was part of a gift exchange; it was a vintage purchase from Etsy. I use it to store my hair barrettes. 

• The white jewelry box was also a gift. It is great for organization so it stores most of my jewelry. I love the two level tray that it has.

Etsy RagNBone Vintage Jewelry Box $18

Try browsing through Etsy to find a jewelry box that suits your needs and budget.

Decoration with Functionality

Of course you need some things that are just cute and gorgeous for their won sake. Sometimes you can incorporate functionality. Other times you just have to embrace decadence for its own sake. 

I love these little glass bunnies! They are so cute and they can hold my rings. I picked them up at Forever 21. I didn't really need them since I don't have many rings, but so cute I couldn't resist.

ModCloth bunny ring holder ($12)

If you loved the bunny, don't think I've left you without. ModCloth carries a similar bunny ring holder; this one is mirrored rather than glossed glass.

ModCloth umbrella ring holder ($12) 

This ring holder also caught my eye. Do you think I should get it? Are any of you tempted by it?

College Dorm: Dresser Top

Your dresser is something that you look at the start and end of your day. It's the bookend to your routine: Decorate and design it according to how you want to fill your day. In this post, I'll share how I design my dresser top.

Read more to develop your own dresser top

Motivate Yourself: What is Work?

I think we all have days where we just can't do any work.

But that doesn't mean that day is a loss. Sometimes you can trick yourself into getting "work" done. Other times you just need to realize how much work you're already doing.

I'll share a few tricks for getting yourself into getting stuff done when your body just won't cooperate.

Set the mood

Often the reason I can't get work done is because of a bad or lazy mood. To deal with a lack of motivation, let's first qualify what it means to get work done. There are all sorts of tasks that need to get done in a day. Some of them are chores; others are complex creative tasks; others are matters of routine. Some relaxing but necessary tasks we don't even consider when making our to-do lists: showering, eating, cooking, taking a moment for breathing. But all of these things need to happen in a day.

It seems ridiculous to de-value the things that have to get done. Without going grocery shopping and cooking food, you'd starve. Shouldn't that make those tasks the most important part of your day?

Do chores

I find that the reason I can't focus on a large academic "important" task is because I've allowed too many of these "little" chores pile up. In that sense too we can see that everyday chores are important and part of getting work done. Without keeping up on chores and self-care, we can lose our motivation for larger tasks.

Try out these physical chores with the intended mental goals in mind.

• Cleaning your room
• Refocus and de-clutter your mind
• Open up your windows to let in sunlight
• Brighten your outlook
• Wash and dry dishes
• Drift on what you need to do
• Throw away old lists and papers
• Prioritize the things left 
• Empty the trash can
• Let go of baggage
• Do laundry
• Focus and pacing

Pacing

Work is not sitting in one place for hours and hours. The Social Network might show us people "plugging in" for hours at a time, but most people don't work this way. The human body isn't designed to sit in one place for a long time; cramped and tired out is usually the end result of this type of studying and work. So don't study in a way that physically saps motivation and sets you up to fail!

Study to your body's needs and personal habits

Most people can only concentrate on a task for 45 minutes which is about the time a load of laundry takes. After a block of time concentrating, take a break to do a physical activity to pump your body back up and keep yourself from getting tired. This will help your motivation.

Motivate Yourself: What is Work?

I think we all have days where we just can't do any work.

But that doesn't mean that day is a loss. Sometimes you can trick yourself into getting "work" done. Other times you just need to realize how much work you're already doing.

I'll share a few tricks for getting yourself into getting stuff done when your body just won't cooperate.

Summer Internship Start!

Yesterday, I had my orientation for my summer internship. I posted about getting the internship earlier in my End of Term post. The tl;dr version is that I have a 6 week unpaid summer internship with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I'll be working in the Public Office; I can't wait to work out the details of the projects that I'll be helping with.

Read more for the preparation that I put into the orientation.


They sent us an email about dress, making sure to keep it professional. I wanted my first outfit to show that I took this seriously while following their rules for dress code. But I also wanted to show my coworkers that I had a sense of style. So here's what I was wearing and carrying with me:

Do you like that everything is in cool colors? I can't seem to help myself! I always end up getting blue and green things.

Earlier in May, I made a large purchase of spring semi-professional clothing. I assumed that the internship would expect attire that respected the summer heat but maintained professional standards. I got this particular dress from Marshalls. It had a large stain on it so it had been marked down; it was great for me since I hemmed the dress, cutting off all evidence of the stain.

This is the purse I recently got for the internship. I didn't think that any of my day purses were large enough or professional enough. I wanted to have a larger purse for carrying paperwork and supplies that still looked professional-cute. I'll likely do a post on the purse, reviewing it and saying how it holds up to a week or two of use.

Here's what I packed inside of it:

• Folder for requested information
• Notepad and planner
• Tea (not shown)
• Pencil case
• Phone
• Mini make up case

I'm so amazingly thankful for my summer internship. I can't wait to share with you all the things that I learn. I worked hard to make a good impression and I hope that it paid off.

Summer Internship Start!

Yesterday, I had my orientation for my summer internship. I posted about getting the internship earlier in my End of Term post. The tl;dr version is that I have a 6 week unpaid summer internship with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I'll be working in the Public Office; I can't wait to work out the details of the projects that I'll be helping with.

Read more for the preparation that I put into the orientation.

Rousseau: Life to the Fullest

Understanding the education is preparation for life, we can now figure out how to embrace that life. Sometimes it can be very difficult to create an approach to life that allows you to embrace the moment. Hearing peers anxiously talk about grad school in their freshman years or professors drone on about the impenetrability of academia can make it seem like life takes place in stretches of decades rather than days. But your life is made of days!

Fortunately, there are great minds who have already written about the focus on the day to day life, and the benefits to embracing daily joy. Let's look at a quote from Rousseau, on of the great thinkers from the 18th century. His writings on education will help us to better understand what an effect positivity can have on us, as we approach our life and our education. 

Read more for wisdom on embracing your day!

You can read the first part at Rousseau: Education to the Fullest.

Let's continue with the Rousseau quote and finding a way to embrace the day to day.

The Quote

"We think only of preserving his life and limb. It is not enough; he ought to be taught how to preserve them himself when he is grown up; to endure the shocks of fortune, to bear riches or poverty, and to live, if occasion required, amid the snows of Iceland or on the burning rocks of the Malta. [...] It is of less moment to preserve him from death than to teach him how to live. To live is not merely to breather; it is to act, to make proper use of our organs, our senses, our faculties, and all parts of our being which contribute to our consciousness of life. he has not had most life who has lived most years, but he who has felt life the most. A man may be buried a hundred years old and have died in his cradle. Such a one would have gained by dying in youth if had lived till then." (Rousseau on Education, Introductory Passages from the "Emilie," Part 2. Education and the state)

Education as a Lifestyle

Education is about the here and now. Put in your very best into every aspect of what you're learning. Reach out to professors and jump at opportunities. Education isn't about sitting back in a lecture hall and letting it happen to you. Education is an action, one that requires persistent effort from all of our faculties. Sometimes it's tiring; you may feel like you're putting yourself out there, asking "stupid" questions or sending out applications that others wouldn't dare to try for. But that's an education!

Reaching out for knowledge and passion from your education is your education. Even when your hand falls short, you've gone farther and learned more than the people who didn't dare to reach.

Embracing the Moment

It's very important to focus on living life in the moment. I think that what makes each day valuable is appreciating the small moments. Enjoy every day and take advantage of the opportunities that the small times present. Even if it's just having dinner with a friend or finishing a book that seemed to take forever to get through, these are valuable achievements and memories. Your life isn't just major events or waiting for the next "big thing." Instead of putting off adventure, embrace it. Heck, go out there and create it! Certainly there will be failures, not everything is an exciting success the first time. Those failures are opportunities to laugh and learn, a skill which will serve you well as life changes constantly.


Don't wait for a perfect moment to start living; that moment doesn't exist before you put effort into creating it. 

Rousseau: Life to the Fullest

Understanding the education is preparation for life, we can now figure out how to embrace that life. Sometimes it can be very difficult to create an approach to life that allows you to embrace the moment. Hearing peers anxiously talk about grad school in their freshman years or professors drone on about the impenetrability of academia can make it seem like life takes place in stretches of decades rather than days. But your life is made of days!

Fortunately, there are great minds who have already written about the focus on the day to day life, and the benefits to embracing daily joy. Let's look at a quote from Rousseau, on of the great thinkers from the 18th century. His writings on education will help us to better understand what an effect positivity can have on us, as we approach our life and our education. 

Read more for wisdom on embracing your day!

Positivity: Spring Refresh

I want to see how my new year's resolutions have been going, possibly recommitting on the ones that aren't doing as well on.

Read more for the break down on how I've been doing!

• Draw Every Day

I haven't been doing so well on this. But I have been drawing more often than last semester. I'm even nearly through with my sketch book. Overall, I think that this goal might need to be broken down a little bit more so that I can measure my progress on it.

• Blog Post Weekly

I have been doing this. In fact, I've been blogging twice weekly. I think that I may step it up to three times a week in a month or so. Blogging is really rewarding and works well with my self reflection. While I may not have a lot of readers now, I feel accountable writing down what I have and haven't done.

• Work Out

This semester I'll be taking a yoga and pilates class this term. I'm a little worried about the pilates, but I'll have a friend with me. I'm going to be trying to attend the Friday Concourse Yoga. I tried to have a work out buddy for working out in my dorm, but we were stymied by conflicting schedules, so I may just work out on my own in the Z-center.

• Cook and Pack Lunches

I've actually been been staying in the dorm for lunch, so I haven't been having to pack up. I do think that I should be cooking more. It'll be easier to do this as the weather warms up and grocery shopping becomes less of a chore.

• Confidence Increase

Maybe my confidence has increased. Seems like I am more content with myself, most likely due to the self reflection I've been focusing on. I feel much happier with the choices that I've been making, especially since it seems like I'm moving closer to my goal.

• Morning Yoga

Not too well on this resolution. I'm going to re-commit to this for the spring. I think this will also help with the difficulty I have getting out of bed. This links back to the working out resolution, so hopefully they'll rise together. 

• Talk to Ivanna x2 weekly

I have been doing very well on this. I write a letter every week and usually make a phone call or text throughout the week. To step up the commitment, I want to start taking a photo once a week to text to her which would also work well for blogging.

• Drink 8 cups of water / day

While I may not be all the way up to 8 cups a day, I have consistently been drinking water before going the sleep and right after waking up. I think I'm averaging 6 cups a day, focused in the evening. To be quite honest, I feel like I need to drink far more than 8 cups a day. 

• Keep My Room Clean

Victory! My room has actually been getting cleaner and neater. I emptied and condensed a number of things, leading to less clutter overall. If I can keep this up for the spring, I may reward myself by buying another small dresser for my beauty supplies and pajamas.

Overall, I feel that I've been doing well on my new year's resolutions. I am adding a few more resolutions, stepping it up a little bit.

Positivity: Spring Refresh

I want to see how my new year's resolutions have been going, possibly recommitting on the ones that aren't doing as well on.

Read more for the break down on how I've been doing!

Free Sock Organizers: Shoe Boxes

I have a ton of winter socks: long socks, fuzzy socks, wool socks, ankle socks. I didn't want to spend any money to organize them, so I wanted a free solution.

Shoe boxes are great to organize socks. They're the right size for socks and still short enough to fit into the drawers of my dresser.

For more crafty folks, the boxes can be covered in scrapbooking or other colored paper for extra decoration.

Free Sock Organizers: Shoe Boxes

I have a ton of winter socks: long socks, fuzzy socks, wool socks, ankle socks. I didn't want to spend any money to organize them, so I wanted a free solution.

Cuter Electronics: Mouse pad

Check out the cuter electronics post on mouse pads.

This may sound a little bit silly, but students really should invest in a mouse pad. You spend so much time sitting at your laptop that you want to be able to jot down things that you notice, as well as have a good surface for your wireless mouse.

It even has an inspirational quote on the botton.

I have a writing pad shaped like a cat. It's adorable and useful. As you can see, when my laptop is closed, I use the pad as a coaster. So many uses, ha.


Best thing.



Unfortunately, I'm down to the last three pages.


You can probably pick up something similar at the closest Korean stationary store.










Or these alternatives:

Legal Pad in Lovely Colors
$11

To Do Pad
$10

Innovera Gel Mouse
$12

Cuter Electronics: Mouse pad

Check out the cuter electronics post on mouse pads.

desk organization: drawers

Organizing the drawers is, I think, the hardest thing to do. My drawer organization shifts as the semester goes on, as my study habits change. As always, the most important thing is finding something that works for you and your habits.

Step One: Clean

Carefully clean the surfaces and all the drawers of your cabinet. At the start of the year, give your desk a good treat of bleach, including the drawers. Trust me it's worth it. No one knows where the last resident stored their half used tissues.

Personally I use Pledge Multi Surface ($11). I also try to clean off the surface of my desk once a week because germs. If you want to go all out get a nice wood polisher, if you have a nice wooden desk. But do make sure to get something with anti bacterial properties.

Step Two: Drawer Check

Make sure that all of your drawers are properly aligned. If problems with the drawers sliding persist, the drawer hinges are probably a bit rusty.

Your dorm manager may be able to hook you up with some grease or WD40 for your desk drawers if they are too creaky or jam a lot. If not, you can buy WD40 from most hardware shops.

If you are super concerned about germs, you can get anti bacterial removable desk liners from most Bed, Bath and Beyond and similar style of stores. You can get some on Amazon ($3; pictured above).

Step Three: Personalized Handles

 

If you want to go the extra mile to personalize your desk, you can get change out for new drawer handles. Anthropology ($8 - $15; pictured above) has a ton of different styles of handles as do many hardware stores. Make sure to keep the dorm ones; you'll have to put them back at the end of the school year.

Step Four: Plan, Concentrate, Shop

A desk is a place that you should be able to calmly concentrate, with all of your supplies in easy reach from your seat. Think about what things you use most often: pens, pencils, highlighters, post it notes, paper clips, binders, whatever office supplies you tend to use. Don't take for granted that the "typical" office supplies need to be in ready reach tho. For example, I don't use paper clips or post its very often but I use a lot of binder clips and sticky flags.

Get a desk organizer or silverware organizer for your drawers. I'd strongly suggest getting bamboo desk organizers because they're easier on the environment and your wallet. There are a ton of different styles and sizes for these desk organizers.


Tips to get the right size: 

• Be very careful measuring out the interior of your desk when ordering online. Leave a little bit of space if you can, as not all measurements are precise. These small spaces can be filled with thin paper products; don't worry about them.

• If you're going into the store, you can cut a bit of newspaper or poster to fit inside of your drawer. Place things you're considering on top of the paper to make sure they would perfectly fit you actual drawer.

Step Five: Preserve

Now that everything has a proper place, create the habit of putting things back where they belong.
Plan to clean your desk and drawers regularly. Don't let dust or grime build up; clean more often during the winter flu months.

I'd suggest getting cedar scent blocks for your drawers. They keep away moths. Plus, they smell good.

desk organization: drawers

Organizing the drawers is, I think, the hardest thing to do. My drawer organization shifts as the semester goes on, as my study habits change. As always, the most important thing is finding something that works for you and your habits.

Step One: Clean

Carefully clean the surfaces and all the drawers of your cabinet. At the start of the year, give your desk a good treat of bleach, including the drawers. Trust me it's worth it. No one knows where the last resident stored their half used tissues.

Personally I use Pledge Multi Surface ($11). I also try to clean off the surface of my desk once a week because germs. If you want to go all out get a nice wood polisher, if you have a nice wooden desk. But do make sure to get something with anti bacterial properties.

Step Two: Drawer Check

Make sure that all of your drawers are properly aligned. If problems with the drawers sliding persist, the drawer hinges are probably a bit rusty.

Your dorm manager may be able to hook you up with some grease or WD40 for your desk drawers if they are too creaky or jam a lot. If not, you can buy WD40 from most hardware shops.

If you are super concerned about germs, you can get anti bacterial removable desk liners from most Bed, Bath and Beyond and similar style of stores. You can get some on Amazon ($3; pictured above).

Step Three: Personalized Handles

 

If you want to go the extra mile to personalize your desk, you can get change out for new drawer handles. Anthropology ($8 - $15; pictured above) has a ton of different styles of handles as do many hardware stores. Make sure to keep the dorm ones; you'll have to put them back at the end of the school year.

Step Four: Plan, Concentrate, Shop

A desk is a place that you should be able to calmly concentrate, with all of your supplies in easy reach from your seat. Think about what things you use most often: pens, pencils, highlighters, post it notes, paper clips, binders, whatever office supplies you tend to use. Don't take for granted that the "typical" office supplies need to be in ready reach tho. For example, I don't use paper clips or post its very often but I use a lot of binder clips and sticky flags.

Get a desk organizer or silverware organizer for your drawers. I'd strongly suggest getting bamboo desk organizers because they're easier on the environment and your wallet. There are a ton of different styles and sizes for these desk organizers.


Tips to get the right size: 

• Be very careful measuring out the interior of your desk when ordering online. Leave a little bit of space if you can, as not all measurements are precise. These small spaces can be filled with thin paper products; don't worry about them.

• If you're going into the store, you can cut a bit of newspaper or poster to fit inside of your drawer. Place things you're considering on top of the paper to make sure they would perfectly fit you actual drawer.

Step Five: Preserve

Now that everything has a proper place, create the habit of putting things back where they belong.
Plan to clean your desk and drawers regularly. Don't let dust or grime build up; clean more often during the winter flu months.

I'd suggest getting cedar scent blocks for your drawers. They keep away moths. Plus, they smell good.

College Dorm Part 2: Organize your clothes

Before we start, take a moment for a bit of rest.

Enjoy your clean and fresh smelling room. This is where you're going to be spending your year!
You've got a warm bed and you're about to have a good place to set up and organize your clothes.

Unpack your clothes.

If you have a closet, now is the time to put your clothes in your nice clean closet. You most likely need to buy hangers. We all have preferences for hangers. The best of which are those felt ones or those with grips to prevent sliding.

I use these hangers from Amazon along with some from Bed, Bath and Beyond. A set of 50 hangers is merely $30.

If you have a dresser, figure out what drawer will be for each thing. Be sure to clean all the drawers quite thoroughly first. Dividers can be purchased or made due with shoe boxes.

Scent and Prevent

It's very important to prevent moths and other pests from getting in your clothes.

Get airtight containers for your seasonal clothes. Not only will it prevent moths but it will even save you space. As you'll see below, I keep my tights in an airtight container. Not pictured are the boxes of off season clothes that I keep on top of my closets.
Once the clothes come back in season, wash them again before hanging them up. With bleach and hot water is preferable, but the main purpose is to get the scent of plastic out.

Maybe even spring for some scent pouches for your drawers or drawer liners. I'd suggest getting cedar blocks to keep moths away and have a good scent ($21). Lavender is another option for keeping out insects.

I also use shoe boxes to store my winter socks; any sort of small box will do you well for organization. For the best is: they are entirely free.

Over the door hangers

These are a great space saver, especially for scarves, belts and towels. Before buying make sure that the over the door hanger will fit over your door. This one that I have doesn't fit over my door so I adapted to the situation: I fit it over my closet door.

Amazon ($25, $11 from left to right)

An additional tip: If your door hanger is a bit too large and wobbles, use tape to secure it or slide small pieces of cardboard to secure it, making sure that the cardboard is not on the side of the door frame.

Another option are command hooks. These are removable and bear great weight.

Door mirror

I'd also suggest getting a full length mirror for some where in your room. It seems quite difficult to sort out good quality from bad online, not to mention the difficulty of shipping glass. Some people do also leave mirrors when graduating so you shouldn't pick one up before seeing your room.

The best bet is to pick up such a mirror in Bed, Bath and Beyond or whatever local stores offer similar products.

Decorate your closet

Make your closet a place that encourages you to get dressed. I've put up art and a few cut outs from magazines to give me a bit of inspiration for outfits.

Organizing clothes like a store, keeping like styles of clothes together and even coordinating favorite outfits, can improve and speed up the process of getting dressed.