#YWDBoston Young Women in Digital

Remember back in February when I shared the Young Women in Digital logo that I designed? Well, the YWD ladies just held their 4th event last week, and it was so successful that I felt compelled to tell you more about the group. I leave every event feeling like I've gained valuable insight and made great connections, so if you're a young woman in the Boston area who is working or is interested in the digital, social, experiential, and online marketing field, then you should definitely consider attending the next event. The events are held bi-monthly, so your next opportunity to attend will probably be sometime in November. I highly recommend following YWD on Facebook and Twitter so you're in the know!

As someone who often attends networking events, one thing that I really love about the YWD events is that there is always something different going on. Each event has a specific focus for the evening so we're always learning something new. The first event was geared toward getting to know each other and learning what the group was all about. At the second event we had a chance to mingle before some savvy marketing gals discussed their jobs and the unique marketing campaigns that they had worked on. It was certainly empowering to hear our peers discussing the success they've experienced in their careers!

The focus of the third event was careers and personal brand (and cupcakes!), and there were speakers on hand to offer some awesome job-scoring tips. The featured speaker from TripAdvisor gave great advice on how to succeed in a job interview while we all sipped on wine and munched on cupcakes. Best part of this event? One of the girls who attended made a connection with the featured speaker and landed her dream job because of it! How amazing is that? Read more about it on the YWD founder Melanie's blog here.

As the YWD Graphic Designer, I design all the event flyers, but for this event I was able to use my crafty talents to also make cupcake toppers for the evening's treat (see photo above). The toppers featured the groups official hashtag, #YWDBoston so that the girls would be reminded to tweet and Instagram throughout the night. A pretty clever marketing strategy if you ask me!

At the 4th event, held last week, we were introduced to a panel of 4 intelligent women who had worked their way to manager/senior level positions in their careers. They offered us amazing advice on how we could advance ourselves in our own young professional careers and then took time to answer our questions afterwards. The women came from some of Boston's top companies; Hill Holliday, Mullen, Springpad, and InterContinental Boston. One of the best takeaways I had from the evening was the power of LinkedIn. Believe it or not, until the other day I didn't have a LinkedIn account. After hearing the women talk about the importance of making connections through the site and discussing how you never know where these connections could take you I decided to sign up.

I'm really looking forward to the next YWD event and from the looks of the September Newsletter it's going to be a good one! I'm hoping to see some new faces there so make sure to get your name on the guest list when the time comes!

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How to Stay Organized + Printable Editorial Calendar

I feel like life has really been picking up speed lately, and it's becoming more of a challenge to keep up. Are you feeling it too? I think that being busy can be a really good thing, but just between work, freelance projects, and events, there's been a lot to keep track of! I've recently found that post-it notes and reminders in my phone just aren't enough anymore. I've also really been needing a place to organize my blog ideas & inspiration. I've come up with a couple of solutions to keep myself organized and on top of everything, and since then, things have been running smoothly. I know we all different ways of keeping order, but I thought I'd share what works for me in case it works for you too. Plus I've got a colorful freebie for you at the end of this post!

I've been in the market for a good planner for quite some time now. Carrying around a notebook has been super helpful for jotting down ideas, but I've needed something to organize those thoughts into a realistic plan and schedule. Enter my new 2013 Weekly / Monthly planner from Paper Source... 

With both monthly and weekly planning options, as well as designated spots for contact information, notes, and doodles, I'm feeling more organized than ever. I also love the fun "Colorscope", and lists of wedding anniversaries, birthstones, and Chinese New Year animals in the back of the planner. 

Having the planner with me at all times has really been working out and I feel like I'm really on top of things. Any time something comes up, I have the planner right there to make a note of it. However, as a visual person, I knew I was also going to need reminders that I could see without having to open a notebook or planner. Usually post-it notes do the trick for me because I stick them right where I'll see them every day. But, when you're working with more than a handful of them, they become significantly less effective. I realized that what I needed was an editorial calendar to hang on my wall that was completely separate from my regular calendar; a place where I could plan out future blog posts, as well as keep track of current freelance projects.

Letter Size (8.5 x 11) and Tabloid Size (11 x 17) 

When designing my editorial calendar, I considered what would be most helpful to have on it. I came up with 4 section that I thought would be most beneficial for blogging and freelance projects:

1. a standard monthly calendar   2. space for future blog post ideas   3. a place to note upcoming holidays and themes that might influence posts   4. a place to keep track of current freelance projects

I've been finding equal success with my editorial calendar as I have my planner, and I've actually found that they compliment each other. Anything that I add to my planner during the day goes right on my editorial calendar when I get home. This way, I don't have to worry about missing anything or forgetting any ideas!

I have a feeling that you might find organizational success with this editorial calendar too, so I've made it available to download! The colorful calendar starts with February 2013 and ends with December 2013 and comes in both Letter Size (8.5 x 11) and Tabloid Size (11 x 17) so you can choose whichever works best for you!

How do you stay organized? I'd love to hear some of your tips!

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Knowing How to Disconnect

Today, I'm going to do something a little bit different...

Over time, my blog has continued to evolve and change in ways that I consider to be a very natural progression. One thing that has remained constant here has been my goal that this blog provides lots of inspiration to my readers. Until this point, that inspiration has mostly come in a physical form, with my DIY projects, photography, design, recipes, etc. Lately though, I have been thinking that I may have a little more to offer. As my blog has grown, I have had the opportunity to learn new things and to find new ways to challenge myself. I would like to start taking some time to share these little pearls of wisdom in hopes that it will provide a brand new source of inspiration for you. I hope that you'll find these kinds of posts beneficial and that they will blend seamlessly with the rest of my content. So, here we go...

Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by technology and the seeming need to keep up and stay connected? I do, all the time. The other day on my bus ride to work, I noticed that every single person sitting around me was looking at their cell phone. I've noticed the overuse of smart phones before, but at that moment I literally felt suffocated by it. It got me thinking about why, we as a society, are so connected to our phones, and if there will ever be a time in the future when we are less attached.

One thing that really scares me about this "smart phone epidemic", is how often cell phones are used as a distraction from an uncomfortable situation. Do you ever find yourself taking out your phone while you're sitting on the train so you don't have to make eye contact with the people sitting around you? Or, maybe you've been by yourself waiting to meet a friend who has yet to arrive, so you pull out your phone to pass the time. I think that uncomfortable situations are a natural part of life, and to rely on a smart phone to put yourself at ease, is a terrible habit to get sucked into.

Not only is the overuse of cell phones a bad habit; I find that most of the time it just adds unnecessary stress. There's more worry about what we're going to miss if we don't check our emails, texts, and various social media updates, and less worry about what we're missing in real life while we're on our phones. I feel like this is especially true for bloggers; we feel like we need to stay connected with our readers and with each other at all times. When we arrive to work, most of us will find ourselves in front of a computer screen. I think that taking advantage of the time when we can step away from the screen can only benefit our mental health, and open our minds to more creative thought. If you find yourself reaching for your phone too often, consider these ways to help yourself disconnect.

Imagine all the reading you could get done if instead of reaching for your phone, you reached for a book! I like to carry a book in my purse so that I can get some reading in whenever I have time. A good read is such a relaxing way to end the day, because it allows you to transition right out of work mode and into home mode.

Whatever you do, don't check your emails first thing in the morning or right before bed. Starting and ending your day with a clear mind can give you a fresh perspective on a new day. Maybe a dream you had the night before will inspire a new creative idea.

This is an easy one. Try leaving your phone in the other room when you go to work on a project, or cook dinner, or hang out with your significant other or roommate. This is the old "out of sight out of mind" trick, but it works! You'll be able to focus on the task at hand, or have better conversation without the phone being a distraction.

I find that I do my best writing during my commute to work in the morning. My head isn't clouded by the events of the day, so I can think more clearly. While it's sometimes convenient to store notes in my phone, I find that my words flow better when I put pen to paper, and you might discover that the same is true for you. One of my New Years Resolutions this year was to actually do this more. If you kickstart your day by getting your creative juices flowing instead of browsing the internet, I bet you'll be much more productive.

This is a big one. When you're scrolling through your phone, take a second to think about why you're using it. A smart phone can be super resourceful when you need to look up directions, check the bus schedule, or send a message, but if you find yourself perusing without a purpose, try putting it away. Life is too short to waste your own time, so think about all the other things you could be doing that don't involve scrolling through your phone. Like they say on Sesame Street, "you've got to put down the ducky if you want to play the saxophone"!

When you're feeling overwhelmed by technology, what tricks do you use to disconnect? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

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