TresSugar

The How-To Lounge: A Great Morning

DearSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:00:00 -0700

A good morning really does pave the way for an even better day, but somewhere between the sound of the alarm clock blaring and arriving at your daily destination, more than a few things can go wrong. Before you know it you’re lying in bed again, dreading the next day! So to avoid this cycle, I have some pointers for how to set yourself up for a great morning. To see them just read more.

Most of us naturally establish a morning routine out of necessity, but streamlining that routine can go a long way in creating a more efficient and ultimately, more successful morning. If you pack a lunch for work, save time by doing it the night before. Or pick out your outfit the night before. A few small changes can make a big difference in turning a typically hectic morning into an easy one.
Much of the franticness of a stressful morning comes from not having enough time. While planning ahead helps, so does giving yourself 10 extra minutes. Set your alarm clock early for one week, and see if you don’t find yourself significantly more relaxed. Plus, 10 minutes less sleep really is doable.
For many people, exhaustion plays a detrimental role in a morning routine. When you’re sleepy, everything just seems more difficult. If you find yourself struggling to get up everyday, it may be time to start going to bed earlier. If you struggle falling asleep, try increasing your daily exercise routine.
Though caffeine can be helpful when you’re in desperate need of a quick boost, you’ll get far more energy out of a meal. Even if it’s as small as a slice of toast with peanut butter, it’ll go a long way in getting your mind ready for the day.
It’s true that there are only so many things we have control over in creating a positive morning. We can’t fix a terrible commute and there’s not much you can do about the work that lies ahead of you. But setting aside a few minutes just before bed to organize yourself and clear your head can make a huge difference.

Nothing ruins the potential for a good day like a rough morning. Taking the time to create a successful morning will go a long way in establishing a happy and productive work week.

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Five Single Women to Admire

DearSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0700

In this media-driven world, I'm always so grateful to find famous women worthy of their accolades. As women, we know that success comes in all sorts of different packages, so in honor of Singles Week, I've picked five unwed women who embody many things I look for in a role model. Regardless of what your relationship status is, these ladies are still inspirational, so check them out! Source

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Do Tell: What Are Your Future Priorities?

DearSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I have a friend who’s spent the past year working like a dog to finish her MBA while simultaneously climbing the corporate ladder. She loves dating, but she has no desire to have children or even get married. Meanwhile, I have other friends who have completely set aside their careers to work on building a family. I respect both choices very much, but I find it fascinating that there’s such a distinct difference in priorities. Are you leaning to one of these extremes? Do tell, where are your priorities as far as family versus career in your own future?

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Dear Poll: Would You Want to Be Famous?

DearSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:00:00 -0700

With reality television stars and celebutantes making up the new-school Hollywood elite, sometimes it seems like just about anyone can relish in some fame - at least for a little while. In fact, Living Lohan with Dina and her youngest daughter Ali, which follows Ali's attempts to achieve stardom, premieres this weekend on E!.

I can’t say the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle doesn’t sound intriguing, but I don’t think I’d want to follow in Lindsay Lohan's footsteps, big sister or not. Like so many young starlets, she's more known for her debauchery than her talent these days, and we all know that the scrutiny can take its toll. Sure, making millions for doing just about nothing sounds great, but with all these hot messes traipsing around, would you even want to be famous if you could?

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Do Tell: What Makes a Successful Relationship?

DearSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:00:00 -0700

I think we can all agree, there’s just no recipe for the perfect relationship - different things work for different people. But sometimes I wonder if the ultimate success of a relationship is based more on the circumstances that befall the couple than their actual compatibility. If a couple seems made for each other, but then fall on hard times, perhaps their eventual breakup has more to do with what they had to deal with then who they were.

Then there are those couples who don’t seem ready to cope with the twists and turns of life but end up lasting because they were never confronted with any serious challenges. I don’t know the answer to this one, so I really need your opinions. Do tell, is the success of a relationship more determined by its circumstances or the couple’s compatibilities? Or is it some combination of both?

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Group Therapy: My Boyfriend Is Too Focused on Success

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:00:00 -0800

My boyfriend and I have been dating for the past three years and have been living together for the past two and a half years. He is currently trying to find a new job because he is unhappy at his current job. He has been going on interviews left and right for the past month, and he has been studying for these interviews every moment that he's not at work.

I'm very proud of him, and I support his decision in wanting a career change. However, I barely get to spend time with him anymore. I understand this is extremely important for him, and I know this is only temporary, but he won't take even five minutes out of his night to spend time with me. His daily routine is working all day and then studying half way through the night without taking a break. I've mentioned how I feel about it, but he doesn't seem to take it seriously. I'm getting extremely frustrated. Should I should keep quiet and put up with it?

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To be involved in more GROUP THERAPY, click here]

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Group Therapy: Feeling really discouraged...could use some comments/advice

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:57:10 -0700

Well in a nutshell, I feel like a total failure. I have always been the kind of person that gets good grades, sets high goals, and is fairly competitive. The thing is I have never completely failed. For some reason, things just aren't going so well post college. I have been struggling to find a good job and it seems everything (grad school, jobs, fellowships) I apply to sends me a big fat rejection letter. It hurts most because I was not worried about success at all, I was 100% confident. I believed in my self, in my skills, and most of all I believed I worked hard (which I did). I know envy is a horrible characteristic to have and that is why I am trying to rid myself of it, but I have to be honest...I am very very envious of people right now. Not so much of my friends, but friends of friends kind of things. It stings to go through myspace or facebook (which I feel is becoming unhealthy for me so I maybe need to stop) and see great jobs and great graduate programs on their profiles. It makes me feel worse. I want to be happy for other's success and I want to motivate myself but I don't know where to begin.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To be involved in more GROUP THERAPY, click here]

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Putting It Off, Again: Procrastination Week

DearSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:30:00 -0800

Believe it or not, this week is National Procrastination Week. You might be wondering why I'm just now making a post about it, on Wednesday? Or you might have figured out already why the topic appeals to me, and why I'm writing about it midweek. Are you always thinking things would be different if you just got organized? Or practiced better time management? Or maybe you've already purchased a dozen different kinds of dayplanners, folders, files, containers and books, but you still delay finishing -- or even starting -- important and necessary tasks.

If this sounds familiar, click here to read more

If you doubt the effects of procrastination on stress levels, consider a study by D.M. Tice and R.F. Baumeister (reported in Psychological Science 1997, 18, 454-458). The researchers studied the effects of procrastination on health and stress levels among college students in a health psychology course. Although those who procrastinated started the semester with lower stress levels and better health than non-procrastinators, the procrastinators ended up with worse stress levels and health by the end of the semester. Additionally, overall, procrastinators rated worse stress levels and health than non-procrastinators. As the article states, "In the long run, dawdling seems to be self-defeating."

Great. Another habit that's bad for our health. But we know from our own experience that procrastinating causes us stress and anxiety. If you already struggle with anxiety, this is a behavior that will definitely interfere with getting it under control. And though it's difficult, this is one habit we can do something about. It will take a little introspection, however, because it's necessary to understand what's at the root of your behavior; not everyone procrastinates for the same set of reasons.

There are lots of theories out there about why we do it: fear of failure, fear of success, perfectionism, boredom, anger, large tasks or lack of organizational skills. Online Organizing provides every kind of resource imaginable for getting at the root of your procrastination habits: they offer dozens of links for self-tests, strategies, solutions, tips. and worksheets. Just don't let researching your procrastination become another thing you do instead of that other thing you need to do!

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SuperLove: An Emotional Ellen Talks about the Oscars

DearSugar — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:01:00 -0800

Ellen always inspires me to dream big, to tell the truth and to never believe it's too late. I really wanted to share this with you, ladies, in case you missed it! But definitely go all the way to the end . . . and grab a tissue.

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Girl Crush du Jour: Alison Brie

TresSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:12 -0800

Adorable. No word better sums up actress Alison Brie. And while I am sure the 26-year-old would prefer a more sophisticated adjective, she does play Trudy Campbell on Mad Men and ain't nothin' more sophisticated than that. Combine that with her success as the strung-out community college student on NBC's Community, and how I could not be crushing?

Other than radiating ebullience in real life, Alison, who says she's rarely recognized on the street, seems nothing like either character. She grew up with hippie parents in South Pasadena, CA, where she still lives and showed up to a Pasadena Weekly interview in a "Die Yuppie Scum" t-shirt.

But Alison's not as innocent as she or her characters look. She told Pasadena Weekly: "I don’t know why people see me . . . like I’m all prim and proper, when I couldn’t be more different. People think I come off that way, but I’m not.”

She's right. In this 2007 skit, she dishes it right back to the Internet's most infamous yogi, The Underminer, when he asks her to be in his variety show that's like "Curb Your Enthusiasm meets You Can't Do That on Television." Namaste! Watch it below.