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My Latest Snags.
A new Alice Walk sweatshirt, in the sage green stripe. Truly the best. A nice (longer) length, dreamy cotton, elevated gold hardware. I also picked up this clear makeup pouch I wrote about earlier this week and (random) these redness-reducing eye drops, which I’ve heard are a major secret for looking more awake and alert!
This Week’s Bestsellers.
01. RUE DE VERNEUIL TOTE // 02. MERIT SIGNATURE LIPSTICK // 03. DORSEY CLEMENCE NECKLACE* // 04. TARGET JOGGERS // 05. J. CREW EMILIE JACKET // 06. AMAZON MAKEUP BRUSH // 07. CITIZENS FLORENCE JEANS** // 08. MADEWELL FLATS // 09. TARGET BUNNIES IN PINK AND BLUE // 10. TABLE TOPICS FOR KIDS // 11. OXICLEAN WASHING MACHINE CLEANERS // 12. DIOR LIP OIL AND TARGET SOCKS // 13. NIKES // 14. SALT CELLAR // 15. SEZANE THEODORA TOP
*Details on this piece and why it’s my favorite Dorsey style here. Recently restocked!
**See me trying them on here and here.
Weekend Musing: Motivation.
Mr. Magpie and I have been talking a lot about motivation this month. January is a low tide for many reasons, but the question is: how do we keep at our goals (whether professional, fitness-related, hobbyist, creative) when we’re feeling lethargic?
I’ve been repeating two Magpie reader mantras this eternal January:
“Sometimes you just have to move the dirt,”
and
“It’s not ‘I have to do this,’ but ‘I get to do this.'”
The former is terra nova, home base for the disciplined, of which I consider myself one. I can clip into “just get it done” mode with relative ease — a muscle I believe I developed as a high achiever in academics throughout my youth. The latter phrase, on the other hand, feels like a gear shift: it’s the quickest way for me to enter into a mindset of gratitude. I was dragging my feet when heading to my training session this week, and I thought of those words, and I realized how lucky I am to have the time and resources to exercise in the first place, not to mention a strong and healthy body that can move and lift and run. If you have ever been seriously sick, or recovered from a surgery or injury, you also remember that moment in convalescence in which you asked yourself: “Will I ever feel normal again?” So, I marched into that studio in praise of a normal day.
Anyhow, the two phrases act like a carrot and a stick, or good cop/bad cop, perhaps. One is warmer (just look at all you have!), and the other like a slap on the wrist (get out there and do the thing). Funny that some days I just know, intuitively, which approach I need to trot out.
How do you stay motivated?
Post-Scripts.
+More cool girl socks. These are the kinds all the chic peas are wearing with New Balance 9060s.
+My daughter was DELIGHTED by this Usborne “transfer” book I surprised her with last week. You use a pencil or ballpoint pen to draw over a transfer sheet and the image magically appears on the page behind it. Will be purchasing more!
+I’ve been looking for cashmere beanies in solid colors that aren’t crazy expensive. Found these at J. Crew and these at Everlane in such great colors! All under $60, some as low as $23.
+What I’d like for Valentine’s Day.
+Sherpa sweatshirt for your little one.
+Chic standing desk.
+Obsessed with these short-sleeved cardigans from Doen — found a short sleeved cardi at H&M too that might scratch the itch for less.
+Truly the cutest scalloped trays!
+Such a gorgeous dress — would be pretty for an expecting mama.
+Very cool little jacket.
+Love the style of this $100 toddler bed.
+Still a few of these dino-heart sweatsuits available for your little one for Valentine’s Day!
+Pretty panel curtains from Pottery Barn.
+Chic toile sheeting from Urban Outfitters. Also love these chintz shams!
I am similar to you (I also, “can clip into “just get it done” mode with relative ease”) and have noticed that when I can’t clip into that, it’s typically not my system but what I’m trying to clip into that system, if that makes sense. If the the routine isn’t getting done it’s usually because it’s unsustainable/unrealistic or if the task isn’t getting done, it’s typically because I haven’t slotted it into the right system. Which is to say, starting with *how* to do something isn’t as useful or impactful as starting with *what* I’m doing. I know I have the requisite discipline and systems to do it, if I either correctly hone the routine (when possible) or categorize the task into a existing system. This isn’t a foolproof way to go about things and I’m far from perfect (!!!!!!) but does seem to help me when I’m struggling with things I know I want to do or are “easy” to do and I just can’t seem to get done! Idk if that’s even an answer to the motivation question but something I’ve been thinking about as things get added to my plate xx
Oo I love this framing, Katherine – I totally understand what you mean! Thanks for sharing this!
xx
I got through all of law school on “It’s not ‘I have to do this,’ but ‘I get to do this.’” (and a variation — “I chose this.”). I still find myself turning to these ten years later, particularly for all things pregnancy / parenting.
Amazing — such a great mantra. Really shifts everything around!
xx