Photos by Sarah Veyna

Outfit Details:

Black Top with Bow (Old)

Madewell Deckshorts in Crosshatch Ikat (ON SALE!)

Target Merona Espradilles in Black

(My shoe size is 6.5, and a size 6 fit just fine)

I recently read an article in Darling Magazine called “I’m Not Here, I’m Not There,” in which the writer Tracey Wallace discusses how multitasking is making people less productive. Wallace’s article implies that smartphones are largely responsible for the “multitasking phenomenon” because people constantly feel the need to seek out information or be connected to social media. The article goes on to suggest that instead of trying to multitask, people should focus on breaking up their life into four quadrants–these quadrants can be any areas in your life that hold a deep significance to you, and you should aim to contribute something positive in each one. People should focus on only one particular quadrant during a specific time in order to maintain balance and achieve success in their everyday lives.

I really enjoyed the article for many reasons. Firstly, it made me think about how my own constant usage of social media and dependance on my smartphone, are tied to my habit of multitasking. In the past few years, I’ve become obsessed with documenting different aspects of my life to the point that I don’t always get to fully enjoy myself and live in the moment. Not only that, I constantly use things like working on my blog or checking my Instagram as an excuse to step away from focusing on a more important matter or working on a challenging task.

I also enjoyed that Wallace’s article made me take a moment to think about what my priorities are by suggesting that, in order to be successful and productive, people need focus on four quadrants in their lives where they can make a significant contribution. It was extremely challenging to break up my life into just four areas that I want to focus on–I’m so used to just seeing my actions as individual tasks instead of how they relate to a bigger picture. I would say that for now the quadrants that I want to focus on are my family, friends, learning and being creative.

I feel that looking at my life in quadrants makes me feel more organized and focused in life; it also makes me think about what areas of my life I need to contribute more time to. I definitely feel that in the past couple of months, I haven’t really made time to focus on unleashing my creativity or attaining more knowledge. I definitely need to set apart time during the week to step away from my computer and read a book or work on a creative project.

I hope you all had a fun 4th of July weekend! I spent mine (mostly) away from a computer screen and smartphone, and instead I made time to hang out with family and friends. Some of my friends from out-of-state were in town all day Saturday, and I had so much fun being their tour guide for the day. They were such good sports as I dragged them from one place to another, even though I definitely made them walk more than a couple of miles as we explored different parts of Downtown Los Angeles. I hope that I can continue this streak of having fun-filled weekends as long as possible!

xoxo,

Helen Grace