The first of every month, my Google Calendar emails me a gentle reminder to “PAY YOUR CREDIT CARDS!!!!!!!!!”. This digitalized ribbon-around-the-finger also pops up on my iPhone. How they synced together I don’t quite know. But, what I do know is that I have the worst mental capacity for checking things off my ever-growing “To-Do” list.

Some people climb Mount Everest. I somehow finally remembered to set up my 401k the other day and felt on top of the world. I still have yet to roll-over my old one, but that requires another phone call, with a phone number that I have carried around in my purse for the past month, but have somehow forgot to fish out.

I have a daily planner that I don’t open on a daily basis. I stick post-its all over my desk at work, read them over and over, and take mental note to do what the post-it says later. I email myself memos in ALL CAPS. I’ve even asked Siri to set a 10:30 am reminder for me to call and report the monthly Metrocard that I lost because the MTA will reimburse you some of the money (I know, right??) but still–haven’t done it yet.

I take more time setting reminders that it would take me to complete the task at hand.

The problem is that either I don’t have much of an organization system, or I’m 28 years old going on 5 years old, with my mind still resetting to a time when my biggest responsibility was trying not to lose a quarter I had in my pocket for a cupcake sale at school.

All this time, I thought it was just me. That I just lacked the ability to be on top of my personal business. That I can easily go the extra mile at work or taking care of a friend of family member, but for myself, I feel the weight of effort.

Then I saw this.

In a post titled, “This Is Why I’ll Never Be An Adult,” the writer has a similar problem, and by the way this link ran like wildfire among my friends’ emails, I’m not alone.

Instead of getting down on myself for not feeling like a responsible adult, it’s better to focus on what you can control–not surpassing your capacity for responsibility. If taking out the garbage when it stinks is too much, then light some candles and take it out tomorrow.

(Kidding, kidding. That’s gross. Don’t tell CP I said that.)

Will this chart help my to pay my credit card bills on time? Nope. Not even a little bit. But at least I had fun stalling my “To-Do” list for the moment by writing a blog post.

The other night, CP called me lazy.

Yep. That’s right. Lazy.

He said that I have the tendency to make simple, small tasks bigger than they are. Of course I asked, “Like what??” and sadly, I could not successfully refute his examples. Yes, I hate brushing my teeth and everything related to getting ready for bed. Yes, I hate having to get up to fish through my purse for my credit card while the Delivery.com site is already on the checkout page. These are all true. But, to CP’s point, this is not what makes me lazy.

What makes me lazy is that I procrastinate so much that when I finally have to do these tasks, it makes them seem so much bigger. When I’m tired, the last thing I want to do is brush, floss, and wash my face. When I’m starving, the last thing I want is to be seconds away from clicking the “order” button, then having to delay my order by having to waste time looking for my credit card. Simple solutions such as getting ready for bed earlier would prevent me from getting cranky as I get ready for bed, and perhaps grabbing my wallet before I sit down to order would also lessen the cranky factor.

Continue reading →

Stranded in Astoria.via Gothamist.com

Well everyone, needless to say, it’s been quite the week. Not only did many of us experience our first earthquake, but also, the suspense and anticipation of one of the greater natural disasters to hit NYC in over 20 years.

Now, I’ve had anxiety dreams before—in particular, finding myself in my high school French class realizing that forgot to prepare for a presentation that counts for 90% of my grade—but I’ve never had anxiety dreams about waking up in my apartment to find things like Clint’s guitars treading water, next to Janice Huff and Chuck Scarborough. (The 12+ hours of hurricane coverage Clint and I have watched on tv may be to blame.) Continue reading →

Hi. I’m not quite sure how these things go, but I’ll give this a try based on what knowledge I’ve gleaned from watching something-anonymous meetings on television.

Hello. My name is Emily, and I am a bad blogger.

There. I’ve said it. They say the first step to moving on is acceptance. Check. I’m not quite sure of the other steps, but all I know is that I’m throwing my hat back into the ring, grabbing the bull by the horns, tossing out any euphemism for staring over, and returning to my blog.

If you are reading this, I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting. But, as you are about to read, a few things have been going on in the past few months that have been the cause of a lot of celebration.

I GOT A NEW JOB.

Bye-bye journalism, hello advertising. Ladies and gentleman, I’ve entered a new career, and a new industry to boot. I’ve never been so excited for a challenge, and so tired by the end of the workweek that weekends have new meaning to me. I also now understand how my fellow copywriter friend told me that sometimes she doesn’t have time to pee. Sometimes, you just don’t.

I’M NO LONGER A HOBOKENITE.

Yes, the rumors are true. After almost four years, I have fled the Mile-Square town for a new adventure–QUEENS. More specifically, Astoria. That’s crossing two rivers. Two rivers, about five times during moving day, in a U Haul cargo van. My family is amazing to have helped me for the gazillionth time moving since freshman year in college. True rock stars.

SPEAKING OF ROCK STARS, I NOW LIVE WITH A BOY (WHO’S IN A BAND AND OWNS A LOT OF GUITARS)

Maria, my former roommate, now just a good friend who lives in Manhattan, asked me the other day if CP drinks beer for breakfast and if he farts a lot. All I can say is, I’ve never felt so happy to be in one place. And…I’ll keep you posted.

Stay tuned…more updates to come…including: sneak peak of the new place…