I hope that everyone is staying safe, healthy, and following the advice of trusted authorities and medical professionals. This is a very different, very uncertain time for all of us and I hope that Memorandum can offer a bit of a break for you during this time—a place to come and read and explore things you love, when you might be feeling overwhelmed. I’m social distancing right along with you, and I hope you find Memorandum to be a place to take a break when you need one! To that end, I'll continue lots of "business as usual" things here on the blog and on instagram, while staying very much cognizant of all the stressors in the world right now. Sending everyone lots of love as we all navigate this time. 

If you’re able to work from home right now, you’ll want to check out last week’s post containing work from home advice that I find really helpful. One of the smartest habits to start right now, apart from not turning on the television, is making sure you’re sitting and working comfortably, to avoid the aches and pains that can pop up when we work from home without the proper chairs and posture that we’re used to in an office. There’s a seat cushion and balance ball in this post that Rich and I have found really helpful! (Plus, some other gadgets below!)

 I know we’re all looking for smart meal prep moves these days, and I’m currently on a soft boiled egg kick and wanted to discuss. It can be hard to find the right method for achieving the perfect soft boiled egg, but I’ve been using the steaming method because I’ve found it to be the easiest and most consistent. To achieve it, just bring about an inch of water in a pot to a boil. Add your eggs (this method is intended for LARGE eggs, btw!), throw the lid on, and set your timer for five minutes and thirty seconds. Once the timer goes off, immediately run ice cold water over the eggs. Then, just crack and eat! DELISH.

Especially for those with work-from-home setups (before social distancing and during), cord holders are genius. We’ve all had to hide a mess of wires coming out of televisions and routers and every gadget imaginable, but these little guys corral the cords in an organized fashion. It can be difficult to hide cords entirely, but it’s actually pretty simple to add a little bit of organization to a previously chaotic web of wires. These are self-adhesive, so they’ll adhere really easily to the back of a desk or entertainment center, and they’ll let you run a group of cords along or behind essentially any surface you like. There are lots of great ways to use them, but one of my favorite ways is adhering them next to my bed so my phone charging cord doesn't fall behind/under my nightstand when not in use.

As many of us adjust to a new work-from-home reality, it’s important to implement smart strategies for keeping communication productive. Two items that are worth taking a look at are this snakelike holder and ring light and this tripod and ring light to be able to hold video meetings and conferences hands-free and in proper lighting. The natural light near my desk is suboptimal, and I’d like it if people I’m communicating with could... you know, see me. Yes, this setup is also great for social media videos, live Instagrams, and the like, but for meetings purposes this is also a smart setup to have at home to avoid looking like you’re broadcasting live from a gremlin cave. Unless you live in a gremlin cave in which case... as you were.

If you’ve played your algorithms right, you’ve probably seen this brand all over Instagram in recent months. I finally got my hands on some Nécessaire, and I’m in love. These products are focused on skin health, and are formulated with ingredients like vitamins A, B3, C and E, along with Omegas 6 and 9 and antioxidants and help to keep your skin’s pH where it should be. If you’re in need of some good self care stock while spending more-than-usual amounts of time at home, I highly recommend these fragrance-free, affordable little luxuries.

We’re reverting to full elementary school entertainment around here, indulging in a good puzzle or two during our downtime. Rich and I recently ordered this one and it’s a great time-occupier while you’re practicing social distancing! These are also great for the days before Colette hits toddler-status and starts grabbing for everything. I mean she can’t really even master her own thumbs right now much less invade our puzzle space, so we’re good. She’s a terrible backset puzzler though, questioning my every move...

If ever there was a time to have your loungewear game on point, it is right now. I recently bought these and these because this is no time to hate the sight of your own downtime wardrobe, and it’s also nice to be able to mix things up. While I am still a big proponent of getting out of your pajamas while you work from home, there's no rule that you can't spend your day in some adorable matching loungewear.