The Pomodoro Technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in 1992 and is a simple and useful time management technique for managing projects and tasks amenable to small, recurring breaks. All you need to start using the Pomodoro Technique is a timer, a sheet of paper, and a pencil.
The basic steps are outlined on the Pomodoro Technique website as follows:
1. Choose a task to be accomplished
2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break
Read more about the technique and download the book on it for free from the Pomodoro Technique website here.
I recently found an interview from Revive Our Hearts Ministries on avoiding the Grass is Greener syndrome in marriage. The interview also had some really excellent insights from a couple who have been married to each other for over a quarter of a century on how they work on their friendship in marriage. Below are a couple of my favorite excerpts from the interview. These answers are in response to the question, “What are some of the things that both of you started doing in your marriage—choosing to do, actions that you took—that began to restore your heart for each other?”
On learning to understand each other…
…the more I understood about my wife and adapted and respected those differences that God put in her as a woman, the less of those brush fire arguments we had that turned into World War III in 90 seconds that begin to push us away. The more of those things we eliminated, the more the intimacy grew, the more the love grew in our relationship.
On offering mercy to each other…
I think we offered each other mercy when we were trying to change and we slipped up. We didn’t beat each other up over that because we both knew we were trying. I kind of describe it as we were two pendulums swinging back and forth missing each other.
On being rooted in the Bible…
But through working and studying God’s Word, and putting God’s principles into our marriage, eventually we were like two pendulums swinging together. But it took a period of time and hard work and commitment.
On being patient about change…
It took actually years because a lot of the habits that we had established were very difficult to break. But as we saw each other changing, then it gave us courage also to take that step out. Before we were just waiting for the other person to make a mistake so we could point it out.
On making a love list for each other…
We decided after learning this through one of the resources that we were going to make a list of five specific, very specific things that she could do to make me feel loved. And she was going to make a list of very specific things that made her feel loved. We switched lists, and I would carry that in my wallet.
Check out the interview in its entirety at the Revive Our Hearts Ministries site over here.
A short while ago, I blogged about a personal DIY letterpress machine from Lifestyle Crafts. After that post, I started noticing more things about the art of letterpress and soon made this post titled the Story of a Letterpress, which highlighted a letterpress renovation journey and a video showing a letterpress in action.
Today, I found this article from Design Sponge on a behind-the-scenes look of how SIMPLESONG designs and prints her letterpress products. Head on over there to check out SIMPLESONG’s post and images of her printing process.
When I first saw this feature on pop-up decorations from Martha Stewart Weddings, I was pretty skeptical. I just haven’t seen too many pop-up decorations that look really great and although the pictures in Martha Stewart Weddings are always gorgeous, I wasn’t convinced that the concepts could be easily recreated without just a hint of tackiness.
Then I came across this lovely storefront image of the pop-up decorations at Fat Cat Paperie and decided to give the pop-up decorations a second chance.
With the right mix of colors, groupings, and other complementing details, pop-ups can be an inexpensive and beautiful way to add color and texture to your wedding decorations.
I think they look particularly amazing when used in large quantities and when the colors work together to highlight otherwise ordinary details. In the picture above, for instance, several golden and cream pop-up strands bring out the golden in the beverages on the table, and the pink and cream wall contrasts really well with the crisp, white table cloth.
A wall of garlands, as displayed above, would also make a lovely custom photobooth backdrop!
See more ideas and read the original post from Martha Stewart Weddings.
Photo Credits: From top to bottom: 1. Martha Stewart Weddings, 2. Fat Cat Paperie Blog, 3. Fat Cat Paperie Blog, 4. Martha Stewart Weddings, 5. Martha Stewart Weddings, 6. Martha Stewart Weddings.
I love reading or hearing about couples who have been together for awhile. I love hearing about things they’ve been through together, the history of their common goals and dreams, and how they continue to complement and challenge each other. I love hearing their story.
Amy Larocca of New York Magazine does a wonderful job of capturing the story of the businesses and brands the Spades have created together, and the life they live now.
Some quotes I found particularly memorable from her piece in New York Magazine earlier this month:
On Andy Spade’s branding genius…
Andy Spade’s explanation, the key, he says, to his marketing success? “The bigger you get, the smaller you act.” By which he means: The more personal a brand, the more stuff it can sell.
Andy Spade on life…
“I see all these people who just keep going and going and going, and I just feel like, ‘Hey! You made it!’ ” says Andy. “But they get up every day and just keep going. You love the game, but the game for us? We just wanted to be in fourth place. We just wanted a good little company.”
Continue here to read her feature on the Spades in its entirety on New York Magazine.
Printable Press offers an interesting solution for wedding invitations. They make beautiful, chic invitation designs for you to browse and customize. You pick the one you want and then either print them on your own, or send them out to get printed. Below are several designs from their site…
The following description from their About page sums their business up perfectly…
Printable Press was created as an alternative to expensive stationery, but also as an alternative to the totally-from-scratch, do-it-yourself approach. It is a way to have professionally designed invitations for those on a small budget.
Whether you decide to print on your own or outsource your printing, they project that the average cost (including paper) for a set of 100 invitations comes out to about $200. This would obviously vary depending on the type and quality of paper you choose. Custom projects and designs are also available.
For more information, check out their FAQ section as well as printing recommendations and resources on their site.
Photo credits: Images from this post are from the Printable Press site.
