Hit the Road: 5 Keys to Road Trip Success

Photo courtesy mLu.fotos 

Summer is the season to get out of the apartment and enjoy the outdoors. Why not hit the road and explore new territory? Adventure, the wind in your hair, random roadside monuments...what’s not to love? So gas up the tank, pack for all contingencies and follow these tips from Apartment Therapy for road trip success!

1. Take a few minutes to plan ahead. Check for roadwork, freeway closures (happening almost every weekend in LA now) and try to schedule things so you can avoid rush hour in any urban areas. Should something come up once you are already on the road, apps like Waze can help you find your way around them.

2. Snack healthy and hydrate. While it can be tempting to subsist only on fast food and coffee, when your energy starts to flag, you will only feel worse. Staying well hydrated and sticking to your normal diet will help you power through without an energy crash.

3. Explore a little along the way. While I'm not suggesting you tack hours onto your drive, doing a little planning ahead of time can help you figure out a few interesting points to stop along the way. When you pull over to stretch your legs, it never hurts to be taking in a view or enjoying a local landmark.

4. Multi-task. I try to make the best use of my rest stops so I don't pull over more frequently than I need to. Filling up on gas, walking the dogs, picking up water and snacks, checking in messages, and washing the windows means I can get back on the road and avoid unnecessary stops.

5. Music makes all the difference. When you're traveling alone, it's vital. Putting together a playlist in advance can help get you through radio dead zones. Podcasts are a great way to mix things up.

What is one item you must have when you go on a road trip? Share your road trip stories and pictures with us!

7 Pre-Vacation Tasks to Tackle

Whether your idea of a vacation is going to a big city or laying on the beach, it is a time that should be as stress-free as possible. Aside from the normal tasks of packing and making sure you have all of your travel necessities, here are 7 less thought of tasks to take care of before your trip, courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

1. Tell your neighbors and/or friends. Inform your neighbors and friends of the dates that you will be gone and ask them to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around your home. Leave an extra set of keys and contact information with a trusted neighbor or friend. If you will be gone for more than a few days, ask your neighbor or friend to pick up your mail. You can also go to the USPS website to place a “stop” order on mail and newspapers. Consider asking a friend to check in if you have plants that need to be watered.

2. Tidy your kitchen. Clean out your fridge. Dispose of food that will spoil, eat your leftovers and take out the trash and recycling. Any food left in the trash or the sink will spoil and stink up your home, so make sure to do the dishes.

Photo courtesy THOR.

3. Tend to the bathrooms. Sprinkle a little baking soda in toilets and down the sink drains to avoid coming home to the stench of stagnant water dripping.

4. Take safety precautions. If you are concerned about safety, invest in a light switch timer that can turn lights on and off according to a programmed schedule, park a car in your driveway, and leave curtains or blinds exactly as they usually are. Make sure all windows and doors are locked before you leave and double-check that the alarm system is armed, if you have one. It is also a good idea to place any valuables in a locked safe or in a part of your home that is out of plain sight.

5. Pay the bills. This is especially pertinent if you are going to be gone a few weeks. Plan ahead and pay all the bills that will be due while you are away. You shouldn't need to worry about when bills are due while you are on vacation.

6. Conserve energy. Adjust the thermostat so that it saves energy. Make sure all faucets are turned off and no water is dripping. Consider shutting off water lines to washing machines to avoid flooding problems. Make sure all lights of the home are turned off. Double-check to make sure all appliances are turned off and unplug electronics to save on power.

7. Clean the house. Tidy up and clean up the clutter! I love coming back home to a clean house; it makes you appreciate your home that much more and will make unpacking and getting back into the routine that much easier.

What is your normal pre-vacation routine like? Is there anything you would add to this? Share your thoughts below!

Quit Procrastinating

Photo courtesy College Degrees 360

“I’ll do it later.” “Maybe tomorrow.” “I just don’t feel like it.” Sound familiar? Sure, we all have things we don’t want to do, but we probably spend more time thinking about doing things than it would take to actually DO THEM. Real Simple offers some advice on how to quit thinking and start doing.

Do the Worst Thing First
Maybe this is the last suggestion you want to hear. But there’s a good reason to start with the tough stuff. “We have a limited, depletable supply of willpower and resources,” says Piers Steel, Ph.D., a professor of human resources and organizational dynamics at the University of Calgary and the author of The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Things Done($26, amazon.com). Attack the hardest task when your energy is fresh and you give yourself the strongest chance of success. Doing otherwise can have a damaging domino effect. “Putting off the dreaded item on your list saps your strength,” says Eva Wisnik, who conducts time-management training for lawyers and corporations in New York City. Ultimately all your other tasks suffer—stressing over that worst thing “makes you not completely present with anything else,” says Wisnik. So identify and get started on the most heinous project, which is not necessarily the biggest job but the baddest. “Checking it off will make you feel super-productive,” says Wisnik, thus infusing with you with gung-ho, it’s-all-downhill-from-here enthusiasm.

Start Your Day Over at 2 p.m.
What’s more irritating than witnessing your morning fly by without having dealt with your to-do list? Watching your afternoon roll right along with it. Combat this by implementing a reboot: “At 2 p.m. every day, assess how much you’ve accomplished, remind yourself of what’s critical, and alter your plan so you can tackle the most important thing,” says Wisnik. In other words, grant yourself a second morning in the middle of the day (complete with your caffeinated beverage of choice). And if there’s a new project that has become high priority, you still have the time and the energy to start it at 2 p.m. “If you wait until 5 p.m. to evaluate your day,” says Wisnik, “you’re out of time—and in crisis mode, putting out fires.”

Make the Job Smaller
It’s natural to get overwhelmed by the size and scope of certain tasks. Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., a psychology professor at DePaul University, in Chicago, and the author of Still Procrastinating? The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done ($16,amazon.com), says this is a case of “seeing the forest and forgetting that it’s made of trees.” His advice: “Cut down one tree. And if you can’t cut a whole tree, cut three branches.” Instead of being disheartened by how much you can’t do, look at how much you can. If you have 12 boxes of clutter to sort, do only one. On the other hand, if you simply have to get it all done, think about this: Sometimes shrinking a task is aboutquality rather than quantity. Says John Perry, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, and a cohost of the radio show Philosophy Talk: “Ask yourself, ‘How good a job do I really need to do?’ Some things are not important enough to warrant perfection.” It makes more sense to do top-notch work when updating your résumé, for example, than when drawing up flyers for a block party.

Create an Audience
It’s easy to blow things off when your commitment to yourself is the only thing at stake. But make yourself accountable to a friend and suddenly potential embarrassment becomes a powerful motivator. It’s “positive pressure,” says life coach Cheryl Richardson, the author of Take Time for Your Life ($14, amazon.com). Just as you’re more likely to exercise when you’re meeting a friend at the gym, you may be more apt to fill out critical paperwork if you have a partner looking over your shoulder (even virtually). Fear of letting someone down might be the perfect motivator. Call a friend or a sibling (not the warm-and-fuzzy kind—the tough-nut, no-excuses kind) and tell her what you plan to get done. Ask her to check in and crack the whip at an appointed time. Then let the fear of disappointment work its dark magic.

Race the Clock
Having trouble even beginning a burdensome project? Try the old trick of setting a timer for 10 minutes. Work in a focused, perhaps even frantic manner for that short stretch, and watch what happens. “Anyone can do 10 measly minutes,” says Debbie Mandel, a stress-management specialist in New York City and the author of Addicted to Stress: A Woman’s 7-Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life ($23,amazon.com). “You may get engrossed and end up working even longer.” Once a sense of satisfaction replaces the dread you felt before, there’s a decent chance you’ll continue. Another trick to moving past that initial paralysis is to create what has been called an “implementation intention,” says Pychyl. Instead of simply identifying your goal, establish how and when you’ll actually accomplish it. For example: Saturday morning at 11, get the kids to figure out exactly which printer cartridge we need; go to Staples at noon.

Don’t Interrupt Yourself
If you get pulled away from tasks by every ding, whistle, and ring on your digital devices, well, you’re like most of us. But keep in mind that other people aren’t interrupting you; you are interrupting yourself. (This is tough love, folks.) The way to break free from technology is, ironically, to employ it: There are a slew of applications you can download to block electronic distractions. Freedom (macfreedom.com, $10) disables all roads to the Internet for an allotted amount of time. And cheating isn’t easy—to sneak back online early, you have to reboot your computer. RescueTime (free, rescuetime.com) tracks your every online move and provides easy-to-read, painfully revealing charts. Seeing your wasted time in pretty graphs is a bracing slap in the face. (That’s how many hours I spent on Facebook yesterday?) And LeechBlock (free, addons.mozilla.org) works with the Internet browser Firefox so you can block certain sites—or all of them—either perpetually or during specific periods. If you have an addiction to those online sample sales with new offerings every 15 minutes, you can use this app to take away temptation. Same principle as keeping your favorite cookies out of the house.

Plan an Unprocrastination Day
Gather your most neglected tasks and a no-nonsense companion and head off on an odyssey of productivity, vowing not to return home until your long ignored to-do’s are done.

15 Items to Hit the Trash by 30

Photos (top L, clockwise) Kim, Sarah Marriage, Brady Wahl

You don’t have to actually throw these things away (donating is always nice!), but these items are things you should part with by the time you hit age 30. In your 20s it’s all about being frugal and finding your style, but in your 30s it’s time for something more permanent and sophisticated. House Beautiful and ELLE Decor asked some prominent designers which items should be swapped out.

1. A Futon. “Futons are le worst! The older you get the squishier your bed should be,” says designer, potter and author, Jonathan Adler.

2. Temporary furniture. “Often I see people waiting to move into the ‘forever home’ before they begin to decorate, and until then, simply buy whatever is on sale to fill up the space,” says designer Scot Meacham Wood. “But, by the age of 30, you should really be living intentionally—invest in some classic pieces that you can carry with you, but stop waiting.”  

3. TV Stands. “Be gone, TV stands that were purchased with your TV!” says Lauren Buxbaum and Sasha Adler, Design Directors at Nate Berkus Associates. “It’s time to do something a little less functional and a little more decorative.”

4. Art or posters taped to the wall without frames. “By 30 you should invest in custom framing,” says designer Nicole Gibbons.

5. Florescent floor lamps. “They can be very unflattering,” warns Buxbaum and Adler. “Incandescent and soft lighting floor lamps are just as accessible, but they’re easier on the eyes, prettier in the space and do wonders for your complexion.”

6. Bare wood floors and postage stamp size area rugs. Rugs ground a room and bring so much warmth and life to a space. “Instead of reaching for the quickest solution, reach for a rug that adds texture, color or pattern—in the largest size your room can handle!” advise Buxbaum and Adler. “It's amazing how it can elevate the whole look of a room.”

7. Cheap bedding. “Really, there's no good reason to have cheap bedding whatever your age might be,” explains Wood. “But, once you hit your 30's, you should really be treating yourself better.”

8. An unmade bed. “It takes 60 seconds in the morning to make up your bed and it starts off your day with an accomplished feeling,” says designer Ryan White.

9. Plastic dishware and serving pieces. According to Buxbaum and Adler these just aren’t necessary, “unless it’s for the garden party.”

10. Kitchy picture frames. Yes, the ones of you and your bestie that say best friends. “In your 30s it’s time to invest in timeless pieces that you’ll carry with you forever,” says Gibbons. “Think classic silver-plated frames or other styles that feel sophisticated and coordinate with your decor.”

11. Accent Walls. “Rather than enhancing a space it feels like it does just the opposite,” explains Buxbaum and Adler. “There are so many other ways to create a focal point and make a statement.”

12. That collection of shot glasses from your college spring break adventures on display. “These are only ok if you’re still in college AND live in a sorority or frat house!” says Gibbons.

13. An empty fireplace mantle or bookshelf.  Use flowers, art and accessories to add drama to any surface, advises White. “Buy interesting and fun objects to dress up your storage spaces.”

14. Fake plants or trees. Even if you don’t have a green thumb these just aren’t necessary. “Use air plants that only require a small about of water and attention to green up any room,” says White.

15. The pillows sold with the sofa.  They are uniform and boring, “Buy different sized pillows and play with different colors and textures,” says White.

This article originally appeared on ELLE DECOR.

Freshen Up Your Style with Color

Imagine you have 5 minutes to transform three rooms in your apartment. How would you do it? Believe it or not, it can be as simple as using color, or lack thereof. Apartment Therapy’s Abby Stone recently took over her friend’s space for a speedy makeover, and it was as simple as towels, linens and dishes.

Photos (top L, clockwise) courtesy Maegan Tintari, Gisela Francisco, Villa Early Sunset

IN THE BATHROOM: Apart from the fixtures, which you may have no control over, towels are the biggest decor choice you make in your bathroom. I quickly assessed her towel collection and pulled out all the towels that went together. Swapping out the mismatched towels for ones that went together quickly transformed the room.

How to work this in your home: Whether you choose a color from the tiles, go with all white or indulge in stripes, pick an idea and stick with it for all your towels.

Result: A bathroom that always looks like it's ready for its closeup; a linen closet that feels the same.

IN THE BEDROOM: I stripped the bed and remade it, choosing all the white sheets. Though the bed wasn't perfectly made, the pile of white looked like an inviting place to crash.

How to work this in your home: Like towels, your sheets, pillowcases and duvet cover are the visual focal point in this room. I'm an all white person and while some of my sheets have a pattern woven into them and some are plain, they all go together.

Result: A calmer and more inviting bedroom that looks that way even when the bed isn't made. If your home has more than one bedroom, consider picking a color or color palette for each room. That way you won't start making the bed with what you thought were the sheets for your queen bed only to open them up and discover that they're the twin sheets for your kid's room.

IN THE KITCHEN: No way was I going to have time to pull out all the dishware visible through the glass doors of the cabinets and rearrange it. Choosing white (because I knew that's the color of dishes my friend has the most of), I pulled out all the colored pottery. Though the dishes were piled in haphazardly, the piles of cups off kilter, and there were even dishes in the sink, it looked deliberate.

How to work this in your home: Picking one color or color scheme has other benefits beyond cutting down on the visual clutter. Whether you chose high end china or crackled pottery, the mix of texture will look deliberate. Throw in a few colored plates for fun.

Result: Grandma's stoneware works with your Ikea, your fine china with your chunky mugs.