(this bedroom is from a project that was SUPER fun to work on!)

i am generally a very efficient person. i hate to waste time (unless i am watching tv and then i can do it endlessly.) i set the table as i’m unloading the dishwasher (even if the next meal is HOURS away) because i never want to put dishes away that just have to come right back out. if i am making a green smoothie in the morning, i also make a veggie plate for dinner since i am already chopping stuff up. i frequently get on my tread in my jams because they already need to be washed. i put things on the stairs that have to go up so i can do it on my next trip. i stack my meetings or source fabric or tile or whatever for multiple clients at a go if i am already at the upholsterer or the tile shop. i read once that chefs are trained to make their movements as minimal as possible because they are typically working in small spaces and want to conserve the energy they expend while working. i think about those chefs all the time as i am planning my days.

(this show was so addictive and had so many seasons i thought i might NEVER get off my sofa)

(my green smoothie)

i love to plan. i start each day by writing my list - usually i have to transfer things over from the previous days’ list but i like a fresh piece of paper regardless. and i LOVE to check things off.  sometimes if i do something extra that wasn’t on my list i add it just so i can cross it out. periodically i misplace my lists and this is VERY disconcerting for me. i do rewrite them, but always with the sinking feeling that i am forgetting something. this happened last week - my list disappeared after my target run and i searched all over for it to no avail. three days later my daughter pulled it out from the crack between the console and the passenger seat in my car and sure enough there were several items that had totally been disregarded in my new list.

when we lived in amsterdam and were planning a trip back to the states i would make EPIC, multi-faceted lists: things i wanted to bring home from europe, things i wanted to bring back from california (typically liquid vanilla, parmesan cous cous, favorite bath products), things i wanted to do, people i wanted to see, presents i needed to buy, etc. once, when i was unpacking at my parents’ house i realized that i left my seven page list on my kitchen counter in amsterdam. i TRIED to recreate it, but ultimately felt so stressed out that i had to have a friend pop over to my apartment and fedex it to me. i just couldn’t enjoy my time in california without my list.

(i LOVE this stuff!)

this need for efficiency does frequently put me at odds with my children. “JUST DO IT!” i say “gently” when they are procrastinating about homework or writing a thank you card or cleaning up their rooms. they prefer arguing with me about why they don’t have time to do whatever which typically takes up far MORE time than the actual task. this makes me BANANAS!

when we were in the thick of corona i gave my kids the metaphor that my brain is like a slice of cheese. each day i start with a new one and as the day goes on (work, meetings, errands, nagging, etc) more and more bites get taken out of my cheese. when it is gone i am finished for the day and have to go to bed. i BEG them not to take unnecessary bites out of my cheese (like picking a fight or being rude for no reason) because it is exhausting and it is just not efficient. a few nights ago lucy wanted help with something and theo was circling around zapping at us because he was bored and didn’t feel like studying for the SATs. finally, lu got so frustrated that she yelled, “theo - mama only has a little bit of cheese left and i REALLY need her help right now… PLEASE go away so we can get this done before her cheese is gone.” i found it hilarious that she found herself in a position where she needed to protect MY cheese.

(about two weeks of my brain)

sometimes my need for efficiency runs counter to the creative process. i typically have a clear idea of what i want something to look like, but i frequently don’t have the ability to actualize it. this past year we have been preparing for lucy’s bat mitzvah. i knew how i wanted the invitations to appear, but i am not a graphic designer and i couldn’t create them. my first husband is an advertising creative director with access to all kinds of talented designers. i provided the designer with loads of type references and pantone colors and wanted to share very specific direction. he wanted to give her space to play with it. this was difficult for me both because there’s a possibility that i am pretty controlling AND it didn’t seem efficient. he kept telling me that working with creatives and giving them feedback is what he does for a living (that IS technically true) and i countered with the idea that i didn’t want her wasting her time when i already knew what i wanted. in the end, we were delighted with her work and i hope i wasn’t too difficult. i also realized that i am the exact kind of client that i try never to work with.

i am fairly protective of my own creative process and avoid clients that seem like they won’t be able to appreciate the way i work. i once had someone ask me if she could sit with me at my desk while i was sourcing sofas for her living room to make sure that i stayed on track. i thought that was BONKERS and swiftly extricated myself from that situation, but the truth is, that is exactly what i want when i am the client. i sat with the super talented website designer who built my site and i sit with my tech savvy computer guru who helps me use all of the technology more efficiently. part of that is so i can learn from them (i am verbal and visual so i like to be able to SEE what they are doing and ask a lot of questions) but part of that is my need for efficiency. working that way is helpful for ME, but i am not sure that it is the preferred option for them. it certainly isn’t when i am the one providing the service.

i recently finished two big projects that were a complete JOY! they were colorful and whimsical and eclectic and the teams for both were tip top. one was here in town and the other was up in the mountains (i can’t share photos of it yet as it is meant to be published this summer.) i have been thinking and thinking about how i can ensure that my future projects are this enjoyable and i finally realized it would be helpful if i steer clear of clients that remind me of myself!