I really appreciate your thoughtful responsesto my last post. It will take some time for me to adjust to the notion of retiring, and I’ll chat more about this when I’m ready . . . Still feeling a bit snowed-under work-wise, so I’m going to rely on a few photos I snapped last week on a very busy morning.
I teach a 10 a.m. class, four days a week, and our island ferry only makes the 10-minute crossing to “the big island” once an hour. I’ve been taking the 8 ferry, so that I’m on campus by 8:30, but I could take the 9 for a less harried morning at home, and still have enough time to organize for meeting my class.
So that’s what I decided to do last Thursday, take advantage of an extra hour at home to do my hour’s run in daylight, rather than in the dark early morning as I have been doing. I left the house on my first (4.5 Km) loop at 6:30, stopped home for a water-and-pee break, then out the door again at 7:05. About halfway into the second loop, with another 2.5 kilometres to go, I suddenly remembered a meeting scheduled for 8:30. A meeting of an institutional committee that I was a brand-new member of. AAaargh! The last thing I wanted to do was send an email explaining why I’d missed the very first meeting of my new term.
But at this point I was a kilometre from home, and it had to be at least 7:20, and I had to leave the house no later than 7:50 to catch the 8 ferry. I almost dismissed the idea of racing for the ferry as impossible, but decided to give it a try. Sprinted home — 7:28.
Showered, and dressed in a simple outfit I’d planned during that sprint: this soft grey boxy merino sweater (J Crew) and black waxed-cotton J Brand skinnies. Those Vince pull-on loafers you’ve seen here so often lately. Watch, Wrist party collection of bracelets. Wendy B fleur-de-lis necklace. Gold ball earrings.
And out the door by 7:50. I even managed to scarf down a bowl of muesli and milk!
And if I do say so myself, I think I look reasonably presentable. Thank goodness, because my 8:30 meeting was followed by the 10-11:30 class, followed by an 11:30 meeting (with a suit, from the Development/Fund-raising/Money-side), and then another 1:00 meeting of yet another committee.
All the while knowing I’d managed to steal that run in the morning, however truncated (7 km. instead of 9!). Yay, me! Yay, endorphins!
Do you have some simple, no-brainer, go-to outfits for hectic mornings like this? Items you can pull together from your closet at a moment’s notice and still feel confident and comfortable? It’s worth cultivating, I tell you!
I’m also curious about how quickly you think you could get yourself ready, from sweaty in running gear all the way to hair washed, styled, face made up, and self out the door . . . . Chime in, would you?
Well it would be a walk on my part but probably after showering and drying my hair maybe 10 minutes as I have basics that are easy to pull together. Not sure if I could eat in that time though….maybe grab a banana and a few almonds on my way out the door.
Bravo to you though as you look cool as a cucumber and ready to seize the day!
That's not bad — my 20 minutes included showering, but I don't dry my hair. . .
Wow! You did well.
If I had to wash my hair I'd need 30 minutes to get myself out the door. Between shampoos, 10 minutes, but I'd grab something to eat along the way.
Your outfit looks relaxed, polished and comfortable.
Thanks — and your 10 minutes is pretty good too.
I wet my hair every morning (showering, but not necessarily shampooing) — the curls are impossible otherwise, crazy bedhead! — but I let it air-dry. . .
20 mins at a dash but no muesli. Possible cup of coffee. Emergency get up = black levis, white boyfriend shirt, patent loafers and good earrings. Plus pashmina or big scarf.
However, not sure a trip to the loo would be included in all that. Big mistake.
Had thrown the muesli into a lunch container bowl with some milk to eat in the meeting if I had to! (after running for an hour on an empty tummy, I knew I needed to eat) — Realized I had a spare few seconds here and there to grab bites between pulling on garments! Your emergency get up sounds very smart — good high impact but easy to put together.
Just can't tell this is an emerg outfit, you look so chic! For me it is all black plus scarf and earrings that screw in- I lose them easily when rushed and inattentive.
Thanks! I was pretty pleased to realize I had these simple but effective pieces ready to grab. I must be doing something right wardrobe-wise lately.
And yes to the jewelry loss when rushed — me too! Have to be careful.
No way could I shower, wash my hair, dry it and put on make-up in 22 minutes….oh and squeeze in a bowl of cereal. Now if I didn't have to dry my hair no problem. Must time myself today for interest sake. As for outfits…black pants and whatever looks good on top always works, eh? Btw, that's a lot of meetings in one day!
I scrunch product (Curls Rock curl amplifier for the win!!) into my hair and let it dry. For the record, it was still damp during the meeting. . . .
And yes it was. Too many.
Since I simplified my wardrobe, I can just go to a drawer and pull out grey pants or leggings and every top works. Scarves hang by colour so I'm ready to go. Shampoo, condition and hair dries naturally. You look pulled together and casual/professional.
I'm not as simplified nor as organized as you, but we have a similar approach to the hair styling — we curly-heads!
I could do it in 20 minutes – but not with food.
Had to jam the food in there. It was really the last few minutes available for eating before noon, and I knew I'd be in trouble if I didn't follow up the running with something nourishing.
Wow! I am impressed! I never could have looked as great as you do in that short amount of time…….and taken pics to boot!
Isn't the picture-taking a hoot in all that rush?! But I realized I had a potential post — we bloggers! 😉
You always look so chic! I could possibly shower and dress in 20 minutes but I would be a wet head with no makeup and a hungry tummy. 20 minutes, I am impressed!
Thanks! My makeup routine is super easy, although I have to wait for the moisturizer to dry before putting on the foundation and then wait for that to dry before the brush of eyeshadow, swipe of mascara, and wipe-smudge of blush. So those stages just happen in between other events in the assembly. . .
You look great! That's pretty much my morning time when I'm teaching as we only have one shower for 4 people – I get it last, so I'm in about 7am (although I get up at 6am) and leave for work at 7.15am. I guess having super-short hair is a major advantage on the rush stakes – also, I can't eat that early, so I have my breakfast at school … And I have to have a uniform as well – for last term (winter/spring) it was black jeans, long-sleeved silk t-shirt or other layer, light jumper (sweater), scarf and jacket. Time to work on my spring-summer uniform …
I do think having easy hair prep is huge! And yeah, those days of getting kids out the door and getting oneself to work — I suspect many moms would consider my 22 minutes a luxury (not to mention the long morning run, solo).
In fact, I was telling a young dad friend on our ferry about my speedy feat, and then realized "I guess that's about 10 minutes longer than you usually take from waking up to leaving the house." His answer: "Yep" (he's often late, but manages to squeak onto the boat)
Yeah! You look great.
It's funny how quickly I have forgotten my work dressing.
Thanks!
I'm rather hoping to do that quickly as well — although I still hope to enjoy the clothes somewhere.
Love the outfit. So many times I check in and you look great, your own style. But one I find myself copying. Sorry! I can get ready in about 20 minutes but the outcome is nowhere near as good as yours.
No need to apologize — hugely flattered!
Is your run coming up this weekend or next? So impressed you've done your first marathon and now a second all in the same year!
You are amazing! I could never ever do that! For a shower plus wasnig and drying my hair plus contact lenses plus make up I would need at least double yout time. And that would leave me without my tea and some breakfast. (Getting dressed isn't such a problem because I very offten go to sleep thinking up the next day's outfit, so in the morning there are no decisions to take.) I am an owl, I have to admit it, and the morning just isn't my time of day. Before 10am I'm on remote control, and very slow at that.
Of course, I'd already had my cuppa before my run. Nothing happens without that first cup of tea. And my contacts were already in (again, the running). But I hadn't planned out my outfit at all, was happy to get that mentally sorted as I sprinted home.
I seem to be a lark lately, not so much by choice as by insomnia. And then I'm so tired in the evening that I've been in bed by 9, asleep long before 10… (my husband is more like you, doesn't do much lively thinking before 8 or 8:30)
Great look! My closet has been morphing more and more to grab-and-go-able separates that all seem to go together. Really cultivating (mostly) a single silhouette in my wardrobe feels like it's paying off. Once I quit worrying about whether my clothes were "boring" or whether I was wearing enough color, it all seemed to come together. Good for you for getting that run in.
Yes, as much as colour it's winnowing and cultivating the silhouette — for me it's not a single one as I like to wear dresses and skirts more, I think, than you do, but I'm knowing what works and perhaps experimenting less (although not, imho, getting stale). And yes, prioritizing the running was good, if a bit risky schedule-wise!
That must have been an adrenaline-fuelled run! I had something similar happen the other week. It was 7:45, and I was preparing to give myself a low-impact aerobics class, like the kind I taught in the late 80s. I didn't teach literature till 9:30, so I had plenty of time, But then I remembered that I had an appointment at 8, with someone who was driving a good 75 minutes just to see me! So I put off my aerobics, dressed in 5 minutes (didn't need shower), jumped in the car, and made it to my office just as my visitor was arriving!
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