She Strengthens

The Allure of Aspirational Office Supplies

As a child, I was never fascinated by trendy clothing or fancy gadgets. My heart belonged to something far more thrilling – office supplies. My friends would drool over the latest fashion trends, while I’d salivate over a fresh pack of Hilroy ruled paper.

The Power of Association

Good marketing is all about creating associations in the consumer’s mind. It’s not about telling you why you need a product, but about showing you the kind of person who uses it. I never fully grasped this concept until I stumbled upon a sleek Kate Spade planner at Chapters. The black-and-white hardcover seemed to hold the secrets to academic and career success. I envisioned myself jotting down important appointments and meetings, just like a high-powered executive.

The Reality Check

But reality soon set in. I had to remind myself that the planner’s $40 price tag was equivalent to almost an entire shift at work. I had to be honest with myself – did I really need it? This newfound awareness has been a game-changer. I’ve learned to prioritize my spending and resist the urge to splurge on frivolous items.

A Lesson in Frugality

As I grew older, I realized that I didn’t need the latest and greatest office supplies to succeed. In fact, I’ve made do with scraps of paper and borrowed pens. It’s a far cry from my childhood days of guilt-tripping my mom into buying me hundreds of dollars’ worth of supplies. I’ve come to appreciate the value of simplicity and resourcefulness.

The Weakness of Notebooks

However, I must confess that I still have a soft spot for notebooks. They pile up in my room, a testament to my aspirational tendencies. But a closer look reveals that I’ve only filled out a few pages of each notebook. It’s a habit I’m trying to break, but those beautiful covers and crisp pages are hard to resist.

The Danger of Aspirational Office Supply Porn

Office decor and supply porn can be particularly insidious, luring us into buying more than we need. The allure of high-end office supplies is strong, especially when they’re affordable and Instagram-worthy. But it’s essential to remember that our to-do lists are worthless if we can’t complete them. At the end of the day, it’s not about the planner or the pen, but about getting the job done.

A Lesson Learned

My obsession with the Kate Spade planner finally ended when a friend gifted it to me as a birthday present. As I showed it off to friends, I realized that not everyone shared my enthusiasm. One encounter stood out – a friend asked me why I was so enamored with the planner, and I couldn’t come up with a convincing answer. Maybe, just maybe, I didn’t get it either.