Move over Monday… have I got a good post for any of you that need a little bit of motivation!!! I think we all need a bit of the real stuff right now — I love the pretty pictures and it’s easy to get lost into the fashion shuffle, but I want you to get more out of my blog than just a cute outfit, I want you to get tips on how to get going which will help you tackle the endless to-do’s and set your mind up for success day in and day out. Scroll down to learn more!
One of the constant questions I am forever getting asked is “how do you do it all?!?!” Well my friends, here’s my secret… I don’t, but I definitely plan out my days as best as I can to take advantage of every single solitary hour I have before passing out each night around 10PM.
I know this entire year has been filled with feelings of worry, anger, exhaustion and feeling completely overwhelmed at times. Never in a million years did I think our Spring Break would turn into full-on quarantine for the summer and now into the schoolyear, but alas, here we are. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been feeling anxious and scared, but I know this new “normal” won’t last forever…. not to mention EVERYONE thinks their opinion matters the most and others making you feel like you’re doing it all wrong. I/m just hopeful we will all come out of this stronger and realizing what truly matters… AND if you’re well enough to get out of bed and live another day, I vote that YOU WIN!
Breezy Animal Dress [wearing XS/only $58] | Cropped Denim Jacket | Emei Tote | Laser Cut Sneaker | Stacked Necklace
So I thought I’d start things off with sharing FIVE specific ways I get up + moving and grooving each day and hoping they may get you motivated to make it happen, too:
How to Get Going: 5 Ways to Start Your Day Off Right
ONE. SET YOUR ALAM FOR THE SAME TIME EACH DAY
And no, you don’t have to execute this task for the weekends, but each weekday I rise and shine at 6AM–yes, it takes a bit for your body to become acclimated to this wake-up, but try it for a few weeks and see if it helps… my body now naturally wakes up eat 6AM so I can start tackling my to-do list in the peace and quiet before Jeff and the girls get up! It’s amazing how you can sort through your inbox in just 20-30 minutes with zero distractions. Even better, you can use your favorite music as your alarm! P.S. yes I am naturally a morning person so that helps me even more– don’t hit that snooze button y’all.
TWO. BREATHE, MEDITATE AND OR PRAY
One thing I never miss is a chance to take a literal breather in the mornings… depending on the day, I’ll do a short 2-4 minute meditation [my go-to app is Headspace and another great resource is Mindful] , then try a few breathing exercises to calm that stress and anxiety [here is a fantastic read on various breathing techniques] and then of course, I sit down with a cup of coffee with the big guy up above and give Him my undivided attention and to let Him hear my thoughts, worries, prayers, and anything else I need advice on.
THREE. WRITE DOWN YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST
Alright type-A friends, this one is for you. For some reason, when you physically write something down, that mental light bulb comes on and makes us more accountable to ACTUALLY complete a task… so write it all down. Get a cute to-do notepad [this is the one I use] or post-it note and write down your top 3-5 items to execute on any given day. And another major tip that helps me knock it out: do the dreaded tasks first. The fun stuff is easy to do because you WANT to do it so start with those you detest most [i.e. laundry, unloading the dishwasher, making your bed, etc]. The best thing you can do is to schedule out your day for success–I’m also working on my daily life/schedule post so you can see how I divide my time, too.
FOUR. TAKE A WALK AND/OR WORKOUT
Yes, I know this might sound obvious, but GET moving… it gets those endorphins going and Elle Woods said it best “happy people don’t kill people”. I do my best workouts in the AM because it gets my heart rate going and totally sets me up to achieve my step + activity goals throughout the day. If you’re not an avid exerciser, start with 10-20 minutes of light cardio and then work your way up from there!!
FIVE. GET YOURSELF DRESSED
As easy as it is right now to loaf around all day in your pajamas [especially if you’re like Jeff and I and work from home], I promise if you get up and actually GET DRESSED, you’re going to achieve more in any given day. No, I don’t have the scientific reasoning behind this because that’s not how my brain operates, but someone out there much more intelligent than I has proven this theory time and time again. So, brush those teeth, put on a bit of makeup, spray some dry shampoo into your mane, throw on your OOTD and you’ll start your day off right.
SHOP THE POST ON HOW TO GET GOING EVERY DAY:
So simple yet so effective, but often so difficult!! Love this, Natasha x