HOW TO GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER FOR 2018

It’s halfway through the first month of 2018 and I am already seeing all of the “new year, same me” and “oops, guess that resolution is over!” posts flooding my newsfeed.

Hey, I am not judging. Your girl is the Queen of starting out super strong when it comes to resolutions but somehow losing my way a few months (or days) later. It’s all fun and games until you have to miss out on a Taco Tuesday.

I think that we can definitely be too hard on ourselves when we struggle to get our shit together year after year but at the same time, you can’t make progress if you keep falling into old habits. If you really want to change your life then you need to be a little disciplined.

I wanted to share with you 5 ways you can get your life together for 2018 that are realistic and will make you feel like an actual adult for once.

Related: My 2018 New Year’s Resolutions

#1: CLEAR OUT YOUR INBOX

I strongly believe that there are two people in this world. The ones with zero emails unread and the ones with 19,467.

I personally cannot STAND to see a million unread emails. It gives me anxiety. What if I missed something important? Like a new client or a coupon for free coffee?

I know some of you don’t use your email a ton for work-related matters but it is still so overwhelming to have that many emails just sitting in your inbox. You never know when an opportunity is sitting in there, collecting dust and waiting for you. Clear that shit out and start a new notification free life!

If you actually do have thousands and thousands of unread emails then maybe just spend 10 minutes every day deleting as many as you can. I would go through and delete all of the promotional, spammy emails first and then go back and read the real ones.

If you really want to just get this over with, grab a bottle of wine, put on The Real Housewives and get those thumbs moving!

Pro-tip: if you really want to up your email game, create folders for the different types of emails! I have one for sales, one for collabs, one for my favorite newsletters, etc. It makes sifting through the emails a thousand times easier, I promise.

#2: CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET

Closet organization is my JAM.

I use only black velvet hangers (is there anything more annoying than your clothes falling off the hanger? Didn’t think so), I color code and organize by type of garment. Not only does it just look great but it makes getting dressed and putting together outfits so much easier.

I did an entire post on finding your style in the new year last year which includes my best closet cleaning tips! Check it out below:

Related: How To Find Your Style In 2017

A good rule that you’ll hear a lot is to take everything out and separate your clothes into piles. One for the items you’re keeping, one for donating and one for the trash. Items with holes, suspicious stains (ew) and that are stretched out need to go. If something just doesn’t fit or isn’t your style, donate it! If there’s something you wear all the time and can’t live without, it stays!

Once you know what is staying consider putting your clothes back in a way that makes for easy dressing on busy mornings. Jeans with jeans, all of your outerwear together, etc. Make it easy on your new and improved 2018 self!

#3: TRY AT LEAST ONE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHANGE

I know this is a popular resolution every year and we all have these grand plans of becoming super fit and impressive. I get it. I do it too. Does it ever work out? No, not even a little bit.

I’ve learned over the years that when it comes to diet and exercise you can’t just up and change your entire lifestyle in one day. It won’t be an easy (or pleasant) transition. Instead of giving up cheese and carbs for the rest of my life (never) I decided to make small, easy changes to my current lifestyle that I knew I could handle.

As time goes on I plan on making more changes but for now, I think it’s important that I feel successful. When it comes to weight and our body image it can feel discouraging and disappointing to not reach these intense goals we’ve set for ourselves. Instead, focus on being kind to yourself and your body. Think about what changes you can make that will make you feel better. Don’t focus on inches or numbers, unless you really want to. Think about your actual health.

I have 3 commitments I made this year create a healthier lifestyle. The first is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in 5 days a week. Whether I’m stretching it out in yoga, taking a walk around my neighborhood or doing an at-home workout, 30 minutes does not feel like a huge chunk out of my day. I’m not trying to run a marathon (I hate running, so this would make zero sense for me) or spend two hours in a gym every day because I know that’s not realistic. I’m starting small and going from there!

The second health change I’m committing to is drinking 8 glasses of water every day. I love water but I forget to drink it. I’ve been leaving a sticky note at my desk to remind myself to grab my water bottle and get hydrating!

Finally, I’m committing to eating clean throughout the work week and enjoying myself on the weekends. I work from home so I make all of my meals here anyway and have been having fun finding new tasty recipes that aren’t so full of fats and carbs. I’m not depriving myself of anything I love but I’m restructuring how I prep my meals to ensure I have more healthy options available.

#4: GET A FREAKING PLANNER

Okay, this is seriously something that drives me crazy.

When I was a store manager at Victoria’s Secret I always had associates who would be late to their shifts or get the days mixed up and not show up at all. They were college students and had other priorities but they just seemed so unorganized. I would always tell them to just get a planner and write everything down! Duh!

Even though I no longer have to deal with unorganized employees, I still have friends and colleagues who are all over the place. They double book, forget about plans, miss dentist appointments, etc. It seems like such an easy fix and I don’t know why more people don’t either buy a physical planner or use their phone’s calendar to get organized.

If you don’t have a planner, GET ONE ALREADY. And check it every morning before you get your day started so you don’t forget those important events, tasks, and appointments. You’ll be thanking me for the rest of your life.

If you already have a planner (high five) here are a few simple ways to leverage it even more this year:

• Get cute, colorful pens and color code that shit! Not only does it make filling out your planner a lot more fun but you can quickly understand what’s on your agenda with just a glance. I use pink for blogging tasks, purple for chores, blue for errands, etc. Bonus points for using cute stickers.
• If you have a super busy day planned and need to stay on schedule, set alarms in your phone. When I know that I can’t spare even one minute I’ll set alarms that remind me of the next task on my agenda so I can stay on schedule.
• Make filling out your planner a ritual. This is hands down one of my favorite activities and I honestly look forward to it every week. I use Sunday nights to plan out the following week. I have a glass of wine, make some popcorn, put on a facemask and get planning. Because I make this such a pleasurable experience I never feel inclined to skip it and get off track because it doesn’t feel like a chore.

I’m working on a post that details my entire Sunday night routine, so stay tuned!

#5: CUT OUT ONE NEGATIVE ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE

One of my favorite authors and humans, Cara Alwill Leyba (author of Girl Code) spoke about how important it is to think about what we want to leave behind in 2017 on a recent podcast and it really got me thinking.

So often we focus on what we want out of the new year, which is also important, but spend no time truly reflecting on the previous year and thinking about what we didn’t love about it. I don’t think this exercise is intended to make you feel bad about yourself or become overwhelmed with regret. It’s meant to give yourself permission to release old negative energy that isn’t serving you. It’s meant to say “boy, bye” to whatever/whichever bad habit, not so fun job, mean-spirited friend, or shitty mindset that has been holding you back.

Take some time to really reflect and think about one negative aspect of your life you’re leaving in 2017. For me, I’m leaving my fear-based mindset behind. Or rather, the way I allow fear to run the show. I know that there will always be scary moments for me as I continue to grow and challenge myself in business and in life. But just because the fear is there, doesn’t mean it gets to lead the way.

Related: How To Actually Stick To Your Resolutions

What are your favorite ways to start fresh for the new year? Tell me in the comments!

Xoxo,

She