tank (size down) // leggings // similar hoodie (mine was a christmas gift)

hi :) how are you guys doing? i feel like things have been going 100 miles a minute lately - i am currently halfway through a super intense 2 weeks of work (not complaining, i love the momentum) and it’s got me thinking about balance and not necessarily time management, but how we choose to spend our time. i really believe we have a lot more of a say in how we utilize our time than we might think. obviously we work and have responsibilities and obligations, but how much time is slips past us while we are absent-mindedly scrolling on our phones or procrastinating? when a particularly busy season approaches, i’ve found the best way to keep calm, stay happy, and avoid stress is to buckle down and get really purposeful in how i spend my time. i have definitely gone overboard with this in the past but having a general road map eliminates a lot of the second-guessing or possibility that something will fall through the cracks. some of my friends think i am nuts because i will still make it to birthday dinners, finish a book, or go to the beach in the middle of a wild week. but that’s because i think it’s important to make time for yourself and the things that re-center you and make you happy in order to not buckle under stress. i really do not get stressed out or frazzled anymore because i make time each day to do something that is meaningful to me. regardless of where you live or what your days look like, i wanted to share 3 simple tips for adding more purpose to your mornings, which then set the vibe for the rest of your day.

3 tips for purposeful mornings:

start the night before.

part of my evening routine is figuring out tomorrow’s to do list/ overall schedule. it doesn’t have to be exact, but having a general idea of what tomorrow will bring usually saves a lot of confusion and last-minute stress when mornings tend to be more rushed as it is. set aside your outfit, make your to-do list, clean up your workspace (or home), and confirm any commitments the night before; it makes a big difference.

make a gratitude list.

like i said, mornings can be rushed, but i like to take a few minutes to think of the things i am grateful for. you don’t physically have to write a list if you don’t want to, but make an effort to think of things you are grateful for while you’re brushing your teeth and getting ready. it helps set a positive tone for the whole day.

set an intention.

this might be too hippie but i do like to set an intention for the day, especially since my work can be more goal/ data driven. sometimes my intention is to be present, or to spend five minutes outside distraction-free. intentions are what you make of them, so they can be as specific or vague as you’d like. i like that intentions are something you set, whereas sometimes goals can be influenced by others.

ps. the towel i am sitting on is from a brand called sand cloud and their mission is to help save marine life - they donate 10% of all profits to quite a few different charities and organizations that help with wildlife conservation and restoring our oceans. this post is not sponsored. i was contacted by sand cloud back in college (way before i had a blog) and asked to be a brand ambassador, but nothing ever came out of it. i have purchased all of my sand cloud towels with my own money (this one pictured is 4 years old). i decided to mention the brand in today’s purely because i support their mission, and it’s such a simple step towards more conscious consumerism. every little bit counts x