Hello friends, and happy Friday!
Let me be clear about one thing. Jet lag is real.
I’d never really bought into those complaining of jet lag, even after making trips overseas myself. I’d just never had it jet lag. Until I returned home from a 26-hour travel day from Southeast Asia this past Friday.
Ho-Ly-No-Sleep! After a few nights of waking at 2:30 am, then debating on whether to get up, then getting up and starting work, then staying awake all day and working too late until my regular bedtime, this circadian rhythm routine I had adopted for those first few days was hollowing out the bags under my eyes even more than usual.
It wasn’t pretty my friends, not pretty at all.
But it made me think about how I care for myself. Or more likely, how I don’t.
It made me acknowledge once again how I push through the work day, working longer and rarely smarter. How I get distracted with multi-tasking so that instead of staying focused on that one task I really need to get done, I work for short spurts and then POP! a new thought or idea flits into my head and so I better write it down before I forget it but then wait what is this on my to-do list that I better do first so I open my email and oh crap they need a response and shoot I forgot to order those and oh my they want to work with me how cool is that well then I better be sure to answer this before I do anything else and so then allllllll my intentions to work smarter not harder go dowwwwwn the drain.
But I’m working on it. And it’s getting better. I mean hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
One thing that’s helped is I’ve been working really hard at getting into a morning routine. A routine that doesn’t include sitting in front of the computer as soon as I wake up which is what I’ve been doing for the last two years or so. Instead, I’m trying to protect my mornings more and have found these tips helpful (the 90-90-1 rule especially) and I’ve been pretty consistent with it.
Here’s what I’ve set out as my daily routine before I even THINK about touching work.
- 30 min of some sort of exercise even if its just walking the dogs (I love walking the dogs because it gives my mind time to wander, and it makes them love me even more)
- 10 min of guided mediation with this app—because I suck at meditation, but this one actually, maybe, works
- a few pages of journaling every morning—before I even think about doing any work
- breakfast or lunch making for Smudge (it makes me feel good to nourish my daughter)
- clear the clutter = clear the mind (de-clutter one area for 10 min)
- take 30 min every day to take care of my non-work to-dos (make the appointments, pay attention to the bills, schedule the family calendar, order the stuff, wander the web simply for fun) *this habit (in addition to journaling) has been the biggest game-changer for me because I don’t have those tasks waiting to be done in my head
As a former daily journaler (how else could I get through my teen years?) I’m totally embracing getting back into writing and documenting and dreaming and totally craving the time I spend with pen and paper. Are you a journaler? Have any tips on how to keep going? I found these tips helpful for anyone who wants to take it up and I currently journal in this notebook and these are my latest favorite pens :) (and if you’re a new parent, you’ll love this journal.)
Do you have a morning routine? Or links to blogs/Instagram accounts/books you’d recommend that talk more about them? I can always use inspiration so please do share below.
Another routine I’m adding to my month is making a monthly intentions list. Tracy does this each week and I love seeing what she accomplishes compared to her list from the week before, but I honestly don’t know if I could do a weekly list because I’d feel defeated that I only got two out of so many more things done. Could I commit to it weekly? (After some personal time, here’s Tracy’s first list of 2018. I’m thinking of you Tracy!)
So, for now, here’s my January intentions list (no FoodieCrush work allowed!):
- journal every day (or at least on the weekdays)
- bake a loaf of bread
- ‘define my values’ exercise (it’s January’s theme in my Nourished Planner — also! we’re celebrating Alexa’s and my birthdays with a sale and offering a 30% discount today thru Jan. 21! Enter BIRTHDAY30 at checkout.)
- plan spring break (trip?)
- return everything we didn’t use for the last trip
- download a time-tracking productivity app
- research the Mother Goddess
- choose one area of the house each week for a total clutter clean out (office, then downstairs storage)
- go to the Container Store for shelf organizers (and then organize)
- find a place for everything in my office or get rid of it (NO MORE PILES!)
- go skiing at least 1x per week
- order wall calendar (thx to this gal for the SHARINGISCARING code for 20%)
- research Vietnamese farming tips (they somehow grew gorgeous produce on piles of dirt!)
- less time and limits on phones / install Circle app
- re-instill Soup Sunday family dinner at least 1x this month
- research massage classes
- send one text every day to someone I’m thinking of
- Chatbooks of photos from Vietnam trip
- have dinner ready by 7 pm every night
- find a calligraphy class for Smudge and I to take together
- eat more veggies & fruit
Okay. So that’s probably plenty, right??!! I know. I’m working on writing less too.
So until I get that one figured out, let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves. xoH
If you didn’t catch Oprah’s awe-inspiring Golden Globes speech in it’s entirety, you owe it to yourself to watch right now. And even if you did see it, it’s totally worth a rewatch. This woman. She is pretty much the queen.
Every year when I watch the Golden Globes it takes me back to the year I stood in the bleachers and watched all the stars arrive. It was unreal watching Sharon Stone emerge from her car, beaming and beautiful, and wave to the stands like a true Hollywood icon. The ladies have always had it, even if they aren’t equally compensated for it. You may not think this has anything to do with you, but this article says otherwise.
and…
Here were the 11 most empowering moments for women at this year’s event.
Also, I’m dying to see this movie (I remember this like it was yesterday — it was so crazy)! Has anyone seen it yet?
We’ve been talking ALOT about this at our house. And it’s not just for the sake of our daughter…
A heartbreaking and beautiful reminder that each day is a gift, and we should not be wasting time worrying, stressing, or complaining about the little things.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this gorgeous book.
These kitchen fails are hysterical. #thatcroissantthough
Have you made a resolution this year to be in better health? Maybe you should have done this instead.
This post on the 10 things Joy the Baker’s learned in 10 years of blogging is a must-read for any blogger, and I wholeheartedly agree with every single one of these.
A great visual for how to build the perfect stir fry.
Are you on the kombucha train? I’m not, but this might make me give it a try.
This sheet pan dinner is perfection.
Also, here’s what NOT to do when cooking salmon. Super helpful.
Making this Instant Pot chili ASAP.
And also this IP casserole.
But wait, there’s more!
Did you know you can cook paella in the pressure cooker? Oh heck yes!
Totally trying this salad for lunch meal prep. So easy, and so yummy.
And for another green thing…matcha pie dough. Hmmm. Not sure about this…
Butter chicken is one of my weaknesses, so I’ll definitely be making this recipe very soon!
Also, if you’re doing Whole30, Tracy has an awesome guide that’s really helpful.
Making a batch of this elderberry syrup to arm myself and my family during cold and flu season.
Chocolate counts as self-care, right? Totally into this.
Here’s what real women cook for dinner. Love the ideas.
6 soups I want to slurp:
- Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
- Dope Soup (now this is a name I can get behind)
- Sausage and Red Pepper Soup with Egg Noodles
- Winter Vegetable Dungeness Crab Chowder
- Roasted Broccoli and Fennel Soup
- Butternut Squash & Vanilla Bean Soup
Okay, I went through this home tour and we have so much of the same furniture and design. Dark accent wall in the bedroom. Frances&Sons chairs. Tulip chair rocker. And that’s just the start. WEIRD. Dig that patio though.
This is the pretty dang cool pillow that actually says something without any words.
I’ve seen these baskets from Target all over the www. Looks like they’re a favorite stash spot.
In the market for a new gym bag? They say these are the best of the best.
I love Meghan Markle and I love this lipstick shade. That royal wedding can’t come soon enough.
Well now these jeans have a pretty interesting hem. Yay or Nay?
I’m almost over tops like this (even though I own several), but I do like that this one has a unique sleeves.
These loafers would be so perfect for a work meeting, and you can’t beat that price.
But what I really want is a pair of sleek, flat mules. Help a sistah out if you’ve seen any.
And finally, drones, please take us away. These 20 best drone pictures from 2017 are so incredibly beautiful.
And if you’d like to under-schedule your life like I’m trying with mine, get 30% off my Nourished Planner when you enter BIRTHDAY30 at checkout ’til Jan. 21!
Alright folks, that’s a wrap. Have a beautiful (and warm) weekend!
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Hey, The recipe you have shared is really nice and will help you to prepare tasty food which you may not have tasted before so try out this recipe for once.
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You seem to write about me. I work as a freelancer, writing articles. Sometimes it is very difficult to concentrate and the working day can stretch out until night. I even wondered if I should return to my office. But in any case, glance to plan and set yourself deadlines.
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I understand you. Reading your post I recognized myself in it. Previously, working in the office, it seemed to me that I was madly tired. But when I became a freelancer, I realized that the working man became so unregulated that sometimes I start writing an article in the morning and then distracted and finish finishing at night.
By the way the photos are very beautiful :)
Brenda
Your trip looked absolutely dream-worthy. And those drone pics. And that home tour. Thanks for the soup mention – wishing you a FABulous week!