As Kristin so carefully pointed out last week, my life did a 180 of sorts in the last few months. And it’s no secret that I don’t have it all together. Far from it, in fact. If there’s ever been a time in my life when I’ve had it together less, I probably would just be laying in the middle of a road somewhere.
Life is a mess right now. A glorious, wonderful mess. But a mess, no less. Miss Has It All Under Control does not have it all under control. And you know what? That’s okay. Because life is busy these days. And I’ll take busy over lonely any day.
So with that said, here are some little things that I’ve found help me feel just a bit better throughout the day. Call them tricks that fool you into thinking you have it all together when in reality…you just…don’t.
Set your coffee pot the night before. It might not seem like that big of a deal. What does it take, 1.5 minutes to get it all set? But trust me, waking up to an already brewed pot just sets the day off on the right foot.
Shower the night before. I never used to be that girl. I had to take showers in the morning to feel like a functioning human being. But you know what else I need to feel like a functioning human? sleep. Hell, if you really want to let it all hang out, give your hair’s natural texture a go. That messy look is in these days, isn’t it? Messy? Bedhead? Who’ll know the difference? (I’m sort of kidding here. sort of).
Use your phone’s calendar. Again, never used to be this person. But taking those extra few minutes to plug even the most ridiculous things into my calendar just makes me feel that much better about my life. There’s something about being able to swipe down and seeing my entire day at a glance that makes me breathe a little easier. I even have when to feed the dog plugged in. There’s nothing too big or too small. It’s all in there. Or these days? I’ll forget it. Poor Bailey…
Get up a little earlier than necessary. Before you call my a hypocrite based on the shower point, bear with me. If your day is go go go, when do you take some time for yourself? Exactly… Set your alarm early enough to give yourself a 15 or 20 minute cushion. Enjoy your coffee. Watch a youtube video. Get a few minutes of reading in. Whatever floats your boat. But I assure you, taking a few minutes to yourself before all the craziness of the day is really important. Sometimes it’s the only time you’ll get all day.
Carry a smaller purse. I mean it. Get all that shit out of there. You need the bare essentials. If I can do it, you can do it. Life is overwhelming enough these days. You don’t need to be inundated with crap when you’re just reaching for your chapstick.
These may not seem like earth shattering tips…and that’s because they aren’t. But these are just a few things that have been making me handle this whole life swap (because really, that’s what it feels like. I just feel bad for whoever got stuck with my Buies Creek life…#sorrynotsorry) a little better.
I love this. So true. Simple things. I already do several. I've been slowly learning to use the calendar on my phone. Have a great Wednesday!
Taking a shower and getting up a bit earlier are great tips…being up before my husband let's me do some blog stuff way early in the morning…like visit my favorite blogs 🙂 xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
Yasssss! Showering at night is a game-changer. And yet, so is getting up earlier. I used to be the person who waited until the absolute last second to start getting ready for my day. At the beginning of this school year, David started a new job {as an assistant principal} and I was so proud of him. Since he leaves earlier than I do, I wanted to be able to kiss him and tell him "have a great day" as he walked out the door and into his new job. And then we realized how much we enjoy spending time together in the mornings. {I used to be a zombie when he left and then sleep for another hour or so.} Couldn't agree more with your tips. And yay for fooling yourself into thinking it's all gravy when maybe it's not, really. Or maybe it's just a little out of control and that's ok 😉
as a highly organized person, i feel you! i shower the night before, i (don't drink coffee) but i make my lunch the night before and get things ready for the kids the night before and pick my outfit the night before, and i write down EVERYTHING. no, like honestly, every night i make a little list for the morning and it includes "get the kids dressed, feed them breakfast, make my shake, bring my lunch to work"….you know what it does? it helps clear your mind. it's not that you wouldn't remember to do it if it wasn't written down, it's just that you don't need to even try to remember it because it is written down. it just allows you to do your thing without thinking "am i forgetting something?" because you know you aren't. every once and awhile i forget to write something down (rare) but when i do, there's not a chance i hell i'll ever remember to do that thing. not even a little chance.
I employ almost all of these techniques. Showering the night before was something I started doing a few years ago. I do still set my coffeepot in the morning (it's "fresh" that way lol) and I rely on a paper planner but I do write every single thing down because it makes me feel like I have it together when I cross things off.
This is all good advice!
Love these, so true! It really is the smallest things that can make a big difference in how I feel about my day and how "together" I feel! I am totally embracing the natural texture of my hair these days, sea salt spray and scrunching all the way! 🙂
Setting my coffee pot up the night before has changed my mornings completely! I don't know why it took me 12 years of coffee drinking to do it!
These are great tips!! I definitely minimized all the shit I carried in my purse but I was just telling myself I need to make better use of the calendar on my phone…even the small details
If I've learned anything from you, having your nails done and beautiful can REALLY make me feel like I've got it together! I am also big on writing everything down — I need to find a better method though, because post-it notes everywhere does not say having it together. 🙂
Totally.
And I cannot agree more with setting the coffee pot the night before. PLEASE AND THANK YOU. It makes me so happy to wake up to coffee.
Haha! These are awesome! Personally, my iPhone calendar is a freaking lifesaver. I also have a big, paper calendar on my desk, and without the two, there's no way I'd stay organized. Err…okay, for the sake of honesty, I'm still not *always* organized, but without the calendars, I wouldn't even stand a chance. Haha!
I've always been a night showerer because I have ridiculously thick hair that takes forever to dry and I'd rather sleep than spend an hour drying it.
I feel in control of my life when my nails are polished, my weekly meals are planned, and the living room is clean. Keeping certain things neat and orderly clears some of the clutter in my head and I can deal with the rest of the mess better.
I totally agree with the calendar! Putting my bedtime on it helps me as well so I don't stay up way later than I intend 🙂
I need to get on top of getting up a bit earlier – it's a total mad dash for me every morning!
I feel like I'm winning in life – I do all of these 🙂
You make some wonderful points!!! This is why I wake up at 435 am. I need to make sure I have time to do things for me…working out and blogging…before I go in to work. I get home too late in the evenings to bother with any of those things with having to make dinner, do laundry, take care of the dogs and whatever else I have going on!
These are such great tips! Oh, Lord. Carrying a smaller purse? I need to do that, pronto. I carry so much crap in mind, I have a shoulder ache by the end of the day. It's sad, really.
xoxo
Kat
but I don't drink coffee 🙁 so I guess I fail at life? Sigh.
I totally agree about the getting up a bit earlier. I work out most mornings, so I'm already cranky about getting up early lol but the days where i wake up 10-15 minutes earlier to make my smoothie and potter around the house, I get a better workout and feel better overall 🙂
I am working on the small purse. promise.
I always take a shower the night before, it really does make the mornings go much smoother for me.
All great tips lady! I am night shower kind of girl; always have been. And I've never been a big purse girl. The less I have to worry about (especially in the morning) the better off I am.
If I drank coffee or had places to go (jokes!) these tips would be very helpful! But seriously, it's so helpful to have a few pointers from someone whose a little bit more together than me at the moment! Your happy life is the light at the end of the tunnel for me while we get through this crazy settling in phase!
I'm not a morning person so sometimes showering at night makes the biggest difference between having to rush vs having a little extra time. I wish I could have my coffee set the night before- I feel like that alone would make getting up a little bit easier.
i NEED my morning routine and that means coffee, quiet and about 30mins to myself in order to start my day off right. if i don't, i'm a rageaholic and my whole day is off.
I'm right with you on the coffee pot! It's the smallest thing, but it makes your morning feel so much more together! And I always shower at night, too…my hair takes way too long to dry and style, and I'm not quite confident enough to rock my natural texture, so it's nice to have the washing and drying part out of the way when I wake up 🙂
Great pointers 🙂 I really want to wake up earlier…I'm really really struggling with making that happen. I do well one week and then totally fail the next. Even this week…did 5am for spin class Wednesday and woke up late every other day and got to work late. I'd like to get up early to work out every morning and spend time reading my Bible. I know I'd feel better if I did it yet I can't do it lately.
Yes to the shower and natural hair! I will throw mine up in a bun at night, take it down in the morning while I'm putting on my makeup and out the door I go!
Girl, this is awesome! I have been setting my coffee out in the morning, making my breakfast and lunch the night before, and I've always showered at night because I have no time to do that ish in the morning. xoxo
You had me on board until I got to "smaller purse." That's just crazy talk!!!!!! ;P
A walk outside does wonders. I need to get my purse smaller. Thanks for the reminder! estherdavison@gmail.com