In 2022…
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥, 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴— 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴…
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘺

𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴.

The new year is here! It’s such an important time that is filled with reflection, motivation, and optimism for a fresh start. I want you to think back on 2021 and appreciate how far you’ve come. Be so proud of all that you persevered… all those challenges made you into a stronger version of yourself.

Recently on the Live Beautifully Podcast, I broke down 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success in the New Year. It’s never too late… I know it takes a minute once work/school/and life gets going after the holidays. This year, I want you to make yourself a priority! Here are my top tips for choosing you, in 2022.

MORNING ROUTINE

The way you start your morning sets the tone for how the rest of your day will go. I used to work really late into the night (midnight-2am was my creative jam), but then I’d wake up late, miss my morning workout, rush to the office or immediately open my laptop at home, and hit the ground running without filling my own cup first. Now let me tell you… that’s how burnout occurs. It took me a long time to realize this, so if you’re reading this and it feels familiar, now is the time to make a positive shift in your life.

In order to wake up in the morning… you need some solid shuteye. I try to make sure I’m in bed by 10 pm at the latest (unless my daughter Bella is up, which happens a lot when she’s sick or not feeling her best)- hence the word, try. As long as you try your best, that’s enough and you’re enough! I set my alarm for 8 hours after I go to sleep. Do I always get 8 hours? Definitely not… especially as a mom, but if I set that intention, it happens more often than not. I make sure to wake up before the house (aka Brian and Isabelle) so I can have some alone time. I drink my coffee, write 3 things I’m grateful for in my daily calendar, and set my intentions for the day. This takes less than 10 minutes and it’s the best 10 minutes you’ll spend all day! Then I either work out or take some time for myself.

Also… BONUS points when you make your bed and pull yourself together. I say bonus, because I’m writing this at 4:47 pm and I’m still in my sweatpants. Bella’s preschool is canceled this week, so some things happen and some things don’t and that’s OK! I promise you, the days that you can pull yourself together for the day, you’ll accomplish so much more. A little bold lipstick and a fierce brow will take you places…

CHOOSE YOU THROUGHOUT THE DAY

No matter how much we plan for the day, we’re always pulled in a million directions. The best way to make sure your day goes smoothly is to expect a few interruptions. Instead of trying to achieve everything in one day, make a list of 2 main priorities that you want to achieve for yourself and then have a going to-do list for work, the house, and everything else. Oftentimes, we put off those big projects or bigger to-dos and tackle the small things because they’re easier, but really, you deserve to focus on those big dreams too!

HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

It takes a long time to learn how to set boundaries, but I promise once you do, you’ll feel such an amazing shift in your life. Your relationships will be better too- in your personal and professional life.

What do healthy boundaries look like? Maybe it’s no social media or emails for the first couple hours of the day so you can make time for yourself and your goals. Or maybe it’s only taking meetings during work hours and shutting your laptop down at 5:30. Remember though, healthy boundaries are clearly communicated and reciprocated. Ask the people in your life what they need in return.

Don’t forget to have boundaries with yourself too. It helps to create time-blocks in your calendar… block out certain hours for emails, projects, creating, family time, self-care, and sleep. The same goes for full-time moms. I like to block in playtime, reading, and routines.

EVENING ROUTINE

I want you to spend your evening unwinding, making dinner, and relaxing as much as you can. If I could go back and do anything differently, I would have been more present in my 20s and early 30s. Brian and I used to eat dinner while on our laptops (pre-parenthood). We’d come home from work and immediately open our computers again. We’re much better now and eat dinner as a family. When I picture you at home… I picture you enjoying each other’s company and completely present.

How’s your bedtime routine? I’m still working on mine… lately I’ve been so exhausted that once Bella is sleeping, I just crash. But this year, I’m going to focus more on having a better self-care routine before bed.

SELF-CARE

Speaking of self-care, there are so many forms. Self-care isn’t just a mask at night or taking your vitamins, it’s checking in, going for walks, setting screentime limits for social media, and saying yes to spending more time on your personal goals.

Here are a few of my favorite forms of self-care:

Exercise! This is of course #1 on the list. When you feel good, everything else feels good
Go for a daily walk – alone or with family/neighbors/friends
Journal
Organize, de-clutter, and create a beautiful space for yourself
Listen to your favorite podcast
Make tea before bed
Put your phone away an hour before you sleep
Therapy
Dance (either alone or with a family member! Bella and I dance a lot and it immediately feels good)
Treat yourself to a mani-pedi at home or at the spa
Essential oils in a diffuser, the shower, or bath (I’m not much of a bath person, but I love them in the shower!)
A girls night
Cook a new recipe from your favorite cookbook
Light your favorite candle and read a book
Last but not least, hugs! Yup, sounds cheesy, but hugs increase serotonin, the feel-good hormone that decreases stress and boosts your mood and confidence. They also increase oxytocin, which decreases stress and improves our immune system. Hugs also deepen our relationships and ease tension. Give lots of hugs and they’ll be returned!

HOBBIES & PASSION

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Maybe it’s a new skill you’ve always wanted to learn or a new hobby that would bring you joy. We’re never stuck doing the same thing every day… if there’s something you want to do, the time is now! Want to learn tennis this year? Sign up for lessons this spring. Want to take pottery? Go for it. What about studying a new subject? It’s never too late. I did a whole podcast episode on this… It’s called ‘It’s not too late for you!‘.

VISUALIZE

How can you lay out your goals in a way that will keep you inspired? I personally love a journal where I can list out and reflect. If you are a visual person, make a vision board for the year! Grab a couple girlfriends, a glass of wine, and some magazines. Make a collage of your hopes and wishes for the next 12 months and have it hanging somewhere that you will be reminded of daily or weekly.

I also love a fresh calendar! Pick up a new calendar that you can write out workouts, meals, and appointments. Use Sunday to plan out your week so that you’re always organized and inspired.