So, About That

Aaaand it's been almost a month since I last posted.
I am just all over the place lately!

I'm thinking I need to sit down and reorganize my life; it seems ever since starting my real job it's been more difficult for me to follow a set schedule. Well, I need to fix that!

So, I've decided: Starting on Sunday, I am going to create a new schedule for myself!
I'm a type of person who likes to have a bit of disarray in my life, but for the most part I need structure. Basically just a basic plan of when I'm going to do the few things I consider important: walking my dog, working on projects, blogging, etc.

So, here we go.
I'm going to use this blog to hold me accountable and maybe that will be the kick in the rear that I need to get back in the swing of things!!

Bonus:

Here's a picture of my adorable puppy, Rory, in his new reindeer antlers! SO CUTE!

Morning Survival Kit

I have something I need to confess.

I'm a morning person.

*GASP*

Glad I got that off my chest.

Yeah, I know it's pretty weird.

But it's true. I wake up at 5am (almost) every morning and most of the time I hit the ground running.

Notice I said most of the time.

Some mornings are a struggle! Not all, but definitely some.

And when I wake up as a passenger on the struggle bus, I need to make sure I'm getting off at the next stop.

That's where my "Morning Survival Kit" comes in.

It's things I need to do to feel ready for the morning and prepared to take on the day. This will definitely change from person to person, but here are my basics:

1. A Fresh Cup of Coffee ~ Sure, instant coffee may be convenient, but it's not very good (in my opinion) and doesn't perk me up quite the way a fresh brewed cup can. I prepare my coffee every night and then just press the on switch right before I hit the shower so that's it's ready and waiting when I'm out. If you're more likely to forget to turn it on every morning, you might want to invest in a coffee maker with a timer. Or you could get a one-cup machine, like a Keurig or Tassimo, so you can be ready to go with your cup of coffee! Or 2. Or 5.
   
   
   
2. The Today Show ~ Okay, so I'll admit it. I'm basically an old lady. I absolutely love watching the Today Show in the morning. I turn on the TV right after I pour my first cup of coffee and watch my local news for about an hour and a half. Then? It's time for The Today Show!! I love it because they don't only hit the important news-worthy events that are happening all over the world; they include trending pop-culture news as well! What better way to stay in the loop than to get all of your information in one place? Enjoy your coffee, a nice balanced breakfast, and the Today Show in the morning and you'll be ready to go!
   
   
   
3. A List ~ Okay, so maybe you hate lists. I don't. I absolutely adore them. They let me see a quick overview of what I need to get done that day so I can plan accordingly! And now that I have my super cute Kate Spade Notepad, making lists is an even more exciting part of my morning! The format of your list can vary based on your specific needs, of course. My list items are short and sweet, usually one or two words, but you might need to use a full sentence to get across what you need. Shape it to fit you!
   
   
   
4. Exercise ~ I'm pretty sure every person in the world knows that exercising in the morning can help give you energy for the rest of the day. Well, here I am telling you the same thing. And trust me, it WORKS. I cannot begin to explain the difference I feel between the days I exercise and the days I don't. But I'll try! I have way more energy and I'm more optimistic about the day. You know that dragging, why-won't-this-day-end feeling? I don't get that when I squeeze in some exercise in the morning. And, of course, there are the health benefits, too.
   
   
   
5. Get Started ~ Remember that list I was talking about not too long ago? What better time to start on it than first thing in the morning? If you wake up early enough to have time, do ahead and jump on it. I have a lot of free time in the mornings, so there is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't be able to tackle at least one list item before I formally begin my day. And the great thing about this is that it gives me a jump start on my productivity. If I've already completed one task and the sun isn't even up, what's to stop me from finishing everything else?

There you have it.

My "Morning Survival Kit."

Probably not what you were expecting, since there aren't really any tangible items that you can go out and buy to make your mornings instantly better (except for coffee. Coffee definitely does that.)

But it's the little things that I do every morning that help me tackle my day, one task at a time.

Does anyone else have a similar "Survival Kit" that they swear by? I'd love to hear it. Maybe there's something missing from mine!

Failure

My blogging has been rather sporadic over the past couple of weeks. I've been back and forth between my parents' house and mine, searching for a job, searching for another job, and overall just doing entirely too much.

And it has taken its toll.

All of the healthy lifestyle changes I had made have suddenly gone out the window.

And I've gained 8 pounds. I mean what? How did I gain 8 pounds so quickly?

But I know exactly how I did it. I started eating a crap-ton of junk food and I stopped working out. Obviously I was going to gain weight.

But not anymore. I am going to get back on track and follow my schedule.

I've always been a schedule kind of person, so living without one since my college graduation has been rather hectic. I tried to stick to my normal schedule, but waking up at 5am and having absolutely nothing to do all day makes a person crazy.
It also makes a person take a lot of naps.
And eat a lot of junk food.

But NO MORE.

I will make a schedule and I will stick to it.

And hopefully you all (is anyone out there??) are going to help me hold myself accountable.

This schedule will help me keep tabs on my nutrition and exercise, as well as other tasks I need to do throughout the day, such as cleaning and blogging.

I can't decide if I'm nervous or excited. Probably a little of both.
Because I'm afraid of failure.
And it feels like I've already failed.
I'm just terrified that I'm going to fail at my attempt to learn from my failure.