Intentions for 2019

2019 is the first year in my whole life that I’ve ever made real resolutions or intentions.

But… I don’t love the term “resolution.” Nothing in life is really ever “resolute” right? Change is inevitable, resolutions get broken and it it seems kind of worthless to strap yourself into concrete plans that may not happen, causing feels of failure come December. I’m calling the below list my “intentions” for 2019 – things that I am going to focus on this year.

1. Follow a morning routine

I have an ongoing debate with my boyfriend over being a “morning person.” He swears I’m not; I think I am. He is referring to my ability to lounge in bed, snoozing, reading, staring at animal videos on my IG explore page, sipping my lemon water (that I make him bring me) without the slightest drive to get going with the day. However, it’s not like I’m sleeping in – I wake up early (I just don’t move). He is the type of person who backflips out of bed, makes his coffee, and pummels out 20 emails by 7:45am. Even if it’s Sunday and we have no plans, he gets up, showers, and gets dressed with an urgency as if we’re already late to something (yes, this is annoying). But I have to admit, he is onto something.

When we came back from a month in Europe last fall, we were SO adjusted to that time zone that it took nearly 2 weeks to get back on LA time. During that period I would wake up at 4:45am, ALERT – and by 6:30 we’d take a morning walk to coffee, pick up breakfast, read the news and plan our day. It felt really good. I noticed that I was much more productive those days because I had mentally set the tone and gotten myself up and out. Let’s be honest, I will never wake up that early by choice – but I did learn that if you theoretically started your work day at 7 or 8am, you could finish half your work by 10 or 11, when the rest of the world is still setting into their desks. There is so much time wasted in the morning, we don’t even realize!

Apparently a lot of the world’s most successful people follow a specific morning routine, so I’m taking their cue in 2019. I’m going to set my alarm a bit earlier, do a morning meditation, get myself to an early workout, and make an effort to shift my whole day up by an hour or two. I love the idea of “Morning Pages,” something I learned from Lauryn Evarts. It’s basically keeping a journal and upon waking up, immediately jotting down your thoughts, to-do list, dreams, etc. I just ordered a cute notebook to motivate myself to stay consistent with it. Do you have a morning routine?

2. Say No

I feel like every late 20-something, early 30-something goes through a period where they stop giving a sh*t. At least this is what a lot of my older friends tell me. I’m turning 27 this year, and while of course that’s not “old,” I can finally relate to what they mean. I can be a big people pleaser, and I tend to worry about the comfort and well being of everyone else around me. Of course this is a wonderful thing for your closest friends and family (and I’m sure it will make me a good mom), but I need to reign this in. I am guilty of saying yes to more than I should. I say yes to doing someone an extensive favor, I say yes to events I know I don’t have time for that day, and I say yes to things that I ultimately… don’t want to do.

I realize this doesn’t serve anyone. There’s no point in saying “yes” to three events in one night, because I so desperately don’t want to let anyone down.. and then having to leave each one early, without spending quality time with the person and stressed out about being late to the next thing. That’s not good for me, or them. While anyone who knows me knows I would go to great lengths for my friends, if I’m asked by an acquaintance to do something that I know isn’t a good usage of my time and focus, or takes advantage of my kindness… 2019 is the year I will finally feel fine saying no. By saying no to things and people that don’t make sense for me, I’ll have 10x the time and energy to give to those I really want to give it to.

Utilize Time

This one is piggybacking off the last two – but in 2019 I am going to *try* to manage my time better. I’m talking about simple, easy changes. Such as driving – I always listen to music in the car, constantly repeating my Spotify playlists and browsing for new ones after getting tired of them. I recently started getting into podcasts, and ummm…. I realize that the 800,000 hours I spend in the car have been wasted. I could have learned a language on Rosetta Stone audio book by now!! Kidding, but all the time I spend in LA traffic could be used more wisely. There are so many entertaining, informative podcasts out there.

I heard an interview with a successful beauty entrepreneur, and she discussed how having to manage a team, delegate tasks, and grow the business had made her a master of time management. She said “Now, I can move mountains in 10 minutes.” This stuck with me. Getting things done doesn’t have to take all day. Similarly, in an interview with Ed Mylett on The Skinny Confidential Podcast, said his rule is to take 10 minute calls and 20 minute meetings, which forces his team to fully prepare and show up ready to make quick decisions. Cutting a phone call off after 10 minutes may be extreme, but he has a point. I imagine this is how working mothers are able to balance children and jobs – cutting out the empty minutes of your day and get things done, fast.

Refocus, Reorganize

This one is work oriented, but in 2019 I’m focused on bringing you more value-driven content in easy to find places. So often I get caught up in sharing daily outfits, conversations, events, and in the moment makeup looks on IG Stories- but I get SO many questions afterward, asking where you all can find products from a past look, or info I’ve talked about in the past but haven’t saved anywhere. I realize I need to do a much better job of categorizing and saving content where you can find it! I also want to expand the conversation further, deeper, than just fashion and beauty. Which brings me to my last intention…

Getting More Personal

I’ve been blogging for nearly 7 years (!).. but I’ve recently been thinking about the fact that you really only see a sliver of my day, my deepest thoughts and my relationships. I’ll be honest, this has been completely on purpose. I follow many bloggers who post a LOT of their personal lives – conversations with husbands (fights even), struggles, frame after frame of their children, and to me…. it can be a lot. I’ve never the been the type to overshare, and I really value my privacy. I don’t love to film every conversation or keep the phone in my hand all day. I started blogging with the intention to share fashion, beauty and lifestyle content, and I didn’t expect the industry to take such a turn. But I’m not blind to how the influencer world has unfolded – especially after the addition of IG Stories, this element of constant sharing has come to be expected. I’ve realized… this is what you guys want to see! You don’t want to see perfectly curated photoshoots and outfits all the time; you want to see real conversations and real life. I get it. While I don’t think I’ll ever lose the element of stylized content – after all, this was the birth of my brand and the essence of what I built – I am going to make a conscious effort to let you in more. I realize that putting too much of a shield up creates a lot of unintentional deception. I don’t ever want to make you think my life is perfect, my relationships are perfect and that every day is smooth sailing in a coordinated outfit and makeup look, because I promise it’s not. So, in the spirit of sharing… what do you want to see this year?