Morning Routine

February Floral Favorites

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

 

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From Left to Right:

Garnier Soothing Facial Mist made with Rose Water. I love using this as part of my morning skin care routine. The smell is beautiful and light. I also might use this at night before I go to bed too. Or just throughout the day, for a refreshing pick me up. I adore facial mists and I think this product comes in Aloe and Green Tea. *Pro Tip- if you are someone who deals with anxiety facial mists, can be a life saver. I keep a travel sized Evian spray in my bag at all times, or just a small spray bottle with some water in it, in case I need a little spritz to calm the nerves. It helps a lot.

Rose Quartz Crystal– Love, Peace, Harmony, Forgiveness, the stone for the hopeless romantic. So totally me. 😉 I use this during my morning meditation at times.

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve– this is an all purpose product. It can be used for face, lips, cuticles, elbows, and knees. I use it as a lip balm, I really love how easy it glides on. And the smell is like a rose, coco butter mix. It’s lovely. It doesn’t really give any color, but does give a nice little shine. It’s not overly greasy or sticky, like some lip products tend to be.

Sundrenched Blooms Bath & Body Works White Barn Candle– Soy Candle made with essential oils. This scent is a mix of Tiare Flower, Banana Leaf, and Vanilla. I don’t typically like Vanilla scented things, but this one is mild. This smells lovely and I prefer soy candles or any of Bath and Body Works Candles made with essential oils because they are just lighter and are less prone to cause headaches for me. I just hear they are better to burn in your homes than regular candles.

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne– I was gifted this as part of my Bridesmaid bag for my best friend’s wedding back in the Summer. And I fell in love with it! I was wearing it everyday and then eventually I finished it pretty quick. I would love to repurchase, put I know it can be pretty expensive. The scent is this beautiful mix of “Peonies in voluptuous bloom, flirtatious with the juicy bite of red apple and the opulence of jasmine, rose and gillyflower. Mingling with the sensuality of soft, blush suede.” Gorgeous!

Chapstick Total Hydration Moisture & Tint– Rose Petal. I love this product so much. I have put on chapstick before applying lip stick/lip products for years. So the fact that this one is a little duo in one, is super convenient. It’s great for hydrating your lips and adding a little color. The Rose Petal is just the perfect pinky shade to compliment a natural lip color. Sometimes I layer this and the Rose Salve over top. It’s easy wear, and when it fades it isn’t super noticeable or complicated with needing to be reapplied.

The Bonnie Brae -Rosehips & Jasmine Perfume Oil (Roll on)- I use this during meditation too, I will rub a little on my wrists. I purchased this on a shopping trip to the outlets. There was a cute little stand selling homemade candles, oils and such. And this combination of Rosehips and Jasmine just smelt so beautiful, I had to pick one up. It’s a very soothing scent.

I was never one for overly floral scents. I was never a big fan of the rose scent either. But lately I have gravitated toward floral undertones and Rose flavored/scented things. I even got into Rose flavored tea. It is delicious! Iced/Hot. It’s all good! And I guess with Valentine’s Day just passing, the inspiration for this Rose/Floral related post just came to be.

What products are you loving this winter?

-<3-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Year Planning

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

Happy 2019 Readers & Writers!

Your To-Do List girl is back with some new year planning info, that will hopefully give you some helpful tips to kick ass in 2019! Now I’m still not quite far enough into planning yet, because I feel like this is the first actual week of the year, because of the holiday. So I’ve been doing some inspirational research this weekend, and got my new planner, and so now it’s starting to come together. I’m sure new things will come along and old things will fizzle out. But the more you try and use these different tactics the more you will see what works for you and what doesn’t. Let’s all be honest, January is a trial month! 😉

My Current Planning State consists of: 

Buy a Planner- I have small a weekly/monthly planner

Buy a Goals Notebook/Fun pens/special pen

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I bought this pen from my church and I just love that it has a cross on it, and that it came with an inspirational book mark.

Massive Mind Dump- In my notebook, I dedicated a few pages to writing down all the many, many, many things I hope/want/need to do in my life. A Massive To-do list if you will. 

Pull Main Goals to focus on- I have 6

Habits to implement- I had over 15

Use a Habit Tracker- I pulled the habits I want to implement the most/or want to continue implementing (I chose 15)

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Choose a mantra word for the year: (a word that is chosen to be repeated and descriptive of your new year- the focus word)

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2017- Change.

2018- Determination.

2019- MAGIC!

Winter TV schedule into planner- All my shows are coming back from mid season break, so in between my New Year’s planning I’ve been trying to catch up on them. This always happens, with the holidays I always get behind on ALL my shows. I’m all caught up on The Resident, Charmed, This Is Us, Dynasty, and Chicago PD. But still lost on Riverdale, How To Get Away With Murder, Will & Grace and Supergirl. I’m not entirely sure I want to dive into Supergirl again though. I’ve kind of had to force it anytime I have watched the new episodes, I’m a #Karamel fan and Mon El left so it’s just not the same for me. I will see though, maybe I will binge in the summer, when I have nothing to watch. LOL.

List of Projects I want to finish this year/in the next 2-3 months:

Move -MLW Short Story Series

Crazy Stalker Love- MLW Short Story Series

NaNoWriMo Project (Title TBA)

Special Project (TBA)

Self Publish something 

Create vision boards- I have a few pages dedicated to this in my Goals notebook. They are mostly just inspirational images (so I guess they are inspiration boards) that I feel reflect my Mantra word- MAGIC. I also write any inspirational quotes I come across. 

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I do have a page of doodles that reflect my focus goals too. (But I still have to create a board with actual images.) I want to have one in my notebook and one that I can post right near my bed. So often I make these cute vision boards and then I they get buried and I don’t even see it during the year. So this way I will have it in my notebook and on my wall so that when I wake up every day, I see the goals I want to accomplish this year.

Gather Inspiration- Family 2019 wishes time capsule (my family each wrote their wishes down put them into their own envelopes with their names written on them and then all were placed and sealed in a large manila envelope and put away until next year when we will revisit them and see how we did) , YouTubers, Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour Doc on Netflix – (she is a total badass!), Tori Kelly Hiding Place Album, Quotes, etc.

Create a Workout Routine Ideas/Track your work outs- I just started my at home exercising back up today. And started to implement my habits. Tracking these things will hopefully keep me unaccountable and motivate me to keep at it!

Create a Morning Routine- today I got a lot done this morning, so it was a really good morning to establish the routine I want. So I decided to write it all down.

I also want to purchase an organization suitcase to keep all my notebooks and things. I always end up having like 3 snack tables full of my notebooks, clipboards, note pads, post-its, pens, etc.

What are you doing to ease into a healthier, happier life style this year?

 

*All photos are my own.*

 

-<3-

 

 

 

 

 

How To Be Productive

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

I have been feeling kind of stuck lately. And so when that happens I usually end up on YouTube. And I’ve noticed a trend coming on. Many people have been posting videos on how to be more productive and how to have less stressful mornings. Now I am not a morning person per say. I have become more of a night owl; I like to stay up late and then it’s hard for me to wake up early. So this is a bad habit that I’d like to shake, because I want to make my days count. I want to be more active and get more done. Time is precious and I don’t want to waste it anymore.

Tips I’ve gathered

Change your sleeping schedule, so you can get up earlier, and get an earlier start.

*I’ve started to do this, and I’ve noticed it just puts me in a better frame of mind when I know I have more time in a day to do the things that I have to do. The later you wake up the less motivation you will have.

Exercise; get outside.

*I’m not much of a nature girl, but I’ve tried a few in door exercise options to see how I like them. I tried a guest pass at a gym recently, went to a few kick box classes (that seriously kicked my ass, so not my thing), and I try to get in a Yoga routine every now and then. I have a yoga dvd that has an AM & PM routine and I have a yoga mat at home and I try to do it at my convenience. That takes the pressure off of it.

Listen to upbeat music while you exercise.

*I usually just listen to the yoga music, the video provides, because anything else conflicts with the routine. But I will say that there is an album that I have  been really having a spiritual connection to recently. I guess that’s the only way I can describe it. Joy Williams, thank you for being the badass woman you are. You are an inspiration. My favorites include; Woman (Oh Mama), Not Good Enough, What a Good Woman Does, & Welcome Home.

Drink lots of water throughout the day, hydration is important.

Plan out your day (use a notebook and get them to do lists down)

*This has been really helping me focus. My mind sometimes gets bigger than me, and I feel like a spastic monkey. Yes a monkey. So this has been helping me keep my thoughts in check.

Clean up your room/make your bed

*Ever since I re-painted my room and got my own space, I have been a little OCD about keeping things in place. It’s a good feeling though to feel like I know where everything is and it’s the way I want it to be. A simple thing like making your bed, can make you feel like you’ve got your life together.

Read

*Ok so I’m not too much of a reader, but I will say that I love me some entertainment news. I catch up on all the gossip via Facebook. Thanks Ryan Seacrest for being so reliable. However, I’ve also been trying to check in on my local newspaper to see what’s going on in my hometown. I really don’t love watching the news. I think it’s just so depressing and it contributes to my anxiety. But I don’t want to be naïve, I want to be informed. So I’ve been trying to check in on things.

Write

*You know this is my bread and butter. Start a journal. Spill out your feelings. Emotionally throw up onto the pages. It’s okay. It’s going to make you feel good to get it out. And if you’re feeling extra spunky; start a blog!

Take breaks

*The same way your body needs time to recuperate from things, so does your brain. It needs to rest. It needs to re-charge. So take breaks when you feel you need them, don’t feel bad for needing a minute. It’s normal. You can’t be on the go 24/7.

Find inspiration

*Listen to music, Watch TV, Movies or YouTube videos, Spend time with friends and family.

Prep lunch/snacks, clothing, purse the night before your big days.

*This will help your mornings be less crazy.

And speaking of less crazy mornings…these two videos really spoke to me. Thanks girls! ❤

****Book recommendation:****

And lastly, I’ve seen a lot of people talk about this book.

the life-changing magic of tidying up

the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing

By Marie Kondo.

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*I’ve been renovating my room and have been overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have and nowhere to put it. So this book is looking like a must read for me.

What are your productive morning/day tips?

-<3-