I think it’s safe to say that everyone is busy in one way or another. People are constantly juggling work, health, hobbies, and a social life. It’s tough work. So here’s what you can do to balance friendships when you have a hectic lifestyle (aka everyone…)
Check in regularly even if you aren’t able to schedule time to see them. I call my check in times “Text Tuesdays” to remind me to send my friends a text message to see what’s new in their lives. A decent number of my friends live out of state so it’s a great way to know what’s going on with them. Even if it’s just a quick, “Hey, you’re one badass person,” it’s important to let them know I’m thinking about them.
Let worlds collide. Over the weekend I had a photo shoot for my business and I invited my friends to join the shoot with me. Sure it wasn’t an ideal way to spend time with them, but I still got work done and got to hear about their lives. Two birds with one stone is sometimes the best way to accomplish it all. Try finding a way to combine your social life with your work life so that if you can’t have undivided attention, at least you still get to see your friends.
Plan ahead if you and your friends have a busy schedule. Sometimes I have to plan things out a month in advance for our D&D squad to meet, but it’s better than nothing.
Schedule the next event at the current one so you don’t find yourselves going months before seeing each other again.
Make it a priority. I know that’s easier said than done, but if you want to find time to have friendships, you have to make time. Maybe you have to skip a night binge watching Netflix to have a girl’s night, but it’s worth it to maintain your relationships. Trust me, from one introvert to another, it’s worth it.
Sometimes your friendship maintenance will slip, and that’s ok. The best of friends will understand that life can get crazy sometimes but you still care about them. So pick up your phone and shoot a friend a text to hang out next week. Even if it’s just for an hour for coffee. You’re going to need the caffeine anyway…
I’ll admit it, I’m not the greatest when it comes to habit tracking or maintaining habits. Before I started tracking them in my planner I was downright awful. So trust me when I say that habit tracking, actual tracking, can make a world of difference to building and maintaining positive habits.
I’ve tried quite a few different methods over the years, but the sticker in the planner method seems to do the trick. My planner is always with me (security blanket much?) so it’s a lot easier to see what habits I’m trying to track and work on improving them every day. Sure I’m still not perfect (I barely ate at home in the photo…), but it’s more about awareness for me than anything else. The next day I can try to be better and whatnot. It’s a process.
Now I’ve received advice about not having so many habits I’m tracking and I understand there is value in focusing on a few, but I personally love having a bunch. If I happen to have a crappy time with mindful eating on a particular day, I still can feel like I wasn’t a complete and total failure. Having more things to track means I have more opportunities to succeed.
As I’ve continued this process for a few months I’ve also noticed that some habits don’t need to be checked off every day. I don’t need to check my finances every day, but every few days works. I’ve started highlighting the dates that I want to make sure I do a certain habit that way I don’t feel bad if it isn’t all filled in. Plus some of the things I’m tracking I don’t want filled in. Like anxiety for instance. I want to keep track of when I have higher amounts of anxiety, but if I go a month without marking a single day, that’s definitely a win.
Like with all planner related things, it’s best to find a method that works for you. Whether you track two or three things to make sure you’re staying focused throughout the month, or tracking a whole butt load like me, you do you planner peeps.
Two months ago I took some pliers to my
Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly in order to add another monthly view to each section in the hopes of some planner satisfaction (planner peace just doesn’t exist…). I always think of the song “I can’t get no (planner) satisfaction!” when it comes to planning. But that’s a whole other tangent…
Ok back on point Kayla. Double monthly spreads. I needed a way to keep track of my blog posts and videos without them cluttering up my main monthly view. I don’t use weekly views (I prefer to see the entire month at once) so I had to figure out a way to make it work. So why not two planner spreads?
I’m in love. It works so well at keeping all of my content organized in a way that visually makes sense to me. I can easily flip from my main monthly view to the content and know exactly what’s going on. It’s all in the same planner so I’m not carrying around extra notebooks or calendars unnecessarily. Sure a larger monthly view could also do the trick, but honestly I like having them separate but similar. Plus it means two planner spreads to decorate which is always a plus.
A double monthly spread could work for you if you have a blog or regular content you’re creating on a regular basis. Or if your family has a very busy sports schedule you could separate it all out in the second monthly view, and have a little icon to mark it in your main view. My content schedule never changes, so I know there will be posts on Tues/Thurs and videos on Wed/Fri so I don’t need the reminder in my main view, but if you’re just getting started it could be helpful so you aren’t missing anything.
To me this solves the personal planner/work planner problem without the multiple planner situation. It can also function as a workout or health tracker. The sky’s really the limit on the two monthly view planner. I’m just sayin’. It’s pretty insane.
So my last beauty post was like a year ago…Like I just didn’t stop wearing makeup. Or new products. But apparently beauty posts went out the window when I changed the blog from MicroscopeBeauty to Oh, Hello Living. Well they’re back my friends and what better way to dive right in than talk about some new products to my collection that I’ve been loving? Let’s get our toes wet again with this whole beauty blog post thing…
I basically cannot live without
Glossier’s Boy Brow, so whenever I place an order to replenish my stash I’ve been slowly trying out other Glossier products. I figured I would try the
Perfecting Skin Tint (I’m the shade G11) in my most recent order and I’m so happy I did. It’s an incredibly lightweight formula that I love for days that I don’t want to wear a ton of makeup but still want to even out my skin tone. It has somewhat of a satin finish that I’ve really been digging lately. In the summer months dewy skin just looks sweaty so this is a great, build-able option.
The vegan and cruelty-free brand
Clove and Hallow recently popped up on my radar. Having absolutely no idea about the brand, I chose three products from the line and completely love each one. How often does that ever happen!? Definitely since I’m a grandma when it comes to new things. I went rouge with the
Hydraglow* as I’m not usually one for highlights (goes back to that looking sweaty thing). It’s amazing. Specifically I use it to highlight my shoulders and collar bone if I’m wearing a tank top or an outfit that shows off those areas. it provides this amazing shimmery glow that I’m completely obsessed with. It’s incredibly easy to apply just a little bit so my heavy handed ways don’t go overboard.
I also snagged one of their lipsticks in the shade
Desert Rose.* The formula is so smooth. It has the hydration of a lip balm and the pigmentation of a lipstick. Plus the packaging is gorgeous with a strong magnetic closure. Gotta love hearing that satisfying snap of the tube closing.
The third product I picked up from Clove and Hallow is their Hydratint Blush in
Georgia.* I’m having a moment with liquid blushes lately and this one is fantastic. I find that it’s really easy to control how much pigmentation you want when it comes to a liquid blush. I apply a bit to my fingers, dab it to my cheeks, and blend out with the beauty blender I used to put on my foundation. It gives this gorgeous flush to the skin that I can’t get enough of. I’m definitely going to have to go back for more shades!
Derma-E has become my go-to skincare brand as of late because there hasn’t been a product that I haven’t liked. It’s also a 100% cruelty-free, vegan brand (blog post on my favorite brands maybe?!). Their serums are definitely some of my favorites, but I really have been liking their
Vitamin C Renewing Moisturizer.* Vitamin C is great for adding vibrancy and life back to the skin and with the long nights and early mornings I’ve been pulling for my business lately, I need all the help I can get. I particularly enjoy how liquid-y their products tend to be as they sink into the skin super fast.
Phew. It feels good to be back on the beauty blogging wagon. I can definitely see a shift in my beauty and makeup style over the past year so I’m excited to show you the evolution. Gone are the days of poorly blended eye shadow (fingers crossed). It’s all about natural skin and glow (but not sweaty!!).
One of the first things my husband accepted about me were my weird travel habits. I’m a strange, anxiety-filled duck when it comes to most things, but I get even weirder when it comes to travel. I honestly don’t know why I’m still like this after travelling every month for the past two years. Yet here we are.
I always bring a pillow. Like a full sized one. From our bed. Regardless of how limited we are on space, I somehow always manage to jam my pillow into the suitcase to bring along with me despite Alex’s eye rolling.
I always have to have peanut butter M&Ms. I rarely eat them any other time, but when I’m travelling it’s a must. Anyone else have a weird travel-only snack you just have to have?
Now this one has to be the planner girl in me, but I always pack early. We’re talking a week early on average. I like to pick out the clothes I want to bring with me early so I don’t wear them before we leave. Plus I’m constantly paranoid I’m going to forget something (like a hairbrush I’m constantly forgetting) so in my head packing early means I have more time to think about what I need. Without fail, no matter how often we travel, I still pack like I haven’t traveled in years.
Now so far these aren’t too crazy, but I also always use Google maps to check what food will be around me. I’m weirdly paranoid that despite living in the 21st century and really only travelling domestically, I won’t be able to find food. Like come on Kayla, there’s a Starbucks around every corner. You’re good. And yet about a week before we leave for a trip I find myself frantically googling food within walking distance of our hotel. Just in case I find myself starving to death.
Regardless of knowing where all the closest food sources are to the hotel, I still bring enough snacks to feed four people for a week. Without fail. Now that TSA requires you to take out snacks I look like I’m emptying a grocery cart every time I go to a security checkpoint. Apparently my fear of hunger knows no bounds.
What are some of your weird travel quirks? Make me feel less insane!
