Happy New Year! It’s officially 2019. Are you ready for it? Because it’s here!

My kids woke me up this morning at 7am… and while tired, at first, once I got a view of the sun rise… I was SO grateful.

It had to be one of the coolest sunrises I’ve seen from our house and a perfect way to start out 2019 in a state of awe and gratefulness.

So now that it’s here… what next? How do you actually get motivated in the New Year?

The first day is usually spent still in vacation mode. Everyone is off work. You’re still in a daze from the champagne you clinked at midnight. But before we know it… we’ll be down to 364 days this year.

So how do we kick our own booty into gear? Because let’s face it… sometimes motivation doesn’t come out of no where. Sometimes getting motivated comes from the momentum you gain after just starting.

Here is my Top THREE tips that have helped me get excited and motived to kick off the New Year.

• Make a Vision Board. If you’ve never done this, I highly suggest it. I make mine on Canva and save it to my desktop. Then it’s in front of my eyes every day. You can also print it out and hang it somewhere. Or, if you’re crafty, grab some magazines, scissors, and glue and get to work old school style. Whatever floats your boat and will be pleasing to your eye. The idea is that with pictures, your brain will be stimulated and excited to work toward those goals. At the end of the year, it’s really cool to look back and cross off the ones you’ve accomplished. This was mine from 2017.

• Make a Game Plan. We all know by now that I’m all bout planners. But print outs or regular calendars work too. If you’re planning to get fit – print out a work out calendar or schedule your gym time. If you’ve got a money goal in mind, work backwards each month to figure out exactly what you need to do to get there. If you’re wanting to travel somewhere, plan a time to sit down and map it out. Without a game plan, the days will slip away… we will blink.. and it’ll be June.

• There’s nothing wrong with a little retail motivation. I have nothing against cliches, especially when they are true. And I think there’s nothing wrong with adding health to your New Years goals. Maybe it’s walking more, yoga, or full on working out. But a new pair of shoes is always motivating. I’ve got these in my cart already. Same goes for other goals… a new planner, a new notebook. You choose.

If you have more ways that you’re using to help get motivated in the New Year… I’d love to hear them! Feel free to comment below or find me over on Facebook.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. *Cue music*

No really, it is. I’m that girl. I decked the halls before Thanksgiving. I’ve got Santa tunes rocking. And no scrooge can keep me from spreading some Christmas cheer. 

If you’re not into it… you may want to come back in January… because it’s about to get a whole lot of Christmas up in here.

Starting with a series I started over on Facebook Live called 12 Days of Favorites. 

I’m bringing you 12 of my most favorite things for 12 day straight. Snag one as a gift or wrap it up for yourself. These are ALL the things that I love. 

So let’s start with Day 1, shall we?

My most prized possession for anyone who loves organizing, planning, or lists. 

My Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

I’ve used a lot of Planners before, including (but not limited to) The Happy Planner, Erin Condren, and The Day Planner. 

It’s rare for me to use ONE planner for the entire year, but this one gave me everything I could need. My favorite part is the dotted to-do list on each day. Give me ALLL the to-do lists. I write things on there, just to check them off. #justme? 

You can watch the full video on my current planner and the one I picked up for 2019 below. 

And if you’re looking for a 2019 planner or you have an organizer lover on your to-do list, hop on over and check them out. 

A lot of times we set these big awesome goals.

We’re excited. We’re pumped! We are ready to go!

I’m going to lose 20 pounds…. I’m going to save $10000… I’m going to buy a new house… I’m going to get a certain promotion!

We start off strong… and then a few days in… NOW WHAT?

Have you ever felt that? You STOP reaching for the goal because it all of a sudden seems SO big and unattainable?

What if you had a system that actually worked? That, if you stuck to it, you could ACTUALLY reach those goals?

I’m going to share with you today my exact process of goal setting.

Make sure you grab my FREE goal planning worksheet below to start setting your goals AND achieving them TODAY.

Let’s break it down.

Step ONE.

• Write down the goal. Get VERY clear and concise on what that goal is.

Step TWO.

• Give yourself a deadline. Do it. Maybe it’s the end of the year. Maybe it’s 30 days from now. But you need to know the time space that you’re working with.

Step THREE.

• Ask yourself WHY this goal is important to you. No one else has to see this, but it needs to be TRUE and HONEST. WHY do you want to lose 20 pounds? It’s not just to look good. Are their health problems in your family? Do you want to be around for a long time for those kids? Think DEEP. WHY do you want to get promoted? Is there something MORE you want to do in your business?

Step FOUR.

• Break down the EXACT steps that need to be taken in order to get there. Reverse engineer that goal. If it’s a promotion and you have to reach certain deadlines and qualifications, WRITE that down. If it’s to save $10,000, write down exactly WHERE the money will come from for you the save.

Step FIVE.

• Make yourself Mini Goals. Break down that BIG scary goal and create mini-goals along the way. If it’s to lose weight, choose every 5 lbs. And give THOSE a deadline. Celebrate EACH mini-goal as you hit it, knowing that you are WELL on your way to reaching your goal. This helps you stay consistent and motivated.

Step SIX.

• Give yourself a reward. Pick something AWESOME that you wouldn’t normally do for yourself. Make it something that you WANT so bad that you won’t let yourself have until you hit that goal.

Then GO FOR IT! Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Make it a priority. And JUST START.

It seems simple right? But the MAJORITY of people that make goals… DON’T write them down… and they especially don’t break them down.

So grab my FREE worksheet above and get to planning! And I’d love to hear from you! Let me know if you love it and how it’s worked for you below!

Organizing is pretty much one of my favorite things to do.

I actually HATE cleaning. But I LOVE organizing. Feel me?

Well, ever since having kids, especially after the second one (my wild child), my organizing projects have been put off. It drives me CRAZY to walk by a closet or space in our new house that isn’t organized. But if you’ve ever tried organizing something while a one-year-old is crawling all over you… well you get the picture.

FINALLY, one day I had enough. I HAAADDD to do something about my Pantry. But I knew it would be a challenge with my 4-year-old home from school and my 1.5 year old wanting to play. I didn’t have ALL day. I had about an hour. 

Everyone says to COMPLETELY empty it and start from scratch. Well that actually overwhelmed me even more. All I could think of was overcrowded countertops that I wouldn’t be able to fix the kids meals at that day. So… instead I worked in sections. Clearing each shelf out completely… one at a time.

It seemed to work for me.

I actually didn’t have to buy anything new, as I already had these baskets and these containers. Which I LOVE and highly recommend.

The baskets made it easy to store “like” foods, and the wired mesh make it easy to find what you’re looking for.

I divided ours in categories.

• Coffee/Tea
• Grab & Go Snacks
• Breads
• Chips
• Small Misc. items, such as seasoning packets or nuts.

I used a 3-tier organizer for the canned foods so I can see what I have more easily.

The containers are great for storing boxed food. It looks SO much better than a bunch of boxes in your pantry. It keeps food fresher longer. We are more likely to eat the good in there when we can see it directly. AND it’s easy to see when I need to buy more of something. As soon as I get home from the store, boxes are opened and dumped into these containers.

The awesome chalkboard labels are easy to stick on and I use a chalk pen like this one to label them. It like this better than permanent labels, because my kids tend to go through phases and get tired of certain snack foods.

And there you have it. Organized doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, for us, simple is better.

Do you like organizing too? Comment below with YOUR favorite thing to organize!

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links; However, all thoughts, ideas, and recommendations were completely my own.)

I can’t believe it’s Friday already! But I sure am happy that it is! Steve comes home from being in the field today! We’ve missed him and it will be so nice to have him back!

On another note, if you missed my last post, announced that I will be starting a Facebook group called Organize Your Health. It’s 15 days of tips and challenges to get your health and fitness organized! My two favorite things combined in one! Message me on Facebook to join!

Finally, lets get to that Friday Five. I previously lived in Savannah, where I gained my love for St. Patricks Day. So here are five Pinterest inspirations for St. Patty’s!

[ one ]

One of the easiest ways to decorate for each holiday and season is through a printable. There are so many offered online and all you have to do is get one frame, print, and switch it out as the Holiday approaches. Easy peasy. This one is a favorite for St. Patty’s.

[ two ]

Kids love giving and received little gifts. How cute is this little treat to send to school with your little one on St. Patty’s?

[ three ]

I could totally see me painting my nails this color for the day. The gold definitely makes it not look so tacky!

[ four ]

This would totally make my day if I bit into a cupcake and found this surprise instead. I think Sadie would go crazy!

[ five ]

Finally, you can’t go through the day without wearing green. This might have to make its way into my closet by next year. I love that its subtle. People might try and pinch you then BAM, you are wearing green!

Don’t forget to message me to join my Organize your Health Challenge Group on Facebook!