Organization is key

and all that jazz. 

It's been a hot minute since I published a blog post. Slacker. I've been trying to get on top of stuff - mostly medical and financial, real cheery stuff. Blogging has taken a back seat to some of my other priorities but hopefully as things straighten out I can get going again. Not going to stress about it. 

As I'm trying to change things and get on a routine, I've tried to pay attention to the little things too. I've noticed that things as small as keeping my drawers organized or my bed made etc etc add to my happiness and totally, totally, totally help with stress. So in that spirit... I finally got myself a hanging jewelry organizer. It's not too fancy but it's cute and it does the job and I've quite enjoyed it. Let me tell you - searching through a bin filled with jewelry for a tiny earring was not ideal. I'd end up dumping the entire bin out on to my bed.. and it'd stay there all day because I'd be rushing out of the door without time to clean up my mess. I try not to do that anymore. I procrastinate less and organize more and the little things add up to smoother days. 

And so! Behold:

I cannot put into words how much I love this thing. It's so practical. Practical is good. And! Freeing up that bin which had been holding my jewelry meant I finally found a home for all my nail polish. I threw that along with a few other bins into one big basket with all my self care stuff: 

I know this is incredibly minor/non-blog-worthy, but you know, it's the little things. Also, as anyone who reads this blog (hey Liz) knows, I have depression. Staying very organized is one of the ways I stay on top of it. Maybe I'll write about the other things (reading, routine, exercise, etc) soon. That way everyone who stumbles upon my blog can enjoy similarly short and meaningless posts. :) 

Until then

Charlotte

PS check out this incredibly gaudy ring I found at a garage sale. I normally hate stuff like this but for some reason, I LOVE it. 

Bullet Journal

My friend Dana introduced me to this neat idea of a bullet journal. The best description I can quickly come up with is that it's like a planner on steroids (which is exactly what I told Liz, who thinks she'd benefit from a bullet journal too). I have, and love, a regular planner, but it's mostly just appointments. I don't put all the little things in there, like moisturizing or making the bed or exercising. I don't track my books in my planner. I don't write down how much money I spend in my planner. The bullet journal though? It is promising. I thrive from checklists (I think it's a mix of my personality and the fact that I'm depressed - checking things off is the best), and the bullet journal is allllll checklists, baby. So I made one. I invested (lol $7, holla big moneyyy) in a journal yesterday. I picked one with a train because I love trains and it reminds me of The Hogwarts Express. And today I got it started.  

See what I mean? It's got everything. I adore checking little things off, even if it's something like brushing teeth or showering (1. the more you check, the more momentum you get, the more productive you become and 2. sometimes depression means you straight up don't care about self-health and self-care, so even things like "put on makeup" and "lather your body with soap" are good to write down). Sometimes I can get to feeling a bit inadequate - I start thinking about "all those people" who don't need check lists or planners or journals to function. But I gotta ditch that mentality. These are things that work for me.  

My bullet journal isn't very pretty. I opted to just start it now even though all I've got is a pen and a few highlighters. I considered waiting until Sunday, after this snowstorm clears up, so I could go get colored pencils. But... I figure I can make it pretty later. I've got a lot of goals for 2016, not to mention a whole host of life and lifestyle changes I want to make, and I'm betting this journal can help me out. 

Here's to achieving goals and forming good habits! 

__ 

Charlotte