PLAN | Gear for a Better Year - Get Ready for 2021

It's been a tough year. And although there's no knowing what 2021 might have in store for us, you can mentally prepare yourself to put in the work to better yourself, strive for success and do everything in your power to make it a great year.

I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions. I think they tend to be an excuse to put off your goals until January 1st and let them die by February (note: Gyms so packed you can't get a treadmill the first two weeks of the year). I do, however, think it's a good time to reset after the holidays and get yourself back on track.

Wellness & Goals Planner: I find, personally, that I keep up with and follow a paper planner better than a digital one.

Water Bottle with Tracker: If you have trouble drinking enough water throughout the day, try a larger bottle with a timing tracker on the side. Your more likely to keep drinking it if you don't need to refill it several times. Try a hydration multiplier to get even more out of your water intake.

Educate Yourself: Set up a plan to read more and watch TV less. You'll sleep better and learn a lot more.

Sleep More: Speaking of sleep - if you're anything like me, 2020 was full of stress and not enough sleep (granted I have a baby...but still). Try getting yourself in a routine of going to bed a little earlier and putting the phone away and turning the TV off at least an hour before you try to go to sleep. This alarm clock mimics the natural sunrise so wake less stressed.

Journaling: I was big into journaling for a long time and it kind of fell off, mostly because I had trouble just writing unprompted. I'm purchasing a guided journal like this one to start as soon as possible. I hear it all the time, how journaling and just getting thoughts out on paper can greatly diminish stress and anxiety - but like all things, I just need to start.

Screen Time: It might be unavoidable because of your job, or whatever the reason you need to be staring at a screen all day - protecting your eyes with blue light glasses is proven to reduce headaches and eye strain. I've been wearing mine for about a year and definitely notice a huge difference.

Diffuse: If you've been a reader for a while you know I'm a big advocate of aromatherapy. I run three diffusers throughout our house pretty much 24/7. If you look into products like Glade Plugins, you will discover how toxic they are for your home and not safe to use around kids and pets. I was horrified after researching what I was using in my home. Essential oil diffusers are safe and clean and some of the blends on the market right now just smell amazing.

Household: While you're looking into your air fresheners, go ahead and research your household cleaners as well. We've slowly been making the switch to more natural products in our home, especially with a toddler running around putting everything he can find in his mouth. Grove Collaborative is a great place to start when it comes to finding reasonably priced, natural products for your home.

Body Reset: I try to do a diet reset at least twice a year and usually go with Whole30. I understand it's a big commitment, but I promise you it's well worth it. Choose two months out of the year when you don't expect a lot of potential conflicts with the dietary restrictions you'll be setting in place (drinking, having to eat out a lot, etc). It doesn't have to be January -- although I have found that it's an easy month to do it because people tend to lay low after the rush of the holidays. September is another month that typically works well for my schedule.

xx

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