New Year: Self Reflection

First off, Happy New Year!! I hope 2018 blesses you with love, happiness, and much success. I know it's a little cliche to write about motivating tips for the new year but I can't help it. Going into 2018 I'm in a completely different place than when 2017 started, so I wanted to bring you guys a quick post on staying inspired. 2018 will be the first full year of owning my own business, so to say that I'm feeling ready to take on the world would be an understatement. I cannot wait to bring you guys new content and have spent the past few weeks making so many goals and jotting down every idea that has popped into my head. 

Owning your own business takes much self discipline and it's forced me to create some great habits that I want to share with you. If I had to pick one phrase to describe what I think is most important when accomplishing your goals, it would be self reflection; and I'm talking honest self reflection. You can set goals all day long, but it you aren't taking the time to reflect on what you've done and where you're headed, you cannot make it to your goal. Sometimes you have to edit and reroute yourself throughout the year and that's ok! Below are some of my best tips on how to incorporate self reflection into your life so that you can smash whatever comes before you this year.

1. Answer these 50 questions about 2017/2018: I shared THIS LINK HERE on my Facebook page (Click here to follow, if you're not already) and I cannot stress how vital this was for me. It brought my attention to areas of 2017 that I loved and didn't love. The questions were very straightforward and really helped me reflect on 2017 and prep for 2018. I also recommend writing these down in a notebook so that you can revisit them at the end of 2018 and answer the same questions and see how your answers change. I plan on making this my new end of the year tradition to track growth and passion. 

2. Carry a mini notebook with you at all times: I have been doing this for years and I think it's so important to have a space for 'brain dumping'. I like the carry the Moleskine small notebooks with me, but anything will do. I often find I will come up with tasks to complete or ideas when I'm not able to work on them and I love being able to write it down and get it out of my brain. Sometimes we give ourselves too many things to remember and it can create unnecessary stress. If I write it down, I can get it out of my head and focus on the current task much more easily. I find that doing this also helps me be more present in the moment because I don't have to worry about forgetting something. 

3. Write your goals down and be specific with dates and numbers. This one might seem obvious but if you are not specific it will take you so much longer to reach your goal. I recommend revisiting your goals at least once a month, if not more often. If you have nothing written down, you won't have anything to reflect on. So be specific when you write them down, stare and them often and you will fill your mind with thoughts on accomplishing them. The more you think and surround yourself with your goals, the more likely you will make them feel like reality and that they are doable. 

4. Reflect on how you spend your time. How often to you plan on picking up a new hobby or spend less time doing something and then all of a sudden two months go by and you haven't changed. I recommend taking a look at your weekly schedule and writing every way that you spend your time. This includes the 2 hours of Netflix every night or 1 hour spent cooking dinner. Then for each item, make a pros and cons list on how much value each thing is bringing to your life. You may find that you're spending too much time doing things that are costing too much money or taking away from your overall happiness. Sometimes you need to see it written on paper to realize you need to make a change. You may not realize how much time you are giving something that is bringing no value to your life, until you see how often you do it in a week or month. Then you can swap that time for something better. 

5. Read. Read. Read. I cannot tell you how much reading motivates me. I love that I can literally pick up a book on any topic I desire and learn. Also read books of several different topics at the same time. This will help you stay attentive. It's like watching a movie; sometimes you're in the mood for one topic and sometimes you need another. Regardless, I find that reading helps me stay inspired and motivated by constantly learning new things. 

I hope you'll reflect on your progress throughout 2018 and succeed in whatever you put your mind to. You can do it!

Happy New Year,

Andrea Fontana

Planning Obsession

Something that most probably don't know about me is that I am a huge planner nerd. I absolutely love a handwritten, hard copy planner in front of me and I feel one thousand times more productive when I open the cover. Stupid I know but if you geek out about planners too, I KNOW you get it. I have tried so many times to like electronic to-do lists and calendars on my phone but I just cannot get used to them and do not accomplish as much when relying on them. 

Last week I bought a new planner for 2018 and I posted a poll on Instagram asking if you wanted me to talk about my various planners I've tried, what I loved, hated, etc. and I got 100% yes! So I've decided to share with you today a little bit about my love for planners.

Let's first go over some basics that I look for in my planners. I have to have a monthly spread and weekly spreads too. I've tried daily pages in the past, but I feel like it wastes paper and I don't end up using a whole sheet for the day so I've always reverted back to weekly spreads. I also like enough room for to-do lists and plenty of notes during the week. I like to take my planner with me, so I need it to be durable and last during a year's worth of adventures. While I like a little pop of color here and there, I usually like a mostly black and white planner, which allows me to use whatever color pens or even functional stickers, I want. 

And now for the planners...

Erin Condren Life Planner: The one I had for the end of 2015 and all of 2016 was the original Life Planner with the vertical layout. This planner is one that really re-established hardbound planners again and most of you have probably seen it or maybe even owned one. I coughed up the terrifying $50+ for my Life Planner and I really did like it for the first few months. I liked that there was 3 vertical boxes a day that I could customize how ever I wanted and there was plenty of notes space. This may come as a surprise to you because most people love it, but I doubt I will ever buy a Life Planner again. For me there is really 3 reasons; the cover, the thickness, and the price. First off I HATED the cover. Erin Condren is known for the interchangeable covers that you can customize and get in a million different patterns. I really thought I would love this until I started using my planner. Within a few weeks, I was losing tons of the plastic tips that connected the planner to the coil, and I had to contact the company and they sent me a code to reorder a new cover. Luckily I snagged a deal and got BOGO free so I figured this breaking cover wasn't normal and was glad I'd have two now to last the rest of the year. Except the same thing happened AND my covers started peeling at the corners. I'd say they had great customer service, but the product just wasn't working. Mind you I am not that hard on things and take great care of my stuff. The other two issues I have are how thick the Life Planner is. I had the 18 month, so that didn't help, but I still feel like this planner is just so much thicker than most and a pain to carry around with you. Lastly, the price is just difficult to swallow for me. I think there are just as great or even better planners for less, so I doubt I'll ever go back to Erin Condren. 

One thing I do like is Erin Condren is always coming up with new things and improving previous designs, so I've noticed they have coil-less and hard bound planners now which do solve the problems that I had. I do believe they are a little more inexpensive than the Life Planner too, so that is nice. If you're someone who would leave their planner only in one location, like home or at work, you may really like the Life Planner, but for me it just doesn't work.

Sugar Paper for Target: If you click here you can see this specific planner I have been using for 2017.  I bought it at Target for $20 (I mean can you really beat that?!) Target has been stepping their game up in the planner world and collaborating with some pretty cool design companies like Sugar Paper, Day Designer, Britt & Co.,  May Designs (hint hint hint)...I really liked the hard bound black cover and this one satisfied all of my needs. It was simplistic in color and design, had weekly and monthly spreads, and was thin and easier to travel with than my Life Planner. I have to say that I really did love this planner for most of the year until about 2 weeks ago when it broke. The front cover unattached from the binding. It's usable but a pain to work with because it keeps moving around weird when I try to write. Up until it broke I really thought I would repurchase a planner for 2018 that was similar in size and design. I don't have much more to say about this one besides keep your eye out at Target for planner launches because they kill it!

May Designs for Target: Now we have reached the good stuff. I am absolutely obsessed with my new planner from May Designs. I have a lot to say so let's just dive right in. I bought this one here for $19.99 and it's beautiful, simple, functional, but most importantly CUSTOMIZABLE! It's esstentially May Designs' version of a traveler's notebook, a leather-type cover with elastics that allow for you to connect your own mini notebooks together. If you've never heard of this but love planning please do yourself a favor and google it (but only when you have extra time to blow because you will get sucked in)! I spent a good few months last year (when I was just over the Life Planner) dabbling with the world of Bullet Journaling (again google at your own risk, but PLEASE do it). Bullet journaling is essentially a brain dumb method that involves you creating a planning space out of an empty notebook. It involves you creating your own spreads which allows for complete customization. I really enjoyed it but was too busy at the time to really continue so I went back to a pre-designed planner for 2017. 

So fast forward to now and why I love this May Designs Traveler's Notebook. It came with two notebooks, half the year in each, and I purchased two blank, lined notebooks to insert as well. I also love that it fits the thin Moleskine's that I always keep on me for doodling, lists, and such. 

So where am I at now? I currently have dove right back into bullet journaling in a moleskine for the last two months of the year in the Traveler's Notebook and ditched the Sugar Paper planner because it's broken. I love that this has allowed me to carry the rest of 2017 and the first half of 2018 with me so there's no awkward time of carrying two planners at the end of a year. The thing I love most about the Traveler's Notebook is that at the end of the year if I still love this cover and it's in good shape, I can just buy some new May Designs custom notebooks and use it again! If you've never browsed their site YOU NEED TO. They make the most beautiful customizable notebooks for whatever you need them for. 

I hope this was helpful for all of you who requested this post over on Instagram. If you aren't following me please do it ASAP so you can vote on my polls that help decide what content I bring to you next! Scroll down to the bottom of this page to FOLLOW ME!

Leave a comment below with your favorite planner or any planning tips! Also, let me know if you want to see more planner related content on Andrea Fontana Beauty. I know it's not beauty related, but we all need to be organized to be productive so I love sharing this type of stuff with you!

Have a beautiful weekend,

Andrea 

Dre Does Quick Tips on How to Make the Most of Your Wardrobe

As much as we try to wear everything in our closets, I think we can all admit sometimes we only gravitate towards some items. I have a few tips to help get the most out of everything you own.

1. Every time you wear an item from your closet flip the hanger around so it faces the opposite way. Every two weeks or even month, flip everything back to the same direction. This way you can easily keep track of what you've worn recently and the items that are being neglected. Then try really hard to put those items to good use and break them out! You might find things fit you different or look better than you remember! 

2. Reorganize your closet! This might seem like no brainer, but if you can't see everything your wardrobe has to offer you're more likely to stick to the same items. I have so many items that if I don't see them, I honestly sometimes forget all of the options I have. 

3. Take an evening to go through your closet and pre-plan outfits. You can even take pictures of combinations you like and keep them for when you're feeling uninspired or don't know what to wear. If you take the time to try everything on and see what works together you'll know when you're crunched for time what works and what doesn't. 

4. Think outside of the box! Just because you bought a certain item to wear a specific way, doesn't mean you have to. The best part about fashion is that there are no rules. There are so many great places to find inspiration now online so don't be afraid to look and try some new things! 

I hope these tips help! What are some ways you get the most out of what you already own? Let me know in a comment below. 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does Quick Tips: Staying Organized

No matter what we do in life, in order to be successful we need to be organized to some degree. I am a classic planner person. I am very picky at finding the best one and I use it every day to keep track of anything from remembering to take my vitamins to making sure my bills are paid on time. Today I bring you five quick tips on how I stay organized. Remember though that how you stay organized is completely dependent on your personality and what works best for you. If you like to-do lists and keeping track of everything, I think you'll like some of the things I do.

1. Put something on your to-do list that you've already done. Now if you don't like lists you probably won't understand this, but as a person who's mood significantly increases every time I cross something off that list, this is a huge way to get your day started. Being able to cross something off as you're making your list and beginning your day, sets the tone and gives you a push to accomplish more. If this sounds silly, just try it!

2. Clean out your purse once a week. I try to do this more often but this is a big one too. As women our purses tend to hold a chaotic mixture of sorts but it's important to keep them organized. If you know where everything is at all times, your day to day life is more likely to run smoothly. I've been putting my Ipsy Glambags to good use by designating each one for something different in my purse (makeup items, receipts, coupons, etc...) which allows for quicker daily activities like grocery store runs and finding my favorite chapstick. 

3. Start each day with a plan. I start each day by making a list in my planner, but you do what's good for you. Maybe it's on your phone or a post-it note, but regardless the point is to just do it. My dad is a motivational speaker and author so for years I've been hearing 'write your goals on paper'. By planning our days with what we'd like to accomplish, we can apply this principle daily by writing down our goals for the day. How are we supposed to get anything done when we haven't decided what we need to do? Also don't get hung up on if you don't accomplish everything on your list. Sometimes I just have to cross them out and add them to tomorrow's list, which is perfectly fine as long as you don't do it on purpose. 

4. Use colored pens or highlighters to emphasize what's most important. I am a longtime lover of the Sharpie pens because they write well and come in multiple colors. I like writing the extremely important things like bill due dates, in a bright color so that they stand out and aren't forgotten. Then I like to use one color for school work, one for my work schedule, and another for more general life things. 

5. Keep a notepad and pen on your nightstand. I don't know about you but I always seem to remember things or create great ideas once I'm already snuggled up and warm in bed. I always think, "Oh I'll remember it in the morning..." But never do! So keeping a notepad close by will help you remember what you need to without getting untucked! I always slap the post-it on my phone so that when I turn my alarm off, I have to see it. This one seriously is a lifesaver and you must try it if you do some of your best thinking when you should be falling asleep...haha

We can't completely stop the stresses that are in our lives, however we can control how we react to them and how we deal with them. Organizing your life will not only gain you time in your day, but it'll also keep you from getting worked up over the little things that may happen because that's just life. Let  me know if you have any great organizational tips to share! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre