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

Dre Does a Breathing Exercise

If you're like me you lead a pretty busy and fast paced life that can lead to crazy amounts of stress. Now sometimes we can sit down and take a look at everything we are doing to reduce the amount of stress we feel but more times than none, stress is unavoidable. For this reason, we need to focus our attention on managing the stress. Which brings me to today's post. Breathing exercises are one of the quickest ways to change our energy, anxiety, and stress level. Taking a few moments to calm ourselves and focus our attention differently can help you manage the stress you are feeling and turn your energy into something more productive. 

This leads me to today's post. I personally struggle with being able to turn my brain off when it's time for bed or focusing on something else. Even if I'm tired, my brain doesn't like to stop going over what needs to get done, what bills need to be paid, etc...so I can easily give myself way more anxiety than is necessary. 

If you find yourself having a similar problem I think you'll love this breathing technique I learned in school. You can either do it sitting in a chair or laying in bed. All you do is place your thumb and ring finger on each of your nostrils. This leaves your middle and index fingers to be placed in between your brows. Now use your ring finger to close one nostril and inhale deeply through only the nostril under your thumb. Before you exhale open the ring finger nostril and close the nostril under your thumb and exhale through the ring finger nostril. Now inhale again without changing anything, and before you exhale close the ring finger nostril and open the thumb nostril. Take about slow and deep 10 breaths this way, alternating which nostrils you leave open and closed. Depending on your lung strength you may need to start with only a few breaths so you don't get light headed, but you can work up to more breaths with time. 

This breathing technique is amazing for us overthinkers because it forces us to concentrate on opening and closing our nostrils (which sounds silly when written...haha) instead of worrying about tasks and problems. I love to do it before bed to relax myself, but if I ever find myself overthinking something during the day I'll take a 5 minute break and focus on my breathing.

Let me know if you try this and what you think about it! I'd like to start incorporating more stress management techniques into my blog so leave me a comment below if you like this idea or have any of your own! 

Have a beautiful and stress-free day,

Dre