*Keep moving*
*Kick that door down if you have to.*

**-Let It Be Worn**

WOW!

It has been a minute since I wrote a blog post. So long ago that the layout of my web hosting site is now different. I have to relearn everything again but I'm not mad at it. I can sit here and type a whole bunch of excuses but the bottom line is, I'm just stupid busy with my new ventures. Doing what? OK, here it goes....

We got engaged so I'm looking for the best places and deals to have a wedding. We're thinking Puerto Rico...not sure yet!
I started sewing classes & it's every Saturday morning to the afternoon. This makes it a bit hard to schedule meetings and networking events.
I'm starting a menswear line of shirts (for now). Main reason why I'm taking these sewing classes. @libwclothing
Creating new designs for MD.13 Jewelry and increasing inventory for the upcoming street fair season. Also reworking the branding and packaging.
I'm always scanning for a new job placement. Not that I dislike what I have now. It can't hurt to find a job that pays more and have an even more flexible time schedule.
I have a YouTube channel now and it's crazy fun! I have 11 video so far and I look forward to creating more content. You can watch my VLogs to see what I'm currently up to, if you're interested, of course! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!

You might say that I seem to be doing a lot and you, my friends, are not wrong. I have a lot on my plate and yea, I am doing this to myself but you have to understand, these things are not burdens. These are things I enjoy and love. They do become quite heavy at times when I start needing 10 extra hours just to get through everything I need to do. For example: I have been staring at my 3 40lb laundry bags full of clothes just begging me to take them on a ride in a washing machine.

Juggling everything is a vicious cycle but I swear I balance my life in a way that works for me. Here's how I do it...

my job does not dictate what I'll do next

I have planted this in my brain for a long time. I knew I was going to need a full-time job while I'm trying to grow my business. My job and my personal life are 2 SEPARATE entities and in my head, I have to do well in both. I will not say, I cannot finish a jewelry order because I was working all day or I cannot go to work because I was up all night making jewelry. It's not good business on both ends. Also, when you leave for the day from your full-time job, leave all the annoyances there. Bringing all that with you at home will only serve as a distraction and will make you less productive.

prioritize

I cannot stress this enough. I'm sure everything you do is important but they are not all equally important. Make sure you gauge all the things you need to finish and do them in order of importance. How do you determine how important it is? Just ask how would it change your life for the better if you finish this task. In my case, laundry won't affect me as much at the moment. I am, however, tempted to pay someone to do my laundry.

PLAN waaaay ahead of time

My months are usually planned all throughout a month or 2 in advance, which sucks for some because there's very little wiggle room. I just like to outline how my month looks like before I make some adjustments as plans might change. I schedule by writing everything down in my planner. Please have a planner!! I use Action Day weekly planner. Typing it in Evernote or Google calendar is cool and all but writing every plan I have with pen to paper makes me remember better. I find that this method works for me. It makes everything I schedule feel like an event, like it's something I have to go to. Also, I really don't want to depend on alarms for every little thing in my life. I also write a few notes about how my week went in my planner. It's like a mini journal.

recharge after work whenever you can

This is my favorite thing to do but it seems to be the hardest. I'm at work 9 hours plus 2 hours of commute everyday but at the same time, all I want to do is work on my creative endeavors no matter how exhausted I am. I force myself to have about 30 minutes, to an hour max, to relax and shake the day off me. I tell Alexa to alarm so I don't forget to snap out of relaxation mode. It may seem like it's not enough but I know I only have a few hours of work before I need to clunk out. I should really only have 4 hours of creative time but I get in the groove of creating and I lose track of time. This is also why I sleep so late on most days. I personally have to work on this a lot better. Sleep needs to be higher in my priority list because it is essential and it will help me concentrate better.

I DON'T WASTE MY TIME ON UNNECESSARY GATHERINGS/people

Really, don't waste time on anything that doesn't benefit your growth in anyway. Harsh but we, as a society, are surrounded by distractions. I used to party every weekend. We're talking about Thursday-Saturday, staying out until 4 or 5 in the morning. Not entirely sure how I managed to go to work all those times but when there's a will, there's a way. It's ridiculous! If you still party like it's New Year's every weekend, nothing wrong with that, more power to you. Partying all the time just doesn't fit in my lifestyle anymore. This doesn't just apply with partying. If you don't want to go to an event, don't. If you feel uncomfortable in a place you're in, leave.
What would make this easier is to drop all the people that drag your life down, the ones who don't care about you're about. Another harsh advice but it's the truth. Ask me if I'm still friends with the people I partied with who are still partying like they just turned 21 and has no ambitions.... Yea, NOPE! Surround yourself with people who equally don't like to waste time and you'll find yourself moving forward.

make time for you

Sundays are usually my days where I try not to schedule anything unless my Saturday is extra booked or I really have to do it on Sunday. I reserve at least 1 day to absolutely do nothing that requires a lot of brain power. Go get your nails, toes or hair done. Go shopping! Binge watch on The Office on Netflix. Do some of the chores that you might've missed (some of them can be therapeutic). It's so important to have 1 day of self-care to get yourself ready for the crazy week ahead.

.....and your loved ones

They say it gets lonely when you're on top.....well, it doesn't have to be. Make sure you invest in your REAL relationships. Make sure you go to important events they might be throwing. This will give you more flexibility the next time you try to schedule something with them. Make an effort to see the people who you'd want to be with you when you get to the top.