10 Ways to be Productive on a Sunday

Photo by Rizky Subagja on Unsplash

Note: This article was originally written by me, as a contributor article for AdviceFromAThirtySomething.com and published Sept. 2019. However, that website is no longer live. Therefore I am publishing an edited version of the article here on my blog, ReinventingRae.com

I love a good Sunday Funday. However, the older I’ve gotten, I find that I prefer to take time in between the fun to prepare for the week ahead. I’m sure we all have experienced having spent a few Mondays playing catch up, rather than actually getting anything productive done. So instead of dreading a new week ahead of responsibilities, I’ve started making my Sunday’s a little bit more productive. Which ultimately has  helped me to take on each week with a more positive attitude. 

Here are some things you can incorporate into your Sunday routine to feel better prepared and get ahead of the week. 

1. WRITE OUT WEEKLY TASKS IN A PLANNER

   I always find that if I plan my week ahead and write everything out on paper (or digital planner), my week tends to feel less chaotic. I usually take 30 minutes on Sunday to fill in my calendar including appointments, deadlines, errands, phone calls and any other miscellaneous daily tasks. Get creative; color code tasks,  leave a space to journal your thoughts or write out your favorite quote to give some inspo during the week.  

2. PRIORITIZE YOUR TO DO LIST

   After I write everything out in my planner, I’ll go through my list of daily tasks and projects to accomplish for the week and prioritize them all. This can look different for everyone, but generally I like to list my top three tasks for each day and top three goals for the week overall. This helps me stay focused throughout the week while also working through the rest of my daily tasks.

3. SET YOUR ALARM TO GET UP EARLY

   I’m usually not a morning person unless I set an alarm ahead of time to force myself to wake up early. Setting your alarm for the same time each day is key especially if you want to schedule in some gym time or a few extra minutes to grab a coffee on the way to work. Even though early mornings aren’t my favorite, I do feel more accomplished getting that extra hour or two ahead ahead of my day.

4. PLAN OUT YOUR OUTFITS

   There is nothing worse than scrambling in the morning trying to find an outfit to wear. Laying out your clothes the night before can help you feel more confident and prepared for the next day. It may take up a bit of your time initially, but it will be one less thing that you have to stress over while your half-awake in the morning. Even if this just means doing your laundry on Sundays, to ensure you have clean clothes for the week.

5. TIDY UP YOUR HOME

   Try setting a timer 15 or 30 minutes and use that time to clean up around your home. Pick up any clothes lying around, put fresh sheets on your bed, clean any dishes in the sink, clear any clutter on your counters (anything that you can tackle quickly that will help you feel more relaxed and organized). You can even go a step further and tackle an organizing project you may have been putting off lately.

6. PRACTICE SELF CARE

   Sundays are a great day to do self care. Whether that looks like grabbing coffee with a friend, taking a workout class, getting a mani + pedi or just taking an hour to read a book. Self care is so important for our well being. And taking the time to care for ourselves can often help us feel our best.

7. CONFIRM ANY PLANS WITH FRIENDS AHEAD OF TIME

   Life gets busy and plans can change in a moments notice. So I always like to reach out to friends to confirm any happy hours, dinner dates or concerts a few days ahead. This way if plans change, I know ahead of time and have the option to make other plans without feeling stressed last minute. And if plans are confirmed, I have something fun to look forward to in the midst of my busy week.

8. MEAL PREP

   It’s easy to get caught up during a busy week and end up surviving off of wine and take-out. To avoid this, I like to make a trip to Trader Joe’s so that I can stock up on the essentials and also plan my meals ahead of time. Not only do I save money, but I also feel better eating healthier throughout the week.

9. LIMIT TIME SPENT ON YOUR PHONE

   We are all guilty of scrolling our phones for hours on end. Sometimes it’s nice to just put our phones away and take a break. Even just taking 24 hours off social media can be a great way to refresh before a new week ahead.

10. REST & RELAX

    Lazy Sundays are THE BEST! The kind of day where you sleep in, drink coffee in bed and binge watch Real Housewives or Netflix movies all day. A day to fully relax and recharge with no plans in sight.

What are some things you like to do on Sunday to be more prepared for the week ahead? Comment below.

XO, Dana Rae

15 THINGS TO DO WHILE STAYING AT HOME

Photography by Lauren Lucile Creative

Since many of us are staying at home for the foreseeable future, I know we can find ourselves caught between trying to be productive but also at a loss of what to do during this uncertain time. I think now more than ever, it’s important to fill our days with activities that can make us feel productive yet happy. This new normal is hard for all of us. And honestly, some days are easier than others. I know for me personally, incorporating more self care has helped ease my anxiety and made me feel better.

And since I know we’re all looking for ways to fill our time. I thought I would share a list of things you can do while being at home. I hope you find this to be helpful. And feel free to share with friends or loved ones also needing ideas.

15 THINGS TO DO WHILE PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING

1. Organize your makeup/skincare products. And throw out any old or expired items. Here are a few organizers from Amazon: here, here and here.

2. Give yourself a manicure. Check out Paintbox Nails Instagram for some design inspo.

3. Listen to a new podcast. Here are a few of my favorites.

4. Learn a NEW skill. Brit + Co is offering FREE courses with PROMO CODE: SELFCARE through 4/09.

5. Organize and print photos from your phone using Chatbooks.

6. Host a virtual Happy Hour with Friends using Zoom, FaceTime or Google Chat.

7. Go through old cookbooks to find a new recipe to try. Or search Pinterest for some recipe ideas.

8. Send handwritten cards to family and long-distance friends.

9. Try an at home facial. One of my favorite bloggers, Courtney Kerr recently posted a video on how to accomplish this at home spa treatment.

10. Unsubscribe from all of those unwanted emails. Here is a service you can use for FREE to help manage your inbox.

11. Listen your favorite audiobooks on Audible. If you have Amazon Prime, you can try Audible FREE for 30 days.

12. Bake up a new cookie recipe. MILK BAR founder, Christina Tosi is posting recipes and tutorials of their most popular cookies on their Instagram account.

13. Try a new workout. A few classes you can try at home and stream online; Rumble Boxing, Tone It Up, CorePower Yoga and 305 Fitness.

14. Perfect your skincare routine and use all of your face masks you’ve been compiling.

15. Pour a glass of wine and light your favorite scented candle for a moment to yourself.

What have you been doing to keep yourself occupied during this time? Have you tried any of the above yet?!

XO, Dana Rae

HOW TO LET GO FOR GOOD

Even when it's hard to walk away from something, doing so allows you to be reminded that life goes on regardless. You should NEVER stay stuck in something. And yet we often feel compelled or obligated to stay in our complicated relationships, dead end jobs or unfulfilled friendships. Which begs the question: WHY?! Honestly, I think it has a lot to do with FEAR. Fear of letting go. Fear of moving on. Fear of what we may leave behind. Fear of the unknown. So, how do you let go even when you know it's the best thing to do? 

This is an area in my life that to be honest, I still struggle with. I'm good at holding on to things even when I know they aren't good for me. And I'm even better at letting things stay the same for fear of the "what if's". But as I've gotten older, I have learned that letting go doesn't have to be a bad thing. It often means freeing yourself from the things that are no longer serving you. And it can also be exactly what you need to move forward in your life. So I'm sharing three steps that have helped me deal with letting go in life, and maybe can help you as well. 

ACCEPT THE FACT THAT CHANGE IS NEEDED 

The first step, is to admit that something needs to change. Maybe you feel like you don't have many options right now, but there is always a choice that can be made. Easier said than done, I know. But ask yourself, am I happy? And then ask yourself, what can I do about it? Also, remind yourself that you can't do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Change is hard, but once you make the commitment to do it, you've already taken the first big step in letting go.  

BE OPEN TO WHAT COMES NEXT 

Second, I think you have to be willing to be open to what comes after you let go. Which is often scary to embrace the unknown. But it can also be liberating if you allow yourself the opportunity. Commit to your decision made and let life happen. Don't let the fear of what could happen stop you from pursuing a new outcome. This is where the real work begins, because it's much easier to allow ourselves to stay in a comfortable place rather than be open to new possibilities. But if we do the work, things often start to fall in place over time. 

LEARN TO NOT LOOK BACK 

Lastly, I think that you have to be confident in your decision moving forward. Remind yourself everyday if you have to, why you made the decision to let go in the first place. And then place your trust in the process. Don't beat yourself up over the what if's, or bumps along the way. Sometimes the things that lie ahead of us test us the most. And as you move forward, don't look back unless you plan on using that glimpse as motivation to keep going. Otherwise, stay the course and know that life is what you make of it. 

I would love to hear from you all, and what has helped you in situations of letting go? Comment below.  

XO, Rae

WHY IT'S OKAY TO LOSE YOURSELF AT TIMES

This blog post has been a long time coming. But even with that said, it's still difficult to write even as I am typing these words. Let me first say, that I am so thankful to have this platform to be able to be raw and open with y'all. And I've always said that no matter what, I will keep things real on here even when it's not pretty. After all, my goal of this blog is to write about REAL life and how we often find that we are 'REINVENTING' ourselves. 

This year has not been my best. I had high hopes for what would be to come and what I would accomplish. If your new here, let me back up a little to the Summer of 2015. I had just left my comfy corporate job here in the city after deciding that I wanted to explore other options. At the time, I didn't know what those other options were. For the first time in my life, I left a job with no plan as to where I would be next. The month before I left, I started my blog Reinventing Rae NYC. Initially the blog was a way to connect with friends and family since I had just moved to New York six months prior. I knew nothing about blogging at the time, but I had a passion for writing. I had no clear vision of where the blog would eventually go, I just knew I wanted to write about life here in the city and real things happening in my day to day life.

In late 2015, I started to play around with the idea of starting my own business. Although I wasn't sure what exactly it would entail, I was excited for the possibilities. Fast forward over the next year, after talking to a friend, ideas started to come together for a product based business. Products that would include drinkware (coffee mugs, wine glasses, tumblers, etc., with a plan of eventually adding party accessories and stationary. I have a passion for putting together gifts for friends and loved ones as well as planning any type of event or social gathering. This was my brain telling me to put all of my passions to good use and make it profitable. In August of 2016, I started to put plans together and collaborate with a friend who had the talent I needed to make my ideas a reality.

But early on in 2016, my personal life was falling apart. (Well, at least that's how it felt anyways) I was struggling with myself in this new found free time on my hands and the lack of structure in my everyday life. Although it would be my busiest year yet, having friends and family visit me in the city almost every month. Not even kidding. This kept me distracted in a lot of ways although I welcomed it most of the time. Which also allowed me to be less accountable for myself, claiming that I was "too busy" to do anything else. And on top of everything, my parents decided to divorce after 26 years of marriage. And even though it wasn't a complete shock, the aftermath hit me hard. I am not one to adapt to change very well, especially when it involves those closest to me. And this would prove to bring a lot of change that I was in no way prepared for.

Over the course of the year, I quickly lost focus of my business planning and started to loose sight of what my goals actually were. I was struggling to be happy and stay in a positive place when I felt like so many things were falling apart. This continued into 2017, even though I set out to finally conquer my fears and get serious about starting my business. This year has been full of ups and downs. I would take several steps forward and then I would take even more steps back. I even sought out a business mentor and completed my business plan. And with the push of friends and family, I made the bold move of ordering physical products in hopes to launch and start selling in the Fall of this year. But when those products finally arrived, they were less than desirable. There were more mugs with imprint errors, than there were ones that I could actually sell. It was a huge disappointment. Luckily, I was able to return the product (all 446 mugs) and received a full refund. Everyone was busy reassuring me that things like this happen and I could easily begin again. But I felt like something was missing all along and that maybe this was a sign. Even with all the progress I was able to make throughout this year, I was still holding myself back from moving forward with everything.

For the past 6+ months I have admittedly been depressed. Which is something I have battled with before. However, it is never easy to openly talk about. And I think that several factors have contributed to my depression this time around. As time has gone on, it has proven to be difficult to stay motivated and be productive while at home full time. Structure is something I never realized I relied on so much until I had to create it for myself. And with lack of a consistent schedule, my sleep habits were a mess. I have gone through periods of staying up all hours of the night with little to no sleep to days where I barely function before noon. I've questioned what I really want my career to look like and IF I have the ability to make it happen. I've allowed fear and insecurities to take over even when I had all the resources. And my family and I continue to try and adjust to a new "normal". 

It wasn't until a few weeks ago, that I finally opened up to a few close friends with all my recent struggles and everything I had been going through. It was hard to put into words at first, but I felt relieved to talk about it openly. And it was in those conversations when I started to realize that it's okay to lose yourself at times. Nobody is perfect. We are all human. We all have shitty things that happen to us in life. And we all certainly go through difficult times. We can't expect ourselves to always keep going when we feel like breaking down. And sometimes you just need to listen to your gut and take a step back. 

I somehow started to build up walls in order to protect myself, but in reality those same walls have made me closed off from the people and things I love most. And I know now that often times you have to break down to get back up. And most importantly, give yourself the chance to cope with things. I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason. And maybe you have to go through the real tough shit in order to come out better than you were before. 

Now, I am more determined than ever to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward. I still have a lot of things to consider and work through. But one thing I know for certain, is that I really want to focus on my blog over the next year. I put so much hard work into building a new website this past April. And I feel like I ended up neglecting the blog over these past few months. Writing has always been such a great outlet and I want to continue to share things that I'm passionate about with y'all. I've already started working on lots of new content for the coming months. 

We are never as broken as we think we are. So, if you're going through a season of change or feel like your life is in chaos. Remember this. EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY. 

XO, Rae 

5 WAYS TO PULL YOURSELF OUT OF A FUNK

We are all subject to falling into a funk from time to time. Because well...life happens. Maybe you feel stuck in a rut, overwhelmed, burnt-out or even unmotivated in everyday tasks. It's easy to loose ourselves in the process of trying to keep up with it all. Our jobs, friendships, relationships, family, social calendars and everything in between. 

Life can be hectic and chances are, it's not slowing down anytime soon. So the next time you find yourself in a funk, here are 5 ways you can pull yourself out and get back to living your life. 

1. GET OUTSIDE

I know that your comfy bed & a pint of Ben & Jerry's is tempting when you’re feeling down and out. And it's easy to just want to seclude yourself from the rest of the world. But fresh air can do wonders. Even if you have to force yourself....GET UP, GET DRESSED & GET OUT of the house. Go for a walk/run or just put your bare feet in the grass. It’s actually called grounding and you can read more about it here. My friend Jackie swears by this and I've tried it, and IT WORKS! 

2. TREAT YO' SELF

Not that buying things is the way to solve your problems or that you have to spend money on yourself every time you fall into a slump. But IF it makes you feel better and you can afford it, DO IT! Take yourself out for coffee, splurge on a new piece of clothing or pamper yourself with a mani + pedi. If you want a more budget friendly option, you could have an at home spa day. Taking time out for YOU, can help boost your mood and help take your mind off of things. 

3. PHONE A FRIEND

We all get by with a little help from our friends, am I right?! So, why not lean on them when you need them the most. Your real friends will understand that there are times you may just need to vent and have a listening ear. Sometimes just talking about what's going on in our life helps us to feel better and less alone. And often our friends struggle with similar things as us. The more you open up to the people around you, the more you will create an open dialogue. And who better than your closest friends to give you advice and help you through the difficult stuff. 

4. SHARE YOUR STORY

Now days we have this notion that we can only share the "perfect" things in our life on social media. But people don't want nor expect your life to be 'PERFECT 24/7'. Life can be complicated at times. And sometimes it's okay to share that. I personally feel relieved when seeing other people open up on social media, that they are struggling with something in their life. Why?! Because it means that they are just like me, human. And it actually makes you more relatable to others. We tend to get caught up with only posting pretty squares on Instagram. But people want to see the real YOU. I promise you'll be surprised by the kindness of strangers. 

5. TAKE A DAY OFF  

Self care is the best care. Schedule a day for just YOU. Take a personal day from work, cancel any meetings, unplug from social media, leave your inbox as is and turn your phone off. The laundry can stay in a pile on the floor for one more day, emails can wait and work will still be there tomorrow. Allow yourself 24 hours to do NOTHING. You can binge watch Netflix and not have to change out of your pajamas if you see fit. Pants optional. When it all feels like too much, give yourself the chance to recharge. 

What do you find helpful when trying to pull yourself out of a funk?! Comment below. 

XO, Rae  

HOW TO EMBRACE A BIG LIFE CHANGE

When you're about to embark on a big life change, it's important to consider a few things.

BE OPEN TO THE JOURNEY

I’m very Type A personality. I like to plan things out and know what to expect ahead of time. However, when you’re facing a big life change, your plan may or may not go as perfectly as you hoped for. And that's OKAY. Sometimes the best moments in life are the unexpected ones or the ones that derail us from our original plans. You have to be open to the ups and downs that come as part of the growth. And trust that in the end, it will all work out how it's supposed to.

NOT EVERYONE WILL SUPPORT YOUR DECISION

When I decided to move to New York, I got lucky. All of my friends and family could not have been more supportive. But that isn't always the case for some when making big life changes. It's easier for some people to tear you down than it is to build you up. Not everyone will see your vision and encourage you to chase your dreams. Be prepared to move forward with or without some of your friends and family's support. Don't let others influence you or make you feel less than excited about your decision. After all, it is YOUR life. 

CHANGE IS SCARY, BUT SO IS REGRET

Easier said than done, I know. Change is not something I’m typically comfortable with. I dealt with a lot of change in my childhood. And as a result, it became harder for me to accept change as an adult. The key is embracing it, rather than hiding from it. And if all else fails, at least you can say you took the leap of faith and tried. In life, you have to take risks in order to see the reward. If you can one day look back on your life and say that you have no regrets, imagine how fulfilling that will be. Nothing worth having comes easy. 

DO IT FOR YOURSELF

We often make decisions based on a mix of emotions. Sometimes a combination of our own wants and needs as well as other's. It isn't always easy to make yourself a priority. However, when making a big change in your life, you have to do it for you above anything else. It's never selfish to want to follow your dreams or to take steps to having a more fulfilled life. Your happiness should be the ultimate goal. 

So no matter what big life change you may be considering or beginning to embark upon. Remember to be open to the possibilities, take the good with the bad, have no regrets and do what makes YOU happy. 

XO, Rae