Welcome 2013

Monday, December 31, 2012



Last weekend, I cleaned out my bathroom vanity. I threw away hundreds of dollars worth of barely used eyeshadows, lipsticks, primers and powders. Two piles of products remained: the handful of things I use every day (BB cream, concealer, mascara, blush, lip balm), which are now neatly stored within easy reach in the medicine cabinet, plus a separate makeup bag with special-occasion items I like but just don't use all that often, which is stowed under the sink. 

Yeah, I threw away hundreds of dollars' worth of products, and that made me feel sick to my stomach, but the feeling of having the clutter gone - relief and satisfaction - was priceless. Paring it down to the things I use and truly love and getting rid of the excess felt good. 

That's how I want to live in 2013. It's how I want to spend my money and my time and my effort - on things that truly matter to me. My goal for 2013 is to cull what doesn't matter and invest in what does. 

Get rid of the clutter, whether it's physical or abstract, and focus on the people and experiences I care about most. 

On Saturday mornings my routine goes something like this: get up, make coffee, make breakfast, enjoy said coffee while taking an hour or so to read blogs, look at Pinterest and just generally waste time on the Internet. And then I get bored and move on to cleaning the house and going to the gym and whatever else is in store. But before I get going, I like having that designated time on Saturday morning to just dick around on the Internet and relax. I don't want or need to be doing it on weeknights and Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings. I know that I need some time to waste, but really, checking my Facebook feed 800 times a day is not necessary, and it's something I want to keep to a minimum this year. I hate looking at the clock and realizing it's 9:30, almost time to start getting ready for bed, and all I've done since putting Eli down is arse around online. It's one of my biggest crappy time suckers, and it's going to end. 

So expect a lot more of this in 2013:

-QT with the boys and the dog
-visits with friends
-baking and meal prep
-time spent outside
-vacation
-crafting
-reading and writing
-varied workouts
-visits to the spa (or spa days at home)
-pro/con lists, paper journaling, whatever it takes to solve a problem when it first rears its ugly head
-sleeping
-wearing nice underwear

And a lot less of this: 

-hours lost in the abyss of the internet
-stacks of magazines around the house
-a fridge full of food that nobody really feels like eating
-piles of mail that needs to be dealt with
-clothes that are worn once and then retired to the closet
-shoes that don't fit, pinch, hurt, or are otherwise just taking up space
-tools for curling my hair WHICH WON'T STAY CURLED ANYWAY
-dried up containers of acrylic paint
-miscellaneous Tupperware containers and lids in the kitchen cupboards
-worrying and stewing

Lock and load. Peace out, 2012. You were OK. 



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4 comments

  1. Love this Amy, we could all take this advice! Wearing nicer underwear, tossing useless curling irons etc... Haha!
    Happy New Year! :)

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    Replies
    1. I threw out a couple bras that were 4-5 years old yesterday. SERIOUSLY!
      Happy 2013 to you too!

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  2. I love your list - I might copy it into my own journal :)

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