Thank you, Erin Condren for working with me on this collaboration. I received free product in return for my honest review. All opinions stated are 100% mine.
How to be Happier and More Grateful in Life
Did you know that healthier habits don’t have to start on January 1st?!
I know, shocking, right?!
I recently got fed up with watching the scale climb higher and higher every morning. (I have gained over 10 lbs. since our cross-country move this summer… can you say “stress eating”?!)
At my physical last month, the young doctor said “your BMI is within the normal range, BUT in the upper limit. I bet you will feel better if you lost a few pounds.” Now, before I go any further, I want to assure you that this fine young doctor STILL is alive and well, even after telling me that losing a few pounds couldn’t hurt. However, I did give him an award for being VERY brave.
What do you do when you know a change is necessary, but you also know yourself well enough to realize that fad diets, shakes and oils have never been your thing?!
Well, let me tell you. Life has always had a way of sending me the right tools at the right time, and this time was no exception.
I was recently asked to try the brand new Erin Condren On The Go Folio and PetitePlanners. Now mind you, I am a hopeless Erin Condren addict, as you may recall from my popular “How to Organize Your Planner When You Are a Busy Mom” post and my equally as popular “How to be a More Organized and Less Overwhelmed Mom” post.
I have used the Erin Condren LifePlanner for over six years now and it is the single most important “tool” I have in my arsenal as a mom, writer, entrepreneur and little-boy-juggler.
Get $10 off your first Erin Condren order by using this link – and that’s like getting one PetitePlanner for free!
Until… I met the Erin Condren On The Go Folio, now THIS is a busy woman’s self-improvement DREAM. Spending less than 10 minutes a night, before bedtime, I track my water intake, journal about gratitude (aka get an attitude adjustment) and I check in and make sure I am on target to meet my personal goals, fitness goals and business goals.
They have a number of awesome PetitePlanners and a convenient On The Go Folio to carry up to four of the PetitePlanners in:
- On the Go Folio:
- Comes in two colors and can be monogrammed.
- Petite Planner: Daily Planner Bundle
- Four planners that contain three months each.
- Petite Planner: Monthly
- Monthly planner and blank pages to optimize your year.
- Petite Planner: Goal Setting Journal
- Goal setting broken down into manageable steps, perfect for any type of goal: fitness, personal or business.
- Petite Planner: Gratitude Journal
- Daily prompts for recognizing all the good in your life.
- Petite Planner: Budget Book
- Monthly log and budget planning for a whole year. Track income, expenses and debt. Great visual tool to see where you are spending and saving.
- Petite Planner: Wellness Log
- Track your water intake, measurements, weight, diet and exercise. Set goals and meet them one small step at a time.
- Petite Planner: Meal Planner
- Plan your family’s menu, shopping lists to make meal planning easier and more productive.
- Petite Planner: Travel Journal
- Journal about your travel experiences. Write down experiences so you don’t have to rely on old photos to remind you of your travels.
- Petite Planner: Pregnancy Journal
- Journal about your pregnancy experience. Write down questions for your doctor, symptoms and thoughts before you meet your previous bundle.
- Petite Planner: Baby Tracker
- Keep track of milestones, moments to remember without the stress of an overwhelming baby book.
So as you can see, there’s a little for everyone and for any stage of life.
Since I started using my On The Go Folio every evening and spending 10 quality minutes by myself and for myself, I have already seen BIG improvements.
Now, the super cool part about the On The Go Folio is that it keeps up to four PetitePlanners all together, so throw it in your purse and work on your goals, meal planning, budgeting or your gratitude journaling while you are waiting at the doctor’s office or in your kid’s school pick up line. The On The Go Folio makes self-improvement easy and portable!
- I have lost 5 lbs (in two weeks!) (Thank you wellness journal)
- I am blogging with much less stress (Thank you goal setting journal)
- I have increased my blog income, because I am focused and stay on task.
- I have a more positive outlook on life in general. (Thank you gratitude journal)
- I’m already planning my 2019, setting goals, making plans and strategizing with the 2019 monthly planner.
It’s really remarkable to me that I have lost weight already, but then again, “they” always say that you should break down big goals into smaller tangible mini-goals and that’s exactly what I did.
Get $10 off your first Erin Condren order by using this link – and that’s like getting one PetitePlanner for free!
Let me show you exactly what I have done.
For weight loss, I picked a big goal, the amount of weight I would like to lose. However, to get there, I gave myself lots of smaller mini-goals that all add up to a big life style change once they are all put into effect – and THAT is how I know my weight loss will be permanent and not a temporary blip on the scale.
For your inspiration, here are some of my personal goals.
I am sure some of them will be relevant to you, possibly with some modifications.
My Wellness and Personal Goals:
- Healthier coffee choice.
- Personally, I cut out the sugary flavor and am now drinking Cappochino with stevia instead of a hazelnut latte.
- Cutting out the sugary flavoring is saving me over 100 cal per day… that adds up QUICKLY!
- Drink more water.
- Your body needs water – and a lot of it! The guide line is that you should drink half your body weight in ounces.
- If you weigh 140 lbs, you should drink 70 ounces of water… per day!
- I have not been able to drink ALL the required ounces in one day, yet, but I am working my way there. I refuse to beat myself up over milestones not quite met, instead I celebrate PROGRESS.
- Prioritize exercise, but start with a shift in habits.
- Instead of driving, walk or park the car further from your destination. Every few steps count.
- Wear a fitbit or use another step counting app, it’s a fun way to track your activity and stay motivated throughout the day.
- I have yet to find the time to do the exercise program that I want to do, but just increasing the number of steps I take every day has improved my activity level and fitness.
- Track the food you eat.
- Now here you can go as crazy as you want, or not. I tend to lean towards the easier side, but I am still mindful of what I eat, because I know I have to write it down.
- I have also stopped finishing the kids meals and eating the rest of their snacks – and that awareness alone is saving me a good number of calories per day.
Again, these tips don’t cost you ANYTHING to implement and keeping track of them in a petite journal is a simple way to hold yourself accountable.
Get $10 off your first Erin Condren order by using this link – and that’s like getting one PetitePlanner for free!
Those are the weight loss lifestyle changes I have made. For someone who’s REALLY into health and fitness, it might not seem like a lot. But for a mom of four, these baby-steps are HUGE LEAPS.
Personal goal setting:
- Now for my personal goals I am really looking forward to spending some time this weekend to think more about the upcoming year and where I want to take my business (which is this blog!) I have some super fun things planned, so make sure you sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of this post.
- Use the Goal Setting Journal and spend an hour to think about where you are and where you want to be over the 12 months. It doesn’t have to be business or career based, it could be a personal goal of any kind.
- And remember: goal setting and self-improvement initiatives do NOT have to wait until January 1st to kick into high gear.
- You can start TODAY – and if it’s important enough for you to dream of, it’s important enough to start!
Also, for more goal setting tips and advice, check out the post I wrote turn to every year around this time: “Have Your Most Successful Year, Ever!“
Being grateful:
- Happiness is directly linked to a gratitude towards the things we already have. Not longing for more or different things helps us focus on HERE AND NOW – and not looking at the neighbor’s lawn to see how green their grass is.
- Spend five minutes every night, right before your head hits the pillow and complete one of the gratitude prompts in the Gratitude Journal. It’s been life-changing for me.
- There are nights we shut off the lights and our last thoughts are of all the things that went wrong or all the things we dread tomorrow.
- What a negative way to enter 7-8 hours of sleep. Personally, my last thoughts before sleep affect my entire night worth of dreams and the quality of sleep.
- Now, I complete an entry in the gratitude journal and I go to sleep thinking positively of the day that just passed. It’s truly been a great attitude adjustment for me and done wonders on my sleep.
- Try it – you will agree, I promise you!
So this holiday season, make sure to add the Erin Condren On The Go Folio and PetitePlanners to your list – or better yet, buy yourself an early holiday present.
Get $10 off your first Erin Condren order by using this link – and that’s like getting one PetitePlanner for free!
Send me a note once you are as thoroughly addicted to Erin Condren products as I am… your life will be more organized – and you WILL feel less overwhelmed.
Enjoy the happier and more grateful you!
XO