So over the last few weeks I’ve been a bit of a hot mess! I don’t mean a little disorganized, I mean full blown no sleep, running around like a crazy person hot mess.

You know those people that just make you cringe because every time you ask them to do something you have to plan around what they have going. Well I’ve totally become one of those people, part of me feels bad that maybe it’s a lot. The other half of me is just hoping all the people in my life understand for now.

Through everything I’ve been doing and the chaos and disorganization in my life I’ve still managed to survive. Better yet, I’ve realized that I’m probably not the only hot mess running around. Although I’ve realized I’m not an actual artist so being a hot mess isn’t really supposed to be part of my daily life.

So for today I thought it would be a great opportunity to tell you my top ten survival tricks for when your life is also a hot mess!

-Get your morning routine in check: okay this seems like a weird place to start so let me elaborate. Sometimes I wake up early with every intention of looking fierce and ready to conquer the day. Instead I spend my extra time catching up on work and loose ends, then running behind. Yet, I know I can go from just out of bed, to meeting ready in 20 minutes flat. Maybe my face isn’t contoured, and my hair isn’t curled but I’m still presentable. Choose a go to hair style you can do quick, and your top three “must do” makeup items and you’ll be able to button this up quick.

-Create a go-to Day 2 hairstyle: the truth is sometimes you don’t have time to wash, dry, and style. Everyone knows Day 2 hair is a pain, but find a good style and make it happen with dirty hair. It’ll save you time that you don’t have, and get you out the door. Bonus tip: utilize dry shampoo, they make it for a reason

-Make sure your closet has staple outfits: You have to have an outfit that you can rock regardless of how you feel that morning: bloated, tired, and blah? Not a problem throw on your staple outfit and make the day happen! For me I have about one of these for every occasion. Ex: flowy dress that I own in 4 colors, and my dark blue skinnies, and my flowy tank with any jacket. I know any of these variations I can make happen regardless of the day or my mood.

-Plan.Plan.Plan: I hate to admit this but I’ve become a bit of a planner over the last few months, if it’s not on my planner it’s not permanent yet. My planner literally breaks down each day by the time and it’s a life saver. It gives me some form of gauge on how my day should play out, or sometimes it just lets me know I’m behind. Either way it helps me when I plan stuff quickly so I don’t space things out!

-Roll with it. Maybe this is how I got to where I am, but honestly sometimes you have to roll with. Accept that you suck at saying no, and roll with the mess you get yourself into. You can’t stress over every single failed plan, it’ll make you a head case.

-Squeeze things in when you can. What do I mean? Well I’m writing this blog while my hair is being foiled over my so-called lunch break. Sometimes you have to master the art of multitasking in order to get everything done you need to get done. Perhaps you’re thinking “is her hair that important?” Well you see it’s a direct correlation on my attitude which directly represents my work. You know what they say, look good feel good! On the contrary I also mean this in reference to your family and friends, you have to make time for them regardless of your chaos because they’re what help you through the tough times. For instance I seriously have some of the best friends who selflessly offer to come help me with whatever so they get to spend time with me, or I take time to stop by at my family’s house for 20 minutes in between work, it may not be much but I’m sure they appreciate it.

-SLEEP: okay, this ones a little hypocritical because I have a strong relationship with insomnia, but you need sleep. Functioning through pure chaos is so much easier when you’re properly rested, and the efficiency difference when your brain isn’t groggy is unbelievable. Just try to get enough sleep.

-Coffee: is it possible that coffee can act as a backbone because I’m pretty sure magical bean water is a staple in my life these days! I’m not entirely sure that the caffeine does anything to my body anymore, but it’s the one reoccurring thing I can count on daily. Did you know there’s multiple studies on the benefits of drinking coffee? Apparently consuming coffee ups your fiber intake, decreases your chance of type II diabetes, heart disease, and Parkinson’s. If the caffeine isn’t enough of a reason to consume coffee, the “health” benefits should be!

-Sense of humor: if there’s one character trait I can thank for pulling me through the worst of my hot mess times, it’s my sense of humor! If it weren’t for my humor, I’d have a different reaction to stress, and I’d probably spend my free time crying instead of laughing at the ridiculous lifestyle I live. Humor allows you to avoid taking things personally, and it’s a constant reminder that there’s always something to smile about.

-Quit Apologizing: I was constantly apologizing for running late, not being able to make events, and anything else. Maybe I’m just an apologetic person but at some point you have to quit saying sorry about every little thing. There’s a time to apologize, and a time where people just need to be understanding. Quite frankly the people you need to apologize to should be business related, the good friends will just get it. My friends probably can’t even count the times I’ve told them, “sorry I’m late, it’s just who I am as a person now” I’m not encouraging you to be late, and a wreck but just accept who you are and work on constantly improving.

I’m sure I could give you more advice on how I consistently make it through my hotmess tendencies but I suppose there’s a reason this is a blog, and not a novel.

Until next week,

Your hotmess

Julissa