I finally hit a stopping point after Christmas! After last minute shopping, decorating, hosting, no sleep, sick kids, wrapping, working, no sleep, blogging, no sleep (think you got the idea) I was ready for a change. There was no way I could keep up this lifestyle. I was burning the candle at both ends and the fire was about to be out permanently.
Every year before the holiday season, I plan to do things differently but don't and get even more overwhelmed than the previous year. SOMETHING had to change. My life needed organization and simplification.
// Photography by Angie Garcia //
So when I had the chance to try the Fossil Q Wander smart watch, I was all in. Anything that could help me get organized was a no-brainer. I came up with some goals for the New Year, New Me!! I called them goals because "resolutions" get overused, and I want these things to be life-long and not year-long.
To help with my outlook on the New Year, I used the 10 Questions from Anushka Rees (formerly Into Mind) blog post that I mentioned here.
- What do you want the overarching theme for your 2017 to be? Peace and Harmony (I know I sound like a fortune cookie.)
- What do you want to see, discover, explore? I want to be able to help my children discover a beautiful world and let their imagination, creativity, and happiness run free. It brings joy to me when I see them happy. Basically, I want to be less stressed about life stuff and worry more about what my little ones are seeing, discovering, and exploring.
- Who do you want to spend more time with in 2017? My family
- What skills do you want to learn, improve or master? The art of assertiveness and improving my photography
- Which personal quality do you want to develop or strengthen? I want to improve my time management and organization skills which have always been weaknesses. I'm able to start strong but have trouble maintaining.
- What do you want your everyday life to be like? Calm and Happy. Like rainbows and unicorns! But seriously, I love the idea of happiness and not starting the day so stressed when I think about everything that needs to be done and how will I do it? I would love it be like beautiful and minimal, almost like a curated Instagram feed if that makes any kind of sense.
- Which habits do you want to change, cultivate or get rid of? I need to work on my temper, anxiety, and procrastination.
- What do you want to achieve career-wise? This is hard because I consider pharmacy and blogging both my work. However, I do both only part-time. Maybe a work-life balance?! I have to come back to this one.
- How do you want to remember the year 2017 when you look back on it 20 years from now? I want this to be the year that I got my $%*t together. We are lucky to be blessed with two wonderful children through adoption, and I owe it to them to get our lives in order.
- What is your number one goal for 2017? Organization #lifegoals
After pondering and answering those questions, I came up with my THREE goals for 2017...
First up, be more efficient at TIME MANAGEMENT! This is a biggie and work in progress and THE KEY to organization. I am always looking for ways to be an efficient blogger/mom/wife/everything! One thing that has really helped me is setting a timer. I can only tackle that one project for the set time. This means putting the phone away (no social media or texts) and not being tempted to check email. I base the time length on the project ranging from 15 minutes to an hour. Honestly, this works best during nap time or when the kids are at school because who can resist questions and hugs from the littles?!
I even set the timer to do the dishes!! It's almost like a game to see if I can finish before the timer is up. And I've been doing it for blog posts too! It's awesome because I use the timer function on the Fossil Q like nobody's business. It's perfect bc I don't have the phone with me so I won't be tempted to look at Instagram or go down the rabbit hole of looking something up then finding something to buy, checking social media, etc.!
The timer is even good for discipline with Little M. He is one that needs warning before changing activities. So I let him know that we have 5 minutes to leave/ finish eating/ stop playing/ etc. and set the timer on the watch. Who knew how handy that could be!!
And my smartwatch sends me notifications about events on my Agenda for the day. No more running late because I lost track of time! Now, if I could keep track of my bag and keys....
Second, GET MOVING! I hadn't participated in a regular exercise program in over a year. Even though it is physically taxing to run after two littles, I need more. Exercise provides a mental break, almost reset button if you will, to help deal with the stresses of life. So far, I've joined Sanctuary Yoga's 21 days for $21 where my neighbor, Jamie, teaches and practices. It is LOVELY!!! I tried Orange Theory Fitness once with my friend, Katherine. That was killer, and I am STILL SORE today. I plan on trying BodyBar where my friend, Summer, teaches. I want to regularly practice yoga + something else.
I'm a person who likes structure so my plan is to get back to MWF first thing in the morning. My smartwatch keeps track of my daily steps via Google Fit, and I've kept it at the suggested goal of 10,000 steps. Supposedly, that's the equivalent of walking 4-5 miles. The funny thing is that I reach my goal on the days that I have both littles and fall short on days that I'm at work (makes sense because it's a 10-hr shift spent mostly on the computer) or when they are at school even if I've worked out! The watch is my cheerleader because it will notify me to keep it up or when I've hit the half-way mark. I love a good reminder to get moving!
Third, SIMPLIFY! That means EVERYTHING in my life! After Baby #2, we are literally busting at the seams of our house (and we moved into a larger house after Little M was born). Both Mr. S and I are very frustrated with this. I've mentioned The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up on the blog previously ( this post here). This book is going to be my organizing bible this year. I am DETERMINED to get through ALL of the categories for the entire house. Realistically, I think it would take 2 straight weeks to thoroughly evaluate everything. Since that won't be an option, I'm giving myself 2 months given that I'm leaving for Alt Summit at the end of January and Mr. S has multiple trips in February. Hopefully, we can be a super simplified and organized house by the end of March!!
// Photography by Beckley & Co //
Okay, so I shared my personal goals but I wanted to chat a little more about the watch and give a quick review too.
SIZING and PRICING
I am wearing the FOSSIL Q Wander Rose-Gold Touchscreen Smartwatch. The case is 45mm, and I prefer larger and/or oversized watches. It retails for $315 (and I was gifted the watch). The closure is a double pusher foldover clasp. The watch bracelet is easily interchangeable via a toggle which means you can do it yourself without tools or bringing it to the jeweler.
I removed four links from the bracelet, and it's a little loose (like a bracelet). I am going to have another link removed. I recommend wearing the watch snug so that you can feel the notification vibrations.
AESTHETICS and CONSTRUCTION
It's a beautiful watch!! The rose-gold is gorgeous and I mix metals without any issues. I wear a lot of yellow gold. Some reviews complain about the watch case thickness, but I haven't had any problems with it. I love that it is a mix of brushed and shiny rose gold. Additionally, I think it looks more like jewelry because of the round case when compared to Apple Watch which is a plus for me.
It IS rated as water resistant IP67 which means that it allows for 1m submersion for 30 minutes. So, I won't be swimming with it. I don't swim with a watch anyways, but it should be safe with normal activity or if it was accidentally dropped in the toilet. Just saying... I have littles and things can happen!
FUNCTIONALITY
Overall, I LOVE it!! I even use the LED flashlight function. The first time I used it, the battery died right away because I had ALL NOTIFICATIONS ON which I do NOT recommend. It buzzed every time I received an email. Now, I only have certain notifications on like text and phone calls. It's perfect for work because we really aren't supposed to have our phones out, but I always get calls from the daycare. So I can just dismiss texts and calls that aren't urgent and respond during lunch or after work. It seems to save my phone batteries.
I won't delve too much more into this since I talk about how much I use it in the above paragraphs. However, I will mention how EASY it was to set up and figure out. I do consider myself somewhat technologically challenged (I can barely figure out Facebook) but it was easy-peasy to connect with my phone.
Okay, if you made it this far, then thank you for taking the time to go through all of it! Hope y'all have a great Monday! I survived the weekend solo with the littles. The gals, my MIL and SIL, came over on Saturday, and we enjoyed time without the men (with the kids). I always love family time!
If you have any questions about the watch, then let me know in the comments!! Did you set any New Year's Resolutions or Goals? And do you use a smart watch?GET MY LOOK
fedora TARGET
sweater OLIVIER STRELLI {got during a Paris visit, similar}
jeans FRAME {similar}
earrings KENDRA SCOTT
gypset hand bracelet KATIE DEAN c/o
smart watch FOSSIL Q WANDER c/o
boots DOLCE VITA
coat MAX MARA {old, similar}
bag MANSUR GAVRIEL
