At the end of every evening, when I’m finally done with everything, I always wish I had one or two extra hours in the day. Always. Not necessarily to do more, but to do less. I guess what they say about “time being money” is true… you can’t buy more of it, you just have to make the most of the time you’ve been given…. and try to save a few minutes here and there for the things you enjoy. Which is why I’ve always tried to maximize every minute…. TJ always says I’m a busy body…. I like to say I’m efficient…. but either way, I’m all about saving 5 minutes, here and there, to make time for what really matters most to me…. family, friends, and some downtime…. So, today, I’m sharing the 5 things I do everyday to get back those 5 invaluable minutes….

1. Schedule: I’ve used a planner since middle school….. and have always had a weird, organizational obsession, with them…. and still use a paper one to this day (none of that digital stuff pls….). It literally helps me maximize my time having a daily schedule. Granted, I know things arise and a schedule can’t account for those situations, but for the most part, I have the day planned out, in blocks of time, for when I’ll accomplish each task, and approximately how long it should take. It really allows me to make time for what matters most to me…. workouts, pulling myself together, time with Harper, blog time, “life” items (store, house stuff, etc…), time with TJ…. it’s all scheduled in my little planner….

2. Beauty Short-Cuts: One of my favorite areas to save 5 minutes here and there. Always. A good dry shampoo will save me a whole lot of time when it comes to styling my hair (I literally spray, add a little heat, and go…. If I have to wash my hair, I add about 30 minutes to my routine)…. and a great foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, nude lip (color Rosecliff), and mascara can easily give me the “no make-up” look in 5 minutes flat. I did this last weekend and it took me 20 minutes tops (as opposed to my typical 45 minutes to an hour it can take me when I wash my hair and do a full face of make-up….).

3. Transitional Clothing: Another super easy way for me to save a few minutes. Since I spend my mornings working out, and getting as much done as possible before little miss wakes up, I often transition my “workout” clothes to the “street”  with a few simple swaps. Nordstrom carriers a ton of my favorite gym to workout brands (Alo, Beyond Yoga, Zella, Nike, Adidas, and Onzie….), so they’re always my go-to spot when I’m looking to add a few new pieces to the mix. When we were in San Diego last weekend, and wanting to maximize every moment we had kiddo-less, I wore this exact get-up for a morning workout of stairs at The Convention Center (see here). I own these leggings in three colors and they are seriously the softest, hug in all the right places, and great for any workout (I run, spin, HIIT, and do yoga in them….) so I knew that they would be perfect to get me through my workout and then take me to brunch. I tossed on this jacket (super easy to run in) and sports bra (so comfortable, holds my friends in place nicely….) to get my sweat on… and then made an easy brunch transition (mimosa flights + avocado toast were on my mind the entire time…) by tossing on this cute graphic tank + oversized denim jacket. I also recommend a great cross training shoe… they’re typically comfortable enough for a workout and daily living… and most are on trend to easily make that transition. My favorites are my APL shoes and these white + blush adidas kicks (seriously, so comfortable, and I’ve had so many people ask me where they’re from). I usually have these items in my everyday tote bag making it easy to toss on while we’re on the go…. I am also obsessed with this distressed tee, mesh hoodie, and mint green hoodie.

4. Meal Prep: While I know this seems slightly counterintuitive to saving time (spending time meal prepping….), it helps drastically if you block out time to do so…. TJ and I spend a little bit of time on Sunday afternoons chatting about what we want for the week ahead (we write it down), shop for the items, and prep some easy items for lunches. It probably saves me about 15-20 minutes combined (5 minutes for each meal) having a protein on hand, pre-prepped salads, and a meal I can just toss into a crockpot (my favorite is salsa verde chicken).

5. Evening Before Preparation: My mom taught me this one early on… do a little planning the day before to save a lot of time the next day. Since I’m on a time crunch to get my workouts done in the morning, I need all the time I can get. So, I lay my workout items out the evening before (literally, 5 minutes right there). I prep my salads as we’re cleaning up dinner (another 5 minutes for the next day), and I write down everything that needs to get done the next day (another 5 minutes that I don’t waste trying to remember what it was I said I needed to do…… you know that scenario??). If Harper and I have to get out quickly in the morning, while TJ is doing her evening routine, I pack up the diaper bag and prep her snacks (another 5 minutes). It saves a lot of stress, and time, the following day….

So, while 5 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot, when you add it all up, it comes out to about 30-40 minutes each day that I save by following the 5 steps above… which equates to a rerun episode of The Office with TJ in the evening…. a good laugh, with the guy I love, at the end of the day…. something money can’t buy.
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(Outfit Details || Jacket (comes in several colors) | Leggings | Tank | Sports Bra | Jacket (denim) | Shoes | Bag | Sunglasses (similar))

Thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post.