Oh heyyyyyyy, 2017! We are SO glad you’re here.

Really – 2016 was kinda a hot mess all around the world, and I for one am pretty excited for a fresh start this year.

It was so nice to come back home to Madison for the last week to spend much needed time with my family and catching up with friends. While I admittedly can get swept up in the day to day in Chicago, it was nice to remind myself what it’s like to slow down, and take some time to reflect on all the amazing people in my life. Between coffee dates, lunches, late night cocktails and nights by the fire, I felt like my cup was filled up by being around so many inspiring, kind people who have bee lifelong friends, even though they may live at all corners of the country these days. I left Madison with the nice reminder that I am truly one lucky girl!

One of my favorite catch up sessions was with my sweet friend Lauren of La Petite Farmhouse who’s been one of my favorite blogger ladies and friends ever since I launched CS years ago. I remember at our first coffee date asking her a million questions because I had no idea what I was doing, like “what do you blog about in the winter when it’s so cold outside?” and “how do I get anyone to read my blog and not think I’m a weirdo?”. As always, she proved to be a wise, patient and kind friend/resource, who I will be forever grateful for.

As we sipped our coffee at Collectivo coffee on Monroe street catching up on life, we dove into how excited we are for things to come in 2017. While I admitted that I was probably going to come up with a laundry list of goals that I wouldn’t accomplish, she told me that she was choosing one word to help set her intentions for 2017, was much more manageable then telling myself I’ll actually go to yoga 3 times a week. She said she and her husband Kyle were choosing the word “simplify”, which perfectly encompassed my own goals for 2017 too. And while I tried to spend the next few days thinking of a word I wouldn’t copy, I couldn’t quite find any quite as perfect as “simplify” {and Lauren, all the credit goes to you!}.So, how am I going to actually put pedal to the metal and simplify my life? Here are a few areas I’m going to try to focus on in the coming weeks, month and year:

Simplify my home: 

I’ve lived in my condo for almost 3 years now, and I remember how clean a slate it was when I fist moved in. There are so many things I love about my place, but it’s become more cluttered the longer I’ve lived in it. I’m planning on taking a weekend this month to really go through everything in my home to see what I really need and love and what should go and find a new home.

Simplify my free time: 

I’m definitely the type of person who can easily get distracted, from streaming all 6 hours of the Gilmore Girl’s revival, to accidentally checking Facebook every few minutes without realizing it – oops! While social media is my job, I’m going to do a better job unplugging from Instagram, Facebook, TV, etc for my sanity and to also be a little {okay, a lot} more productive with my time. Wish me luck!

Simplify my wardrobe and beauty routine:

I feel like towards the end of 2016, everything was about fewer and better things – from my personal life and even to content creation at work. It became a mantra in every aspect of my life and now I’m planning to put it into action in 2017. From investing in pieces that will last {vs. the fast fashion I find myself gravitating to from time to time}, to only buying what I really need, I hope that simplifying my wardrobe and beauty routine to focus on fewer, better things will help me feel a little less cluttered and more in control of my life.

Simplify my relationships:

Okay, so maybe the header makes this a little confusing, but next year I’m focusing on investing more time in the people who are invest in me. One of the hardest parts of last year was feeling like I was putting in so much more effort into some of the friendships and relationships that were really important to me, and not feeling the effort was reciprocated {we’ve all been there, right?!}. In 2017, I’m going to focus on all the incredible people I have in my life near and far to do a better job of investing in those who are kind enough to invest in me. I’m also going to try to do a better job of making plans, hosting parties and enjoying more time with people who inspire and challenge me in the best ways.

I’m sure this is just the beginning of my year of simplifying, but I’m excited for all that 2017 has in store! Do you have a one word mantra you’re focusing on for next year? I’d love to know!

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