Lifestyle Changes I’ve Made Lately!

I have been making SO many changes in my life lately and I couldn’t wait any longer to share with you!!!

There are sooo many things I want to share and say so this first blog post may be kinda messy, but bear with me as it is loaded with lots of goodies! I want to keep sharing posts like this so they will get more organized;) – I wanted to share what I have been up to the last 2 months!

This last fall I felt a HUGE push to make some lifestyle changes. To “reset” my life if you will. I was craving major change in who I want to be, how I want to present myself, my home and as a mom, and simply how I live each day. 

Early October I started binging all kinds of podcasts, YouTube videos and blog posts to get inspired for this shift I’ve been craving. – I have always been into “self help” content but this push was much more than that. I wanted more simplicity in EVERY area of my life I could control. I don’t know if this feeling is stemming from being 27 now or just because I am a mom haha?! BUT life changes so much when you become a mom and time is SO fleeting. I want to bundle it ALL up. I want to look back and be so dang proud of myself for how I navigated it all.

Mid October I decided to step back from social media -for the most part-. My main goal was to get rid of the daily scrolling and consumption on all platforms. I feel like I have always known it was a distraction, but I never took boundaries seriously. I feel like it’s what everyone does and I get a little fomo not scrolling often. –  Last year I deleted all socials for the month of December and it was literally incredible!! I couldn’t believe how refreshing it was. I’ll admit I had a little fomo from all the holiday content but I knew I could see it all when I added it back haha. 

Getting rid of it completely isn’t sustainable for my lifestyle / what I do on socials. For example – there are a few things I need to access for updates, recipes I have saved and simply just posting some pictures – I didn’t want to go ghost mode haha. So this year I wanted to do something similar again but make it more of a new approach to social media as a whole, not a quick social break then back to using it how I normally would. 

SOO, I kept all socials on my phone but set a screen limit to 15 mins and moved them into a small folder off the main screen so I couldn’t see the apps. It sounds sooo silly, but I think we all know the feeling of clicking on socials, closing out then opening them a second later like what the heck are we doing we were just on that app?! I can’t be the only one that does that haha

I wanted to share links to videos and podcasts I have listened to that have really motivated me to actually make a change! I use spotify for podcasts but the free podcast app on your phone should also have these OR most are also posted on youtube. I provided a variety of links:) 

Mindset Mentor Podcast

90 Days to Change Your Life – Here is the Spotify Link and YouTube link! 

This one I have listened to a few times now because it is soooo motivating. Truthfully, listen to every single one of his episodes haha. I have listened to him for years now and he is an incredible resource for bettering yourself. Episodes are less than 20 mins!

That Practical Mom on YouTube

I started watching tons of her videos that aligned with what I was wanting! Here is her channel linked!

The Minimal Mom on YouTube

I came across her and she motivated me to get rid of all the crap in my house haha, sooo inspiring! “Minimal / Decluttered” living here I come!! Here is her channel! 

Huberman Lab Podcast

Lastly, the ONE podcast that flipped the switch for me and made me completely want to change as a person. It’s an interview with DJ Shipley, a retired Navy Seal, titled “How to Make Yourself Unbreakable”. YouTube link and Spotify link!

It is a long one, I listened to it in the tractor this fall so it went by quickly 😉 But I truly can’t recommend it enough. It is INSANE how life is for some people. Any chance you have some time – in the car, doing dishes, on a walk etc, LISTEN TO THE WHOLE THING!!!

Now onto some new habits and things I have actively been doing!!

I started filling all my time gaps with helpful content vs entertainment content if that makes sense. I’m not popping onto social media to scroll at all – but I have been listening to tons of podcasts and watching many “helpful” youtube videos while I do other things! Don’t get me wrong, the entertainment side of social media is fun and keeping up with all your favorite people is FUN. BUT for me, it has become an absolute distraction in my life. And I don’t think I realized just HOW much it was until I really started making these changes. I feel more present, calm and in tune with myself and my life more than ever!

I know I just said I fill my time gaps with helpful content and 75% of the time I am, I think of it as a habit stack while I am doing something else! But, I have been trying to have complete silence often too. I don’t give my mind enough time to just sit so this has been a good habit for me! Some car rides I turn the radio off or I try to clean my house without listening to anything sometimes too! I can’t remember where I heard that tip but something about cleaning your home quietly is like therapy. You can focus on what you are doing and start to enjoy taking care of your home and the simplicity in cleaning and I loved that!

I got this idea from the Practical Mom – I turned all notifications OFF on my phone besides a few important ones. I deleted many apps to “dumb down my phone”. SO many apps are convenient to have but I am quickly realizing they are unnecessary! My goal is to use my phone the least amount I can.

I started listening to the Frugal Friends podcast – I want to clean up many areas of my life and this one is great for all things money and just simpler living! I also started listening to the Bible Talks podcast as well – it’s around 10 minutes so I listen on the way to work and it’s an easy way to get some bible time in right away!

I started a “to buy” list so I can really think about things I want to bring into my house, there is nothing wrong with a good impulse buy 😉 but I wanted to clean this area up a bit. There are definitely things in my home I regret buying because I didn’t think about it long enough haha. I am also using the “use it all up first” rule, especially with makeup, skincare, soaps etc – this one has been amazing!

I have been going through and decluttering EVERYTHING in my house. I WANT SIMPLE. I want simple in every aspect. I want to feel in control of my home, as a mom and wife, and feel like I have time for everything else. Don’t we all?! – Decluttering has been game changing for this! I started with my kitchen and minimized physical inventory and cleared off my counters as much as I could! 

I have been getting up at 4:30/5 am almost daily. I have been an early riser for years now but I definitely went through some phases of falling out of that routine – I said enough of the inconsistency – make it a habit!! It is time for ME in the morning and I view it so differently now. I rarely -don’t- want to hop out of bed. I LOVE MY MORNINGS.

I am using the Teux Deux app for my master to do list – it is so organized and easy to use! So far it has been my favorite planner I have ever used! It has daily tasks that automatically get pushed to the next day if they aren’t crossed off. There are “someday” lists that hold items you want to keep track of but not needed on your daily list… go check it out I have been loving it!

Now for some things I have learned in these two months that have genuinely changed my life!

Going to bed with a clean kitchen sink, I AM MINDBLOWN by this one. Thank you to the Practical Mom for this one!! One task has changed the whole dynamic of my home and kitchen. I’d say I am a tidy person but I definitely didn’t make sure my kitchen sink was clean before going to bed every night. I would make sure the counters were clean and just told myself I would deal with the dishes tomorrow – horrible habit! An awful thing to wake up to haha. The nights I would take the time to clean the kitchen sink / do dishes, the next morning would feel incredible, but it wasn’t ever motivating enough to actually do it every night. 

UNTIL I switched my mindset to the ONLY thing I have to do before bed is make sure dishes are done / kitchen sink is clean. No excuses, it has to get done every night. Not the counters, laundry, etc. It suddenly felt easy to cross off. And the great thing with having focus on the sink is 9/10 times after finishing that task, I want to clean the counters, put things away, do laundry if I have some extra time…it boosts my energy to do other things even when it’s typically the last thing I wanna do at night! It has been a habit I have been actually keeping up with every single night and I don’t see myself quitting this one!

My mind is SO clear. I seriously can’t believe it. It’s honestly kinda embarrassing to admit how motivated, clear minded, less rushed, and present I feel not using social media haha – it’s not like I was spending ALL day on it before, I feel like I was a pretty average user – consuming and scrolling throughout the day and I also had the content creation side a bit too so my screen time was definitely wayyy more than it needed to be. BUT, I feel like that is just what I did, checked all socials daily for a little bit, posted a little something daily, caught up on my favorite bloggers etc… I am now realizing it was stealing SO much more time in my day that I even knew and I wanted to share this because I KNOW I am not the only one that needs to clean this habit up. Now, am I anti screens / social media? Absolutely not, I actually love it – creating and consuming. But there were no boundaries before. I am also quickly realizing this season of my life needs my present self more than ever and I don’t want to regret putting unnecessary time into my phone.

Deleting social media apps for 1-2 months at first is needed for everyone in my opinion. You honestly just have to try it! Yes, it is a challenge. After you see how good you feel then adding it back and setting screen time limits on each app will be so helpful. It creates a boundary. You get to check your favorite apps but there is a small limit. I listened to this podcast that talked about social media stealing our hobbies and it is SO TRUE and sad… t’s not social media anymore, it is entertainment. Which yes, is FUN. But LIMIT it and create some hobbies for yourself and get social in person or reach out to friends / family instead of scrolling!!!

This approach may not work for everyone as many run their business on social media or create for a living BUT I still challenge you to pop on and get what you need to posted and get back off – no consuming! I just want everyone to feel this feeling haha. It is SO refreshing! This whole idea really has changed my life and perspective, even if that sounds dramatic 😉

I am more happy and present than I have ever been and it’s from a mix of all these things. Less social media, decluttering my entire house, simplifying routines – it’s always a work in progress but this new way of life is IT. I can’t wait to start 2026 with this mindset. Some of these things I always talk about changing and honestly just never do. But I am sick of that wheel. So my goal is to help inspire you to make some changes too:)

I am not sure what I want out of my social media going forward just yet – I do want to get back to insta at some point and do more with this blog that I have said I wanted to do for years haha 😉 so we shall see where this shift leads me, but I truly hope you are doing well and enjoyed the holiday season! 2026 is about to be incredible for so many of us, I KNOW IT!