Welcome back, Reader , I’m really glad you’re here!

This is your regularly scheduled reminder that you don’t need a perfect routine, a color-coded life, or superhuman discipline to be doing “okay.”
I’m just sharing what I’m learning, what the research says, and what seems to help creative people. Lets dive in :)

✧ Welcome!

Hey! I'm revamping my newsletter. Writing it weekly wasn't sustainable for me, and I felt like the newsletter itself wasn't anything interesting.

With some thinking, I came up with the idea of turning my newsletter into a magazine-style hybrid! With a cover, an advice column, an original recipe, personal recommendations, challenges and some goodies.

And instead of sending it weekly, it will be now monthly. Less quantity, but gives me time to up the quality. They will be dropping on the last day of the month.

I did not post any new articles in January, as I was busy updating older articles and figuring out some logistics and learning new skills for my new Youtube Channel! Next month's magazine will include links to my new content.

Let me know what you think of it! (aka, join my discord pls, link down below)

✧ From The Inbox

​
Great question! I am currently reading "Four Thousand Weeks", I think it's a great foundation book on time management where you can take what works for you and sprinkle in your own flavor on top.

Basically, lets not cram everything into your daily schedule and optimize every second of your days. Instead, recognize that you cannot do everything you want to do, and make peace with it. The less you try to do and rush, the less burnout you're likely to experience.

I like to use a calendar because it keeps me anchored on time. This is my current method, feel free to experiment a little bit with it!

1. Have a rough idea what your anchors are. These are things you repeat day after day (or want to repeat, if you're building a habit) Like maybe your workout routine, night wind-down time, dinner time, etc.
2. Then, schedule in the things that have a time frame (doctor appointments, meetings, deadlines, etc), and the things you're committed to doing. If you want to commit to reading 30 minutes a day, schedule it in to keep yourself accountable. If you struggle with this part, consider if next time you can commit to less things, or try saying no to things that aren't important to you in that moment.
3. Next, pick priorities, 1 to 3 per day is okay, write them down. A to-do list of fewer things will make you feel more at ease than one with 20 optional things. I had 2 priorities today "Write my magazine issue. Finish drawing cover art for blog posts" and that is it, I feel much better seeing that than "write magazine, draw cover art, see if i can sketch in commission work, crochet if i have time at night, run to the store to buy soap" these "if i have time's" tend to be a trap, you will not have the time! leave them for a day where they become your priority. I do want to crochet, but I will leave that for the weekend, and sketching commission work will be the priority for tomorrow.
4. Keep chunks of your calendar empty! Know that there will be changes in your energy, there will be interruptions, you might not finish things, and that's okay. If you leave some wiggle room for interruptions, then the stress impact will be lower.

We are all aware of our workload, but we need to be more aware of our limitations. I hope this helps :)

If you have any questions in mind, feel free to ask below! I'll answer them here. You can ask more than one if you have a lot on your mind. Let's help each other out! :)

✧ Books on My Desk

Status: ⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤◐○○○○ 55% Purchase the book here! :)

What I’ve learned so far: The fact that we're all scared of not being able to do everything we want to in our lifetime and that's why we cram so much into our daily lives in hopes that we will.. but we won't. Both really sad and liberating. How it’s showing up for me: Letting go of the idea that I will magically be able to work, play video games, watch a movie, crochet a scarf, read a book, draw my blorbos, workout daily, cook 3 meals a day also daily and go out on the weekend, if only I can optimize better!... nope lol. Limiting myself is hard, the FOMO is crazy, but its been working wonders so far for me.

Read my extended key points and thoughts on previous books here!

✧ A Short List - Low-Energy Ingredients That Make Meals Faster

These are some of the ingredients I always keep around because they reduce prep, decision-making and cleanup!

• Frozen vegetables: Already washed and chopped, stored in a reusable bag. Or you can buy frozen veggies
• Canned beans or lentils​
  Protein + fiber without soaking, planning, or effort.
• Pre-cooked grains (microwave rice, quinoa, couscous)
  Turns “I can’t cook” into “I can eat in 10 minutes.”
• Nut butters or seeds​
  Easy calories, fats, and satiety when energy is low.
• Sauces, spreads, or condiments you actually like​
  Pesto, tahini, salsa, chili oil — flavor makes food feel worth eating.

✧ Kitchen Notes - Chocolate-Dipped Granola Bars

Lately I have been having trouble with wanting a snack while working, and not having any. Hence, these bad boys! Easy and fast to make, and pretty healthy! We got oats, nuts, seeds, dates as the sweetener which are fiber-packed and a good source of some minerals, and even 75% chocolate has some benefits, just be careful if you're caffeine sensitive though.

Ingredients: 2½ cups rolled oats 1 cup dried Medjool dates (roughly 25 dates) ¾ cup nut butter ¾ cup roughly chopped nuts or seeds of choice 2 tbsp chia seeds 4 tbsp water 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp vanilla extract Pinch of salt Optional: 200 g dark chocolate (75% or higher) about 1-2 bars, depending on the brand. I like Ritter Sport’s 74% chocolate bar and used two of them.

Method:

1. Line a 9" x 9" square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
   Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. In a small container, combine the chia seeds with 4 tbsp water, mix well, and set aside. Let them gellify (if that’s a word).
3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: rolled oats, salt, cinnamon, and your chopped nuts/seeds
   (I used a mix of almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds).
4. Add the dates to a food processor and process for about 2-5 minutes, or until they form a dough-like ball.
5. Add the nut butter, vanilla extract, and chia gel to the food processor. Pulse again until everything is fully combined into a thick paste.
6. Add the paste to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with your hands, it should feel a bit like Play-Doh. To test the consistency, grab a fistful and press it into a ball, if it holds together and doesn’t crumble, you’re good. If it does crumble, add a little more nut butter.
7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press it down as hard as you can until it’s rock solid. I used a potato masher to really press it in. The more compact it is, the better it holds its shape.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top looks slightly golden
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.
10. Cut into 16 squares and tada! They’re delicious as-is, but if you want to go a step further: melt the chocolate over a double boiler and dip the bottoms of the bars.
11. Place them back on parchment paper and refrigerate for about 1 hour before storing.

Notes:

• You can use any nut butter you like. I used peanut butter for this, but almond butter or any other works just as well.
• Store them in an airtight container for up to a week in your fridge or 3 months in your freezer.

✧ Things to Try

Tiny Experiment: Walk & Snapshot

• Time: 5 days.
• How: Take a short walk everyday and take a picture of something interesting you saw: a weird rock, a flower, a cloud, etc.

If you wish to do this in the company of an incredible community, feel free to join my Discord and share your progress there! We'll do this challenge together from February 9th to February 13th.

If you wish to download the challenge tracker to use digitally or printed, click the image down below. If you complete all 5 days, you'll get a special discord role and a sticker! (you have to be a member of the discord server to receive the rewards)

✧ Lately, I’ve Been Into

Read → I remember I had to read Tuck Everlasting in elementary school (It was an assignment) and nobody read it, we had to stay after school with the teacher reading as punishment, and I remember it being quite fun actually! I got the book from my library to revisit it and it's pure whimsy, super recommend.

Listen → Im not sure why but a lot of Hank Green's videos got recommended to me, and im grateful for Youtube's Algorithm because I really like to keep his videos in the background as I'm working! I'm always learning something new, and his enthusiasm is contagious!

Watch → Im obsessed with Secrets Of The Silent Witch anime (on Crunchyroll)!! I definitely can see myself in the main character, Monica. Who doesn't love a cute hermit anxious witch that is forced to go to school to protect the prince.

Play → I bought Coral Island around 4 years ago back the it was in early access... and I didnt play it because the game is so massive, I didn't have the time to spend on it. I played it for the first time during christmas break and I havent let go ever since!

Try → If you have oily acne-prone skin, let me recommend my beloved triforce of skincare that keeps my skin clear and looking so nice!!! Niacinamide Serum, Overnight Exfoliating Treatment, Salicylic Acid Face Wash. That and a good moisturizer is all you need! Both Good Molecules and The Inkey List are cruelty free and vegan brands :)

And with that, I’ll leave you with a few journal prompts. They’re here if you want to continue exploring this month’s theme on your own (no pressure to answer them all, or even any of them) I hope they’re helpful! ♡

✧ Notes to Reflect On

• What consistently gives me a little more energy and what drains it?
• When do I feel most like myself during the day?
• What worked better than I expected this month?
• What did January teach me about how I actually live?

I'll see you next month!

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