“Tell me about your best day at work” is an interview question that I like to throw out to candidates. I leave it open ended because I know that so much can happen in a day and they all fall on a wide spectrum. Some of my best days can include three great phone calls, extending an offer, catching up with a colleague over coffee, or even celebrating a team win. After being with my company for over a year and a half now, I’m starting to get into a rhythm with my best days so much that it occurs often. I think I’ve figured out the formula to making sure that every day feels a little bit more balanced. Here are some of my tricks:

Don’t hit snooze

On average, I wake up at 6:45AM every morning if not a little bit earlier naturally. This is my usual alarm, but I always check my calendar the night before and adjust the time if I need to. If I know ahead of time I can sleep in, then I’ll change it. Hitting the snooze on your alarm may sound nice because you’re getting a few extra minutes, but it can actually make you more tired and more delayed in starting your day.

Give your body what it needs

Since I’m in the office usually by 8:45-9AM, I find that it’s a little bit too early for me to be putting food into my body. As much as I love breakfast and weekend brunch, I can’t be consuming that much food on a daily basis for work. My usual latte at Starbucks does the trick, but I recognize that everyone is different and has different needs. For special days where I want to treat myself, I’ll get a breakfast burrito or a breakfast sandwich, but usually half a bagel with cream cheese or nothing works too.

As many of my friends get ready to turn 30, our conversations have really elevated on its own. All of us started our careers right out of the gate from college, but now that we’ve been doing this for almost eight years, it’s something that we can’t envision for the rest of our lives. For our parents, starting and ending with the same career wasn’t out of the ordinary. Back then a 9-to-5 was also standard. That in itself hasn’t been my normal since 2012! Clearly, the times are changing and while I’ve read a lot about women getting a second wind in different careers, I’m wondering how common it is.

Another question I have is, how early can you start your second career? While eight years of working sure does feel exhausting as I’m going through it, to an older generation, that’s nothing. Readers, I’m so curious; is this something that you think about for yourself? As much as I love my career, it’s not the thing that I dream about often. Some may say, I’ve created a ceiling for myself as to when I’d be ready for a completely different shift. Where that may be, I’m not quite sure as long as it allows to be a little bit more creative. It might involve spending more time on Yow Yow! A part of me has enjoyed crafts like florals and plants or running a shot. Let’s also not forget that my first love was always within music so in that case my second wind is really my first.

Who knew that turning 30 could be the year of reflective periods? I sure didn’t.

I recognize that February is a random month to be considered a favorite, but Valentine’s Day helps that along. It’s something to look forward to especially because every year January seems to drag on forever. One resolution that I’ve been working towards is this idea of being “kinder” to myself. I mean that in the literal sense – removing self-doubt, negativity, and criticism. However, I also want to include more things in my life that bring me joy. It’s the month of love and loving yourself is just as necessary.

Today, was a series of that. After sleeping in, I was able to get myself to the workout class that I always make excuses for missing. Yes, it’s at 10:30, but mentally preparing for it isn’t easy. Following class, I popped on over to [Acme Floral Co.] to hand pick a bouquet, grab a coffee and actually sit down for a healthy breakfast at [Wholesome Bakery] Too often, I find myself wanting to grab something and go because I am either in a rush or don’t want to take up space. Instead, today we took up all the space and could just sit in stillness for a bit.

My Saturdays are often littered with tedious errands and for some reason I don’t know where all these come from. Every week, it’s a new set of things to get done. Today, I’m just happy to be able to do so many things for myself and to get the much needed rest after a work week. Here’s hoping that your Saturday and the first of February were treated with the love and care that we all need.