Small Steps to a Better You?

I need a change - not a massive one like moving to another city as I did a year and a half ago, but a change in my daily routine to enhance my quality of life. Why so suddenly? I’ve been experiencing a very “messy” mind with no clear structure in my day, causing anxiety and a really negative outlook on life. When it comes to burnout, it’s crucial to recognize the symptoms beforehand - it’s better to act early than find it too hard to crawl out of bed for the rest of the year.

📌 But first, let’s acknowledge the positives in our lives. What are you incredibly proud of? Before we consider changes, let’s recognize how far we’ve come. For me, it’s going to the gym 3-4 times a week and eating healthily 80% of the time. Oh, and my drawings inspire me to keep going.

Here’s a tip: if you’re unsure about your own direction, revisit your past works, sketches, or designs. It’s a guaranteed boost of inspiration! Now, on to the changes:

Sleep Schedule: My current routine is a mess due to coaching calls with America for the mentorship I’m part of - I often stay up until 1-2 a.m. For instance, after a recent LIVE call with Ryan Serhant this Tuesday, I didn’t get to bed until 2 a.m. because I was too pumped with ideas and his advice to me on handling celebrity clients.

The goal is to start going to bed at 9-10 p.m. and wake up at 5-6 a.m. I just need to figure out how to manage the night calls, which happen pretty often.

Reduce Mindless Social Media Use: It’s one thing to use social media for work, sharing my drawings and inspirational stories, but another to mindlessly scroll through TikTok and waste an hour without even remembering what I watched.

Better Planning and Less Overthinking: Stop wasting energy on overthinking tasks. “Should I do this or that? What if this happens?”

Step Out of My Comfort Zone with Drawings: I tend to stick to what I’m familiar with due to lack of time (excuse!), instead of experimenting. I even bought a huge set of gouache for this purpose.

Film Spontaneous and Real Videos for YouTube and TikTok: My channel has recently been monetized, which of course brought an additional boost of motivation to focus there, especially with Instagram's constantly changing algorithms often dampening my motivation.

Weekly Mountain Hikes: To clear my head and get out of my routine.

Share your goals with me, and let’s become accountability partners!

By the way, I just wrote a new ebook about becoming a full-time designer and illustrator based on my own experience. Get your copy here.

Cheers to positive changes!
Anna at @andshedrawsbig