The life of a mother is consistently short of one thing—TIME.
Between the hustling, the shuffling and the juggling act that is modern motherhood, we simply don't have time for all the things we need to do. We need to love on our kids. We need to love on our significant others. We need to love on our extended family. We need to love on our homes and our jobs. And last but certainly NOT least, we need to love on ourselves.
That last one is typically the first to go.
We put everyone and everything above ourselves. It's actually quite lovely in theory, but in reality, if we pour everything out without refilling—our shakers will eventually run dry.
I realize that it's quite cliché to point this out on January 3rd. The start of a new year always prompts oodles of talk about self-care. All the advice from experts, reminding us to eat better, exercise more, take time for ourselves, learn to meditate, and so on. It actually becomes exhausting. As a stretched to the limit mama, I personally find these "New Year overhauls" depressing and isolating. What am I supposed to do, pull time out of my rear end?
Seeing as my backside (or any part of me) is incapable of creating actual time, I've decided to focus on organizing my life so that certain chores take less of it. In a nutshell, efficiency is my ticket to self-care success.
As I look to other amazing mothers for their tips on easy + healthy meals, 10-minute (intense) workouts and DIY anti-aging facials—I am counting on myself to make getting dressed and out the door (while lookin' top notch) a simple and fool proof task.
First step—clean out closet.
Last week, while other fabulous humans filled my Instagram feed with beautiful photos from exotic vacays, I sorted, sifted, and eventually sold the excess that was my overstuffed clothing vault. I'm not a believer of the one-year rule, but I draw the line at five.
Next step—get ahead of the game.
Even as the owner of a clothing company, I often find myself standing in front of my closet—asking it why the F it doesn't have anything for me to wear. I believe the answer to this question lies in time (or lack there of). The 7AM "mom-fog" is real, and the 5-minutes in which a mother has to dress herself before school drop-off leaves little (or no) creativity to assemble a proper outfit (especially one sans athleisure).
I've thought about how to eliminate the "frustrating five" for quite some time, and I landed on the #BURU10. I'll go into full detail below, but the gist is that if I allow myself 30 minutes on Sunday night to prep for the upcoming week (aka getting ahead of the game) then I can remove the stress and the time suck that is getting dressed on the daily.
How Does #BURU10 Work
Each week I select 10 pieces from my closet to create 2 outfits for every day. I also allow myself to use what I call "My Wheel of Fortune Five"—aka a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a coat, a turtleneck or another basic.
Over the weekend (in my 30-minute window) I steam, iron or prep each of these items so they are ready to go, and I literally number and write down each complete look. I fully realize that I may not need 2 outfits a day, but I can always use those as roll-over. It also ensures that I am totally prepared for whatever the week or the weather throws at me.
In addition to taking the guess work out of getting dressed on busy mornings, I'm also (over time) editing my closet. If I find that I never include a style in my #BURU10, then I probably need to kiss it goodbye. A less is more closet can actually clear the mind.
Learning & Sharing As I Go
Although I've (unknowingly) practiced this method every time I've packed for a trip, I've never carried it through to my daily life. As I learn and test this new styling strategy, I would like to share my first month of the #BURU10 Challenge with YOU!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter to catch all the styled looks. Additionally, we will offer all the pieces (including the "Wheel of Fortune 5") in a collection that will be 25% OFF for the week!
#BURU10 Week One
{each item is linked here}
1. Schafer Shirtdress
2. Rydell Blouse—Canary
3. Apiece Apart Merida Pants
4. Leigh Blouse—Blue
5. Marty Maxi Dress—Rose
6. Rizzo Pants—Black
7. Mama's Sweatshirt—Crimson
8. Cheer Squad Skirt
9. Sandra Dee Swing Shirt
10. Perfect Pencil Skirt
SHOP the full collection HERE {including my bonus Wheel of Fortune 5}
Use code: BURU10WEEK1 for 25% off all the pieces.
Stay tuned each week as I challenge myself to simplify and elevate my #momstyle.
XOXO
Morgan
