Cassie DeNisco

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Getting Back into a Routine after Summer

I can’t believe I’m writing this as we head back into September. Summer is one of my favorite times in the year but I struggle with getting back into a routine come September. It’s nice to not have as much pressure as the normal year has and to allow yourself to actually enjoy your time. With so much rest and relaxation, it makes it hard to get back in the swing of things. I also think this year with all of the stay at homes, getting back to school and work will be that much harder. Here are some ways that help me in getting back into a routine.

Try and Plan Out Meals & Outfits

I think this one is easier said then done. Once you truly get into the routine of things, this makes life easier. Having meals and outfits already planned just takes stress out of your week. I can’t tell you how much time I spend in the morning finding an outfit if I don’t plan it before hand. I also think the same came be said with dinners because by the time you figure out what to make, it’s just easier to order out.

Utilize your Phone’s Calendar

We all are glued to our phone’s but we don’t take advantage of the calendar’s we can have on it. I personally have Apple products so everything is streamlined together but you can also use Google calendar the same way. As soon as you add something to your phone calendar, it gets on your computer calendar and vice versa. This makes planning easy. Everything is in one place and you don’t have to worry about ruining your planner by crossing things out.

Don’t Pressure Yourself to Do It All

This is one I still struggle with. I feel like as soon as fall comes, I need to be insanely productive and just get stuff done. While this is a good mindset, sometimes I’m not nice to myself about it and make myself feel guilty. Do what you need to do but remember to take time for yourself to relax and hang out. It’s good for your mental health to take a break every once in awhile.

These tips seriously help me getting back into a routine really all year round. I love the times that I get to rest and recharge but getting back to work is so so exciting. Having the time off hopefully gets you inspired to get back to work with a clearer mindset.

Follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco & check out my other posts here!

Got Goals? My Goals for 2020

2020 New Years Goals & Resolutions

Before welcoming in a new year, I like to take a look at the goals and I set for the past year. 2019 was a huge year for me with new responsibilities and mindsets. I actually accomplished the 3 goals I set for myself this past year. For 2020, I wanted to make sure that the goals I set, I stick to and accomplish .

I think a goal for most people is to be healthier and maybe even lose weight. For me, I accomplished my healthy living goal last year and still continue to implement it in my everyday life. I wanted my new goals for 2020 to be more about overall wellness both physically and mentally. Through meditation and positivity both for myself and others, I plan to work on my mental health this year.

Another aspect of my life I really want to tackle this year is definitely to live fearlessly. I tend to say no way too often so I plan to start saying yes more. Whether I say yes more to friends, work or family, I feel like overall I will be living a life with out anxiety and worry. This past year I have stepped out of my comfort zone but not as much as I would have liked to. I need to listen more to those around me and learn to speak less. I want to attract the energy of good people but that can’t happen unless I start putting myself out there.

Aside from just living an overall better life, I want to make sure I actually set aside time to read more. Other than one book over the summer and required reading, I honestly can’t tell you the last time I read a book. Reading is such a great way to unwind at the end of the day and I want to start incorporating it into my nightly routine. I also want to make sure I actually give back. Whether I volunteer or donate goods, I just want to make sure that I am giving to others in need. It’s so important to me to make sure that I stay aware of how lucky I am to live the life I do.

My final and most important goal is to stay motivated and stick to the things that I start. Being a very motivated person means I can bounce from one thing to the next without having to stop for a break. I used to think it was because I would get bored so easily but I believe that it is actually because I lack the motivation for things once I’ve done them for so long. For 2020, I need to make sure that I keep up my promises.

I hope my goals and resolutions have you inspired to create and set some of your own. I know that when I actually sit and write things out I tend to actually see them through. It is so important to hold yourself accountable for things. Why not challenge yourself to set some goals in this new year? Not only is it a new year but also a new decade. There is no better time to accomplish your goals and try new things than right now!


got goals for 2020

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco. Also, check out my health posts for some inspiration in the new year!

5 Time Management Tips You Can’t Live Without

It’s the best and worst time of year for college students: syllabus week. This is the week of easy transitions back into college classes after a great summer. It’s also the week that reality sets in and you realize how much work and responsibilities that you have again. Have no fear though, I’m here with my best time management tips and tricks to keep you stress free this semester!

  1. Invest in a Planner

I can’t stress this enough, if you don’t have somewhere to write your events and due dates then you probably won’t remember them. Using iCal, Google Calendar, or a good old fashion planner you write in is absolutely essential in maximizing your time and not missing out on important things.

2. Prioritize Assignments

If you’re like me, reading for classes is something quick and easy where as it takes me much longer for written assignments. At the beginning of every week I like to make a to do list with when I need to have certain assignments done by so that I can stay on track and know exactly what to do which assignment when. Half the battle is starting and its so hard to start when you know you have so many other things to do.

3. Know When to Ask for Help

There’s literally no worse feeling then being seriously stumped on some math problems but just wasting time staring at it hoping it’ll come to you. Professors have office hours multiple times a week and I’m sure other people in your classes will be so willing to give you a little help too. Don’t spend the whole week struggling when you could’ve easily had the answer right away.

4. Getting Balance takes Time

Having a work, live, and social balance will take you more than just one week of back to school. Give yourself time to figure it out and know which classes will take you longer to do during the week. By feeling out what your week is going to look like, you’ll easily know how much time you can have to spend with friends and know when you need to do a little more studying so you aren’t stressed at work. Make sure you ALWAYS make time for yourself because self-care is the best care!

5. Don’t Procrastinate

You’ve probably heard this one a thousand times but here’s your friendly reminder that procrastination just adds to stress. I know a lot of people like the excuse that they do well under pressure but why even add that pressure to your life. If you start assignments early you’ll have plenty of time to be able to finish it and get to do the things you want to during the week. And with the technology we have today, you never know when uploading an assignment will go wrong and then you won’t have the chance to correct the problem before the deadline.

Time management is a skill and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it. Knowing how to prioritize things and balance your life is something that you’ll have to do for the rest of your life so you might as well start getting into the habit of it now. There’s no better time than the beginning of the school year to work on time management to get yourself into a routine that helps make your life much easier!

Babe, Stop Apologizing

Here’s a little PSA: it’s 2019 and if you’re still apologizing to other people for their bullsh*t, then you need to cut it out.

From dealing with immature people to fake friends, I’ve seen and lived through it all. I’ve had my fair share of drama and fake apologies and I’ll gladly be the first person to tell you that apologizing to appease someone is a huge mistake. My biggest take away is that everyone just automatically expects an apology, regardless of the situation. Band-Aids just don’t fix bullet holes.

 Now, if you’re definitely in the wrong, just apologize and own up to your mistakes but don’t EVER feel like you’re backed into a corner to do it. What the heck is the point of apologizing if someone forced you to do it? And if you’re forcing people to apologize in the form of an ultimatum, reevaluate yourself. People who expect you to right their wrongs generally feel insecure, inferior, intimidated and threatened by you. I mean at the end of the day, that’s all that basically what bullies are. They feed off your poor self-image to fill up their own.

And you know what, while we’re on this topic of that let’s be real with each other. In the world we live in today, apologizes from women are handed out like candy on Halloween. We apologize for everything from girl drama to what we wear to how we act. Let’s stop saying “I’m Sorry” and let’s start cutting to the chase of what’s actually going on. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but they don’t have the right to act on it if it’s negative or toxic. It’s seriously time that you stop apologizing for every little thing and start handling situations head on.

This to me really is the key to growing up and starting to live your life unapologetically. Being unapologetic means that you’re making the best decisions for yourself that will positively impact your life both now and in the future. I am in no way advocating for making crazy life changes but I am saying you NEED to start standing up for yourself if you ever want people to stop taking advantage of your kindness and your complacency.

I guess all I’m really trying to say here is just be unapologetic about who you are and own the decisions you make. Not everyone in this world is going to love you, you only need to love yourself.

My Secret to Staying Organized

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I am insanely organized. Organization helps to keep me on track and not stress out so I definitely know the trick to staying on top of what you need to do. My secret isn’t even that revolutionary but the type is.

I know for sure that growing up we have all had a love hate relationship with planners. I went through a phase where a piece of paper was all I needed because I couldn’t get myself to use those little academic planners the schools would hand out. Once I stumbled across the brand “Day Designer” my life was forever changed and my level of organization instantly skyrocketed.

Day Designer agendas are not your typical planners. They have all the same components but so much more that it actually makes it so simple to plan out your day and accomplish things on your to do list. I love to sit on a Sunday night and plan out each day’s to do list in the section for that day. To do lists keep us accountable for what we need to accomplish and it feels so good when you cross something off them.

Not only is the to do list section on each page so helpful, but the fact that it breaks the day down into each hour really helps you start to learn about your time management skills and see where your time is going. I love spending time writing in my day and then following it. It not only helps you stay on track but all of your information is in one spot as opposed to on like 3 apps on your phone and then a sticky note somewhere in your car. Between the days being on their own pages, a big section for a to do list, and the days broken down by hour, I will never go back to a regular planner.

I also found that Day Designer has all different sizes for different needs. I originally had their mini version but found that I needed something more in depth for each day. I have also found that Target has the a line of Day Designer planners that tend to be a little cheaper then on the actual website so don’t freak out that these agendas can’t fit your budget.

Now, I know not everyone has the time to plan out their day to day schedule but you will thank me if you at least give it a shot for this back to school year. My number one tip that I give out when people ask how I stay so organized is my planner and that I specifically use one by Day Designer. Being organized is a serious life skill that we aren’t really taught in school so once we head out to college and the real world, if you don’t have any sense of time management it will get so stressful so fast. Believe me, I was there until I found my holy grail organization product.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram + Pinterest for more organization tips! Here’s the link to my exact planner ★

Why You Aren’t Getting What You Want

My self-help post from last Friday did so well that I thought I would bring to you another post all about getting it together. For many of you, you’re in college and you’re just going with the flow but that needs to change. The only way to start making your dreams become reality is to stop just letting things happen and start paving your own path.

For me, I do that by manifesting. Manifesting to me is focusing on a goal that I want to achieve and basically willing it into existence. Manifesting seems like this complicated concept but in reality it’s just making yourself and your goals a priority. Once I stopped focusing so heavily on school and work, I realized how happy so many other things can make me. Its important to prioritize work and education but those things can be placed above your happiness and mental health.

We all live in a world today that is all about making money and getting to that next step in life. While making money is essential for survival, it’s time that we start doing things for ourselves. Life is not fun if all you’re doing is working, regardless if you love your job or not. As humans, were designed to love things and to become passionate about things so why are we all so over hobbies and passion projects and side hustles as we grow up? Think about it, as kids all we do is dream about our life, all the careers we want to have, and all the things we love. As we age, people just get to comfortable with where they’re at in life and lose that childhood ambition that drives you.

That’s why you aren’t getting what you want and why you’re not living your life for you. I challenge you this summer to take up a hobby or just start doing something that you love. Don’t let your mind tell you that you need to focus too much on money or that you don’t have enough time for something. There are 24 hours in the day and most people only work for 8 of them. If you need to sleep for the other 8 then theres still 8 hours for you to do something for yourself. Take my advice, or don’t, but the happiest people in the world are the people who pave their own paths and live their lives on their own terms.

4 Ways to Get Your Shit Together

We all get to a point where it feels like everything is falling apart. Whether it be a bad grade, rough day at work, or just an all around hard week, it’s so important to get yourself out of that negative head space and into a positive place to get yourself together. People always tell me that they wish that they were as together as I am but I’m here to tell you that I often find myself reevaluating where I’m at. Here are my top 4 favorite ways to get my shit together:

  1. Address the Negativity but Don’t Dwell on It!

I know that for me, I tend to focus on the negativity in my life and make it control my actions. If I’m having a rough day, I let it consume me and that is just not healthy. It’s important to address whatever is upsetting you but you can’t let it just control you. It’s not a good habit to have and it will only lead you into a bad place of negativity. I think an important lesson for everyone is to just go with the flow, we can’t control every aspect of our lives so don’t get upset about something going wrong.

2. Do Something that Makes You Happy

Whether you’re a guy or a girl, just doing things that make you happy falls under this pampering umbrella. Go get your nails done or go out and buy yourself your favorite snack. Pampering yourself doesn’t even have to be related to rewards, maybe just spend sometime with some friends or a loved one. In times of stress, treating yourself with kindness and not more blame for situations is the best remedy.

3. Make a Plan

This is probably my biggest tip, if you’ve had a rough and stressful week plan to make sure your next week runs smoothly. Of course things come up but as long as you have some sort of direction for the week ahead, it’s sure to be a good one. I always feel better knowing that I have at least a list of things that I am doing or want to do so that I don’t just head into a new week having no idea what’s going on or what I’m supposed to be doing.

4. Stay Motivated

This is probably the hardest to follow. I know that when things go wrong all I want to do is go curl up in my bed and forget about the world. DON’T DO IT! You have to use this trying time in your life as a way to motivate you into being better. The only way you can grow as a person is to take what life gives you and turn it into a positive. Just keep going and know that negativity is a trick your mind plays on you, even if something sucks you have the power to make it better.

Sometimes I feel like I give great advice but actually never follow it myself. I hope that this post inspires you to get your shit together and know that you’re totally not alone if the people around you always look like they have it together.

Subscribe down below and let me know if you do anything different when you feel the need to get your life in check!

My Productive Morning Routine

It took me so long to get to this point of actually enjoying my mornings, so if I can get into a productive routine in the morning so can you!

7:00am

I start every morning at 7:00am regardless of if I have anything major planned for the day or not. I find waking up every morning at the same time helps me to fall asleep around the same time every night. It helps me to regulate my sleep schedule and start my day. I always make sure to have some water as soon as I wake up to jumpstart my day.

7:30am

I’m not going to lie to you, the first thirty minutes to an hour of my day are spent in bed on my phone. I know it’s a terrible habit to have but it’s just the perfect opportunity to get it out of the way and not get distracted by my phone throughout the day. As soon as I finish on my phone, I immediately make my bed. This step is so important if you’re one who has trouble getting out of bed. Get up and make your bed so that you aren’t tempted to get back in it!

7:45am

By this point in the morning, I am usually awake enough to wash my face. I start with my Clinque face wash on my facial brush. Then I use the Clinque toner that matches my face wash with a little cotton round. I finish off my face routine with the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Serum. I don’t typically use make up so I find that this skin combo leaves my face with a really great glow for the day. While I’m here, I’ll typically brush my teeth at this point too.

8:00am

I typically like to workout in the morning on an empty stomach so when I’m getting dressed and ready for the day, I’ll put on my workout gear for either a workout class, at home workout, or if I’m going to the gym. I like working out in the morning because it gets me pumped for the day and I get it out of the way.

9:30am

After whatever workout I end up doing, I’ll sometimes shower depending on what it was. Because I workout again at night in the dance classes that I teach, I’ll generally do strength training in the morning since I’m doing cardio at night. After that I’ll get fully dressed for the day and do something to my hair.

10:00am

My morning has already been so busy but by 10 am I’m sitting down at my desk either doing work for clients, writing blogs posts, or doing lesson plans for my dance class that night. During the school year, all of my classes are online so I’ll substitute this work for my homework. I’ll usually work until like 3pm so that I have enough time to get ready for whatever classes I’m teaching.

11:30am

Like I said in my what I eat in a day, I intermittent fast and food combine so by this point in the day I like to have my bowl of fruit as my breakfast. I think by this point my day turns into full work mode so my day starts to shift from morning to afternoon really quickly.

I hope my little morning routine inspires you to wake up early and be productive. Keep in mind, by 11:30 I’m usually already done with 50 oz of water. The morning doesn’t have to be such an annoying part of the day that everyone hates. Doing little things like spending some time scrolling on your phone or getting a morning workout in help to make it more fun and make you want to wakeup everyday. Don’t forget to subscribe down below so you stay updated with all my latest posts!

C

Summer Motivation

I feel like it can become so easy in the summer to lose all sense of reality. After a really long semester, it’s always the best feeling to reward yourself with a little rest and relaxation. The issue arises when its June and your already a month into break and you haven’t done anything but binge watch all your favorite Netflix shows. Of course summer is a time to cut back on the busy schedules but it also can be the best time to work on something your passionate about. For me, this summer I am dedicating it to this blog which is something that I have put off doing for so long. For my other friends, I know a lot of them are going to be working this summer both at jobs and internships.

When I think back to my summer last year, I lacked motivation entirely. I did not want anything to do with school or working. I had a pretty rough semester so I thought I deserved the summer off but in reality, I lost precious time that I could’ve put towards my career or even my personal hustle. Don’t fear if you were like me last summer, I am here to help you get that spark to try something new this summer.

I think my biggest tip and most important one is to use a planner. Planners help you not only plan things but also be accountable for things. I love the Day Designer planner but Lily Pulitzer and Erin Corden also make some great ones. I love planning out my day and making a to- do list so that I can cross things off as I go. This also helps me mentally stay on track and accomplish the goals I set for myself. Electronic planners or things like iCal on the iPhone work too but for me, there’s just something about being able to take a pen and physically cross things off.

Another tip I have is to set goals even if they’re small ones. At the end of the day, all goals are goals and whether they’re huge like launching a blog or small like attending a workout class once a week, they still help you to stay on track and accountable. I think for the summer, thinking about one large goal that you’d like to achieve and pair it with maybe some weekly goals will really help you stay motivated throughout the summer because you know that you have something to work towards.

The summer is the best time to get a tan and take a nap but it’s also the best time to pursue passions. As much as I love my Netflix shows, I realize that I really have to take advantage of my free schedule for things that will benefit me in the long run. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too this summer, whether it is be a new hair color or a fresh coat of nail polish, stay motivated starts when you feel your best.

C

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