5 Things That Make My Life So Much Easier

Yo peeps. Over the past few months I have settled into that dreary but inevitable stage of life one calls adulthood: working, chilling, paying bills, working, chilling, paying bills. But even though I wish my work/chill ratio were slightly different, I have found my p(e)ace and go from day to day and weekend to weekend quite easily and comfortably. Now, all of this probably sounds rather vague, but what I'm trying to say is that the secret behind my very well being is routine. Routine and safe, familiar solutions are what make a busy life bearable for someone who frets as much as yours truly. I may be quite a confident person, but I stress about ALL THE THINGS. I have been known to lie awake at night because I have to take public transport to some place I'm not familiar with. I think I'd die if I'd ever have to travel abroad on my own fer sure. Like, LITERALLY.

And what are these safe options and routines I go on about, you ask? Well, think about all the decisions you have to make in a day that you will have to make again the next: what to eat, when to clean, what to wear. Those are the daily dilemmas I solve with planning and fallback solutions. Food, for example: once a week, I allow myself to get lunch in Antwerp instead of preparing some at home. This means I don't have to choose whether or not to make lunch ahead most days, since I've already made the decision beforehand. And when it comes to the particularities of my lunches, I always take a combination of the following options with me: dark whole weat bread with peanut butter, egg salad or tuna; cherry tomatoes, apples or soup in a thermos and a bottle of water. Easy peasy and ALWAYS yummy. You can find some great healthy lunch options on pinterest, btw.

This totally looks like something I'd bring for lunch, for example. I have a compartmentalized lunchbox like that, SUPER handy if you want some variety.

But more interestingly for you (I suppose, since you enjoy my outfitposts) is what kind of garments are my easy fall back options when I'm in a hurry to get dressed in the morning and I don't want to lie awake trying to figure out a pretty and comfy outfit to wear to work. Because yeah, I actually do that. I am THAT much of a worrier. Thankfully, lately I have been inching towards dressing with only the littlest care about looking slightly representable and neat rather than trying to knock everyone's socks off with flair. It's very liberating.

Just believe me when I tell you I wouldn't have survived the past few months of looooong winter if it hadn't been for these pieces I wear AT LEAST once a week.

1. Cotton longsleeves. I have about 5 of these on heavy rotation: a grey and a navy one from H&M, a plain black  and a polkadotted one from Forever21 and one in pink from ASOS. Wearing a well fitting longsleeve feels casual yet elegant to me, especially if you accessorize with a necklace, an updo or some earrings and a professional looking watch. I'm a huge fan of dressing professional yet slightly funky and casual, and longsleeves are the PERFECT foundation for that sort of thing. Great with skirts and pants alike or even underneath a dress, and super fly looking dressed up with a blazer.

2. My G-Star Raw skinnies. If you ever, EVER have some cash to spare and if you are a fan of super stretchy skinny jeans: buy the G-Star 3D Arc super skinny super stretch 3D skinnies. These babies are more comfortable than most leggings, make your legs look a mile long because of the curved cut and extra length and they NEVER sag. Seriously, these will fit you just as well after three days of wearing them as they did when you first put them on in the dressing room. When these ever die on me, I will absolutely start saving some money to buy another pair to replace my 3D arcs. Get yours here!

3. Ankle boots. All someone really needs, shoewise, is a pair of comfortable sandals for summer and a pair of elegant ankle boots for the rest of the year. This probably sounds rich coming from someone who has more shoes than they'd care to count, but I really only have a few (about 10) pairs of winter shoes that I keep wearing over and over again. One thing most of them have in common: they're ankle boots. This Forever21 pair of Acne Pistol Boot knockoffs I bought in both colors (nude and black) is definitely on top of my list. For a boot with about a 7cm heel that only cost me 30€, these really are RIDICULOUSLY comfortable and they still look really nice despite me wearing them multiple days a week. I'm looking for a genuine leather alternative for these because they really are the kind of shoe you'll wear for ever and ever with any kind of outfit you can imagine, so if you have some good (and slightly affordable) recommendations: hit me up!

4. Big, faux fur coats. Do I really need to explain this? I love, love, LOVE the amount of comfort and glamour a big, fluffy coat adds to any kind of outfit. I have four oversized faux fur coats right now (black, leopard, pink and white) and I don't wear any of my other coats anymore. In the game of rock, paper, scissors, big fluffy coats BEAT ALL. For realz. They make you look fly as fuck.

5. A big purse. If you make your own healthy lunch, you probably won't get by with one of those dainty little purses. No ma'am, the modern day working gal needs a big bag to haul all of her shit around in, and that big bag'd better look at least kind of cute. You can imagine my elation when I discovered Kipling's new City Bag: bright colors, beautiful design and O.M.G. SO much room for ALL of your shiz I'm serious!!! It has three big compartments, all of them containing even more tiny compartments, and one extra soft, cushioned pouch for an ipad. I love it loads and have been carrying it to work ever since I got it. Total recommendation!

What are your can't-live-withouts?