This article was last updated on May 25, 2022
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A wise person once noted that as humans, we’re only as good as the promises we make to ourselves and keep. Poetic and poignant words to kick off the New Year, no? But, even if you have an Anna Wintour-like iron will, the devil on your shoulder can scream many decibels louder than the angel on the other. Sometimes scribbling down those vows isn’t enough — you have to prep yourself mentally for the challenge.
That’s why we’re presenting a spread of supplies to give you some backbone when temptation strikes, and for overall moral support to keep you in check. Need to save your money? How about a pretty piggy bank with a slot big enough to slip your entire credit card inside, Confessions of a Shopaholic-style? Yeah, we gave this one some thought. Scroll through for more fun and thoughtful ways to show 2013 who’s boss!
Get More Zzs
A solid night’s sleep seems to be a trickier thing to lasso each year that goes by. Who hasn’t tossed and turned with to-do lists dancing in their heads or woken up in a tizzy over a heated work dream? Well, this nifty device’s look may conjure 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s increased our snooze factor immensely this year. The Oregon Scientific forty-winks wonder spritzes aromatherapy scents, flashes a blend of soothing lights, and plays little nature ditties. Trust, with this, your subconscious will be singing “Mr. Sandman” within minutes of your head hitting the pillow.
Oregon Scientific Elite Aromatherapy Diffuser And Sound Therapy Clock, $99.99, available at Brookstone.
Write Your Memoirs
The phrase “Keep a journal and it will keep you” is always the first thing to pop into our heads when we purchase a blank bound set of paper. And, while it’s an inspiring line, we’ll admit that we chronically abandon the idea of inscribing before even putting a dent in the pages. Logging your life can be daunting, sometimes even painful, and really requires introspection that not all of us can just spew into scribble.
Well, our suggestion is to find a purse-sized (and not too thick) journal with a look that gets your juices flowing, but with less pages than War and Peace. It’s sort of a Jedi mind trick: Fool yourself into thinking there’s not that many surfaces to fill. Plus, when the diary’s pretty and can easily travel with you, it’s easier to forgo Instagram in that bank line to chronicle your happiest moments instead and purge those trials and tribulations in print.
Christian Lacroix Les Anges Baroques Lined Flexi Cover Notebook, $19.95, available at LoveNotebooks.
Dine In
Have you glanced at the recent Amex statement and noticed it could spontaneously combust with line after line of ludicrous restaurant bills? Hittingour top BYOB spots will help take the edge off, but probably not if you want to keep it healthy, too.
Enter our fave new cookbook: Clean Plates, which is all about spick-and-span yet still scrumptious cuisine. You won’t find intel on super-fad diets (if only eating cookies really didmake inches disappear!), but you will discover how to cook for your body type from Iron Chefstars and James Beard Award winners. Your genetic makeup, gender, age, and lifestyle are all taken into account, which you know the gourmands at Mozza don’t exactly have top of mind!
The Clean Plates Cookbook: Sustainable, Delicious, and Healthier Eating for Every Body by Jared Koch with Jill Silverman Hough, $13.05, available at Amazon.
Expand Your Mind
Sure, you could take DJ lessons, enroll in art instruction at Barnsdall, or a whole slew of other continual-education classes anywhere in town, but an easy way to nourish your noggin is to sign up for a yearly LACMA pass. You’ll score unlimited free admissions to exhibits like “Stanley Kubrick” (a total trip), “Drawing Surrealism,” and “Robert Mapplethorpe: XYZ,” member preview days for special exhibits, and even discounts at an assortment of spots around Hollyweird (how does a spa day after some Ruscha sound?). Oh, and did you know you also get privileges to rent art from the Sales Gallery?
LACMA Indie Membership (free admission, discounts, members-only screenings, priority ticketing), $50, available at LACMA.
K.I.T.
Bicoastal besties, we feel your pain! It can be tough to keep your pal up to date on the latest sexy suitor, work woe, or exciting sartorial discovery when life’s bustling all about you. Well, how about a throwback iPhone case to offer a constant reminder of the ties that bind? Extra minutes on your plan for hot gossip not included.
Rebecca Minkoff Best Friends iPhone Cases, $58, available at Rebecca Minkoff.
Tidy Up
If your office has resembled Grey Gardens of late, first and foremost, buy a P-Touch and go nuts! Apart from that, the best way to get all of your business in order is by creating a work space that flows with your aesthetic. This baby mounts right on the wall to save you desk space and has plenty more matching brocade counterparts to get you chic and sane in one fell swoop.
The Container Store Brocade Wall File, $29.99 per file, available at The Container Store.
Get More Gutsy
Just to be clear, we’re not saying that a Kate Spade bag is going to change your life (although this could fuel exactly the kind of conversation you want to start!). But, we do love the emblazoned tote’s moxie-laden message. Sometimes, to get what you want, you just have to buck up and be brazen. No one’s saying it’s easy, but we’re giving you the get-out-of-jail-free card for flirting up a storm, assertively asking for that raise you so deserve, and maybe even learning the word “no.” If you don’t speak up for yourself, no one else will. #thisisyouryear
Kate Spade ‘Is This Seat Taken?’ Terry, $248, available at Kate Spade.
Get Fit
You could always sign up for a membership atEquinox or invest in classes with Fitist, but why not save some cash, get some fresh(ish) air, and trek one of L.A.’s many amazing trails? Another option is to peep the manses of Hancock Park or Beverly Hills from the streets — all with this nifty apparatus. Fitbit is there to give you encouragement along the way: You can monitor your progress on your iPhone or BlackBerry as it wirelessly syncs each step taken, total distance traversed, and the best part — calories burned!
Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker, $49.99, available at Best Buy.
Bad Habits Be Damned!
When one of our most respected aesthetician,Renee Rouleau, gave us this tool to stop picking our nails (sometimes unavoidable when on tight deadlines!), it was a flash of genius. No matter what your vice — cuticles, pimples, or split ends — take out your anxious energy on this toy instead. It’s surprisingly quite the stress reliever and only sets you back five buckaroos.
Renee Rouleau No Picking! Twisty Toy, $5.50, available at Renee Rouleau.
Cheer Up, Old Chap!
When dark clouds seem to be stalking you, there’s absolutely no shame in turning to the self-help aisle! Start viewing your glass as half-full with the help from Dr. Elaine Fox, who teaches you to retrain your brain. Gaining insight is always the first step, and she breaks down the various whys to anxiety, depression, and shyness — then gives you homework to turn that frown upside down.
Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook by Elaine Fox, $17.43, available at Amazon.
Catch The Travel Bug
Not only will this globe look gorg on a bedside table or living-room credenza, but allowing your eye to roam along exotic longitudes and latitudes inevitably spurs wanderlust. Start pinpointing the places you want to go with cool stickers, set upcoming months’ budgets accordingly, and sign up for regular Kayak alerts! Ready, set, jet-set!
Tools Design & Atmosphere Full Circle Vision Globe, $195, available at A+R Store.
Save Some Dough
We don’t know about you, but pretty much every time we enter our bank branch, a transfer from our savings to checking is made. It’s pathetic, we know. However, something a little more tactile like this modernized version of a piggy bank somehow makes it way easier to create a nest egg. And, if you feel so inclined, snip up your Visa and lay its remains inside, as well.
ModCloth Knox On Wood Savings Bank, $12.99, available at ModCloth.
Make Friends With Veggies
If you find yourself guzzling Odwalla, Pressed, and even those weird gallons of V8 juices like it’s going out of style, or if your vitamin intake is in serious peril, here’s your solution. The Dash juicer is easy to use, easy to clean, and will save you money (or your nutrition level!). We love to get fresh grapes from the farmers’ market, pulverize them with this bad boy, and add a splash of Pellegrino for a refreshing spritzer.
Dash Electric Juicer, $99.99, available at Target.
Up Your Native Knowledge
If you’re ever trapped without Wi-Fi and can’t click onto R29, this is your handy-dandy guide to getting familiar with your city. With 80 different neighborhoods and a population that soars over 3.8 million, saying it can be tough to navigate L.A. is perhaps the understatement of the century! That’s why this mini-novella comes in clutch for natives and those who’ve freshly landed. It’s divided into areas, covers all the hot spots, and basically never leaves our glove compartment.
Not For Tourists (NFT) Guide to Los Angeles 2012 by Not For Tourists, $22.95, available at Barnes & Noble.
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