Real Routines x Annie Lee
Annie Lee is the principal event planner for Daughter of Design, author of Learn to Speak Wedding, and founder of Plannie.com, which is a global platform to hire a local event planner by the hour. Annie has been described as a "smart, fierce woman with a strong sense of self (not to mention incredible taste in decor and fashion)."
Take Three
Set deliverables
“To the outside world I’m really productive, but inside I know I’m a major procrastinator. One trick I use to keep myself on track is committing to a delivery date or scheduling a call to review something so I’m obligated to deliver by that time. I have NEVER missed a homework assignment in my life and found that having a due date helps me keep productive,” said Annie.
Replace should with could
“I’m really nice to me. I don’t use the word should when I’m talking to myself. I use the word could. Should can be really negative and put pressure on yourself, typically based on some outside standard that doesn’t apply to you,” she said.
Keep learning (even if it’s from TikTok)
“I’m addicted to hacks I find on TikTok. I love learning and there are so many tutorials and other wildly practical solutions that I’ve uncovered there. Like here’s how to cut cherry tomatoes easy-peasy or how to efficiently put the trash can liner in. I love how clever people are,” said Annie.
My Routines
Morning routine: Annie has a very specific morning routine.
- Wake up and cuddle my kitties for about 30 min
- Brush my teeth and wash my face while listening to NPR
- Get my Dyson and vacuum the whole house (this is my meditation and the collecting of all the tiny particles on the floor gives me great joy and peace) while listening to local morning news
- Make an iced coffee with milk
- Head to my little desk in a very ice cream wallpapered room
Evening routine: “The evening wind down is pretty much just TikTok. After I’m all washed up, I tuck myself in for about a 30 min (okay I’m lying - about an hour) of TikTok bedtime stories. My algorithm knows me so well; it’s cat videos, life hacks, pro-women content,” she said.
Workout routine: “I maintain my yard. I have about 10,000 sq feet of lawn, fruit trees, gardens, hedges, etc. and I am out there hours a week picking fruit, trimming, mowing, and pulling weeds. It’s an incredible calorie-burner and I like that I’m doing something productive and getting a workout at the same time. I’m clad in SPF blocker apparel, bonnet, gloves, wellies, the works - if you showed my neighbors these nice photos of me they would have no idea it’s that same woman down the street who is always hauling fallen palm fronds,” shared Annie.
Relaxation routine: “If I want to do absolutely nothing, I don’t guilt myself. Especially on the weekends I will gift myself a whole Korean drama series to binge and if they eat ramen, well then dang it, I’ll usually go make myself one too. Time is the ultimate luxury and it’s glorious to move slowly. I believe in the importance of downtime to recharge to counter my overdrive mode,” said Annie.
Favorite Things
Reading: While Annie may not be a book person because she reads emails and contracts all day, she loves consuming knowledge in podcast form! “I can be listening while I do other activities like yard work, driving, cooking, etc. I like to “layer” as many things at once to always maximize time and efficiency,” said Annie.
Recipe: “I read in an article (which really means I saw on TikTok) that the cornerstone of every Blue Zone diet is beans so I have been incorporating a lot more into my diet. A current favorite I have on repeat is this super easy coconut curry lentil recipe,” said Annie.
Cat toy for cat parents: “For anyone with kitties, I highly recommend this puzzle feeder so it not only slows down their scarfing down dry food but stimulates them with a brain game,” said Annie.
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