16 things I wish I'd done sooner

Better late than never, though!

1. Started using this cuticle oil pen before bed every night. I learned— somewhere, I’ve long forgotten where— that cuticle oil isn’t just good for the part of your fingers that you see, but it absorbs into the nail and works to extend the manicure in ways we simply can’t perceive with our eyes. This sounds like propaganda by Big Nail, but I promise that after doing it I can tell a difference. My gel manicure is on Week 4 and looks like it’s on Week 2.

2. Learned that in a long-term relationship you really don’t have to swing at every pitch. (If we’re honest, I still swing at more than I should…)

   

3. Started working on the first draft of my book. I get sad thinking about all the creative energy whizzing around that could have gone into this thing back when I had more time!

4. Added an easy, very wearable sunscreen to my skincare routine.

5. Switched to Element Brooklyn’s affordable and sustainable soap refills that smell like the fancy ones you see on Instagram.

6. Started lifting weights at a gym. I know, I know, this is the party line these days and it’s sooooooo uninteresting… but lifting weights at the gym made me realize all that Pilates or light weight work that I’d been doing was, well… on its own, not “enough” to build significant muscle.

   

7. To that note, and oddly specific: I wish I’d figured out a realistic and pleasant way to get more protein in sooner. For me, it’s the Gramms lemonade or peach iced tea— basically a clear powder that turns 16oz of water into an Arnold Palmer. If I’m at the top of my game, I add a little creatine and some electrolytes in the form of Clevr’s Yuzu Lemonade. A chalky protein drink is just… not for me! This feels like a fun, easy afternoon bevvie, and I can do versions with or without caffeine.

8. Stopped buying clothes for the life I wanted and started buying clothes for the life I actually have.

9. Taking Portuguese lessons 1:1 with a teacher I absolutely adore. It takes a really long time to make meaningful progress learning a language as an adult… and honestly, I’m lucky! I live with someone who will practice with me 24-7, and we do. But damn! I’m sad I missed out on what it does for my brain and the time I could have made good progress in. (I use Preply for Portuguese and have used it to brush up on Farsi in the past— 1000% recommend it, you just have to find a teacher you vibe with. This link should get you 70% off a lesson in any language.)

10. Realized that the company I started was for me— no one else. What mattered in hindsight was learning from and enjoying the process, creating things that I personally felt proud of, generating value while doing so. What I was focused on was… well, the complete opposite.

11. Been very nice to my parents.

    

12. I’ve been on a health and weight loss journey since 2023, when I got a diagnosis that caught me by surprise. It’s taken ~3 years, but I’m finally “better”— my only regret is not going to the doctor and finding out sooner, so I could’ve been healthier and happier in my twenties!

13. Gotten into matching pajama sets, which feel so much more put together and grown up than stained sweatpants. I alternate between the Whipped fabric sets from Negative and this set from J.Crew.

14. Started keeping track of what books I was reading on Goodreads. I’ve only gotten into it in the last two years!

15. On that note, I wish I’d gotten a cute Kindle case sooner. Us Kindle girlies are always missing out on the appeal of a gorgeous book cover poking out of our bag or delighting us on our nightstands. It’s just a little black tablet… this brings some of the joy and fun of it all back.

16. Internalized that not everything is urgent. I’m still working on this one, especially at work, or in wedding planning, where everything feels, erm, urgent.

    

I have the distinct feeling I’m missing more than a few and I’ll remember— of course— just after I send this to you. What about you? What do you wish you’d done sooner?