Hot Tips To Level Up and Upgrade Your Life Amidst Chaos

Have you ever felt like life is pulling you in a million directions at once? On this episode of Confessions of a Wannabe It Girl, I share my journey navigating a life that is packed. This episode is actionable advice to help upgrade your life even when life is cuckoo for coco puffs! 

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome back to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl, the podcast helping you filter out the BS in pursuits of becoming the next it Girl. Wow, I am tired. I am operating on like four hours of sleep, yet I have to say that right now I'm in a really crazy time in my life a million things on my plate, but I've found a few things that I really wanna share with you guys. That is helping to uplift, change, upgrade my life in this crazy time.

Speaker 2: 0:30

Welcome to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl. I'm your host, marley Fregging, and I'm here to help you filter out all the bullshit and become the next it Girl. This podcast explores the reality of what it really takes to make it out there. As it turns out, it is way less Instagrammable than I thought it was going to make it out there. As it turns out, it is way less Instagrammable than I thought it was going to be. I'm still very much a work in progress, but there's simply nothing else I'd rather be doing than chasing my dreams. So let's learn from my mistakes and work together to achieve our dreams with more confidence, clarity and direction. Let's get after it.

Speaker 1: 1:03

Like I just mentioned, life is really crazy right now. In the personal sphere you know, I just came back from being out of town for 18 days, which was a huge luxury. This year I've been managing having the Pilates job. I've been stepping very much more into an associate producer role on various different projects to an associate producer role on various different projects. On top of my house is still destroyed from the rain damage back in February. I really don't want to talk about this. It's fair to say that this has been like a really crazy time. I'm just like booked in full to the brim on top of like really diving into planning a wedding, which is something I obviously want to be putting a lot of attention into as well, as you know still managing the podcast, still chasing an acting career, being, you know, hopefully a loving fiance, a good daughter, all these things, and I will say like it's just a really full time in an amazing way, like there's so many cool opportunities that I have found coming my way. And it's like a little bit without trying, because I think I have laid the groundwork for these things to come into my life and I'm super proud about it. Like I've got two short films kind of coming up that I'm working on in different respectives and I just wanted to share some things that I have found in this new level.

Speaker 1: 2:29

New devil are upgrading my life and I kind of came from being always crazy busy as a kid. My parents, being an only child, never restricted me from doing activities. I never had to pick between soccer and gymnastics because I was an only child and my parents were super supportive, so I was kind of built up to handle a lot more. Like you know, let's talk about the negative habits that I've developed from that. I eat too fast because I was always eating my meals in the car. I no cop, listen to this. I can change my clothes while driving because I was always eating my meals in the car. No cop, listen to this. I can change my clothes while driving because I was always rushing to dance practice. Eric's eyes got so big when I said that I am prepared to be busy. I always understand how to pack my own lunch, support myself from 7 am to 12 o'clock at night without having to come home and pivot. But here are the holes that I learned along the way that I wasn't fulfilling Because I'm so on the go all the fucking time these days I realized that my finances were absolutely spiraling out of control.

Speaker 1: 3:40

It was creation here, coffee there, starbucks there, because whatever I'm rushing, I don't have time to maybe make a full meal or just like whatever I'm working so hard. Of course I can buy that new outfit, the Sephora sale, whatever it may be. I was really spiraling a little bit out of control with money because I didn't have the ability to give attention to it, which is not a way to move forward in your late, to going into thirties, to be financially stable, so something I have so been obsessed with. I really wish that I could say I was sponsored by this, because I have already converted so many people to this. But I want to talk about the Capital One savings account. So Capital One has this like amazing savings account A. You can get like really good percent back I think it's something upwards of 5% back on the savings you keep on this account. So it's actually going to go ahead and start making you a little bit of money once you build up that savings account, versus coming from like a more traditional bank or the bank I still kind of bank with, but previously banked with, where I got no percent return on the savings. Like you know, it's just really a place to hold your money. But here's why I really am obsessed with Capital One.

Speaker 1: 5:06

Have you seen those videos on TikTok where they count out cash and they zip it into a folder and the folder will be like traveling savings. And then they zip out some cash, like maybe you know 320s and it's like shopping? They zip out some cash, it's like insurance and you pocket away money in each of these categories. Well, you can do that online without having to have cash. With Capital One, you can create a savings account. You make a million little different savings account, and I totally learned this from Amber from the Old Money Podcast that you can make all these different savings accounts from like, for instance, I have one that's like our HOA dues. I have one savings account that I'm building up for travel. I have one savings account that is for taking my cats to the vets. I also have fun things like I want to save up to buy a luxury bag this year when I travel to Europe. I am saving up already for my Coachella ticket next year. It is just really beneficial. So then when my paycheck comes in, I go ahead and divide it out between, each year folder, a money savings account, depending on, like kind of what priorities are coming up on my life. This is maybe not the most recommended thing but, for instance, like I have a folder in my savings accounts that is like wedding extras and you know, this weekend probably by the time this episode comes out I will have asked my bridesmaids to be my bridesmaids. So I went ahead and put a little extra money the past two paychecks into my wedding's extra saving account so I could offset buying my bridesmaids really nice gifts, so you can kind of play around a little bit with the different money.

Speaker 1: 6:53

Obviously, the biggest thing that we're all working through and I hope you guys can check out the episode with Amber from Old Money is we want to be staying out of debt. Debt ain't fun, it stresses us out and because I was so on the go, I was just constantly fighting the verge of debt or in debt, and this different method of savings accounts has really helped to change what I'm doing with my money and it's so fast and it's actually kind of fun, believe it or not. That being said, something else I think is kind of like silly and I'm probably going to be made fun of for being a little neurotic is I want to talk about, like time blocking. Now, we all know I am obsessed with the Google calendar, like I love a Google calendar, obsessed with the Google Calendar. I love a Google Calendar. Google Calendar, it almost makes me horny. It's all right there and it's so organized. Number one things. I'm going to talk a few things about Google Calendar, a few tips.

Speaker 1: 7:55

I love to color code my different calendars within Google Calendar. So, for instance, I have one for Pilates, a specific calendar for Pilates. I have a specific calendar for the podcast. I have a specific calendar for acting slash kind of entertainment. At this point I'm considering making a new one for producing, or like you know, projects. And then I have kind of like a Marley events one as well and I have them all differently color coordinated. So whenever I'm feeling like a little low in my life, like thinking like, oh, I'm not getting to my acting career enough, I can click all the other calendars off and see how much in a month I've done acting things.

Speaker 1: 8:39

A it also really helps to keep things organized when people ask you like, oh, like, are you available for something specific like a podcast recording? At this time. I just go, I click all those other calendars off. I see if I'm available for a podcast at that time. Because something else I've realized is like, just because you have the time for something doesn't mean it's the time for that thing. For instance, four o'clock in the morning probably not the best time to podcast because I'm tired Four o'clock is a drastic example but maybe like 3 pm on an afternoon after I've taught five Pilates classes, maybe not my best time to teach a or to teach again. Three hours of sleep to Pilates and podcasts both Ps, you know, just a little confusing to record a podcast because I've already been talking for three or four hours. So you know it really helps to see that.

Speaker 1: 9:34

Color coordination Also if, for my aesthetic girlies, you can come up with a beautiful color range, change them around. Currently I'm come up with a beautiful color range. Change them around. Currently I'm a little bored of my color range and my Google Calendar, so I'm thinking about changing those. Hot tip though if you're making these different calendars within your Google Calendar, for some fucking reason you can't make new calendars with the nice colors and all the color options on the app on your phone. You have to use the Google Chrome or Safari.

Speaker 1: 10:05

I don't know why that is, or maybe I just haven't figured it out yet but something I want to talk about why I'm so obsessed with Google Calendar is about a year year and a half ago, maybe two, honestly can't fucking remember I switched from having a literal write-out day-to-day school planner that we grew up going to high school and middle school half ago, maybe two, honestly can't fucking remember I switched from having a literal write-out day-to-day school planner that we grew up going to high school and middle school with to Google Calendar. And the reason it was so necessary for me to make this change is I'm moving things around all the time. Appointments get changed and I'd have to go back and I'd erase it in the weekly planner and then, on top of it, I like to see everything in a month skew as well as a daily and weekly. That was so annoying to rewrite things in three different places. So, switching to Google Calendar, I can see all of those and I only have to input it one time.

Speaker 1: 10:56

But time blocking my life has been really, really crazy. I've realized because it is so crazy it's a little harder for me to multitask and switch really quickly because I'm petering out more, I'm probably a little bit on the edge of burnout. So I've found that it is best to, you know, keep podcast things all together and then, you know, make the full switch to say acting, or you know, it's really nice to go to Pilates class and then I'll go teach it. It's just kind of keeping my brain all in the same place and sometimes I will look at my week and see I'm going from one place in acting mentally, physically or emotionally, and then I'm switching to teaching Pilates and I'm like, wow, that is really like on the system and I'll rework my schedule. So that's what I'm talking about when I'm saying time blocking, making sure things are consistent in the same amount of time. I will say there's a little bit for me a danger in going too long in one category. I, you know, tend to get a little bored, if you couldn't tell High energy need to be entertained, and so I don't know. I found that like three to four hours is about, as I'd like to stay in one category. That being said, I've talked about this before but I'm going to bring it up again.

Speaker 1: 12:18

I am absolutely obsessed with the thing you are dreading most in your day. The thing you don't want to do For me these days, I'm telling you, it is memorizing lines. I just don't want to memorize lines. I don't want to work on scripts. I'm just not into it, even though I still love acting so much. It's just it's not calling to me at the current moment to work on scripts.

Speaker 1: 12:43

However, if I don't work on it, all day, the whole day drags through and I'm just dreading this one thing I haven't done and I keep thinking, ah, I should do that instead of doing this. So why the fuck am I not waking up and doing that thing, fucking first getting it done? Fuck, am I not waking up and doing that thing? Fucking first getting it done. It's done with, it's dealt, it's taken care of, and then I don't have to spend the rest of my day guilt tripping myself or thinking I should stop what I'm doing now to go do that thing. You know, this was some advice that I got in college is, you know, wake up and do the hardest thing first, and sometimes the hardest thing is just the thing you don't want to do. It's those mundane tasks, it's that work assignment you just haven't been feeling. Get it done so you can go live your life. It's very interesting.

Speaker 1: 13:29

I was having a conversation recently about COVID our favorite topic, you know about lockdown and like who really benefited from lockdown. And I'll tell you who I think benefited from lockdown in post-COVID life People with a nine to five job. They benefited because now there's more leniency to be at home or have a at-home workday, because it kind of feels like society proved on some level we can work from home. And I'm so happy for them because it's kind of giving them the time back that maybe you know American hustle culture and other hustle cultures wasn't giving them. And I bring that up to say like our time is so precious and these people working a nine to five that now work at home, maybe you're getting a little extra time with their kids, extra time with their pets, extra time to do laundry and actually have a life. So why is the thing that you're dreading keeping you away from the rest of your life? Get that thing done so you can explore. I'm talking about uplifting and upgrading your life by just getting it done. Then you can really go enjoy the beautiful summer sunshine that seems to peak out in Los Angeles around 1 pm right now because we're dealing with May Gray, I'm just excited to see people use more lifetime, get more lifetime back those nine to fivers and you, by crossing off the thing you dread in the morning getting your time back.

Speaker 1: 15:02

And in regards to getting your time back, I want to talk about this. It seems so stupid and, I'm not going to lie, I'm not the best with it, but you know that amount of time you're sitting at the dentist's office waiting to be called in, or you're waiting in line at the grocery store to check things out, or maybe you're waiting at the pump for the gas station. And what do we do? We all do it. We lean down, we reach over, we pick up our cell phone and we go through TikTok and Instagram and whatnot. What if, instead, you really used those quick bursts of time to make important phone calls, dentists, follow up with appointments, prescriptions. Really use those weird breaks that you get in the mundane parts of life and, instead of mindlessly scrolling, keep fighting to get your time back. Answer a quick email so you don't have to do it at 7 pm after dinner, so you can go to bed or watch that episode of Bridgerton or whatever.

Speaker 1: 16:11

I could digress on Bridgerton, but I'm not going to, even though the temptation is like it's there, I can like see it. Point being is like you're going to get some time back by dealing with those things. In those little moments when you're alone waiting for a checkout point I don't mean lean over and pick up your phone, maybe while you're waiting five minutes for your friend Then I feel like you have so much potential to get sucked into dealing with phone calls or important emails while waiting your friend or something that's going to take away the presence. But if you're waiting for something that inevitably involves waiting and is just boring and just part of life like why are we not getting the tasks done that we want to and wasting so much time on social media, get that shit done and off your plate and you're going to end up getting so much more time back. That is, like, I guess, the underlying point of these two. That is like I guess the underlying point of these two things is like I'm fighting to get time back because I'm so busy and even if you're not so busy, don't you want just more extra time to like be lazy or be chill, or to not have anything on your plate and scroll through Instagram? Do you know how good it feels when you've actually gotten everything on your checklist done and every day is not going to be a check all day. I mean maybe, like I said, grew up being a very busy person and maybe this is why I'm so obsessed with this mentality, and I was also like, not as cool as maybe I think I was in high school, but I would get all of my homework done on Friday nights so that I would have Saturday and Sunday to be frolicking and guilt-free and truly be like a child. And these little micro habits of using your time instead of being on social media is kind of my essence of trying to get through the checklist and get that back. This is another lesson that I, unfortunately, have heard a little bit about. Some people that I work with or whatnot, don't do so greatly, and it's something I'm really working on improving as well, even though I actually think I'm kind of doing. It is you have to communicate to people when you're busy, like I don't know why people just like they're like, oh, I'm super busy, I'm just not going to respond when somebody's asking for, like are we still meeting at that same time or does that have that rehearsal? Pick up your phone, tell them hey, I'm so sorry. I see your text message, I'm doing this, I will get back to you. Or, like I will call you and figure it out when I can, just so they know. You know they saw it's common courtesy. I did this to Eric literally yesterday, like I was on set shooting all day for a music video and you know we're dealing with a what are we in? A theater festival? I'm like we're dealing with the theater festival right now and you know scheduling time for the podcast. Like we're both really strapped in and I know it. And I just texted him and I was like thank you so much for continuing to text me. Like is the thought, but like I can't figure, for continuing to text me is the thought, but I can't figure this out right now, and also my brain couldn't brand. I just had to call him and be like sorry, can we talk through this so I can figure out when I can be where and what needs to happen when Communication, even if you are busy, even if you are on set, even if someone is sick or unwell, just literally say, hey, I will get back to you. I see this message is a huge relief for the other people sitting on the other line and that you are heard and seen and it will get figured out. It really starts to grow like trust and continual time management. Something else I'm going to touch on today, that is you know, I think upgrading to my life and I'm really hopefully stepping a little bit into here is like not to be so scared of a pivot, a change or an upgrade. You know I worked in commercial production since 2020 and you know it was always like this is like a little side job. I'm never getting that serious into it. I'm going to be an actor and recently I'm kind of taking more producing jobs and you know there's some money in there for me. I'm enjoying it more. It's okay to have a little one two-step ball change, pivot, turn for something, because you can always pivot away as well. Which brings me a little bit to the podcast. It's fair to say that you know I've been doing this podcast for quite some time. It's not exactly where I thought it was going to be, or maybe where I wanted it to be, and I think maybe some of you have noticed that there's been a little bit of change to the formats. I'm doing a lot more solo episodes and things, and I've really taken some steps back to try to see what I want to do here and I'm not like ready to let it go. But I know there's going to be changes and pivots and instead of looking at it and being like wow, I'm such a failure for not getting to where I want to be, I'm just taking the time to readjust and see things a little differently and try things a little differently and I will say you never know when you're three feet away from gold one of my favorite quotes but don't be so scared of the pivot. I think growing older and up-leveling your life you should not stay in the same place, so it is okay to evolve. So, with that being said, guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl. I hope these few tips, personal examples, help you to up-level your life, upgrading it in the new levels, new devils and guys. We will see you next Tuesday.

Speaker 2: 22:19

Thank you so much for listening to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the show. As always, we'll see you next Tuesday.