Part of my new year’s resolution (those are three dirty words, aren’t they??) this year is to start styling my hair at least a few times a week. Sean and I both work from home. Which in a lot of ways, is awesome. We get to spend a lot of time with each other and our dogs. But in a lot of ways, it can be really trying on both of us. I’m not convinced that couples are meant to spend THIS much time with each other.

But I digress. In regards to my hair resolution…Every morning, Sean wakes up with the alarm {early, might I add}, showers, dresses, has his coffee, watches 30 minutes of news and goes to his office for a solid 8-9 hour day of work. I, on the other hand, wake up whenever my body tells me the time is right (usually with cheetos stuck in my hair), and sluggishly start the day. I’ll meander out of bed, get a cup of coffee, brush my teeth, check my email…get another cup of coffee. At this point I usually start some sort of work–emailing clients back, etc. Typically, I shower around noonish. And my wet hair gets thrown in a messy bun after I put on another pair of pajamas or workout clothes. The wet bun was becoming my signature style–and let’s face it…a dripping pile of hair on top of your head is just not very cute.

So I decided to something about that. It doesn’t take long to blow dry quickly and then run a straightener through it–20 extra minutes. 15 if I wait until my hair air dries. It takes even less time to scrunch some mousse in my hair and fluff it around.  And I’ve always thought that as long as I was having a good hair day, I could wear anything, any amount of makeup or lack thereof and still be cute. So that’s been my goal. An extra 15-20 minutes of my day to be spent on my hair. A very vain resolution, I admit. But I feel more confident and on days that I’m working on writing my manuscript (and this is a very silly thing to admit, but here it goes…), I find that if I feel more put together–wearing clothes, hair done, a little mascara on–it’s easier for me to get inside of the brain of my character.

And so far so good. It’s been less than a month, I realize, but even still. I’ve been investing this time usually 4-5 days a week. Even if I put my hair in a ponytail or a bun–I just make sure it’s a styled ponytail or bun.

And what’s even better? Sean has taken notice of my effort and now he is making more of an effort to look good. Shaving more often, putting gel in his hair (which he is growing out, thank GOD!). It’s so much easier for boys, but still. I see it as a sign of respect that he appreciates me and vice versa.

Now if only I could get him to wear a nice polo shirt every now and then–I know my dad would be happier.