In Partnership WithMrs. Meyer's Clean Day®

This Fashionista’s Daily Rituals Will Keep You Grounded in a Crazy Year

Written by

Brooke Preston
Brooke Preston
Brooke Preston is a midwest-based writer, editor and author whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Real Simple, The Cut, Men’s Health, Paste, McSweeney’s and more. She is a faculty member at The Second City, where she teaches satire writing. Follow her on Twitter at…read more
published Dec 15, 2020
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Credit: Brandon Flowers

It can be hard to stay calm and organized in a year that’s felt anything but. But for all the curveballs virtual learning and working from home have thrown us, there is the occasional bright spot. Case in point: People across the country have saved an average of 54 minutes on their daily commutes. 

Stop right there! Resist the urge to pile more meetings and must-dos into those minutes. We believe they should be spent doing something for you. That’s why we’ve partnered with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® on the 54-minute Challenge, to find out how folks are spending their additional “me time.”

Jenee’ Naylor is a Washington, D.C.-based fashion maven who’s all about aspirational yet approachable living — as seen on her popular Instagram account, @highlowluxxe, where she films helpful beauty and style videos in a beautifully decorated walk-in closet. 

Jenee’ has an aesthetic that projects serenity, and she uses her 54 minutes to cultivate that same sense of calm for herself. “I’m an anxious person by nature, and an over-thinker,” she says. “I have to be proactive about sitting and being quiet.” Her 54 minutes are spread throughout the day on rituals and moments that help her relax and re-center.

Credit: Brandon Flowers

When she wakes up, Jenee’ begins her day with coffee and journaling. Lately, she lights a fire, makes a double-espresso, and gives the room a spritz with garden-inspired Mrs. Meyer’s Peony Room Freshener, which goes with her everywhere. Then, she sits down to write. “This year I started a gratefulness ritual: I write down three things I’m thankful for every morning.”

Credit: Brandon Flowers

In the evening, Jenee’ unwinds with a luxurious bath ritual. She lights her favorite Mrs. Meyer’s Peony Tin candle, arranged on a tray with bath salts. “For quiet time, I take a bubble bath. I recently moved into a house with an amazing tub. So that’s a new self-care ritual.” 

Before going to sleep, Jenee’ finds peace in proactive tasks like tidying her closet. While organization isn’t everyone’s idea of self-care, it helps this self-described “neat freak” find a calm, focused headspace. “I go to sleep with a clean space and wake up with a clean space. It doesn’t take long, and it motivates me to do all of these other things.”

Credit: Brandon Flowers

Most importantly, Jenee’ doesn’t sweat it if the day doesn’t turn out Instagram perfect: “How do I have grace for myself when I don’t live up to my own expectations?” she says. “Honestly telling myself, ‘It’s okay. Maybe today was not the day. But tomorrow can be.’”

However you spend your 54-minute Challenge, don’t forget to add one of Mrs. Meyer’s refreshing air care scents. Thoughtfully made from plant-derived ingredients, they’re little luxuries that help create meaningful, memorable me-time — whatever that looks like for you.