I’ve Tried New Things Every Week, And These Are My 10 Favorites

A little over a year ago, I got the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve always been curious about health trends, TikTok trends, celebrity lifestyles, and other activities that are supposed to hack your life for the better, but I never actually delve into them.

I know a lot of ‘trendy’ ideas can often be harmful, and the majority of things I saw online were doing more harm than good to those who tried them. But I was curious, so I kept pitching ideas of me trying and researching the life hacks that people were swearing by. 

It took off, and now I’m so blessed to have tried something new every month!

While that in and of itself is a blessing, there were some weeks that were rough (75 Hard Challenge, I’m looking at you). But there were also weeks when I started something and fell head over heels in love with it. 

As someone who’s married to routine and normalcy, it takes a lot to get me out of my comfort zone and try something new. So this week, I’m not going to try anything new, but instead, look back on my Markey Tries It top 10.

1. The Ordinary Lash and Brow Serum

I’ll admit it, I’m easily influenced. If the internet says a product is good, I want to at least try it. I tried the Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum for slightly over two weeks, and I was sold. Flash forward a month and a half later and the results are insane. 

I have seen people on the internet say that they’re opting for this serum rather than getting lash extensions, and I’m right there with them. My lashes weren’t short by any means, but this serum has made them longer and thicker, and it’s done the same to my brows. Get this product right now. I’ll wait.

2. CBD Oil

I was really skeptical about this article. There was one day when I took a little too much and almost passed out, but I’ve grown since then. Full disclosure, I don’t eat the gummies because I don’t like their taste, and the large amount of CBD oil in them gives me pause. 

That being said, I adore the hemp oil and recommend this brand to anyone who struggles with anxiety, panic disorders, or anything else. I also use the relief balm every now and then when I feel sore. The texture is a bit sticky and thicker than I like to put on my body, but it smells amazing and instantly heals any soreness. I truly believe that CBD has saved my life and definitely my sanity.

3. Opening My Hips

I love working out and stretching and releasing tension in my body. Because I work out so often, I usually deal with a ton of pain and soreness and tight muscles. I also deal with pain because of the stress I carry in my body. 

I mean it when I tell you that stretching my hips is possibly the most healing thing I’ve done for my body in the past year. I try to do hip stretches at least once a week and any time I feel any tension. 

While I don’t always do a workout like I did the week I tried them, I’ll usually sit in frog pose during The Bachelorette or make my fiancé do some weird couple’s stretch with me while we’re talking. 

If you feel like your body holds trauma, stress, or soreness in your hips, I’m begging you to try and stretch them out. You won’t regret it.

4. Scheduling Rest Time

I love my job, and I love to work. I usually measure the success of my days based on how productive I was and how much I got checked off throughout the day. Yes, I understand that it’s not healthy to work all day every day, so, back in December, I started to take my resting time seriously. 

Now I start every work day with a game plan in place and time blocked out to watch my favorite TV shows, listen to a podcast, play with my cat, or do anything else that’s not work and that gives me joy. 

This is one of the simpler Markey Tries It challenges that I fell in love with, but it’s also one of the most important ones.

5. Cycle Syncing

This article might be my favorite and the most important one I’ve ever done and researched for a Markey Tries It. I’d heard of cycle syncing before and knew it was a beast to research and figure out. To be fair, it’s low on the list because I don’t pay attention and cycle sync half as much as I should, because it does take up every aspect of your life. 

That being said, cycle syncing has helped me in so many ways. I’ve been recovering from an eating disorder for the past two years now, and when I don’t work out or I crave junk food, I’ll often go into a dark space. Cycle syncing literally explains that it’s okay not to work out, and it’s okay to eat chocolate and chips when you’re in a certain phase. 

Cycle syncing has also helped me figure out when to be productive and proactive versus when to sit on the couch and watch Bluey. If you struggle with finding a workout schedule, balancing your eating, finding a balance in your work productivity, or just being a person with a menstrual cycle (or living with one!) please look into cycle syncing. Of all the wonderful things I’ve tried in the past year, this was the most impactful.

6. The Bowl Method

This is one of the most recent articles I’ve done, but I do love it and have continued to try the method for the past month after it was already written. I have naturally wavy (read: frizzy) hair, and it just doesn’t hold a curl well, especially from roots to ends. 

While the drying time takes forever, I am fully sold on the bowl method. The one thing I don’t love about it is that my hair does feel slightly weighted down because of all the products. There is a difference in how light it is on days that I don’t use it, and there’s a huge lack of oil on days I go natural. That being said, it’s worth the slight grease, in my opinion.

7. Hair Rollers

Full disclosure, I still don’t know how to use these perfectly. That being said, they are a travel essential for me. The hair rollers heat up in literally no time, and they create stunning curls. 

The drawbacks with these rollers are that the curls don’t necessarily stay throughout the day like those with the bowl method. It’s also not the fastest way to do my hair in the morning.

I went to Disney World with my fiancée’s family and used the rollers almost every morning, and not only did the curls fall in ten minutes with the Florida heat, but I had to start my hair and makeup about thirty minutes earlier than I would’ve if I had just done braids. 

All that said, I do love these rollers and would suggest them to anyone who isn’t going to Florida and has time to let them stay in their hair for a bit.

8. 5 AM Club

Okay, hear me out on this. I have never felt more productive than the week and a half I woke up at five in the morning. That being said, it wasn’t, and still isn’t, sustainable with my current lifestyle. I outlined some issues with the method and waking up so early in the original article, so I don’t need to go over those again. 

That being said, I think waking up at five in the morning, or six, if you want to soft launch, the early morning wakeup call is good, occasionally. I love waking up early in the morning and getting all my work and tasks done for the day on heavy work days. The 5 AM club is not the highest on my list, but it’s definitely on it.

9. The Five Minute Journal

This is slightly lower on the list because I forget to write in my journal almost every night without fail. However, I love this journal. It’s made me more mindful of how I live, what I look forward to, and what I remember at the end of the day.

I think my favorite section of it is the prompt: “What would make today great?” It’s something that took me back when I first read it, and it still has that effect on me every morning. I said this in my original article, but I’ll often go through my days with a mentality of getting things done and checking off tasks. It’s not usual for me to take a step back and think about what I can do during the day that will feed my soul. 

I have gotten better at being mindful throughout the day because of this journal, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves the idea of journaling but hates the time it takes.

10. I Wrote My Venmo on My Car

I love doing this. Is it always successful? No. If I made $100 every time I went out for a drive, I wouldn’t work. But if you travel a lot in your car or make long road trips, you can’t lose with this. 

I genuinely think putting your Venmo on the back of your car is so fun because it adds an element of excitement to the long trips as well as a possible way to make money. 

It’s low on the list because you don’t always get success with this method. All in all, I think we’ve honestly made about $150 from doing it four times for four different road trips. I also feel the need to warn you if you’re doing this to check the weather. You might think a little rain is a perfect way to wash off the chalk paint. It’s not. Don’t get the chalk paint wet. You will have to wash the entire back of your car. Take a DRY paper towel, wipe it off, and then add water after it’s mostly all gone. 

All this to be said, we’re driving to South Carolina next week and we will put our Venmo on my car.

Have you tried any of these hacks? Which was your favorite? Comment below!

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