MADE Maven Special Women's Issue April 2018 | Page 34

T THE GLORY & THE GRIT LUVVIE AJAYI MADE BY JASMINE BROWLEY Luvvie Ajayi has been making us laugh with witty commentary on pop culture via her mega successful blog, AwesomelyLuv- vie.com and her New York Times best seller, I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual, a series of her thoughtful and humorous essays that offered much needed advice. Her straightforward and hilarious take on pop culture drew praise from Oprah as one of the recipients of her SuperSoul 100 list, and Shonda Rhimes, who will be developing a TV show based on her book. A jayi’s inspirational path to success has captivated us all. She recently sat down with MADE to speak to us about what she’s learned thus far and how we can all do better. IP 1: DON'T WAIT FOR THE PERFECT TIME TO START. “I think it’s important to show the climb to because everyone loves to show the success without revealing the process. I wanted to make sure I shared the challenges and my wins with my followers because I wanted to encourage them to just start, no matter where their beginning is and how rough it looks. Just begin something and build on that.” TIP 2: USE A PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO GET ORGANIZED. “My life moves at such a rapid pace that I have use organizational systems to keep everything on track. Basecamp is my favorite! If it’s not on Basecamp, it’s not happening. One of the best things that you can do for yourself on the road to success is utilize a system to keep yourself accountable.” TIP 3: GATHER A STRONG SQUAD TO HYPE YOU BEHIND THE SCENES “I know I could have never accomplished or sustained half of the things I’ve done without my support system. I have a dynamic circle of women in a group text that made-magazine.com | 34