If you asked me back in 2016 if I thought I'd still be blogging in 2018, then my answer would've probably been no. Originally I started it just for the summer to cure my boredom before developing a passion for it and wanting to continue.

I started blogging because I was inspired by those before me, who I have mentioned on a few occasions which you can find here. In a day and age where media and influencers predominately revolve around platforms such as YouTube, I wanted to begin on a platform that I could grow on at a slower rate beforehand, testing the waters if you will. I love YouTube, however at this point in my life I can't see myself vlogging my life and being the next 'Zoella' or someone who aspires to be her. I use YouTube to promote my films and only that. Blogging was something that appealed to me due to its simplicity and complexity at the same time, it allowed me to explore multiple things at once without a time constraint. Perhaps one day I'll venture into YouTube alongside my blog, but at the moment not so much.

Like I said, originally I started blogging to cure boredom but over the last 2 years it's meaning has become something so much more. In those two years this blog has achieved so much already, one of the biggest milestones was hitting 5,000 total views last year, but my plans for this blog go even more down the road of success. Currently as writing the blog is at 6,100+ total views while writing, I'm estimating that it'll hit 10,000 by the end of the year with its current growth. I want my blog to go a lot further and I hope that it will, but it'll always be about fun for me on here, and staying transparent and authentic. I'd say my blogging style has changed a lot, and is currently changing once again.

Growth happens whether we like it or not. When I first started I didn't really know what I was doing, I'm still learning to this day about what to write and what posts I prefer and what posts the readers of my blog prefer too. Change helps. Change is good. I'm personally a big fan of it. In terms of my writing style, I prefer writing longer blog posts, but it's not always possible to do so, or I'm battling writer's block. I'm branching out in terms of my blogging style, creeping into new area's that weren't originally part of my blog when I first started. This change has happened alongside my own personal growth and wanting to add things I was passionate about to my blog, and hopefully that come across in my writing.

I remember a time where I was very stressed and panicked to try positing a blog post every day for Blogmas. I wanted to challenge myself and I did. I stated last year that I wouldn't be doing it that year, however this year I'm up for it again. Maybe a little bit more relaxed this time around...maybe.

Blogging not only has made me more creative, it's an outlet when I'm stressed and it's made me more confident. Another funny little thing I've noticed is that since I've had my blog my English grade improved as did my writing, I don't know for sure if the two are linked but I'll take it. This little blog, my little space on the internet, has managed to inspire some of you which amazes me and motivates me to make more and improved content. I'm defiantly not the same blogger I once was, is anyone?

Though my blogging schedule and how I sometimes go through phrases of uploading regularly to disappearing for a while, I do love blogging and my passion for it has only grown. This year I made it one of my resolutions to spend more time on it and plan further ahead, which so far I think I kind of have. I'm still learning and always will be.

My entire blog has gone through two major layout changes in its time, the most recent this past weekend. With two new added sections further allowing my blog to grow, I can only hope that you continue to enjoy, love and support this blog as you have from day one and continue to join me on this little blog's journey to bigger things.

If you've been following this blog for a while then you may be aware of my blogging habits and how I have sometimes disappeared for a short, maybe a few months, period of time. I'm not going to lie and say that it's easy to manage a blog and three A-levels at once, because it's clearly very not. When I first started this blog I posted when I wanted too and didn't really think of an audience let alone a blog schedule. Last year my blog became more beauty and lifestyle central before I introduced film into it all. There are a lot of posts on my blog that were very rushed and I admit that I'm not happy or content with any of them, knowing full well that they're nowhere near the standard I hold for myself or what I think a true reflection of my blog posts are. This year I'm transitioning my blog into something that I can completely fall in love with, accounting for my readership and myself.

I've tried writing heavily in advance, but then I forgot to post or share them on social media and it turned into this constant cycle of forgetfulness. Before my life being completely taken over by school work and life in general. Anyone remember when I did Blogmas and I had a complete burnout? Yeah I do. I think I'm partly recovering even though it was over a year ago. That was rough. School is rough. Life is rough.  Blogging incorporates so much, writing posts are very time-consuming, let alone coming up with the content, keeping in mind making blog graphics and taking photos, responding to emails and comments. It's a very "active" hobby and passion to have. I've been lucky enough to recently connect with some of you and understand what you'd like to see me post on here and its inspired and motivated me to get this little blog back in check and running properly again.

So, why I have some motivation to do just that I thought I'd write a little list of things I've found out that work for me when I go through these little phases of not being caught up in day-to-day life when it comes to blogging.

1. COMMITTING TO ONCE A WEEK

After Blogmas and trying to post three times a week, and quickly burning out, I've recently tried to post once a week and its working for me. It means I have a commitment to keep up, and it allows me to develop quality content that you guys enjoy rather than stressing to try and get three less quality posts up in one week. Quality over quantity aye. I felt guilty if I didn't get blog posts up on time and I got bored very quickly.

I've ditched the whole 'schedule' aspect and just tried to focus on the quality, because that's the most important element at the end of the day. If I have a lot of blog post ideas and I have written in advance then there will probably be more than one a week, or if there is a time constraint on when you can post a blog post, for example a seasonal one then they'll be exceptions, but I'm not going to put unnecessary stress on myself.

2. BLOG POST MASTERLIST

Oh yes, I have one and I am constantly adding to it and coming up with new ideas. This has helped me a lot and technically my blog posts are planned until Christmas. It's very easy to not blog when you have no ideas, and fall into the pattern or in my sake habit of disappearing for months at a time. I've used Todoist for years, for school and revision lists to now my blog.

3. TODOIST

Leading on from the previous point, I use todosit religiously. I've recommended it to friends and family for near enough everything. It works a treat. I have it on my phone and my computer, it helps to have the priority feature and 'projects'. It's amazing and I highly recommend it.



4. MAKING THE TIME

What's the purpose of making a to-do list if you then don't make the time to get it all done? I always plan my revision around school hours, normally leaving blogging to the weekend where I have the most spare time and I'm relaxed, being able to get things done quicker for some reason. I think its because I don't have the constant stress of school so much surrounding me at this point of the week. Saturdays are my blogging days, predominately when I'm watching TV so I'm multi-tasking at its best. And then I don't have to think about it for a week.

5. FOLLOWING SIMILAR BLOGS

Personally, I get motivated when I follow like-minded people and blogs similar to that of mine. I loose motivation when I get heavily loaded with school work and struggle to find time to write, easily falling out of the blogging mind-set. Seeing fellow bloggers uploading frequently inspires me to do it and vice-versa, it's a wonderful community and I'm very happy to be part of it.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed, even at the end of a long day at school or on a Sunday morning, I like to take some time to de-stress and relax. We often hear about how important self-care is and how often we should do it, but sometimes it's harder to set that time aside in our busy schedules or even having the effort to do so. Sometimes it's because we don't know to indulge in self-care of where to even begin.

Self-care can involve you doing absolutely nothing if you so wish. Self-care can involve you doing whatever you want to do. Don't force yourself into doing anything you don't want too, self-care only works when you listen to what your body is telling you. I go through little phases every now and again when it comes to self-care, I mix between doing more exercise, journaling, drawing, reading, going on a short walk-whatever. I do it in that moment, when my mind is telling me too. I don't procrastinate about it. Your body needs a break every now and again, it deals with so much in your day-to-day life and it's very easy to become overwhelmed. Self-care has been proven to produce positive feelings, which improve confidence and self-esteem too.

Self-care is important for a few reasons:

- it reduces stress
- it helps your happiness
- gives you some 'me' time
- it can help you refocus

Personally, when it comes to self-care I like to do something everyday and then dedicate my Sunday evening to it too. I find this the most relaxing moment of my week and it helps me de-stress tremendously.

P A R T   O N E

Is there anything more relaxing than an warm bath? Especially at the end of a long day?


 I'm personally not a fan of candles so I rarely use them for lighting or just in general, though I have a few lying around the house. I just turn on some fairy lights in my room to give me the low lighting feel. I normally put on an episode of a series I'm watching on Netflix while I relax in the bath, trying to catch up on my favourite TV shows. In this time I do part of my body skin care routine which consists of body scrub, shaving, moisturise, exfoliate etc... and also apply a clay face mask to my problem area's on my face.


P A R T   T W O

After I get out the bath I do my hair care routine and my nails. Before I dry my hair I spray _____ into it to nourish it and help it grow, be strong and healthy.  I spray heat protector onto it before then gently combing through it and letting it dry naturally for around half-an-hour, in which I do my nails, before then finish drying it with a hairdryer.


Just before I wash off my face mask, using a warm flannel to get off the excess while my hair is drying naturally, I start doing my nails. I start off with some clear base coat to protect my nails and to prevent damage, leaving it to dry while I pick my colour of choice for the week, sometimes two. Once my nails are dried I finish off drying my hair. If I know I have something coming up in the next couple of days I'll straighten my hair or curl it before going onto part three.


P A R T   T H R E E

I'm a huge fan of the app Headspace- it's one of my saviours and really helps me clear my head and gives me some more 'me' time. I only do 5-10 minute sessions in one given sitting, otherwise I find I get a too little relaxed and nod off on the floor or something. After this, I tend to watch another episode of a show while in bed, before doing some journaling and then reading around 25-50 pages of the current book I'm reading (currently the 'Catcher in the Rye') before going to sleep.


I hope you enjoyed this little blog post. What's your favourite self-care tip?

First things first, we can all look after ourselves better. I had a little bit of a rocky start to this year, I had some health problems (all of which are being worked on and some are completely under control now) arise and it really taught me how to look after myself better. Looking after yourself seems like such a simple thing to do but in reality it can be tough to do, and at first I didn't really know where to start. I had this image in my head that I did look after myself pretty good but after a little eye-opening experience I realised that I hadn't been in the slightest.


1. Set hours in which you don't work
This one is particularly important for students or those who work from home, personally in revision season I don't work after 9pm so I can have some time to myself, whereas on normal weekdays its 8pm. I also set out hours in which I'll have family time or spend time with my friends. This really motivates me to get my work done and finished so I can have the time to relax and wind down. There sacred to me and they never change.

2. Meditation
Even jut meditating for 5-10 minutes a day can put you in a really good mood and get you ready for the day or even help you get ready for bed. I personally use Headspace (which is amazing and I highly recommend it!) but there are a lot of meditation tips and tricks an tutorials online and on YouTube. Early morning meditation increases my mood and self-awareness whereas meditating at night helps me wind down for bed and relax. Meditating can make you more positive, energetic and happy.

3. Getting enough sleep
This one I struggled with at first. I use Fitbit to help me track my sleep and it helped me to see exactly how much sleep I'm getting at night, and what type of sleep it is (Light, REM, Deep and how much time I spent awake etc.). Meditating really helped me increase how much sleep I'm getting and I've been in a better mood because of it.  More sleep equates to more happiness, better health and improved decision-making and it helps you to detox and recharge.

4. Journaling
Life can be very overwhelming sometimes and I find it helps to get everything your thinking about onto paper. I jot down absolutely anything and everything, from how I feel to to-do lists or ideas I have. It's also really cool to look back on and remember things that happened, it being a good little keepsake.

5. Yoga.
What kind of tips on how to look after yourself better, would this be if it didn't incorporate exercise? I've become a lot more active and I've turned to working out every other day which I never thought would happen. Yoga is one of the easiest ways to reset your mind and body, you can find numerous tutorials on YouTube or an apps such as Nike Training Club.

6. Happiness.
Smile. Smile more. Just do it.

7. Dance like no one's watching.
One of the first things I do when I get home is dance around my room. It helps me de-stress and improves my mood and helps me get out any energy that's going to stop me from doing my work. It can also improve body image, lead to a better outlook and is associated with a lower risk of dementia.

8. Read More.
Reading has been proven to keep the mind sharp as it ages and reading fiction books can increase creativity and a more open mind. It can also increase sleep and make us more empathetic.

9. Laugh.
Ever heard of the phrase 'laughter is the best medicine'? Laughing benefits our mental and physical health, especially when combined with exercise. It can improve our quality of life and help us connect with those we laugh with and help our relationships. I recommend watching Friends.

10. Declutter your life and room.
Did you know that clutter can stress you out? I find it therapeutic to sort through things and get my life organised. Decluttering and organising things can make us more productive, cheerful and calmer.

11. Exercise in general.
We all knew this one was coming after yoga. Exercise is amazing and my new best friend. I love it. It decreases so many things and makes you so much healthier. It's a pretty good mood lift. Exercise goes a long way to reducing stress. Just a small walk will energize you and motivate you for the day ahead.

12. Get off your phone.
In this day and age we use our phones for near enough everything, we always seem to be looking at a screen of some sort, whether that be a tablet, our computer, TV, or our phone. We're living in a virtual world and forgetting what's most important in our lives. Taking a break from social media and our screens can helps us recharge and give our brain the downtime it needs to work at an optimal level.

13. Self-care, self-care, self-care.
We don't tend to set aside times for ourselves in our busy schedules. We tend to forget that we need to look after ourselves too and not just those around us. You can read about my self-care routine here.

(Editor note: I wrote this at the very beginning of the year and never came round to posting it until now, sorry!!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone had an amazing last year, and that this year brings everyone happiness, success, love, and good health!!

I always like to reflect on the year when it comes to an end, look back on past achievements, new and old friendships and just sum it all up in a whole. However, I only ever do this in a positive way, the negative experiences I have learned from and I will take those lessons forward with me in my next step, but I don't see the point in reflecting on the negative, as I feel like it holds you back a bit.




Confidence comes when you're happy- confidence is something I've always struggled with, especially once I hit puberty. I used to be confident when I was younger before all the bitchy-ness began amongst everyone once we got to secondary school, I had a much simpler life back then. This past year my confidence has increased a lot, especially in December. Something finally clicked in me a little bit and I feel very different compared to this time last year. Not everyone is going to be pleased or happy with what you do and you can't change that, you have to accept it and move on, always be yourself and have fun! My confidence came once I was happy with who was surrounding me and what I was doing, I'm so excited to see what this year holds for me as I'll encounter a lot of new experiences this year that will most likely change who I am and let me grow as a person as I reach adulthood.



When to be silent and when to speak loud- have you ever found yourself in a position when you are debating when to stay silent and when to speak loud? I have found myself in this position a few times in the past couple of months. I've learnt that sometimes words aren't always needed and that actions do speak much louder than words. I've learnt when to bite my tongue and stay quiet and move on from situations before anything else ensures that isn't going to make any one happy that's involved.




Don't hold yourself back- I've always been a very driven person who has big dreams. This year I released some films that I had been keeping to myself for some time before getting the confidence to put them out. Filmmaking is what I want to do for the rest of my life and the response I got from my three little pieces, has only driven me further, and made me want to work even harder to get to my dream position in life. I realised through all of this that I was holding myself back, so this year I'm planning even bigger and better projects to be released throughout the year to widen my experience and pursue my passion to my heart's content.

Coming is going, and going is coming- I ended this year with only some of those whom I started with. Friendships come and go as you grow apart from people, but the people I have surrounding me now I wouldn't change for the world. Change is normal and it needs to occur in order for you to grow. Plus, it's not always a bad thing!! A lot of change is coming my way this year and I'm very ready for it and see what it has in store for me.



Cherish those that you love, you never know if you'll seem them again- I'd say this by far the most important lesson I learnt this year. You never know what's going to happen or how long you have left in this world. One day you won't be here so you have to make the most of those around you and the precious time you have on this earth. You never know when its going to come to an end. don't ever take those around you or time for granted.

You can find me on Pinterest here. As well as my quotes board here.

Every month, I make a list of some goals I'd like to achieve before the end of the month. For the last three months, I was sure to make one of those goals the development of a new habit. Something I'd tried to get the hang of before, but was unsuccessful in keeping it up after the month was over. However, since adding it as one of my goals, I've been successful in both developing these new habits and doing them every day since, without fail.

For August, it was drinking more water and doing the 30-day water challenge, which you can read about my experience with, here. For September, I took up yoga to help relieve stress and get some more activity into my routine. For October, it was working on something I loved but didn't always have the time to work on. For me, this was filmmaking. I spend at least 30 minutes every day scriptwriting, editing or storyboarding,  just generally working on improving my skills and work in that area.

Your habits are responsible for how you live your life. Bad habits can prevent you from becoming the person you aspire to be. Habits are responsible for your happiness, your health, how successful you are, just to name a few.

I first started wanting to develop new habits when I got back into health and fitness. I was curious to see how much water i was drinking, which led to me doing the 30-day water challenge. This then fuelled me to look into other areas, where I knew I could improve both myself and my lifestyle.

There a few ways to develop new habits; one of which is a habit tracker. You can find these all over the internet, I personally used Tumblr to find the one I used, or you could make your own. These are amazing for tracking multiple habits at one given time, especially if your main goal is something little like making your bed every day.
In order to make one of your own, you need to number 1-30 or 1-31, depending on the month you're starting, with the name of your goal down the left hand side. As I said before, habit trackers are the best at tracking multiple habits at one given time.

Credit: http://www.lifeonwaller.com/free-printable-daily-habit-tracker/

In order to develop and track a new habit you need to do a couple of things:

Credit: Pinterest

Over the month of August, I did the 30-day water challenge, in aim to keep my hydration levels up and out of pure curiosity, what drinking more water would do for my body and skin. It was hard but it was so worth it at the end. I drank over 4.5 litres a day and I did stick to it after but then I had one crap day and I stopped.

One thing that came out of the challenge, was me becoming more aware of how much water I'm drinking each day, not counting any other form of liquid, such as lemonade, fruit juice, hot chocolate etc. Just pure water.

On average, I drink around 2-2.5 litres a day. After a little bit of research recently and a little consultation with my doctor, I found out that I should be drinking around 5 litres a day, 5.3 litres to be exact. And that's a lot of water.
This month I wanted to partake in the challenge again, drinking just water, for 30 days. This time around I'm challenging myself to hit the 4.5 litre mark every day, yet again. Which acquaints to 135 litres of water at the end of the month. Now, that is a lot of water.

What is the 30-day water challenge?

The aim of the challenge is to drink between 64-150 ounces of water, per day. This equates to between 1.8-4.2 litres.

How do you do it?

You can start the challenge at any time, but personally I think it's best to start it at the beginning of a month as it helps you to keep track and stay on target. Before beginning the challenge, I'd measure how much water you drink daily, over the course of a week, to find out your average intake. If your drinking about 2 litres a day, like I was, then I would recommend trying to drink around 3-4 litres per day, during the challenge.


What are the benefits of drinking more water?

Just to name a few:
- Increase in energy and relieves fatigue
- weight loss
- flushes out toxins
- improves skin complexion
- maintains regularity with digestion
- headache remedy
- boosts immune system
- prevents cramps and sprains
- mood booster
- prevents cancer
- less joint paint
- helps maintain the balance of body fluids
- helps to control calories
- energizes muscles
- helps your kidneys

Before and after results (from when I did it in August)

Like I mentioned earlier, I first did this challenge over the summer in August. I first started noticing results 3 days in to the challenge, my skin cleared up and became smoother and I was generally feeling much more energized than I was before the challenge, when I was drinking around 2 litres a day.

I have sometimes problematic combination skin, with dry spots prone to eczema, especially in the colder months of winter, whereas in the summer it becomes very oily. After the challenge, my skin was very smooth, and I no longer had any trace of eczema and/or dry spots on my chin, around my eyes and cheeks.

Not once over the course of the month did I have a headache, which was very rare for me. I normally get at least one or two when I'm stressed. In addition to this, I was more energized, I was waking up earlier naturally, and I was getting through the day with less sleep, and I had never felt better.

One of the things that attracts people to this challenge is the benefit of weight loss. Yes, this did happen to me, but it wasn't my reason for doing the challenge. The reason for weight loss when you begin drinking more water, is because sometimes your body is unable to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. Drinking more water makes you less hungry, your appetite goes down significantly. I lost five pounds over the month, with no increase in exercise, purely from drinking water and as a result eating less.

I would recommend this challenge to anyone, especially if they were wanting to drink more water. Obviously, not everyone will be able to consume over 4 litres per day, every day, due to a lot of factors, so please don't feel pressured to try and do so. Start drinking a little bit more every day to help you ease yourself into it, it helps I promise.
I shall be back at the end of the month to update you all on doing this the second time around and to see if there were any more changes in my body.

Hello! It's becoming a little bit of a trend,  that I begin my blog posts apologizing for my absence in recent months. I also know I've said this a couple of times before, but this time it is for definite. After a little time away, I'm back. I thought the most fitting first blog post back, would be a little life catch up on everything that's happened in the recent months.

The biggest change in my life has been starting year 13, my final year of sixth form and secondary school. It's been a little strange if I'm honest. I had my final last day at the school I've been attending for the last 6 years. I started and finished my application to university, after attending numerous open days and drafting and re-drafting my personal statement a few times, with the help of my teachers. The workload hasn't quite yet stepped up from year 12, but I know for sure, after half-term it will, as everything seems to kick off in those 6 weeks after Halloween and before Christmas, a.k.a my favourite time of year.


Just before I went back to school, pretty much 3 days before we went back, I released a little short film, the first in its series about the struggles of suffering from mental health and it affects you. The reaction to it was insane, I was overwhelmed with such a positive reaction, being flooded with messages from people I'd never met or knew very well that shared mutual friends with me; telling me how my little film helped them explain to loved ones, with how they're feeling and what they're going from. The point of the film was to give those who didn't know what they were suffering from, a voice. I'm extremely proud to say that it did just that.

I shall be doing a blog post about the process of making Ango, which you can watch here. 



Now, in regards to blogging it took me a little bit of time to get back into the running of things and I had a little bit of writer's block over the summer. I wrote some things and decided to scrap them as I just didn't like them any more. A little while ago, I added a 'Film' section on this blog, as it's something I'm extremely passionate about and I wanted a space to discuss issues and debates in the film industry on here. I'm writing in bulk, which I have done many times before, as this is the best way for me to get blog posts out regularly and on time, leading me up to the next school break, in which I can write in bulk again. In terms of structure, I shall be posting at least three times a week on here, with some festive blog posts making their way on here very, very soon.
Last year I did Blogmas. While it was amazing it was also extremely hard to keep on top of, and to continuously create content that was enjoyable to read and that I loved, in such a short space of time. This year, I won't be doing 'Blogmas' in the same format. I will still be posting Christmassy blog posts but not every day. They'll be more regular than the three post a week schedule that will occur leading up to December and afterwards, probably at around 4-5 blog posts a week instead.

October is 'Spina Bifida Awareness Month'. I've never really told anyone, other than those close to me about my diagnosis with Spina Bifida Occulta. At the time of my diagnosis, it wasn't affecting me much. I got extremely lucky with my type of Spina Bifida, being the most common form of Spina Bifida and the least severe. However, in recent months I've been suffering from the symptoms again. Sadly, its suffering that comes with it, and it has affected me before. It was after all, how I got diagnosed. As it is the awareness month, I'll be posting a more in detail blog post about my diagnosis, what it is, how its diagnosed, and how you can help raise awareness and support those suffering from it. It is one of the most common birth defects, yet it's rarely talked about, even though it has devastating consequences for so many children. That will be up within the next week or so.

Can we call this a new chapter, here on my blog? I apologize once again for being so inactive, I needed a little of time to think about both the direction of this blog and to settle into my new school routine and begin to find the balance between school work and fitting in everything else I do, in terms of hobbies, filmmaking, blogging etc.

So, here's to a new beginning on this blog.

It was my birthday last month, my seventeenth to be exact. I've picked up a little bit of knowledge along the way, as well as some wisdom. To celebrate this new year of my life, I wanted to write a little blog post that I've seen floating around the internet for a while now. I've found it quite interesting to see what other people have put down for the 17 things they've learned in 17 years and I wanted to give it a go myself...

1.  "When a door closes, you have two choices, give up or keep going." - Rihanna

2.  Negative people exist and you don't need them in your life. Surround yourself with positivity and what or whoever makes you happy.

3.  Love who you've been given the privilege too.

4.  Find the balance between work/play/rest.

5. Laughter is one of the best feelings ever.

6. Trust your gut.

7. People who are confident enough not to care, should be taken note of.

8. Every problem, has a solution. Other than death.

9. Make yourself you're No.1 priority. You have to do what's best for yourself. That's ok.

10. No one is going to stop you from doing what you love. It's not up to anyone else. It's your choice.

11. Be the person you wished you had when times were rough.

12. Wearing makeup and using an instagram filter doesn't make you beautiful. Your character does.

13. Surround yourself with creative, funny, smart, caring and good people. You deserve it.

14. You have to learn to accept yourself.

15. Don't let someone structure your life.

16. Change is too evolve. Without it, there's no life.

17. You can do anything you put your mind too. Stop stopping yourself from achieving it. Get some motivation and dedication and kick your own ass into gear.

If you're anything like me, then you like to stay organised. I have to admit that I do have more than one calendar hung up in my room, just so I can always have a clear plan of my month ahead. However, staying and becoming organised isn't as simple as it may seem. I can't count how many times my to-do lists have become messy and I started another one and the process repeated itself or how many times my calendar has become overwhelming.

I wanted to do a blog post on how I stay organised with everything and give you guys some tips so you can be organised too!



To-do lists:

For me, to-do lists are life savers. I use them for everything and I make them on anything I cant get my hands on, the majority of the time in my bullet journal and if I'm out the house then on my phone. However, you have to keep them reasonable. For example, don't have 50+ things on your to-do list )slight exaggeration, but if you do that's impressive), consolidate them down a little. Once you've done that, prioritise everything on your list. After this, complete the first 1-5 before even beginning to worry/ stress over the other items on the list. Repeat the process until everything is done. 

To-do lists are amazing for giving you a hard copy of everything you have to do and get done. It helps a lot to have a visual representation in front of you, instead of just having a mental to-do list. If you aren't much of a list maker then I suggest at least jotting down the top 5 things you have to do and get done.


Prioritize:

As important as this step is we can't predict what interruptions might pop up that could obstruct our priorities. This makes re-prioritizing just as important as prioritizing. An example of this was, that my media coursework was my main priority for a while due to its due date, however, once I had catched up with everything that I had to do I realized that I was falling behind in English. English then came my priority once my media coursework was handed in.


Organizing binders:

I'm an a-level student which means that I have a lot of paper with notes on that I have to organise into their designated subject folders and a lot of things I have to learn; so having my binders organised is such a HUGE help. I group things into different sections and texts I study so it's easier for me to look back over and revise from. Everything has a place and is easy to find, compared to that of a folder which is quite the opposite- which would probably take twice as long to find the same piece of information.


Planner:

This is the same as a bullet journal just a lot more structured and concise. My school provides us with one at the beginning of the school year to help with school events and homework. Planners are so helpful for keeping on top of deadlines and school schedules. I really recommend that if you are in school and you don't have a planner then you buy one, or make your own on OneNote, for free.


Keeping schedules and making deadlines:


I hat wasting time, I always want to be doing something and be productive at least. Keeping things organised goes alongside being productive like the numbers 1 and 2. Making deadlines and keeping to schedules and making to-do lists for everyday and for the week ahead makes me 100x more productive and more likely to get everything that I need to done. By setting goals and sticking to them you're speeding up the progress between you and your main goal.


Don't procrastinate

I know we are all very guilty of coming home from school and spending an 1 or 2 on our phone unlike the 15 minutes we had planned on the journey home. I've found for me personally, that the longer I leave a task, the harder it is to complete and the stress that comes with alongside it. I've prevented this as much as I can through organising everything that I can and getting the task done quicker. What gets me through procrastination and starting on my to-do list is the list of goals I have on my pin board above my desk, being my main motivation to get things done.


Everything having a place to stay

This is the most common form of organisation and the easiest to accomplish. Everything I have is organised by type of item and how frequently I use it. For example, all my stationary is organised next to my desk and easy to reach when I need it. When organising don't make a space really overcrowded or cluttered, that's just defeating the purpose of organising in the first place.

Motivation is what keeps us going. Energizing, maintaining and controlling our behaviour in whatever we do in life. The role of motivation is to continue pushing us so are the best possible versions of ourselves, to achieve in life and to keep us there.

For me, my exams are approaching quickly, much faster than I would like, and motivation is vital in order to get me through to the end of all the revision and planning and preparation, which will hopefully all be worth it in the end.

Due to this, I wanted to write a blog post on how to get and stay motivated for anything in particular.

HOW TO GET MOTIVATED:

- Set small but realistic goals. Achieved it? Set the bar higher and repeat the process.

- Practice small compassion; productiveness relies on you and your feelings. If you have an unproductive day don't beat yourself up about it. Sometimes you wont be able to do any work in one day, that's totally fine and normal and acceptable. Work at your own pace and refer back to the first note being set small goals. If you don't do the work on one day just move it to the next working day, everything will be fine, don't forget it.

- Envision your future. If your goal is to revise two topics in one evening for example, imagine how you might feel after you finish those couple of hours with revision, with your breaks included. Will you be happy? You might because you've done something that can be ticked off your to-do list. If you cant find the motivation to get out the textbook and revise, imagine how you might feel once you've done the exam and then how you might feel on results day when you get the grade you wanted.

- Believe in yourself- this if the first step for most things. Think of yourself in the best possible light and you will achieve great things, block out any negativity that comes your way, because seriously who really gives one about what other people think about you. How you perceive yourself is the most important thing and those who are below you will try and bring you down and you have to block them out, I know its hard but its something we all need to be able to do in order to succeed.

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED:

- Positivity- we're at our most unproductive when we're in a bad mood. Procrastination is a mood managing technique broken down into little sections. Happiness increases productivity and makes you more successful. Positivity links to optimism. If you're not optimistic, monitor your progress and celebrate it. Nothing is more motivating than progress. Ticking off one thing on my to-do list makes me motivated and makes me more productive and get the work or task done.

- Reward yourself- rewarding yourself feels good. Research shows that rewarding yourself is responsible for 75% of the things in which you do according to Dickens too. Treat yourself when you complete a homework assignment or when you finish your revision for the day. Personally, for me I like to treat myself to watching an episode of the Netflix show that I'm currently watching in the evenings after I've done everything that I wanted to for the day.

- Peer pressure- the good kind is the best kind of peer pressure. Surround yourself with people who you aspire to be. I've been brought up around some of the strongest, most independent and hard-working women I know and that is what I aspire to be. The people you associate yourself with are a key part in the person in which you become. Looking back on things, I have certainly adapted some of my friends habits, them all being good ones with have helped me grow as a person and an individual and I don't think they even noticed, I certainly didn't until recently. I'm incredibly lucky to have the friends that I do and they're all very amazing in their own way and I know they will all aspire to greatness and go on to be what they want to be.

-Stay active- I recently touched on a healthy lifestyle in one of my recent blog posts. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to a lack of energy which will then affect your motivation. Try and attempt to do something pro-active at least once a day, could be a short walk down the road and back if you'd like.

-Light- It's hard to be motivated in a dark room, get in as much natural light as you can. It makes it easier to be productive and stay motivated. All the activity happening outside will also make you more active, referring to the step above.

-Goals- you're not going to work towards something if you don't have a goal, especially if there's no aim at the end of it. The best way to start making goals is to make them small and strategic in order for you to achieve the 'big' goal at the end. You need to be able to visualize your goal down to the very last detail; see it, feel it, hear it, visualise the end of it.

- Make a list of the reasons why you want to accomplish the goal- write your list down with a pen, it helps to reinforce it. By writing it down with a pen, you're helping to engage your brain more within the activity and making a stronger mental connection to the task.

-Chunking- this is making your main goal into smaller goals, as I mentioned above; otherwise known as 'chunking'. By completing a smaller goal you're one step closer to the main and bigger goal. You're less likely to succeed if you set one main goal and try and complete it. In addition to this, you're going to be overwhelmed if you try and do it in one instead of breaking it down.

When I first started working out and trying to loose weight, I was under the impression that I couldn't eat any of the junk food that I did at the time. That I had to eat healthy all of the time in order to loose weight. Boy, was I wrong. Looking back on that time when I started to really care about my health and what I was putting in my body, its safe to say that I didn't really have a clue, I'd never been taught that you could still eat the food that you wanted while working out, you just needed to cut down on how much you consumed.

Now, you're probably thinking, what even is the 80/20 rule that you mentioned in the title of this very blog post?

Well.. the 80/20 rule is all to do with balanced eating. To put it simply, the majority of the time, the 80%, you eat healthy, while the other 20% you eat can indulge in as much chocolate, cake and other  food as you'd like. You're not on a diet because you're not cutting anything out, instead just making a healthy habit.

For me personally, I try and eat healthy Monday-Friday and then over the weekend I indulge.

When I first started I counted every calorie, after working out what my daily intake should be, and it made the process a whole lot more stressful than it should've been. You want to make loosing weight fun and enjoy it, not see it as a chore as I originally did. It's not healthy to obsess into great detail about how many calories you are consuming and where those calories are coming through.

I cut everything considered 'bad' food out of my diet within a couple of days, declining chocolate which I LOVE to say the least and it sent my body into a state of shock. Instead of loosing weight, It stayed on despite working out and eating healthy simply because my body didn't know what I was doing or what to do. However, once I had the tiniest bit of chocolate, something clicked inside of me and I started loosing weight at a very healthy pace and within the recommend time period.

I thought that by consuming anything that wasn't meat, fruit or veg, everything I was doing in terms of fitness would go to waste and that I would've ruined anything that I had done since I made the commitment.

I wanted to loose weight the healthiest way possible, but what I was doing wasn't healthy until I introduced the foods I loved back into my diet in smaller portions. I was very aware before I even started working out that quick-fixes wouldn't work and I wanted to loose weight in a time span that was flexible and adaptable for me and one in which that was recommend to be the safest and healthiest way.

I didn't think about cheat days or cheat meals once when I first started. I did when the cravings began after around two weeks of being healthy and not even touching any food that I knew I wasn't supposed to indulge in because I didn't want to lose the progress I had made and how far I had already come.

I promote healthy eating as much as I can, as much as I promote indulging every now and again in the foods that aren't *healthy*.

Why you should give up on dieting-

Most people who start I diet, fail in the long haul. They're not realistic, sustainable and are not customised to an individual person, instead based on someone's idea of what a diet should include. Being based on restriction and denying yourself, punishing yourself to say the least, of your favourite foods. If you're anything like me then you don't want to being following a fad idea decided by someone sat behind a desk or being decided by the health and fitness industry.

You want to work on yourself with the intentions of sticking to healthy eating and living for the long haul not for a month or two. Listening to your body will be the biggest help you could ever find for this.

I have always loved fruit and veg, having it everyday either as a snack or most commonly with my dinner. Yes, there are fruits and veg that I don't particularly like but I stick to what I know both myself and my body likes and I always feel better afterwards.

I don't think I've ever had a McDonalds or some other form of takeaway and have felt good afterwards. I always feel a bit sluggish and worn down and a bit tired, and I now know that's because I'm not giving my the body the nutrition in which it needs.

I'm not saying you have to have a salad for every meal you ever have for the rest of your life! I'm saying that you need to make sure your plate holds everything your body needs in order to be healthy. You can still have a McDonalds, but if you have it more than once a week, cut it down to having it only on a Friday night for example, and then start cutting it down even more so as time goes on and you get more comfortable with everything that you are doing.
The best example I could provide of this would be whenever you are next at a restaurant order the healthier option and see how you feel afterwards and then compare it to what you felt like after having something that was so high in calories.

If you give up on dieting and focus on building a healthy lifestyle you will get where you want to be, a faster pace in most cases-which is the better and healthier way might I add.
Your body will adjust over time to what you put in it, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be for me to cut out things like sweets and cookies at the beginning. Once you start eating more protein, nutrients, vitamins, veggies etc. and start feeling more energized, it changes your everyday life and it makes working out less of a chore to be doing, because it isn't.

The indulgences you have are allowing yourself to still have the food that you love without feeling guilty about it because you've earned it. I don't feel bad if I decide to have a Chinese on a Friday night at the end of my week because after all we only have one life.


Why indulgences are important and key-

No one is perfect. No one. You have to accept it.

Aiming to eat 100% perfect all of the time is a ridiculous idea because only a select few of people will actually stick to that plan. You need to allow room for indulgence and the sugary tasting things in life. You need to expect that at some point you're going to need the indulgence in order to keep progressing with your workout plan and general health.

By indulging on the weekends you're less likely to binge eat away everything you've done and increasing your chances of keeping all the weight off.

Perfection makes people go off course and eat everything that comes in sight of them because they've been restricting themselves of the things they've loved for days on end. Don't aim to be perfect, aim to be the best version of yourself.

Cheat day-

Having a cheat meal/day isn't going to kill you. It helps a lot especially when you first start trying to loose weight and begin working out and you develop the cravings of the foods you love. It's approaching Easter and all of the Easter eggs have begun lining the shelves of all the local supermarkets. My family brought a couple of Easter eggs and I indulged in beginning to eat one of them, a quarter of one to be precise. I didn't feel bad about it at all because I eat healthy 80% of the time.

The media doesn't help to fight the stigma surrounding the 80/20 rule, but the best way to get past it all is remembering that social media in most cases only shows the best parts of someone's day- some being incredibly staged and planned and oh so perfect.

Don't deprive yourself, it only makes it harder and you're not dooming yourself by indulging every now and again.

Balance, balance, balance-

It took me a while to find my balance, everyone is different. Life is about balance. Work is about balance. School is about balance. Everything and anything is about balance. You need to find what works for you.

Yes, you want to be able to live a strong and healthy life and be able to eat healthy every second of every minute of every day for the rest of your life, you want to be able to actually, you know... live.
That means having that entire pizza to yourself  (come one we've all done it at least once or twice).

That is after all, what the 80/20 rule is about and what it allows you to do.

Aiming to be healthy 80% of the time gives you the room to enjoy yourself that little bit more and still be sane at the end of the day. It allows you to be adventurous and try new things and not get bored of the same old same old while aspiring to be perfect-which I've already mentioned, no one is.

Once you stop obsessing over every little detail, loosing weight actually becomes fun and enjoyable (I know for a fact that there is someone reading this thinking 'how can loosing weight be fun', that's for another blog post my friend). Enjoying life is about freedom and that's what this rule gives you.

Friendship: the quality or condition of being friends.

Friendships are generally amazing- friends being the non-biological family in your family tree. Having someone there to talk to through all the good and bad times, through thick and thin and someone always being there for you.

However, sometimes friends may be just 'friends' and at first everything is good and nothing's wrong, but once you look a little closer you notice all the little cracks which eventually turn into one big crack. Or the 'friend's' that are poisonous and over-time make you feel worthless and not your true self at all.

I experienced this lot over the last two years, being part of a group that I didn't feel 100% apart of, thinking I had a group of friends that I could talk to but weren't actually there for me in my time of need like I was for them, and actually made me feel worse overall. I could go and write a full blown essay on every little thing that happened, and what made me distance myself from those type of people but I won't because I've risen above it and moved on and grown as a person because of it.

Instead, what I will do is write a blog post on how to spot 'fake friends' from the get go, a list that I know would've come in handy a while ago. No one should ever have a fake friend, it's not a nice thing to experience, your friends should be there for you and support you not the opposite. So here's a little list on what a fake friend does:


- expect you to drop everything you're doing when something happens or goes wrong but when you're in the same situation, they won't bat an eyelid and brush you off.

- they'll only hang out with you when it suits them or they'll only make plans when their 'better' plans fall through.

- if you are in need of some space, a real friend will let you have it and not bad mouth you behind your back.

- they don't support you in everything or anything that you want to do. A real friend will be there for you every step of the way.

- they'll make every thing about themselves and how it benefits them instead of you when something big happens.

I don't know about you but when I was younger I couldn't wait to be 16. I used to think it was the perfect age to be- you leave school (formal education at least), nearly able to drive and you're also that one step closer to being able to move out and go explore the world. Oh how times have changed.

Once you hit 16 you really want to be 18 and then once your there you want to be 21. The majority of my friends are 17 or are turning it very soon, with them all learning to drive. Not me. I have another 5 months before i turn 17 and i can even think about driving. Don't even get me started on the insurance rates.

One thing I've learned from being 16 is that adults begin to treat you like adults but you're still a kid to them. It's feel no different to being 15-except that school becomes more stressful and I'm beginning to look into how much everything is to do, i.e. learning to drive, university etc.

I'm nowhere as near as independent as I'd like to be because of the law, relationships are a bitch, one word-DRAMA, I need my own income but I don't have the time to get a job alongside school and extra curricular, and sometimes one little mistake can make you feel that the world is going to come crashing down in an instant. It won't. It never will.

Reasons why being 16 isn't all that bad include:

You don't have to know what the rest of your life is going to be like. You have time to decide what you wanna do, if you want to go on to further education, or if you want to take a gap year.

UCAS hasn't come knocking on my front door yet.

Metabolism- this deserve's its own praise, it's going to take a while all of the McDonalds to catch up with you.

We still have the rest of our lives to do all the boring stuff so we can enjoy this wonderful age while we can.

You will have the longest summer break in your life after GCSE's are finished. Trust me it'll be awesome.

16 is the year of weird relationships. Some people you thought you would be friends with life for (well-at least another 2 years) turn out to be someone you'll never talk to again after you realise your 'friendship' isn't that great after all and you learn that letting that friendship go is ok, because thats just life. This year I've reconnected with a lot of people and I couldn't be more thankful for it.

You're not an adult yet. All that responsibility can wait another year or two before it can even think about coming at me.

16 defiantly has it's ups and downs. You'll be happy to know there's a lot more ups then downs. At the moment I can't wait to be 17 (Alessia Cara reference, what up?)(Superwomen reference.). At the end of the day 16 has been a lot better than I thought it would be-even if I do complain about it sometimes.

First off, how on earth is it 2017 already? Last year went in the blink of an eye I swear. Second of all-HELLO! How are you? How was your Christmas and New Year? Mine was full of a lot of naps after eating a bit too much, friends and family and a lot of good TV.

In-between the awkward little stage between  Christmas and New Years I sit down and make a list of my new years resolutions to say the least. Last year I managed to succeed in doing all 5 which I'm very proud of. SO I wanted to add a few more to the list this year and tell you wonderful lot why its important to set goals for yourself and how to stick to them.

Setting goals gives me a plan to follow, something to aspire too, set in small baby steps, which I tick off as I go.  Just making one minor change in your daily routine can lead up to some pretty big results. I've always found that setting goals, as small as they be, take me one step closer to my end goal. Their essential to your development and success.

This may sound really sad to some BUT i really like setting goals. Having that guideline there makes me so much more productive and gets me started on that road to success. I know that the vast majority of goals set for the new year is the whole new 'new year, new me' thing and 'this year I'm going to become healthier, I'll start working out and eating healthy'. HAHAHA no. I know so many people who did this and gave it up within a couple of days. I think its because a lack of motivation, and the goal being too big. If they were to put them down into smaller goals then they would be a lot more achievable. For example-'I'll only east junk food 3 days a week, and then once I've done that I'll only eat junk food on the weekend'. It's not good to cut junk food out completely because you still need that balance (I'm going into  awhile other post right now-expect that within the coming months!! Hint hint!!).

I'm babbling again, aren't I? Sorry. Bit of a bad habit of mine. Like many years before I've written down some goals and I wanted to share them with you. Mainly so you can keep me accountable if i tend to wonder off within the next month. One of them I haven't put into action yet (but i will tomorrow!!). Have to say, there a lot more realistic and smaller than last years but if I can stick with them all one year, I can do it again!

So...here are my 2017 goals/new years resolutions.