April Resolution

Apologies for the late post. I know we're well into April now, but I haven't forgotten about my monthly resolutions! The March resolution was more difficult than you'd think. My plants died...more than once...

I ended up deleting the app, because honestly, it pissed me off! I had notifications all day, I wasn't drinking as much water as I should have, but I was drinking a lot more than I used to! I made a conscious effort to grab water whenever I could, and I still am to be fair! It was difficult for me to keep up with the app, but I'm still being a bit better with my water intake! Just not as strict as the plants would want me to (RIP Ivy and Dandy)

April so far has bought me a dry spell with the blog post inspiration. I was so happy last month, because I was bubbling with ideas, and managing to post more consistently than before. I'll admit that's dwindled over the past few weeks, and that makes me feel so guilty! I want to be consistent and watch my little blog grow and progress. That's why this months resolution is...

Take more time out for blog planning

I'm going to try and get myself a bit more organised, and plan a little better with posting. I need to learn how to organise my time a little better, and it will more than likely take longer than a month to get there, but that's what I'm going to kick start this month!

I definitely need a change in routine, and hopefully that will reflect in my future posts. If any of you fellow bloggers have any tips and tricks, please share. I would love to hear any ideas

Thank you for reading :) 

March Resolution

Wow this year is going by so fast! I can't believe I'm already on my third monthly resolution. Progress report on the February resolution is positive. I get a word of the day every day, and seeing as it's on my phone, I rarely forget to check it! I think one thing I can take away from doing this little monthly challenge, is that when you're trying to make a change in your life, like a new diet or trying something new, try and incorporate it into your daily life/routine as best you can. You need to be realistic when it comes to setting goals, so by adapting it into something you normally do, rather than completely changing your lifestyle, you're more likely to stick to something.

So February saw me stressing quite frequently, and money budgeting like crazy. This has lead to one of the worst breakouts I've ever encountered, a poorly Lauren, and general sad times. My March resolution will be one that contributes to my health and well-being. It is one that I NEED to get under control, and I'm hoping in a month I will notice a real difference, not only in my skin/general health but in myself (naw). My March resolution is:

Drink more water

This might seem very simple, but I don't drink enough water. Working in an office, when someone says 'do you want a drink?', I would much rather have a lovely hot mug of tea or coffee. If it comes down to the choice, it's a no brainer, but I need to learn to ditch my beloved caffeine for something healthier.

"How will you make sure that you do this Lauren?" I hear you ask. Well as you know, I like to think that an app can solve all my problems, so I have downloaded a handy little app called 'Plant Nanny'. This amazingly cute invention, is a water reminder app, that takes the form of a little plant who needs water to survive. You need to look after it by giving it water, and in turn you're supposed to have some water too. This is like a Tamagotchi that makes you healthier, what could be better!? Although you can't play with your plants, you just give them water to live, and in reality it's no where near as fun.

I know what you're thinking! "Well what if you forget about your plants?" Well if you're like me, and you can't leave any sort of push notification messying up your home screen, then that's a pretty good motivator to drink some water. If you have a life, and don't worry about that sort of thing, then the app does send you reminders. This may annoy you, but if you don't want an app to run your life and tell you what to do, then don't download it. I, on the other hand, am a slave to apple, and will do whatever they say.

Also as pathetic as it sounds, one of the first days I'd spent using this app, I went on one morning to log my first drink of the day, and because I'd been bad the day before, it was sad/dying, and I FELT GUILTY! I mean, it broke my heart to see my virtual plant dying because I'd been slacking on my water. I do realise how sad this is, don't worry.

So that's my March resolution. Let me know if this is something you try and do, and how you manage to keep up with drinking enough water!

As always, thank you for reading!

February Resolution

Well January is officially done and dusted, and I am welcoming February with open arms. I like that we can finally get into a bit of normality by not feeling the pressure to be healthy, lose weight, or generally be better people through the January post-Christmas guilt. Having said that, here is my monthly resolution update!

So for the month of January my resolution was to put my phone away when in social situations. This resolution was HARD! It was particularly bad when whoever I was with was on their phone, and I was sat there like an addict in recovery thinking ‘you can get through this, stay strong, you don’t need the phone’.

I can’t say hand on heart that I've stuck to this religiously. There are times when you just NEED the phone, whether it's to rant about celebrity big brother, or if something's kicking off in the group chat. I do feel however, as though it has done me a lot of good to put the phone down when I'm with people. It has made me more mindful of being in the moment with someone, rather than off in phone land.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my January resolution. It’s been tough at times, but definitely worth doing. I’d recommend a month of phone isolation for those of you who are a bit addicted like me (only when you’re around others, I'm not completely insane).

Now on to my February resolution! This may be something that you could try, depending on your job and if it’s relevant to you. I work in a large business, specifically in procurement. I started at this job in September, and one thing that has been really difficult for me (other than finding the will to get out of bed in the morning to go to said job), is the vocabulary that is used in meetings, memos, etc. Sometimes it’s like trying to decipher another language entirely. That’s why my resolution for February is:

Develop my business vocabulary 

(Wow, this looks really boring when you put it in writing)

I downloaded the app ‘Business Dictionary’ which is free on the app store. This app gives you a term of the day, so I plan to use this daily throughout February to try and develop my business vocabulary and sound like I know what I'm talking about at work.

Hopefully this is one that I can get into the habit of learning as I go along. If you work in an office or a business environment, then this could be really useful for you! Let me know if this is something that you would try. Alternatively, you could get a normal dictionary app, and still learn a word of the day. Is it just me that finds a strong and varied vocabulary a strangely attractive quality?

How to actually stick to New Year's resolutions

So I try not to set concrete resolutions every year. I always say I'm going to 'try' and do something, because I can be such a fickle person, and lose interest in things very quickly!

I heard about this idea, where you don't set a bunch of resolutions to do all year, but you think of 12, and then do one monthly. I thought this was brilliant, one because I think a month is a good amount of time to set yourself to try something out, and by giving yourself an end date you're more likely to see it through until the end of the month.

I'm not 100% sure what my resolutions will be throughout the year, but my January resolution is going to be:

Put your phone away when you're around other people

I am so guilty of being with my boyfriend, my friends, and my family, and being on my phone. I've been on the receiving end of it, and it is one of those things that does annoy me, particularly when you're trying to talk to someone and they're straight up blanking you because they're doing something on their phone. I feel like I can't really say anything though, because I do it too! But for one month, I'm going to put my phone away in social situations. I really hope that I learn something from this months resolution, and that it kinda sticks with me somewhat throughout the year. Only time will tell!

Do you believe in resolutions? If so, have you got any? If not, what do you think of monthly resolutions instead?

New Years Resolutions

As 2013 comes to an end, I can't help but feel relieved. Isn't it strange how the end of a calendar year can make us feel so positive and prepared to start again? The concept of a new year for most people means a new start and a new outlook on life. I'll be one of many to admit that the changes I set out to make usually fall flat after a couple of weeks. I'm one of those people that always has the best intentions but ends up just slipping back into the old routine. 

I'm not going to be naive enough to say "these are my New Years resolutions and I will stick to them this time!" Because I know that that might not happen, don't get me wrong I do fully intend to fulfil them, but all that I am trying to do with them is map out the kind of things that I want to achieve. Without sounding too dramatic, this year has been very challenging, I've realised a lot about myself and about the things that I want to do and that has been the biggest positive out of all the experiences I've had this year. On that note, here are my resolutions:

BLOG MORE

I need and I mean NEED to get my arse in gear and dedicate myself to blogging. It's a very scary concept starting a blog and that fear has prevented me from posting. I need to realise that I do have the potential to do this and I am going to take that positivity and put myself out there more.

GYM MORE

I feel like this could be the most challenging resolution which will require the most dedication. I signed up for the gym in September and all the way through to November I was doing fairly well. December hits and for a lot of reasons I point blank just stopped going. I got into the faulty thinking of "oh I'll boss it in the new year so I can just have a month off - it's Christmas and all that" which I am so mad at myself for! I have made an actual gym routine (which will be fun to see how long I carry that on for), I have a class timetable for my gym so that I can dedicate myself to actually go to the classes, meet more gym people and motivate myself more. This is one that I really would love to stick to.   

THINK POSITIVE

I think a lot of people have this one. For me, it's more about losing that self-doubt. I need to remember that I can achieve the things that I want and I shouldn't let anyone make me feel like I can't. I need to get rid of the things in my life that put me down. 

REALISE THE THINGS AND PEOPLE THAT MATTER

Kind of a negative one but I've realised a lot about the friends that I can trust (which seems to be very little) I have made a few changes in my life over the past month and despite whether they might be the right thing to do or not, it's truly bought to light who my real friends are and the people that genuinely have my best interests at heart. I adore the friends and family that in my life and I'm very lucky to have them.

READ MORE

I adore reading but never seem to find time to actually sit down with a book.  I'm going to dedicate my free lunch breaks to reading. I weirdly feel clearer after having even half an hour in silence with a book. It sets my mind at ease with whatever stress I have or if something's getting me down. This is actually an easy one for me to stick to!

I could write myself tons and tons of resolutions but I think I'll stick to just these five. We never know where the year will take us and I guarantee that this time next year I'll be in a place in my life that I never expected to be. I really can't wait. 

Let's have a 2014 to remember!