work
Back to the Office
31 May 2016
Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
I rarely wear skirts because I find it hard to pair them
with the right tops. However, my mum’s a designer so she was able to put
together this top and skirt combo to help provide the right silhouette and make
sure I’m comfortable. I’m really fussy with the waistband of skirts, simply
because they can instantly become unflattering if too high or too low (not
cool). Since receiving my amazing necklace from Wattney Kay about a year ago in
this
post, I have loved using it to brighten up a look – still one of my
favourite pieces of jewellery!
What is your favourite work week look?
Top – homemade // Skirt – homemade // Cardigan – New Look
(similar) // Necklace – Wattney Kay // Boots – Next // Bag – Topshop (only
available in red)
PS: hope you had an awesome bank holiday weekend!
Staying on Track and Getting Stuff Done
13 May 2016
Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
I do find it very easy to forget the smaller tasks when my
brain is in high speed mode and I can’t tell up from down. While I find myself
trying to work out what I need to do, or even constantly repeating my to-do
list in my head, it’s time to write it all down. I spend so much time in
Paperchase, it’s time to finally start using those (billions) of notebooks I
have collected. Having different notebooks for different activities has also
helped, for example: I have a notebook that is only for drafts of chatty
blogposts, and I have a diary to note down different events or places I need to
be, as well as a journal that is design solely for writing down to-do and
shopping lists. It’s really helpful to have all that brain noise on a page
rather than in my head.
It’s ridiculously easy for me to get lost in my phone. One
Snapchat message and I’m watching a whole bunch of stories and have lost half
an hour. The same applies to Twitter;
I have notifications turned on, so whenever I’m tweeted I know immediately. This is helpful for
blogging, but an enormous distraction as tapping the home tab has almost become
instinctual. For the most extreme of circumstances, I will plug out my WiFi hub
and work from my bedroom just so I’m not tempted to use the internet on my
laptop. It’s natural to start researching things on the internet, or shopping
online for your OOTD look, but before you know it, you’re completing your
eighteenth BuzzFeed quiz and watching night routines on YouTube – not okay.
If listening to Eye of the Tiger on repeat was an option, I
would do it, but I’m positive it would drive me crazy. Music that motivates you
to work hard is definitely a top tip, because there’s always a playlist out
there that’s full of songs to get you going. I tend to avoid YouTube for
playlists, because I could easily end up watching a Too Faced palette tutorial
rather than working. Spotify, Soundcloud, 8tracks, and Pandora are all great
music streaming services that have pre-made playlists. Sometimes I prefer to
use my own playlists, but try to avoid music that results in me acting out a
music video in my room, or running around the house like a mad woman. It’s said
that classical music helps with focus, but I find that music I’m interested in
and can bop around to is great for blogging – as long as it’s not full blast!
When you’re very busy, with too much to do, it’s really easy
to start doing multiple things at once, ending up with a load of half-done
jobs. There have even been times when I’m excited to write blogposts and have
plenty of ideas, so I’m trying to write them all out at once and it just ends
up falling apart. Sticking to one task at a time is a really easy way to stay
focused. With a to-do list laid out, there’s no need to stress about other
things that could be forgotten. I don’t like to juggle things, simply because
I’m not co-ordinated enough so pushing all else aside and working on one
activity is the best way to stay on track. Although it may not seem
time-effective, it means the jobs that are done are done well.
Panicking gets you absolutely nowhere. It’s really
common for me to sit and think, “Oh my goodness I have so much to do and I
don’t know where to start and now I can’t breath and uh-oh panic mode!” This is
one of the worst mind sets to be in, as it results in the vicious cycle again.
Even when working, I can get distracted and start stressing about the workload.
I’ve found that taking breaks every so often is really helpful, but also
training my brain to turn down all that noise, turn it into English, and turn
it into action. When the worry sets in, it’s important to take a moment to step
back and return with a fresh point of view. Panic mode is not a fun mode, and
can be quite discouraging too.
What to Do When You Don't Get the Job (Part II)
17 February 2016
I recently had a job interview for a job I was desperate for, if you follow me on Twitter, you will more than likely have seen my full on meltdown after having an amazing interview but not hearing anything for a few days. It's really important for me to keep a positive mind-set because I'm notoriously negative and can usually find a bad thing in everything - eek.
Things I Miss About School
8 February 2016
While in school, I never valued the food that was available at my fingertips. School lunches were never gourmet meals in my eyes, but always a reasonable price and ready whenever I need them. Now that I work from Monday to Friday, and have realised I can no longer afford to have Starbucks every day, I really miss being able to pick up an affordable sandwich with the swipe of a card at school and finding somewhere safe and clean to eat it. Every day I have to make a conscious effort to make my lunch which I ironically never have time to do.
Friends
I do have friends at work, but we can't spend an hour gossiping about drama from trashy TV shows or discussing the latest office rumours. Work is for work, and although you should gave the same attitude at school, messing around with your friends is fun. Having friends at school means you can go through the troubling exams together and have a group of people you look forwards to seeing everyday.
Going home at 2:45
The 'home time' for each school varies, some are late and some, like mine are quite early. I remember my first day at work, and it got to around 3 o'clock and I was already happy to leave. Sadly, I still had another two hours to go before I could even think of leaving. Getting home while it's still light out is behind me now, but it's definitely something I miss.
Homework
This may sound like a bit of a strange one, but I really like doing homework. I used to enjoy getting stuck in a huge project and spending loads of my free time experimenting with different ways or creating something new. I wasn't a huge fan of 5,000 word-essays at the time, but reading through a 200lb textbook doesn't seem that bad any more.
Holidays
When it got to around Easter-time this year, I realised there's no time off unless I ask for time off and even then it's not that long. When I see my younger sister getting excited for the random two weeks she has off in the autumn or the extra long week during March, I can't help but wish I could experience holidays like this again. Secular work does have holiday time, but it's usually around 28 days rather than six weeks.
Uniforms
If there's one thing that's become extremely expensive since I started working, it's clothing. As a fashion fanatic, I naturally want to try out new looks and trends I see when I'm out and about. I'm surrounded by shopping centres and markets so it's very difficult to avoid, but when I was in school, what I wore was the least of my worries and the carefree mindset was the only one I had.
How to Deal with Nosey People
18 December 2015
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