Pick-Me-Up Quotes For When You're Having A Bad Day

We all have our down days and sometimes you can read the perfect quote that just instantly picks you back up again and makes you feel like actually, maybe things will be okay. 

So for those moments when all you want to do is curl into bed and watch Netflix all day, I have compiled a list of just a few of my favourite inspirational quotes. 

Sometimes, just sometimes, you can find the words that explain exactly how you feel or state exactly what you need to hear. I feel like these quotes do that for me and I hope they do the same for you.

5 Reads For The Non-Reader

I talk about reading a lot over here, but I am aware that some of you just aren't readers, or perhaps you want to be, but find the bookstore an intimidating place to pick out that perfect novel.

So I thought I would make you a little list (because you know how much I love a good list!) with 5 Reads For The Non-Reader!

1. List books/collections - For example my 1001 TV Series You Must Watch Before You Die - so this is definitely the least literary on the list but hell it still counts! I always find these books make the best coffee table books + Highly practical as it gives you an insight into each TV series listed and you can make a decision beforehand on whether you actually want to watch it or not! 

2. Penguin Little Black Classics - These are released a couple of years back in celebration of 80 years of Penguin. What I like about them the most is that they are so small, usually no more than 60 or so pages and they offer you the opportunity to sample loads of different types of literature without committing to the full edition. Perfect if you're unsure of what sort of thing you would enjoy or whether you want to dabble in the classics!

3. Grimms Fairy Tales - This may seem a little childish but don't be fooled. The Grimms Fairy Tales are dark and not the fluffy Disney style stories you may imagine. This book is full of the Tales which are all short and easy to read, and is beautifully illustrated! Perfect for anyone that wants an easy bedtime read, where you can happily read one a night and put the book down feeling accomplished. There's a reason  that fairy tales are so popular when we're growing up!

4. Graphic Novels (The Wicked & The Divine) - Sometimes you want to consume a story without all the words and for that Graphic novels are perfect! I've chosen The Wicked & The Divine for this as the art work is my absolute favourite. Like just look at that below... STUNNING. For me the enjoyment of a graphic novel is solely dependent on the artwork so I'm reallllly choosy. But this one is both visually stunning whilst being a really interesting and gripping story (which totally reminds me that I neeeeed to buy the sequel!) 

5. Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes - There are so many beauty guides/manuals around at the moment but this one is hands down my favourite. Sali's writing is devilishly funny and her advice and tips are so relatable and genuinely helpful! If you're a lover of beauty and want a coffee table book that you can actually sit down and binge read then this is your book. Highly recommend!

September Reading Round-Up

September has come and gone so quickly! I can't quite believe that I'm already sitting here writing my reading round-up! Feels like just yesterday I was writing my TBR! 

If you're unsure as to what was on my TBR list then you can check that out here and come back after you have read it!

Read it? Good, let's continue on!

So as you will know, I was a little bit ambitious. 

I had hoped to finish 5 books in September, but in reality I've only finished 3... well, actually at the time of writing this it's only 2 but I will have finished it by October 1st so I'm going to include it anyway!

My main task for September was to catch up with the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas and OMG did I. 

I read both Queen of Shadows and Empire of Storms back to back and ohhhhhh holy moly. I wont post any spoilers here but if you want me to write a review of the series so far then let me know in the comments and I will get that written up! 

So lets get to the mini reviews:

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas 

Finished: 19/09

Rating: 5*

Quite a slow read, but the last 200 pages sold it to me. Hopefully EOS will be a quicker pace! 

This was a 3.5 stars for me until the last 150-200 pages. The ending of this book was phenomenal! It answered so many questions and created so many more! I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into Empire of Storms and seeing where it takes us!

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

Finished: 25/09

Rating: 5*

I don't even have the words for this. Just perfect. Lorcan makes my heart hurt and that ending was O.M.G. 09/17 can't come quick enough! 

There aren't enough words to explain all the emotions. That ending... my heart still hurts and I'm in the biggest book coma right now! I can't wait for the next one but equally I'm terrified of the ending!

No mini review for This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab as I've not finished it yet and these snippets of my thoughts come from both my book journal and my Goodreads account - you can find me here.

I will say though, that so far the story is very interesting and the writing is phenomenal, as you would expect from Schwab! I will add a little mini review for it in my October TBR so that it's not completely ignored. 

Preparing for Autumn - Seasonal Nails!

Oooooh, I love a good autumn nail! 

I don't know about you, but for me, autumn is the season that I want to paint my nails the most. I am obsessed with all the warm toned colours and the dark polish! In summer I'm usually too hot and bothered to care much about nail polish but now the weather is cooling down and I'm spending all my time indoors, all of the nail painting motivation has hit me! So I thought I would share a few of my favourites for autumn.

Barry M always have a great selection of colours to choose from and some of the colours I picked up last year are now standing favourites! 

L-R :

Plum, Chilli, Blackberry, Elderberry, Paprika, Black Pistachio

Mavala has also become a favourite brand of mine, these were always stocked in the Canterbury Boots but sadly my local Boots doesn't sell them. However, I will be hunting them out locally as not only are the formulas great but they also have great colours and cute packaging + they are like £3, which is astonishingly cheap! 

L-R:

85 Chicago, 117 Treasure

Sinful Colors by Kylie Jenner have been on my nails and Instagram more than any other polish these past few months and I absolutely adore them. The formulas are great, the colours are really unique and the price tag is cheap. Going into autumn these two are without a doubt going to be favourites.

L-R:

Konstellation & I Klove U

Nicole by OPI are a brand that I tend to dabble in, there's nothing wrong with them, I just don't often see them! But when I saw this beautiful holo glitter I knew I had to have it. It's the second part to that glitter gradient above and I am obsessed with it! 

Shade: Dazzling with Talent 

I couldn't have an autumnal nails post without mentioning these two Essie shades. 

Bahama Mama and Chinchilly are quintessential A/W shades for me and I absolutely adore them. Chinchilly is a firm favourite and is a warm toned grey-lilac shade. Whilst Bahama Mama is the ideal burgundy red that matches my tartan scarf perfectly! 

Last but certainly not least, in the cooler months it is imperative that you look after those digits and keep everything nice and hydrated! My favourite hand cream is the Roger & Gallet Rose Hands & Nails Cream. It smells beautiful, is super hydrating and not at all greasy. I'm totally obsessed with this stuff and the light floral scent is suitable all year round! 

What do you favour on your nails in autumn? 

How To Break A Reading Slump

The reading slump. Every bookworm's worst nightmare.

You sit in front of your bookcase and feel slowly suffocated by the pristine spines and untouched pages. No matter how hard you try every time you pick up a book you just can't read. You're not invested, you aren't enjoying the story or you just can't sit down and concentrate for long enough to read. 

We've all been there! 

So hang on in and read my top tips to break a reading slump! 

1. Write yourself a list of reading goals - 

Sometimes you need a list of goals to get you feeling motivated and ready to take on reading again. This can often help you decide what you actually want out of reading as well and help you to look at it with a fresh head. I like setting goals on the amount of books, genre, and readathons to keep me interested! 

2. Switch up your genres - 

Perhaps you've been reading YA for a solid year and you're just not feeling it, or maybe you've been reading a tonne of classics for School/College/Uni and you're struggling to find the will to live let alone read! Sometimes switching up genres is all you need to do to regain some motivation!

3. Set yourself a TBR list - 

I like to set myself a TBR list at the beginning of the month to keep me on target with my reading. Sometimes it can be a hindrance but if I'm not feeling one of the books that I've chosen at the beginning of the month then I will try something else. I use it as a guideline rather than a strict rule to adhere to. (My September TBR is here)

4. Take a break - 

Occasionally the best way to deal with a reading slump is to just ignore it altogether. Take some time out from reading. Do something else you enjoy whether it be writing, drawing, painting, binge watching telly or playing the sims. Once you start to miss reading go back to it and see if you can get into it again! 

5. Choose by chance - 

One of my favourite options when I've hit a slump. Quite often once I've finished a book I find it really difficult to choose another to read and I sometimes pick up a book and feel almost guilty for not picking up something that's been sitting on my shelf longer. This is entirely my fault as I have about 70-80 unread books on my shelves at the moment and I keep prioritising new releases because I'm a slave to the hype. So what I like to do, when I can't choose a book, I have a mug filled with the names of each unread novel folded onto an individual piece of paper. That way I can choose a piece of paper at random, totally blind, and pick my next read! This totally eliminates the guilt factor and adds an element of surprise! I also find I get to read books I probably would have otherwise ignored. 

I hope these tips have helped you if you're in a reading slump! Sometimes all it takes is a good book but often you need to implement some strategies to break that unproductive cycle! 

September TBR

I'm back on the reading hype again so I thought I would share what I'm planning on reading throughout September! I know a lot of you are avid readers as well so I thought it would be fun if we could have little chats in the comments about your TBR lists each month when I share mine! 

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas 

   I've been binge reading this series in time for the new release Empire of Storms which, despite being somewhat controversial, looks amazing! Queen of Shadows is #4 in the Throne of Glass series and follows a girl called Celaena Sardothian as she gets wrapped up in a whole world of trouble. It's a really fun series to read and the books are very easy to get into. In fact, I actually managed to break my 5-month long reading slump thanks to Crown of Midnight - the second in the series - so that just goes to show how captivating the writing is! 

2. Savage Song by V.E. Schwab 

   Hang on whilst I fangirl for half a page yeah? If you've read my bookish posts before you will know I'm a HUGE fan of V.E. Schwab. She's one of my all time favourite authors and everything she writes is flawless. This is obviously going to be a must read for me and I've been dying to get to it! It was also on my list of most anticipated book releases of 2016. 

The next two books on my TBR were chosen at random. I have a mug in my room filled with little pieces of folded up paper each with a book name written on them. At the beginning of the month I will draw however many I feel like reading and stick to them! 

I find it really hard to choose a book to read as I have SOOOO many options, this way I end up reading things that I would perhaps put off otherwise! 

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    This was the first piece of paper I drew, I've had Frankenstein for a couple of years now and still haven't got round to reading it so I was really happy to see this. My edition is one of the beautiful Penguin Clothbound Classics which are absolutely stunning. Really keen to read a classic this month. 

4. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton 

    The second randomly selected book and another one that I just seem to forget about. The premise of this story sounds really intriguing though and the magic element is definitely what will keep me hooked. It looks like a fairly easy read as well so I will look forward to getting started with that. 

5. Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas 

   Rather obvious but once this comes out on the 6th September I will be running to my local Waterstone's on the hunt for it. I've been binge reading the series so it would be rude to not include it on my TBR for September - although whether I get to it in the month remains to be seen! 

As you can see I've got a pretty busy month of reading ahead of me. I'm going to be doing a round-up at the end of the month with a bit more detail about each of the books I read, however, if you want to see a full in-depth review of any of the books mentioned then let me know and I will make a note of it! 

What are you reading this month? 

9 Reasons British Summers Are Shit.

Unless you've been living under a rock this past week, or you live somewhere other than Britain you lucky thing you,  you will know that it has been really bloody hot this week. 

Like unheard of for British weather. 

This has evoked two main reactions from the good ole' Great British public: 

- Address with some real concern that it really is bloody hot -"Christ it's hot today!" 

- Complain that it is too hot whilst simultaneously praying for Sean Bean to come along and tell us that winter is indeed coming. 

Currently, my main topics of conversation are "why is it so hot" "can it rain please?" and "I am a sticky mess stay away". 

I am not someone that naturally flourishes in the heat... instead I resemble one of those cheap Mr Freeze ice pop's that melt into a sticky over perfumed mess lying on the floor looking rather sorry for itself. 

So for anyone unsure of why summer in Britain is so dire, or if you are experiencing it first hand here - I thought I would make a little list to clarify just why British summers are shit. 

1. Humidity - dear god the humidity. I honestly don't know how Australians deal with it on such a regular basis as I swear I get out of the shower and end up wetter than when I was in it. Like seriously. The humidity at the moment means that throughout the day I go through a process of feeling hot and damp, or sticky and damp. But always just slightly damp. The sort of damp you feel when you've just towelled yourself after getting out of the shower- except you had that shower 5 hours ago and you're walking in the middle of town nice. 

2. Awkward Sweating  - Not the cute little perspiration that makes your skin look a tad dewy. No. The embarrassing kind of sweating that happens in between your legs when you sit down. Then you have the fear that when you stand up either your skin is going to painfully tear itself away from the seat, or you're going to leave a beaut damp mark or the surface, lets not lie we've all been here. 

3. Shirtless Men - Nothing makes me rage more than seeing a topless man strut around the high street like he's god's gift to earth because he's got his skinny pale chest out for the world to see. This mainly makes me rage for two reasons: firstly, it's not something I particularly want to see and it's in no way acceptable in any other situation, secondly, if a woman was to strut around topless in the heat she would most likely be heckled or arrested for indecent exposure, just sayin'. 

4. Hot Evenings - When you're on holiday in the Med you can enjoy long hot day's and beautifully cool evenings. In England you get humid days with sticky insect infested evenings that destroy any semblance of a sleeping pattern you've managed to forge. 

5. Constant need for a fan - I'm currently writing this at 12:55am with not one, but two fans on full blast directed at me as it's the only way I can cope with the heat of the atmosphere and the heat of my laptop all at once. Sleeping with the fan on has become habit and the sensation of waking up with a dry face - eyes, nose, lips, mouth - is still not one that I can profess to enjoy. 

6. Lack of hot drinks - As a Brit we stereotypically love a hot drink, now whilst this is not true for all of us, it certainly is for me and I am suffering. Not being able to wake up and have my morning coffee is seriously affecting my moods and the lack of evening herbal tea is disappointing. Whilst I could have iced versions of these it's far too much effort and faffing about to achieve and quite frankly water is quicker. 

7. Having to ditch the jeans - To be fair this is the thing I hate the most. My trusty jeans are basically my best friends - along side the cats and coffee machine obvs - I obsessively wear them as they are frankly the comfiest things on earth and don't make me look like Jabba the hutt. Instead I've had to actually shave my legs and fake tan (which is bare effort), then put on a dress or skirt in order to be even vaguely comfortable. I'm not best impressed. 

8. Chafing - This may not be something that effects every human, but if your legs even slightly touch when you walk you can pretty much guarantee that you will experience this at some point in the humidity and heat of a British summer. As a girl with a little more chunk on her thighs than desirable, I've already experienced this delight after a few hours of walking around a stagnant town. My legs are now burning and I wish I had remembered the talcum powder trick to save my poor inner thighs from the redness that now overwhelms them. 

9. People telling you not to moan as it will rain soon -  I want it to rain soon! The rain is great in my books, not only does it cool the temperature right down but it waters the plants for me and essentially ticks off an item on my to-do list. The rain is a good guy. Quite frankly I would take rain any day over this humid, insect riddled, shit fest we call summer. 

I leave you with this delightful photo of a heard of cows ruining a families lovely picnic set-up the other week in Dedham. No joke these cows were utter dicks that day and did not want people chilling out on their field. 

Not sure why I'm including this pic but I feel like it's a great metaphor for the disaster of a British summer, like your just sitting and enjoying life and then a mass of annoyance comes your way to make you uncomfortable and fuck up your day. 

Do you hate summer as much as me or are you a crazy cat and actually love this scorching weather? 

7 Life Questions I'm Bored Of Answering

You know how in life sometimes people just have a habit of asking THE MOST ANNOYING QUESTIONS EVER. Yeah, that. 

So as a fun (and highly satirical) task, I thought I would write down these delightful questions, that so often plague the small talk of my life, and my answers... which are always the same. 

1. Oh so you did an English degree, you want to be a teacher then? 

Just no. Go home. Leave me alone, I'm done. My degree choice doesn't necessarily have to be related to my career choice. AND there are an entire plethora of jobs that you can apply for with an English degree! 

2. You've been in a relationship since you were 13?! With the same guy?! Isn't that naive? 

I find it naive assuming I need multiple relationships to be happy. Tell you what, lets not judge someones relationship choices, regardless of whether you agree with them or not. 

3. Are you looking for jobs yet then?

Yes, but surprisingly they don't grow on trees and I can't magic one into existence. Enough of the condescending tone please, I'm trying. 

4. Isn't an English degree just a cop out? Only the Science based degrees really count for something nowadays. 

Okayyyyy, well that's cute. You would enjoy life without the Humanities I'm sure. Remember that Arts & Humanities are just as important and integral to society as the Sciences. It's just a different part of society that it effects. Remember to appreciate everything that Humanities gives us, life would be pretty dull without the creatives. Just sayin'....

5. How are you enjoying life now that Uni is over?

Is there a positive way to explain to someone that you've spent the past 3 day's in a netflix coma eating junk food and barely seeing daylight? 

6. I bet you're glad to be back home! 

*cries remembering the hilarious times at Uni, that were considerably more interesting than this conversation* 

*Cough* Urm yes and no.... 

7. Have you got a holiday planned this year? 

You know I'm an unemployed graduate right? Please don't rub in my lack of travelling opportunities, Travelzoo and Tripadvisor are already doing a pretty great job of it already!

Hehe, okay I know! A little harsh? But honestly they are getting SOOOOO old. I will be glad when the uni related questions subside now! Joking aside though I do appreciate when people ask questions, at least it's showing interest... even if it is the third time I've been asked about the job market this week and if I have to mention Reed or Indeed to anyone again I may implode in front of their quizzical expressions. 

5 Things I Love About Blogging

I've been blogging for 3 years in April. Now that's a long time to be doing something and over the years I have learnt, progressed and grown not only as a blogger but as a writer and as a person. 

When I started this blog I was in my final year of college and didn't really have a clue where I was going with it or with my life and now I'm only a matter of weeks away from finishing my Third Year at University, with a clear idea of where I want to go in life and I think a lot of that is thanks to my blog. So today I thought I would share with you 5 Things I Love About Blogging.

Top 5 Netflix Shows You Need To Watch ASAP.

Oh Netflix, how productive my life was before you weaselled your way into it with that oh so tempting one month free offer. I can't remember what made me decide to test you out on that fateful night in 2013 but life hasn't been the same since. 

Let me put this out there. I am obsessed with Netflix, as much of a typical 21 year old cliché it is, I bloody love it. Being able to binge watch TV in the comfort of my bed is one of the finer things in life and has made the past 3 years of University bearable. Through the years many shows have come and gone and although I would love to recommend you purely my favourites sadly some of them have been rejected and taken off my beloved streaming site ... (I'm currently mourning the loss of Community) 

Instead here are my Top 5 Netflix shows you need to watch ASAP before the evils that be take them away from us (weep).

Top 10 Things To Help Anxiety

So this is going up a little later today than I had hoped for, but after a turbulent time at Uni over the past week and travelling back to Essex yesterday for my study week, I just haven't had the time (or inclination) to write until now. 

Anxiety is a mental health problem that is often ignored or confused. Did you know that in 2013 there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the U.K alone. That is absolutely crazy and yet still people are faced with stigma or misunderstanding when it comes to how to tackle anxiety. 

Top 5 Things To Help Insomnia

So many people have problems with sleep, myself included. I can't remember the last time I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and for me getting healthy good quality sleep is a massive challenge to overcome. Here are some tips that I've accumulated over the years that help me out if I'm struggling to sleep.

5 Things That Go Through Your Mind When You're Lactose Intolerant.

What many of you may not know is that I'm lactose intolerant - despite my bio stating my adoration of Brie. I'm not happy about being lactose intolerant. In fact it sucks. It's expensive, annoying and quite frankly an all round inconvenience. After a particularly traumatic event on Monday (I made the fatal mistake of drinking a shop brought frappucino that had milk in it. Stupidly thinking that "Oh I doubt it will effect me much" I was wrong. So very wrong.) I thought I would shed a little light on what it's like to be Lactose Intolerant... and also to write a comical post - you know how much I've been enjoying these of late. 

Top 5 Tips For University Open Days.

Uni. It's a really scary concept. Chances are if you're reading this you're probably considering going to Uni and the thought of the looming open day's are probably terrifying and exciting all in one nauseous burst. Well fear not friends because today I have 5 tips to help you out.

Ten Signs You're Too Close To Your Other Half.

OKAY OKAY, before I get screamed at because "not everyone has a partner Emily!" these can all applied to your best friend just as easily. I mean I would have added it to the picture but then the writing wouldn't have looked as good... #bloggerproblems. 

1. Who needs functioning hands when they can do it for you? Need a drink - they can pass it. Need to put on your shoes and socks - they can put them on for you! Why move when you can get the other human to do it. 
2. You have jokes between you that only you guys find funny... feel sorry for that poor old lady who almost met her fate as she accidentally got in the way of you shouting "RKO outta nowhere"...
3. Toilet talk is no longer taboo, in fact its hilarious and makes up about 60% of your day to day conversations. 
   
4. You start finishing each others sentences or accurately second guessing what they have to say. It's not even cute any more. It's just started to get a little bit creepy. 
5. They can tell when your hungry just through your mannerisms - "oh your starting to look like a combination of lethargic and 'I want to murder everything' ... you probably need food."
6. You have words/ catchphrases that only the two of you will understand and to everyone else just sounds like your on a day trip from the insane asylum. 
7. You feel perfectly comfortable insulting everything about them and knowing that 9/10 times they will take it well. "Mate your looking like an absolute wreck today and you smell like beans... well done" 
8. You overly praise them on the smallest accomplishment - "YOU GOT OUT OF BED ON YOUR OWN TODAY? You. Are. A. Superstar." 
9. You start buying things because you know they will like them. Talk about selfless... oh wait, you two are so close that you also know you will like them and that's the real reason you brought it ... cheeky. 
10. You can't imagine your life without them, mainly because without them you would actually have to start being a reasonable human being and really who wants that? 

Ta Dah! There you have it! 

These definitely apply to both my boyfriend and my best friends, I feel sorry for them having to put up with me to be honest!

15 Things They Don't Tell You About Uni

Oh I love a good list. 

15 Things They Don't Tell You About Uni 

1. You will spend all of freshers wanting to be anywhere but halls. You want to be home, round your friends flat (because it's somehow better than yours), or even just moved out into rented accommodation - because you and your besties are going to make a house all chic and girly and there will never be any mess and you will get along so well....... *eye roll*
2. Once you've left halls you will soon realise the above is a ridiculous fantasy and you will do anything for the easy day's back at halls where you could outright bitch about mess. Overflowing bins and unwashed plates are still a problem but now you have to navigate the tender areas of friendship in order to get shit done. Passive aggressive note anyone? 
3. Third years hate everyone. Oh you're a second year and you're complaining because of your "super hard work load" ... that's cute. 
4. Not having a tumble dryer is potentially one of the most disheartening experiences of your life. Oh you want to wear that next Friday? Best get washing now then if you have any hope of that drying in this freezing hell pit. 
5. All of your "besties" you make in first year become figments of your imagination by third, apart from the few lurkers that for some reason enjoy your cranky pre-coffee moans at 9am. 
6. That letting agent might seem really "cool and down to earth" when you go for your viewing but don't be fooled. They are all universally dire when it comes to student lets. Want your windows cleaned because they are tinting the outside world an odd shade of murky brown... nope you've got to wait 2 years for that slice of sunshine (conveniently before you move out!) 
7. At some point the Library will become your soul mate. You start to thank it for the simple things like being open 24hrs and having a functioning coffee machine (even if that coffee does resemble dirty dishwater and taste slightly worse than sewage... caffeine is caffeine though right?)
8. In first year you think all your lecturers are massive dicks but by third year you are starting to doubt if you can actually live a normal life without their weekly bursts of wisdom. 
9. There is never an unacceptable time to order Dominos. 9am? Go for it, you deserve it.
10. If you are a rugby player please assume that everyone will think you're a massive arse. It might not always be true but it's unavoidable. 
11. At some point you will find yourself with a random man in your house. Don't mind him it's just the handyman that's unexpectedly turned up without any prior warning... it's not like the tenancy clearly states that you're meant to have 24 hrs notice or anything... Oh wait?! 
12. At some point you will be stuck with an idiot neighbour that thinks it's fine to host loud parties on a Sunday at 4am. If you're one of those people..... IT'S NOT.
13. You will find one person that you've never spoken to but inexplicably hate. Like fully loathe for absolutely no reason. Sorry!
14. You will spend about 70% of your time trying to explain where you live. No one will have heard of it and so you opt for the safest route which just happens to be super vague... "Urrrm it's sort of in-between Essex and Suffolk, you wouldn't have heard of it!" 
15. It goes so quickly and before you know it you're on your own. 

I've had such a love/hate experience at Uni and I think this nicely reflects that! 

Personally, I'm so excited to leave Uni now. I want to get on with my life and I feel like this last stint is dragging! 

Only 4 months, Only 4 months, Only 4 months. 

How has you're experience at Uni been? Let me know in the comments below!!

Also whilst you're at it you might want to peruse my other Uni related posts that are conveniently located for you're leisure here!

Getting Organised for 2016

Kinda ironic isn't it that the post about being organised in 2016 is the one that's up late... nice work there Emily. 

As many of you may already know this year I set myself the task of blogging everyday for 2016 (if you don't already know then where have you been I've been harping on about it pretty much everyday!)

Alongside the mammoth task of writing 366 posts this year (pesky leap year adding to my work load!) I'm also finishing my third year of university which means writing a dissertation all about female villainy in Shakespeare (it's going to be an exciting couple of months guys) and 5 assignments all 2.500 words. So 2016 is going to be the year of writing for me. 

To get all of this done without going insane (well, more insane) I've gone all Baldrick and devised a cunning plan... 

Notes Notes Notes and More Notes. 

Be prepared for a blogger stereotype here but I am a huge fan of the notebook. I have about 10 sitting next to me which is entirely excessive but they are all for different things so that's justifiable right? I have a new note book dedicated to my blog which is currently harbouring post ideas for all the way into the middle of February. I also use the notes on my phone for blog post ideas and there's around 20 on that as well at the moment just waiting to be transferred to the pinterest worthy notebook I got from Paperchase ... or as I call it the bloggers mecca. 

Schedule the crap outta life. 

I don't just mean your posts and tweets. I mean literally life. I have my days mapped out to the minute at the moment because that's what works for me. If I didn't I would probably lay in bed all day and watch episodes of Reign back to back on Netflix - which is all well and good when you have time but when you've got a list as long as your arm to get through then you should probably start using time better! I like to use Hootsuite to schedule my tweets as I find it the easiest to use and I've found a substantial increase in traffic since I've been tweeting regularly (so if you're here from a tweet I sent out then thank you!) 

Plan for 'me' time.

I'm someone that will easily forget to give myself time to properly relax if I don't plan it in. I like to give myself at least an hour a day without my phone or laptop so I can really relax without being plugged in. I usually use this time reading in the bath or colouring whilst watching a film. If you don't allow yourself some time to chill then you're going to overwork and end up giving up on any schedule you had set yourself.

Make everything aesthetically pleasing. 

Tidy your room, organise that pile of books so it's neat, make immaculate lists with tick boxes. Being neat really helps me to stay focused and organised. If I allow my surroundings to get messy then I feel like my mind is messy. If you don't believe me try it.

Break the rules. 

Seems counter-productive right? I've just given you 4 tips of solid advice and now I'm essentially telling you to ignore them. These are all things that work for me, But that doesn't automatically mean they will all work for you. If you try it and it doesn't work don't keep trying to force it. Everyone is different and everyone has things that work for them and not for others. Once you stop forcing yourself to fit into a mould you will find that you're automatically more productive. Be yourself and watch everything fall into place. 

If you're interested here's a cringey YouTube vid I made last year on blogging tips - here - christ my hair was long back then.