The Blogging Balance

Blogging was definitely a lot easier before I went into full time employment. I'm sure many began their blog as a uni side line project and with the flexible student life it was much easier to fit in a regular blogging schedule. However when you throw in working through day light hours and the need to squeeze a lot of things into a limited time frame things can be a little tricky. I must admit it's taken me a while to adjust to the whole working and keeping a blog balance. Of course I was tempted to just stop blogging, but my blog is something I'm proud of and something I want to stick with, so I've had to figure out some ways to balance the two. Hopefully this post may help some of you too.

1) Plan ahead - I like to have at least a weeks blog posts scheduled and ready to go, with others either drafted or titles created at the minimum. I have a little diary which I like to write down and plan when and what I'm going to post about.

2) Make use of the 'notes' section in your phone - Ideas come to you at the most peculiar times and places, and if you're anything like me you'll forget them almost instantly so it's always best to write your ideas down and then come back to them (if you can remember where you wrote them, but that's a different topic really.)

3) Schedule time - Whilst being a student meant you could grab a few minutes in the day here and there to snap pictures and write posts, it's much harder when you're working 9-5. Set aside some dedicated time at the weekend and plan out the weeks posts and take bulk photos. For me photos are the hardest part to incorporate as you have to upload them to your computer and then on the post too (life's tough isn't it!)

4) Make use of free hours - I like to upload my pictures on the weekend and then during my lunch break type up one blog post a day (as long as I have the time, obviously.) It's a great way to stay on top of things but I don't feel overwhelmed doing it in one go.It also doesn't make me resent blogging for taking up all of my weekend time.

5) Don't stress -  It's not the end of the world if you miss a day or two (or even a week!) I've learnt that blogging is definitely a hobby and the more I stress about it, the less I want to do it. There is no point forcing crappy content (which I hope this isn't) that you aren't proud of, if you don't like it, chances are others won't either.

What are your tips for juggling blogging and life?

Laura xoxo

Desk-side beauty

When it comes to work I'm very low maintenance. Working in a small office with little interaction with the outside world except the odd dash to the supermarket at lunch, has meant that make-up and hair is left in its natural state in favour of sleep. However there are some beauty items that a gal (I don't think I'm cool enough to use that word) just needs to have with her. Here I present to you my desk-side beauty.

First up I have a hair clip which I got from Boots. On the odd day I wear my hair down, I find it just annoys me, so end up clipping it up. Perfect when you tend to spend a lot of the day with your head down typing. Also hair related I like to keep a little pocket brush (handy mirror there too) to give my hair a bit of a spruce up, which it often needs. Finally if I really should've washed my hair the night before, or on the off chance I'm going out after work I like to keep some dry shampoo handy, just in case.

For me, a broken nail is the most annoying thing. As someone who used to bite their nails seeing the start of a broken nail is just too tempting, so I like to file it down before I create some real damage. I also find that sometimes I don't realise my nails are a bit too long until I'm trying to type and file them down a little. Also in the name of hand care I love this Garnier hand cream and tend to use it daily. Washing up my cups and dishes can leave my hands feeling dry, especially in the winter weather and this is great at making them feel softer.

Finally to keep chapped lips at bay I like to keep a lip balm with me. This Nivea one has little colour but serious moisture, making it the perfect desk-side beauty item. It's great to slap on without a mirror and really works at nourishing my lips as I work.

What are your desk side beauty picks?

Laura xoxo