2017 - PFF

Looking after the planet and all the animals on the planet is something that is really important to me, hence my decision to go Vegan and cruelty free. It has been around a year now since I started implementing these small changes into my life. These kind of changes are motivating and make you want to do more. It's a personal win, a small gain which you know is also doing fab things for the environments and the animals.

So I finally reached the point where I felt like I needed to do more. Like ok, yes, being vegan is great for the environment but what more can I? I am a religious recycler (ask my flatmates!) and I try to re-use things like old jars, plastic bottles and take my tupperware everywhere. I carry around a refillable water and coffee bottle. I take my own bags shopping and do my best to not buy the plastic ones. But... there's still a lot of room for improvement. I have recently stepped up my tooth brushing regime so I have a full compostable bamboo toothbrush and powdered toothpaste from Lush which is much more eco friendly. As I'm learning new things and the googling/ tweeting began (by far the best way to get tips), I have come up with a few ideas that I will implement in the coming months.

1. Reusable sandwich bags instead of plastic food bags.

This is a big thing I really want to change. The amount of plastic food bags I through away is ridiculous. I use them quite regularly for storage in the fridge and to take sandwiches - one reason for this is because it tends to take up less room/space. I'd like to make more effort storing food in my tupperware, even if it takes up more space and I will investment in some washable sandwich bags/wraps. Two options I am considering are here. I think this will be a great investment and will make my lunch also look cute (always down for that!). No more plastic in the ocean, please.

2. Composting food waste

I have expressed that this is hard to do living at university on campus but, as soon as I move back home I will be trying to compost food wastage a lot more. This is something I do irregularly (i.e. chuck my banana peel in the herbs or weeds) but, it's something I would like to make a habit out of and do on a regular basis.

3. Stainless steel razor

I would like to thank ... for this recommendation. This is something I would NEVER have thought of myself. My bathroom products are really the main area I think I need to work on - do you ever look at your hoards of plastic bottles and question whether it is really necessary? I know you can recycle them but still.. I do currently use disposable razors so I think investing in a reusable stainless steel razor (they're supposed to last a realllllly long time) will be a very worthy investment. Roll on pay day.

4. Taking my reusable items EVERYWHERE.

Do you ever get to Aldi and think 'Oh crap, I forgot my bags'. I always forget to put them back in the car after taking the groceries in. I really need to stop doing this. My solution - I'd like to start packing a mini reusable kit: a tote bag, water bottle, cutlery, reusable straw, steel thermal bottle (for coffee/tea), handkerchief and a tupperwear/reusable sandwich wrapper. This sounds like a lot but it's actually really easy to shove into my backpack and means I am prepared for all different situations.

Educating myself.

Netflix: A Plastic Ocean

Sky: Sky Ocean Rescue

Zero Waste: Going Zero Waste | Zero Waste Week | Bloggers

Ok, so there they are. My intentions for the coming months. Let's do this. Join me in an attempt to reduce waste; do good for the environment, the ocean, the animals and your bank balance.

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Well, January was a fun month! A fun but extremely busy month. A new term at university has started and I have more contact hours and more work (yay!). But I have also had some fun travelling - Dublin and Oslo to be exact.

So here are some of my favourite photos from the month..

Dublin

I have shared my full Dublin Photo Diary already so i'm not going to bore you with it too much. Definitely check out that post for a whole overview of the trip. All I will say is.. it was an amazing trip, it was really nice to spend a couple of days exploring, relaxing and eating lots of yummy food. Dublin is definitely up there as one of my favourite cities.

Oslo

I'm lucky that this is my second trip of the month. Another (cold) city trip but a fun one nonetheless. Oslo was fairly small so we managed to explore most of it in a day or two. The street art over there was amazing in some areas, mixed with lots of classical buildings - it was so pretty! It snowed on our last day so we didn't see much of it unfortunately, but it was beautiful. I really enjoyed my short but sweet 48hrs in this city. Keep an eye out for a full post.

Sweet Treats

Usually it's January and everyone is on their 'healthy eating' but nope.. not me. I've been continuing the christmas festivities for a month too long. It has to stop now. But I love to bake - so why not? This month i've made lots of ginger biscuits, some crispy bars topped with date caramel and chocolate (recipe coming soon), flapjacks and lots of 'sweet' oats topped with peanut butter, apple and cinnamon - you name it! I also unboxed my 'The Goodness Project Box' and a 'Chocolate Haul' which featured lots of sweet treats that I can't wait to tuck into. It's been a um.. chocolate-y month. Whoops.

Youtube Videos

Last but not least.. January has been THE month of Youtube Videos for me. I have uploaded three this month. A 'UK Vegan Chocolate Haul' 'The Goodness Project Unboxing' and a 'Cruelty Free/Vegan Toiletries Haul'. I've actually enjoyed doing some sit down videos instead of vlogging. It's definitely something i'd like to continue. Let me know what you think.

So that's my month in photo's. A lot of it (apart from travelling) has been focused on doing university work. I've been super busy doing some voluntary research and completing coursework. But, as always, it's nice to look back on the month and appreciate all the little (and big) things. I really enjoy compiling the photo's for these posts. It's super nice to look back and I always have a giggle.

Please share with me any posts you have done that are similar <3

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Hello everybody. It's January.. that means everyones doing their best to be fit, healthy, organised. This means less procrastination and more action. We all have these 'new year, new me' goals like.. this year i'll get all my work done and I won't get distracted. We all say these things. But how do you actually stick to it?

People often ask me "How do you do it all? Volunteer, do your assignments early, go to the gym, watch TV everynight...". I can do it because i've found a way to organise myself and make sure i'm efficient with my time.

I'm going to share some of my top tips on how I stay on track with my health, fitness and work (university work.. but work nonetheless) goals. How I keep myself organised on a day-to-day basis. Keep reading for all the deetz...

1 - Get a weekly planner

Having your week (or even month) set out in front of you in SO helpful. It really helps you to see what you have on a daily basis across the week. You can see what time you have free to fit in the relaxing stuff (Netflix, facemask, exercise...) or the stuff on your to-do list. I fill out my weekly planner at the start of the week and add things to it as the week goes on. In my 'free' time (the empty spaces in the planner) I jot down all the things on my to-do list e.g. write a blogpost, return some library books, charge my laptop - yanno, silly reminders basically so you don't end up wasting your empty time scrolling down instagram.

Takeaway: Jot down reminders and things you need to tick of your to-do list on that day. Write down any important meetings or times that you must stuck to so you can see it in one place.

2 - Now plan your day..

This is what I use my day-to-day view diary for. I will literally fill out my whole day into a schedule. Too organised? I think not. This is where I put my lectures, meetings and all the mandatory stuff that's on the weekly planner. What's different? In my diary it's more detailed. I'll have the time, the time frame, the room/place etc. On my weekly planner I just have it there in front of me so I don't forget. I will also then jot down the things on my to-do-list that I want to get done THAT DAY with a specific time-frame. I might not complete things on my weekly planner on the day I have jotted it down, so i'll schedule it in for the next day in my diary.

Takeaway: Use a diary to schedule your day in chronological order so all the scribbles and reminders on the weekly planners make more sense. A plan for your day.

3 - Give yourself a time frame

This goes on from my diary point above. Give yourself time frames for everything. This can seem a bit extreme but it's really helpful for staying on track. Some things might run over or need more time but do your best to stick to the allotted time. This really gives you a motivation to get it done. I like to tick things off when they're done and even give myself a little treat e.g. finish my coursework by 1pm and i'll make myself a cup of tea. It's a really satisfying feeling. Also, you'll soon get to grips with how to prioritise your tasks and get your timings right.

Takeaway: Prevent procrastination by giving yourself a deadline, a time-frame, a goal to work towards.

4 - Schedule exercise

You might wanna jot down 'push day', 'yoga', 'run' etc on the appropriate days on your weekly planner. Don't just write it down, that's not enough. Enter it into your diary as part of your scheduled day. Pick a time that's available to do your workout and treat it like any other appointment - unless there's a real emergency of course. A lot of people tend to ditch their workout because they forget about it, push to the end of their to-do list. Make it a priority. This also applies to your 'you time' and your facemask dates with a film. SCHEDULE IT IN.

Takeaway: Whatever health or fitness goals you have.. schedule it into your daily routine and tick it off as you go through your day.

5 - Deadlines...

I like a monthly wall planner for this or a calendar. Anything that has a little square for everyday of the month. I will jot down my deadline e.g. 'marketing presentation', '401 essay due' or 'Psych exam' with stars next to them. I will then write a little reminder on the square one week and two weeks before as a reminder of how long I have left. This helps with prioritising. Seeing it all laid out across the month is much more helpful. For me, a weekly view or daily view doesn't help to put it into perspective. Obviously as you get nearer the time you can schedule specific tasks e.g. 'work on introduction' in your weekly and daily planner.

Takeaway: Get a perspective that works for you - a month view or a list is always helpful to see this in a timeline view.

6 - Another health one.. MEAL PLAN.

On my weekly planner (or on My Fitness Pal if you're counting calories) I like to write down what food I'm eating and plan ahead for the majority of the week. This really helps so you're not panicking in the morning trying to make some food to take with you for after the meeting. If I can see that on Thursday I won't be home to make food, I can make doubles on Wednesday to take with me. This also helps reduce waste and make sure you're using up leftovers. It also helps to make sure you don't cave and go get that McDonalds on Tuesday lunch time because you 'didn't have time to make something'. This Kikki Food planner is the queen of health planning.

Takeaway: Make sure you have an idea of what you're eating for what meal and what you will need to make it. This way you can 'meal prep' and make doubles to keep yourself on track.

7 - Habits and goals

Set habits and goals for each week or bi-weekly so make sure you're doing the things you want to be doing and the things that will keep you in tip top condition e.g. sleep 8hrs per night, drink 2lr of water. This Kikki K 'Weekly goals and habits' tracker allows me to tick of my goals every day and give myself a little reward for doing it. For example my reward for 3 gym sessions this week will be a Costa coffee. It also allows me to clearly see my top 3 priorities for the week and what i need to do to achieve them (this is what i'll schedule into my daily diary).

Takeaway: Set goals and intentions for the week to prioritise what is important.

p.s. this is not a Kikki K advertisement I pinky promise. I just like their products.

I've been using:

Diary - mine is a day view from Card Factory, similar to this one from Kikki K but much cheaper.

Weekly planner - I really like this one from Not on the high street but, you can get them from most stationary/pound shops nowadays. The Zoella Stationary book is a bit too small for me but comes with a range of helpful bits.

Food, exercise and sleep planner - this is from Kikki K to keep a log of health related bits and bobs.

Monthly wall planner - At the moment I have this FREE January printable from Plainly but any monthly calendar will do.

Little tips:

Use pencil - nothing worse than having to scribble out a change of plans.
Use coloured pens to tick of certain goals or highlight certain important tasks or meetings that aren't going to change.
Check your diary daily - morning is usually best because you don't want to be thinking about it all night.
You forgot something on your to do list? Highlight it, underline it on your weekly planner or stick a sticky note somewhere you won't miss it.
Spend time going through your planner and diary - don't neglect it and worry about going OTT. It's important to ensure your organised. In the long run it will really help you stay on track and be more efficient with your time.
Habits take time to nurture so spending a month giving things a go and finding a system that works FOR YOU will be beneficial.
Put things where you're going to see them e.g. on the wall in front of your desk, a sticky on your laptop or stuck onto your fridge.

I had a random urge to write this post. I've been loving getting organised recently. My inner nerd is coming out. I've found this system: weekly planner on my desk with stuff jotted down and my diary with a more detailed schedule to really work for me. All these tips really help me to organise my life so that I can do my work, fit in my exercise and also schedule in some social or me time (or both!). It also means I never forget anything.