November Goals

November Goals

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

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It struck me the other day, when I first sat down to write this post, that we only have two months left of this decade, not just this year, this DECADE! But still that’s enough time to make some changes before we hit the roaring twenties! Here’s what I want to achieve before the end of the year.

June

June

Wednesday, 5 June 2019

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Here we go again. A new month means new goals doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?! Usually, yes, but not this month. This month I’ll be doing something entirely different. This month I’m just going to let myself be. 

Lately, I've been experiencing what I can only assume is burn out, or a close approximation of. I'm tired, lads, really tired. And it's all the time. Now I could say that I’m going to focus on myself and go to the gym five times a week, get eight hours of sleep every night, while eating all my vegetables and nothing else, but I’m not going to. Because that in itself is pressure I don’t need.

I don’t need to feel bad about myself for not going to the gym, for choosing to lie on my bed, whilst probably eating a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer and ignoring an episode of Game of Thrones to scroll through instagram instead. I don’t need to feel bad about myself.  Full stop. Whether that’s for not doing things I’ve said I’m going to do or just in general. I don’t need it.

The truth is I'm not very good at relaxing, every moment I have is dedicated to something, whether it's this or my youtube channel or my actual job, my brain is always whirring. I am always doing something. I need to get comfortable doing nothing. Even if it doesn't come naturally to me. 

So this month I will be reminding myself that it’s okay not to aim for something. It’s okay to let myself be and not strive for a goal. The world won’t end if I give myself a break and just stop beating myself up for not being who I want to be or not being good enough. Even if it’s just for a moment. It’s okay. I’ll be okay. I hope you are too.

Have a good month x

May Goals

May Goals

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

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May is here. May. We're so far into the year now that before we know it it'll be Christmas. I know, I know I say the same thing every month - it annoys me too - but if I didn't set my monthly goals I don't think I'd really notice the passage of time as much, but I do, and time is just disappearing. I feel like I just sat down to write my April Goals and BAM we're already in May. Anywho, let's talk about my May Goals, shall we? 

Write everyday

I love writing, I’ve always loved writing. But it can be really hardwork. Especially when you write for a living, which I do. Honestly, the fact that I get to say that is beyond amazing, however it does have its downside, because when writing is your job, it becomes a job, something to be ticked off a list. It can take all the joy out of it and, depending on the size and scope of the subject matter, it can be really, really fucking hard. And boring. Recently, I’ve become a bit jaded with writing. The love hasn’t gone but I’m struggling. And because of that struggle I don’t want to do it, putting pen to paper, or fingertips to keys, feels like an insurmountable challenge. The only thing I can think that will help is to write more. Specifically write more for the sheer joy of writing, write things that are just for me, so it doesn’t matter how shit they are. I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself and my writing and I need to take it off and just write. It’s genuinely the only way I think I’ll be able get over this particular bump, and it’s the only way I’ll get better. Writing is a skill and I need to cultivate it, and the only way to do that is to write more.

Finish Game of Thrones

Guys, it finally happened. I’ve started watching Game of Thrones, and more importantly I like Game of Thrones. I really like Game of Thrones. It’s so good. The hype was real. Who knew? Luckily, the entire back catalogue is on NowTV (*not spon) just waiting for me to watch it. Unluckily the first six seasons are only there until the end of the month. Herein lies the problem, I do not have the kind of binge watching mentality that a show like Game of Thrones almost demands from its viewers. I just don’t. I left it at uni alongside my ability to concentrate on one thing for more than 45 minutes and my fondness for neon coloured tights. Watching 56 hours (I’ve nearly finished season two) of GOT in just over three weeks is going to be a real challenge. A real challenge. I genuinely don’t think I’ll manage it, but damnit, I’m going to try. Wish me luck. 

Read more

I actually read quite a lot. It took some time, nothing kills a love for reading quite like an English degree IMO, but I’m finally back in a place where I’m reading fairly regularly - I’ve managed to get through 17 books so far this year - however, reading is always something that I want to be doing more of. Especially because it’s so intrinsically linked to writing. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Wonder Woman of Fleabag and Killing Eve fame, said in her Vogue 70 questions interview that reading is the best way to get over a bout of writer’s block, and I can actually see where she’s coming from. I know when I read a particularly good book or piece of journalism it galvanises me. It makes me not only want to write but to pour all my efforts into writing something good, and that is why I want to read more this month. 

What are your goals this month? Xx

March Goals 2019

March Goals 2019

Wednesday, 27 February 2019

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I never ever know how to start my monthly goals posts. I could go super basic, which is the option I usually plump for, and marvel at the passage of time, or I could come up with something original. Option A it is. Guys! It's basically March! We're nearly a quarter of the way through the year. Seriously! I'm hoping this fact will shock me into action, because I haven't achieved everything I'd wanted to by this point.

New Year, New Me? No thanks

New Year, New Me? No thanks

Wednesday, 2 January 2019

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Hello! And welcome to my first post of 2019. How are you? It's been a while! I hope everyone had a lovely festive time and are ready to take this year by the horns and make some magic happen. I know I am.

Autumn Reads

Autumn Reads

Wednesday, 31 October 2018

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It's that time of year where all I want to do is curl up in a cosy corner with a mug of tea and my dog and read all of the books. I just love the idea of sitting by a window, with the leaves falling, and getting completely lost in a book. But in all honesty it's been a very long time since I've done that. And this year, for the first time in a very, very long time, I’ve actually done it. I  have read loads! Loads!  I haven’t read like this since before I went to university, and ultimately, destroyed my concentration and ability to focus on anything that wasn't instagram for longer than 30 seconds. Over the last six weeks I've made reading a serious priority, and have really reminded myself of how much I fucking love books and reading. I love it so much. Why did I stop? Anyway here's just some of the books I've read and loved recently.

No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister

If you love a slightly trashy but compelling crime novel (my fave!) then look no further (is that a pun?!) Told from the perspective of both sides, No Further Questions is a courtroom drama, about sisters, Martha and Becky, who are embroiled in a court case, where one of them - Becky - stands accused of murdering the other’s baby. Despite the quite dark subject matter, not going to lie I don’t love reading about children being murdered, I was completely consumed by the story, which drew me in from the very first page and kept me reading until the bitter end. It’s a fantastic read.

What Would The Spice Girls Do? by Lauren Bravo

What Would The Spice Girls Do? is an exploration of the Spice Girls and their undeniable impact on pop culture and, not to be overdramatic, the world. More importantly, it's about the Girl Power generation and how we grew up. 

I was only five when Wannabe came out and set the world on fire, so I am a fully paid up member of the Girl Power generation and a former Baby Spice wannabe. I grew up with the Spice Girls. I was obsessed with them. I loved them! And I loved reading this book because of that. Reading it was so nostalgic, because I lived it all. I was obsessed, I had the dolls, I had the photo cards, I had the Impulse body spray, I ate the crisps and I even had an unofficial blue Spice Girls t-shirt that my mum got me from the market. And you probably did too. 

Now even if you didn't love the Spice Girls - you did, you know you did! - it's still a fascinating and hilarious read. It's whip-smart, hilariously funny and stridently feminist without being preachy. I'm a total Lauren Bravo fangirl, and the way she writes is just *italian chef finger kiss* It's brilliant.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Set inside a Women's Clinic in Mississippi which has been taken over by a shooter, A Spark of Light is an incredible book about abortion and the different arguments on either side of this very contentious topic. Starting at the end, the story works backwards and is told from multiple perspectives, including that of the shooter. It's very cleverly and sensitively done, but it's also incredibly well written. I'm reading it at the moment, and I'm about half way through but I'm finding it to be a really compelling read. It's utterly addictive and compelling but thought provoking and incredibly relevant. I think it's amazing and I can't wait to find out what's going to happen. 

My Thoughts Exactly by Lily Allen

You don't have to be a fan of Lily Allen's - I wasn't particularly, I am now - to think that her autobiography is a spectacular piece of work. It's honestly incredible and I wasn't expecting to be as emotionally invested in it as I was. My Thoughts Exactly is Lily's answer to all the tabloid stories and trolling and all other horrible bull shit she faces on a day-to-day basis. It's her story told  in her words, and those words are bloody brilliant. She's very open and honest, to the point where it's painful  at times, but she's also funny and warm, and her story is really moving. I loved it.

This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Phillips 

Okay, so this is the only one I haven't read yet, but it's next on my reading list. Lately, like the rest of the world, I've become a bit obsessed with Busy Phillips. Her autobiography, This Will Only Hurt a Little, from what I've heard, is funny, brutally honest, refreshing, heartbreaking and awesome. I cannot wait to get stuck in. 

So those are my reading recommendations, what are yours? Let me know xxx

August Goals

August Goals

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

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Another month has just completely flown by. This time in a blur of intense heat, near constant sweating, all of the birthdays and if I’m honest one too many twister ice lollies. July was a busy but really good month, but I have to say I’m really glad we’re into August. It feels like we’re finally on the home stretch people! Just one more month and then summer will be over! I can’t wait. 

Live better

I know, I know, this, or some variation of this, is a goal every single month and yet I continue to be a nightmare human. I don’t sleep enough. I don’t drink enough water. I don’t eat particularly well and some days I just exist on Jaffa Cakes and Hula Hoops. And it’s catching up with me. I’m perpetually knackered, knocking back endless mugs of tea and bottles of Coke Zero - which is way worse for you than normal Coke by the way, but has less calories - just to keep myself awake and honestly, I look and feel like shit! So my main goal this month is a fairly simple one: Drink more water, get more sleep and maybe eat some vegetables. I swear one of these days I’m actually going to achieve this goal, and on that day I will go to sleep promptly at 10:30 and get up at 6:30 feeling refreshed and human, whilst starting the day with a hot water and lemon. Maybe that’s a bridge too far....

Get motivated/work harder

Lately I’ve lost my mojo a bit, and with it my motivation to do anything during the day. I blame the recent - and hideous - heatwave! (I’m not a summer person, can you tell?) It’s melted my brain! It’s miserable. Luckily, and perhaps for the first time ever, my blog hasn’t suffered but the rest of my life has. At the moment it feels like I’m stuck on a treadmill and getting absolutely no where. It feels like I’m achieving nothing between the hours of 7am and 10pm. I know that’s not the case, but it’s a really shitty feeling. Something definitely needs to change. 

Stop people pleasing

This goes hand in hand with working harder/total lack of motivation. I want to, and do, work really hard but I want to do it for me, not for other people. So much of my life and my working day is doing things for other people that I shouldn’t be doing and don’t have time to do. It is, quite frankly, exhausting. I can’t please everyone and trying to is a waste of my time and energy! 

Take no shit! 

Just no more. I don’t need anyone else’s bull shit. I have quite enough of my own, thank you very much! 

What are your goals for the month? x

Managing My OCD at a Festival

Managing My OCD at a Festival

Wednesday, 18 July 2018

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I’d like to preface this post by saying that one of my biggest pet hates in life is people, who don’t suffer with OCD, saying "Oh I'm a bit OCD" or just casually referring to their 'OCD' like it's nothing. It's not nothing and it fucks me off like nothing else. Liking things to be a certain way does not mean you have OCD, maybe you have OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder) but casually referring to a real illness as though it's no big deal, or something to be laughed at really sends my blood boiling. It's the only area of my life where I have no sense of humour, because it's not fucking funny.

July Goals

July Goals

Wednesday, 4 July 2018

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It's July now, which means three things: 1. This year is flying by at a rate that I'm not comfortable with. 2. We're more than halfway through the year now, 3. We're that little bit closer to Christmas! How exciting?! This month is set to be a good 'un, with me and my friend Steph heading to the British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park in two weeks time, to see Paul Simon and James Taylor, and all of the birthdays. It's going to very busy. So let's set some goals.

March Goals 2018

March Goals 2018

Monday, 5 March 2018

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I can’t believe I’m already setting my goals for March! The passage of time honestly terrifies me!  Seriously, in my head 2006 was only two weeks ago. Nevertheless here we are and my goals aren’t going to set themselves now are they?

The Five Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To

The Five Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

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Once upon a time I thought podcasts were... not lame, lame’s not the word I’m looking for, but I can’t think of the word I am looking for so we’ll go with lame. Then when I started my job I realised that I can’t do anything, and I mean anything, in silence. I have what I like to refer to as a hyper active brain, and by that I mean I’m very easily distracted - I can be doing something and then BAM! I just have to know what David Hassellhoff has been up to - and my internal monologue is so fricking loud and almost impossible to ignore. It’s why I always did so badly in exams but my coursework was always lit. 

(Belated) February Goals 2018

(Belated) February Goals 2018

Monday, 19 February 2018

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So it's very late in the day to be setting my monthly goals, maybe even too late, what can I say -  a total lack of motivation and organisation has been my downfall this month. Having said that I still have nine days to make a difference and put some of these goals into action. If nothing else it will leave me in a really good position for the next month.