February is right around the corner, and so it is of course time for another Free Filofax Printable themed with a monthly checklist and made especially for you! So many of you have been reaching out to me to ask me about this month’s printable and it was so difficult for me to keep the details under wraps! I get so excited about each new insert I make, and I on one hand I want to scream it from the rooftops and see what you guys think, but then on the other hand I want to keep it secret until the very special reveal day! As you can tell from the title of this post, the free insert is themed for Valentine’s Day with a checklist of 28 Ways to Love Yourself. So this isn’t your traditional Valentine’s Day, lovey-dovey romance sort of list, this is all about you focusing on the number one person in your life: YOU! Yes, that is right, I said you! You are such an important person and without you, your whole world would go upside down! So, for February I thought it would be rather appropriate for this insert to focus on ways that you can show yourself love and focus on important self-care items!
To download your FREE copy of my 28 Ways to Love Yourself Personal Sized Filofax Insert, click here to head on over to my shop! As always, I do only have this insert available in personal sized dimensions, however, it is easy enough to scale the image up to fit into an A5! To print in personal size, make sure you are printing at 100% scale, and then increase or decrease the scale as necessary to fit larger or smaller planners!
While you are also over on my shop, make sure to check out another new printable, my newest set of Journaling Cards Titled Girl of All Trades! This beautiful set of 12 unique designs is inspired by the #GIRLBOSS inside of each and every busy women, and includes a variety of lists, quote and inspiration cards, as well as a few unique designs echoing the elegance and femininity of a woman who knows how to #HUSTLE! Download your set today for your planner, desk or project life collection at a special reduced price for a limited time only!
Of course if you do download my 28 Ways to Love Yourself OR the Girl of All Trades Journaling Cards, I want to see pictures of these beauties in your planners! Feel free to add washi tape and stickers to your insert, snap a photo to Instagram and make sure to tag me, @MissTrechcoat so I can like and comment on your photos! As always, I hope you enjoy your free insert, make sure to check out my shop if you are still on the hunt for some wonderful new inserts for your planner, and I hope you have a wonderful start to February!
On my iPhone is a monthly feature on Strange & Charmed where I give you a peak into what I have been loving on my iPhone for the month! Covering topics like apps, games, podcasts, music, websites, books and more, I hope this series helps you all discover new and exciting content out there that can be enjoyed from your iPhone! To stay up to date with this series, make sure to follow the On My iPhone tag!
In case you hadn’t noticed, I actually didn’t post an On My iPhone for December of 2014, so I am very excited to finally be catching you all up on my digital monthly favorites! I feel like I have been on a productivity roll this January with all the great new projects and ideas I have been working on for my business! It should come as no surprise to you then, that many of these awesome favorites may have played a role in that increased productivity!
Currently Playing, Mind Genius: Since I have been trying to get off on a productive foot for 2015, I have been doing a lot of brainstorming and project planning for my blog, YouTube channel and of course my shop! Although I do love brainstorming on paper, I found that the number of projects I was working on was just becoming a little too much for my post its to handle and thought it would be best if I had an electronic system to help aid me in this process so that I could see all my ideas and order them into a logical flow. Enter the app Mind Genius! I have actually had this free app downloaded on my iPad for quite a while now, but I never used it much until now. It’s basically mind mapping software that helps you to arrange your thoughts and brainstorm through projects or problems you are working on. I highly suggest it if you are craving some sort of digital organization for your projects and thoughts and notepads or sticky notes just aren’t working that well for you!
Currently Reading, May Cause Miracles:I really enjoyed Gabrielle Bernstein’s book, Miracles Now, so much that I recently decided that I wanted to familiarize myself with more of her work. So, I decided to give May Cause Miracles a try and I haven’t been disappointed! I really love how Gabby is such a down to earth, straight shooting spiritual guru of sorts. I know she’s a life coach, but when she communicates, it feels more like a friend chatting with you than a professional. If you are looking for spiritual guidance or just want to get in tune with the universe around you, definitely try May Cause Miracles!
Currently Watching, Paper & Glam: Back in December I came across the Paper & Glam Youtube channel as I was searching for new planner videos to watch. The channel is hosted and run by Lisamarie Landreth, a 20 something professional gal much like myself with a penchant for organization and planners and I was instantly hooked! Lisamarie and I have since become besties because we share an alarming number of similar values and ideals, so if you like my content and my youtube channel, I know you will connect with Lisamarie as well. Her home decor and Erin Condren Life Planner videos are on point and she also runs her own blog and shop with much more interesting and fun content, so be sure to check her out there as well! If you do, make sure to drop her a line and let her know Alexis sent you!
Currently Surfing, Elle & Co Design: One of my goals for 2015 is to really dive deep and discover new sites and blogs filled with interesting and informative content, and I have totally started the year off with a strong start ever since I discovered Elle & Co Design, the personal blog of graphic designer Lauren Hooker! I think you’re going to see a pattern emerging with my latest and greatest faves, but Lauren is not only an A+ blogger, but she also runs her own design company and has a digital shop with awesome printables as well! I love that Lauren blogs not only about her design business, but she also gives really great branding and blogging advice as well! Again, if you like my blog, I bet you will love her, so make sure to add her to your bloglovin feed as well!
Currently Listening, Elise Gets Crafty: One of the things I have also been trying to do more of is find and listen to more podcasts! Since I work from home alone all day (well, not totally alone thanks to this lil guy) I feel like I need to keep my mind engaged while I’m working with more than just music. Because I love business and non fiction books so much, I thought it would be fun to find more business related podcasts and guess what?!? I found a podcast geared towards creative business owners called Elise Gets Crafty! It’s hosted by craft blogger Elise Blaha Cripe (who I also went ahead and added to my regular reads as well once I discovered her) and in each episode of her podcast, Elise interviews and engages in great conversation with another creative entrepreneur to help answer some of the big and little questions and issues that all creative business owners face. Definitely check it out if you have been thinking about starting your own creative business or if you already run one!
Well those have been my monthly favorites, but of course, there is always one final thing I know you all look forward to hearing about and that is which iPhone case I am currently rocking! For the majority of January I have been using my favorite black and white striped case from Kate Spade! I have been on such a black and white kick lately, as you can tell from the picture above, everything from my planner to my coffee mug is black and white! Love it!
So, now it’s your turn to tell me what you have been loving for the month of January! Any new YouTube channels or apps I need to check out? I am always on the hunt for new blogs to read as well, especially if they are centered around creative female entrepreneurs! Let me know your favorites and suggestions in the comments below!
I really feel like cliches get a bad wrap! When something is cliche, it’s often overused, or mocked as being unoriginal or stereotypical, however, I think cliches become cliche for a reason, because more often than not, they are true! Sometimes, when it comes to people, we can hear something over and over again, and never really understand what it means, but once you do, it can be a very powerful experience. This has happened to me time and time again when it comes to certain cliche life lessons. So, I thought today I would share with you some of the cliche life lessons I have personally had experience with, why they are true and why you should be paying more attention to them in your own life!
Who you were in high school doesn’t matter
Now, it’s been years since I was in high school. Heck, it’s been years since I was in college! But I still remember my grandfather blowing my world wide open when he sat me down to tell me about why it wasn’t important for me to be the best or brightest person in my high school class. “I take the fact that you don’t get straight A’s as a good thing,” he told me. “Because you never end up hearing about those straight A students after high school is over. It’s the one’s like you, who are flying just below the radar that end up doing great things later on in college and beyond.” Now, I was a very good student, don’t get me wrong. I was the kind of kid that got mostly A’s and then a few B+s or sometimes the unfortunate B, but it often worried me that I wasn’t a straight A student. This news sort of rocked my world, but it went to much beyond grades! In high school, you think its important to be popular and well liked, as if being popular in high school is going to ever mean anything later on, but it doesn’t. All the popular kids from my school are (to be completely honest) basically nobody’s now. I’m sure they have great lives and all, but when I check my Facebook feed sporadically, I see that they all still live in the same small town, have an underwhelming career, and (not so much of a shocker) still hang out with the same crowd of people they were friends with in high school. It’s clear to me that not much has changed or improved in their lives and it appears that their glory days are all behind them! But you know who does have cool and interesting lives whenever I check in on Facebook? The offbeats. The kids who were flying under the radar, the ones who were decidedly unpopular. Instead of worrying about chasing the crowd in high school, they focused on doing their own thing and then in college, they continued to blossom in their own uniqueness! To me, this is why the cliche is true! Who you were in high school doesn’t matter, it’s four years of your life that may be hard and painful and awkward, but seriously, it determines nothing for you!
Love finds you when you’re not looking
For this next cliche, I have been something of a poster child! When I got to college, the last thing I was looking for was a relationship! I wanted to focus on my studies, get involved in the groups and activities that interested me, and the last thing I wanted was a boyfriend, but the thing is that love always seems to find you when you’re not looking. Specifically, when you are out and about, happy and cheerful, doing the things you love and letting your light shine on the world! I’ve watched so many lovely, smart and talented women waste their time trying to pursue opportunities for relationships all because that was what they thought they needed and/or wanted. All of them wound up empty handed, and you know why? Because love is not something you can find, it’s something you attract. It’s an energy like so many other intangibles in life and when you look for it, you can’t find it because its not something you can see! If you really want to find love and a meaningful relationship, try falling in love with yourself and your life and I bet you someone special will begin to notice!
Self confidence makes a difference
I think their is a misunderstanding in the world that confidence comes from experience. While I do find that many confident people have a wealth of life experience, when it comes to some people, no amount of experience ever seems to bring them confidence! I think I need to let you in on a little secret; confidence is a choice. Like waking up and choosing what shirt to put on in the morning, or what cereal you want to put in your bowl for breakfast, you must choose whether or not you are going to be confident. Now, of course, their is some skill to it, which is why practice makes perfect, but their is no reason why you shouldn’t be waking up each morning and choosing confidence. Why? Because confidence matters. Confidence is the difference between making decisions and being told what to do. It’s the difference between taking a comment as positive praise or negative snark. Imagine a life where you felt like you were in control? That’s the feeling confidence gives you, that no matter what life throws as you, you can take it! So, choose confidence everyday, in as many situations that you can. You will being to see an immediate difference and eventually it will become second nature!
Haters gonna hate
As someone who has been putting their writing, thoughts, and creative energy out onto the internet for years, it took me a surprisingly long time to understand this one! Whenever I would hear the phrase “Haters Gonna Hate” I would immediately ask “What does that even mean?” Well, I think I am finally beginning to understand. It is a true universally acknowledged that in life, there are some people who only spread hate and negativity. Now, these people may be very blatant about it, and hate everyone and everything equally and with sincere fervor, or these people may be very cunning about it, wrapping up their negativity in a sweet little package that looks so tempting you may actually want to buy into what they are saying. But the thing is, these people and their opinions (especially if the opinions are opposing you) do not matter. Why? Because their will always be people in the world who don’t agree with you. Even if you are the most innocent, non controversial being on the planet, some people will find something to dislike about you. Just ignore them, it is in their nature and you can’t stop it, nor can you change them or counter them in any way.
You can’t please everyone
Hands down, this has been the hardest lesson for me to learn and sometimes I still feel like I am learning how to live with it. It may be the most popular cliche ever, but its true, you can’t please everyone. Now, this is due to several factors, usually surrounding the fact that people come from different backgrounds and were taught to value completely different things. The most complicated element of this cliche, however, is not just that people are different, but that when you boil it down, people can have completely opposite view points and can still be correct. In life, there is no cut and dry right or wrong most of the time, and because of this, it is inevitable that you won’t be able to please everyone. The quicker you learn this, the less hurt you will be when people disagree with you, the less time you will waste trying to change people’s minds and the less effort you will spend trying to tailor your life and your choices to fit the opinions of others.
Now it’s time for you to tell me which cliche lessons hold the most truth for you! Let me know in the comments below or send me a tweet! I’d love to get your insight and perhaps even learn something new myself!
The start of the year is a great time to start implementing small organization changes that can yield big benefits for your productivity for the rest of the year. Today I wanted to talk to you about organizing your computer for maximum productivity, which if you are anything like me, is sort of a dreaded topic! I live on my computer, so it is filled to the brim with articles, images and information. I use my computer to create a vast majority of my content, and of course, it’s the key to running my online business, so it really is important that I keep my computer files organized, my hard drive free of superfluous information and my desktop clean and neat!
Step 1: Create a virtual filing system
Without some sort of virtual filing system set up on your computer, it can be a pain to locate files in a timely manner. Although most computers come with default files like “Documents” and “Photos” its usually up to the individual to implement a system for filing away items for later reference. What I like to do is create folders within these sort of catch-all files, dividing my items up by categories or projects. I typically use category files like “Picture of Me,” “Online Receipts” or “Youtube Music” to corral items that are similar in nature, but perhaps don’t belong to a larger set. Once I have a handful or more items that belong in a specific set, I usually create folders with event or project titles. For example within my Pictures folder, I may keep Pictures of Me, but I may also have a folder called “Christmas 2015”, or within my documents, along side Online Receipts you may find a Strange & Charmed Project File where I keep all my info related to my brand. Within category files, I usually don’t bother with too much additional organization, other than to give my information descriptive titles for easier location, but within a project or event folder, there is often a handful of other sub folders. For example my Strange & Charmed Project File contains a sub folder for my blog post articles, my business information and image templates among other things. The idea is, no matter what your situation, whether you are a business owner like me, a student or even a stay at home mom, you want to create a filing system that make sense to you. Don’t be afraid to lay some ground rules for your system and type them up in a document to refer back to, in fact, that’s an excellent way to help you manage your system in an ongoing fashion!
So once you have settled on a filing system for your items, of course, you are going to want to go ahead and redistribute your files into their appropriate folders in the system! This can be a large project in and of itself, so don’t be afraid to set up the folder system one day, and return another day to work on distributing your information to their proper home. As you do this, now is the perfect time to also rename files with descriptive titles so that you can easily locate them in the future through the search function on your computer.
Step 2: Remove unnecessary information
Another major process you will want to undergo to organize your computer is to remove all the junk from your computer. Whether it be duplicate files or pictures, old documents you no longer need, or even outdated applications that you no longer use, spend some time locating any files that can be deleted entirely from your computer!
Step 3: Archive old information to save
Of course, you will also come across information that may be old or necessary, but for one reason or another you need to keep it. If it’s not something you need to refer to regularly, I suggest moving these sorts of files to an external hard drive for archiving and backup! Make sure to set your external hard drive up with a filing system of its own that makes sense for the information you are storing there, so you can easily find any archived files if and when the time comes.
Step 4: Run key Diagnostics
Depending on your computer’s operating system, there are a number of diagnostic tools you can use to help you ensure that you computer is running in top shape. First and foremost, I like to use an inventory style program like Disk Inventory X to help me understand what sort of information is taking up my hard drive. Computers can often easily begin to fill with bloat and most systems have a maze of hidden files and folders that you may not be aware of. Now, I don’t think you should go and delete files that you aren’t aware of, however, using a program like Disk Inventory X can help you see how the majority of your hard drive is being spent. Perhaps you didn’t realize that the game you downloaded two years ago and barely run was using so much hard drive space. Insights like that can help you make better decisions about what to keep and what to remove from your computer. Another popular diagnostic tool is a disk defray. PC’s are famous for the defrag, which basically helps to organize the information stored on your hard drive by compartmentalized it. Imagine your computers hard drive is like a storage facility with tons of individual units. When you save information to your computer, its like filling up units randomly in no particular order, so you can have some units in the back filled and some in the front and a few in the middle. When you defray your computer, you actually force those storage units together so that there is no empty space between empty and filled units, which helps you utilize space in your hard drive most efficiently! Like I said, PCs are known for needing to be defrayed regularly, however, Mac’s don’t actually require this, so do a little research on the best diagnostics to run for your computer and operating system and figure out what is worth your time, effort, and sometimes money, in order to keep your computer running the best!
Step 5: Perform weekly maintenance to ensure upkeep of your system
If you are like me and use your computer regularly, chances are you are going to need to continually tweak your system and keep an eye on your computers organization. As much as I try to always file my items into their proper spot in my own system, sometimes I forget or if I am in a rush, I skip that step. So, it’s important to schedule some time on a weekly basis (or more or less frequently depending on how messy your desktop and files get) to tidy up and put things back in place. Of course, you will also want to revisit steps 2-4 on a regular basis as well, although, perhaps on a less frequent basis, although that is completely up to you.
I hope these tips help you to get your computer organized so that you can achieve more with your screen time! If you have any other computer organization tips, I’d love to hear them!
P.S. If you would like to check out some more articles on this topic, feel free to check out Organize Your Mac with These 5 Tips and Back to School Tech Tips (even if you aren’t going back to school, this one has some great suggestions for making an older computer feel like new again!)
We are well into January of 2015 and I don’t know about you, but I am very excited for what lies ahead this year. I think it is incredibly important to get a strong start to the year, in order to lay the ground work and plans that will begin to really blossom as the year progresses. It’s not always easy for me to get motivated to take on a lot, especially during the winter months when I tend to be tired because of short days and less sunlight, and of course, it’s so cold all you want to do is cuddle with dozens of blankets, but I have to keep myself motivated and often times, music is the best way to pump up my mind and my spirit! So, I put together a playlist of inspiration and aspirational music to kick of this series for the new year!
Of course, I hope you check out the playlist and let me know what you think! I’d love to see a pic of you enjoying this playlist at work or at home, so make sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat! Also, feel free to let me know in the comments which songs you have been listening to to keep you motivated and inspired for productivity this month!
I feel like it has been quite a while since I did a normal What’s in My Bag post. You may remember my last WIMB was all about my “Blogger Bag” that acts as my own personal work bag, and before that, I shared a themed post with a “Back to School Bag!” This time I thought I would start the year off with what I carry in my everyday bag!
You may remember this bag from my November Favorites, I picked it up for a really great price during a sale at Old Navy during the fall. I love the overall shape, it reminds me a lot of the Givenchy Antigona bag, but it was thousands of dollars less and a surprisingly good quality. I don’t normally purchase bags like this from clothing retailers, but when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist! Of course, I had to dress up the exterior a bit with my cute teal tassel that I purchased from Kate Spade. Ironically enough, I think that tassel was more expensive than the bag itself, which was something like $17! It’s currently on sale as well right now, so if you want to snag it, I’d act fast!
This bag is a really great size for me. It fits a variety of items and pouches and has a few key pockets that are nice and roomy! Of course, I normally carry my personal sized planner with me, and it fits very well in this bag. I especially like how my planner can stand up in the bag, which I think helps keep the bag organized and compartmentalized! Right now I am going through a very strong black and white phase as well with a lot of my accessories. Of course, I always have a pop of turquoise and pink in my bag out of habit! I just think this color scheme is great for Winter. It’s simple and clean, which is exactly what I want in the colder months.
So, that is everything I carry in my bag! I won’t be doing a video on this, but I am thinking about giving you guys a more frequent peek into my bag whenever I switch them out! I know everyone likes a good What’s in My Bag post, so perhaps we will make this an ongoing series as well! Let me know what you think about this post and of course, let me know about your purse necessities. Carrying a new bag I need to know about? Let me know in the comments below or take a picture of your bag and contents and tag me on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat!
One of the most important parts about running a blog or a website is actually creating content that people want to read and doing it on a consistent basis! I know a lot of people write a post with the hopes that it will go viral and put their sites on the map, but the truth is, that rarely happens. However, there are ways to write a post that does help it get more attention from readers, without breaking or even bending the rules of the web. So here are three ways to write an attention-getting post followed by three things not to do if you are trying to get attention for your writing online!
1. Write about what people care about
For the most part, people online are very self motivated. I don’t mean that in a bad way, just in a very literal way. People go online to find things that help them or something(one) else they are invested in. Whether they are looking for entertainment, information or inspiration, your post can be a popular destination for people if you are writing about what people care about. Now, of course, people care about a lot of things, so you really need to narrow this down to writing about what your ideal audience member cares about. Think about what you know and your expertise and how it can help your readers by entertaining, informing or inspiring them!
2. Use a clever and/or informative title
If your post is all about teaching your reader how to boil water, the obvious title of the post would be “How to Boil Water.” That is most likely the exact phrase your reader would use if they were searching the internet looking for a tutorial on boiling water. Of course, not everything is as easy as boiling water, so here are a few tips for creating a great title. First, try to keep the title short and sweet. Long titles end up getting glazed over, and keeping your title short also helps you keep it to the point. Next, try incorporating alliteration. I already explained how rhyming phrases are more persuasive than standard phrases, but alliteration also helps to create a pattern within your title that draws attention to it. Finally, use numbering and common phrasing as often as possible in your title. Five ways to Cook a Turkey, 3 Easy Baking Tips, 10 Songs for Summer, etc are all examples of using numbering to draw in your reader. People love lists after all, and breaking down your post into a numerical sequence can be a big crowd pleaser. Finally, use common phrases. Common phrasing is also important in titles because titles are seriously not the place to experiment with turn of phrase. Remember that “How to Boil Water” example? “How to” is a common phrase people use when searching. I doubt you’d draw a crowd with “The Ways in Which you can make Water Boil.” Seriously, stick to simple common phrases!
3. Use keywords
Keywords are like buzz words that you can use in the body of your post to help draw people in through SEO. I know we already discussed the finer points of SEO, but as a recap, it stands for search engine optimization and it’s basically the process by which you make your online content more searchable for sites like google, yahoo, and bing, so that your content shows up higher in search results. Keywords are a big part of SEO, and there isn’t anything magical about it, it really just comes down to actually using related terminology in your post. Going back to the “How to Boil Water” post, you want to make sure you actually use the words “boil” and “water” a few times throughout the body of your post. That way search engines understand that this post is really about boiling water!
Things Not to Do
1. Write a false headline
I think we have all experienced this as a reader at one time or another. A site puts up a wild headline, something crazy or fanatical that couldn’t possibly be true, and we click out of curiosity only to find that the actual post itself has nothing to do with the headline. This is often considered trolling on the internet, using a false headline to draw people in, and its generally a very bad way to garner views for your site. You may get more eyes on your post initially, but its like crying “wolf” and you will eventually see a negative downturn in views for doing this.
2. Take content from other sites without permission
You would think this one is a common sense rule, but some people have no clue the rules of online etiquette. If you are trying to get attention for your site, you should never outright take the content from another site and use it as your own without permission. Even if you link back to the original content, this is such bad form. Why? Because Search Engines like google know where content originated from, and if you take content from other sites, google will negatively affect your rankings, making it harder for people to find your post. If you like someone else’s content and want to share it with your readers, consider writing a review of their post, explaining why you like it and why you think your audience should read it, and then post a direct link to the original post. And of course, make sure you tell the author of the original post, it’s the classy thing to do and they may even link to your post as well, giving you more traffic!
3. Post infrequently
It really doesn’t take much to be a blogger. Anyone can sign up for a free blog through various sites like blogger.com or wordpress.com and voila, you can call yourself a blogger or a writer! But like anything in life, what actually defines you is the consistent habit. Habit is what defines you! If you really want to be a blogger and really want to get attention from hundreds and thousands of readers, you need to post more than once a month, and really, more like a few times a week! Without the consistent output to your site, you will eventually loose people’s interest, and once you do, it’s very hard to earn it back!
Well, now that you know some important do’s and don’ts of writing an attention-getting post, I can’t wait to see what awesome content you all come up with! If this post helped you learn a thing or two about creating better blog posts, please leave me a link below to a post you write after you read this! I’d love to see you putting my tips into action on your own blogs!
As a blogger, I use Google Analytics religiously to help me keep track of my site’s metrics. Google Analytics is pretty much the industry standard for website statistics and it’s a free web application that you can set up for your own site via google. Now, as much as I love learning about my site’s traffic, my readers and their behavior on my site via the web app, I really wanted an iPhone app that would help me to keep an eye on my metrics as well. Enter the Google Analytics app! This application was made by Google and works in real-time giving you up to date information about your site, your visitors and all other key data and metrics for your site! The best part is that the app is currently available for free on the iTunes App Store. I have researched a few different analytic tracking apps that work with your Google account, however, many are not free and are obviously not made my Google, and I prefer to go to the source to ensure my information is accurate! I know an analytics tracking app may seem like a weird app to be obsessed with, and if you’re not a blogger or website owner I know this may seem a little nutty, but here are three big reasons why I love my Google Analytics app and why you should too if you are a blogger or online business owner!
1. I can get real-time visitor information:Throughout my day I love to check my Google Analytics app to see how many live visitors are on my site. I know it many not seem like an important piece of information to have, but it’s a way for me to keep an eye on how different forms of advertising and/or how my interaction with my community reflects in real-time to conversions on my site.
2. I always have up to date analytics data: Since my business as an online entrepreneur means I am on call 24/7, It’s great to have mobile access to my site stats no matter where I am. The Google Analytics app gives me access to all the important information I may need to share with important advertisers or sponsors, even when I am on the go.
3. It helps me with forward planning at all hours of the day (or night): Again, as an online entrepreneur, my schedule can sometimes be a little erratic. I often find myself waking up in the middle of the night with ideas and thoughts for my site and shop, and use my iPhone to do some light note taking so that I don’t wake up my husband (or my puppy)! Having my analytics in an app helps my late night brainstorming sessions without having to fumble around with my laptop in bed!
So, like I said, if you don’t run your own website, this application clearly doesn’t apply to you and my love for it may seem a little strange! However, if you are a blogger or do run your own shop or website, I highly recommend this app to help you get a handle on your own site and traffic! Analytics can tell you so much if you know what you are looking for, and I could probably write an entire post on that subject alone (let me know in the comments if that’s something you would like me to do)! In the meantime, definitely get yourself set up with Google Analytics for your site if you aren’t already, and make sure to download this companion app for your iPhone to get you started on the road to success with your site!
Hello my Strange & Charmed ones! I feel like every time I chat with you about my planner, it’s always in the form of a long formal post, but sometimes I just want to give you all a casual update to let you know about anything new in my planer. Hence, I am starting this little series called Filofax Coffee Break! Just something light and informative to read over a cup of coffee or another hot beverage of your choice! I hope you enjoy it!
Okay, so for today’s update I just wanted to fill you in on some new binders I recently received. If you are caught up with my YouTube channel, you would have already seen that I posted a video on my new everyday binder from Franklin Covey, this beautiful blank faux leather binder called the Macaroon!It’s gorgeous and I moved in as soon as I received it, which really surprised me, because I never thought it would be that easy to get me out of my Fluoro Pink Filofax, but this new binder is just so beautiful and elegant! If you would like to watch my overview video, I will go ahead and link it here so you can check it out if you haven’t seen it already!
The second and final new binder I received recently was the Webster’s Pages Color Crush Planner in Light Teal. I had preordered the Color Crush Planner a few months ago and they were set to ship in December, but after some delays they finally shipped towards the end of the month and I received mine last week. The Color Crush Planner is a great new addition to the planner market. It’s very affordable, I believe I paid under $30 for the planner alone, but if you wanted additional inserts, it’s only a few dollars more! It comes in a variety of colors with nice large rings and is personal sized equivalent in Filofax terms.
So, that is that in terms of the new binders I have acquired recently! Other than that, the only other planner related news I have for you guys is that I have been obsessed with making cute paper clips for my planner! In case you missed it, I will go ahead and link you to my DIY on how to make your own. Not only have I been using my regular method to make bow clips and chipboard peieces into cute deco clips, but I have also started using puffy stickers like these cute cupcake paper clips pictured! The options truly are endless when it comes to making these paper clips, just take a good look at the objects and items you have in your stash and figure out if you can turn them into paper clips and page markers- it’s super fun and a great way to add unique personalizations to your planner!
I hope you all have enjoyed this post and if you would like me to continue to give you these sorts of informal updates on my planners and supplies on a regular basis let me know in the comments below! Stay tuned to my site and channel because next week I should have another fun DIY for you guys that has also been very highly requested! I won’t spoil the fun, but go ahead and leave me a guess down in the comments below!
Instagram is definitely one of my favorite social media apps, probably of all time. I love nothing more than to take a break from my workday and pop on over to Instagram and scroll through my feed to get inspiration, relax and just enjoy the beauty and simplicity of photography! Not to toot my own horn too much, but I am actually very proud of my Instagram account as it is nearing in on 5,000 followers! I think the reason my account has been doing so well lately has to do with the extra effort I put into it and of course, a few helpful tips I have picked up since first starting out!
1. Don’t be afraid to use a DSLR or Compact Camera!
When Instagram first launched, the novelty of the app was wrapped up in the fact that you could capture images on your iPhone and then add these cool filters to your images to give them a cool vintage or film camera vibe! I think the novelty of that soon wore off when people began to see that the best way to get a lot of likes on your photos was to use a DSLR or compact camera to shoot, edit your photos in Photoshop and then post them to Instagram! Now, iPhone purists would say Instagram is meant for iPhone/Smartphone photos, but the truth is, you can take any image and post it, and it is becoming increasingly popular for people to use a higher end camera to take their pictures. If you are trying to grow your account or have a business you want to promote through Instagram, using a higher end camera is really a must! Not 100% of the time, but definitely using a better camera to shoot most of your images is a good idea for marketing sake! Now, I know it can seem like a pain to pull out another camera and then have to upload your images to a computer to edit before uploading to Instagram, but don’t worry, I have a solution for that! At the end of 2014, I actually purchased a wifi SD card, the Toshiba Flash Air, that goes into my camera and pairs with my iPhone so that I can quickly and easily upload my photos from my DSLR to my iPhone, no computer needed! Then I use some of my favorite iPhone editing apps to tweak the photo before I post to IG, it’s super simple and the SD card was very reasonably priced and a great quality- I would highly recommend it!
2. Lighting is VERY important.
Few things can ruin a great photo like bad lighting! I think that is probably the biggest issue I ever see on Instagram is an image that is underlit and/or has the wrong color balance, usually because the photographer has tried to up the brightness artificially within an app! Although I do tend to up my brightness a tad with applications, I always try my hardest to start with an image that is properly lit. Make sure you are using the best natural lighting you can find, or go ahead and use a lamp or studio lights to make sure your image is bright straight from the SD card! If you are in a bind and out and about, try using your iPhone’s built in flashlight feature (or a real flashlight) to help add lighting to a scene by bouncing the light off a reflective or light-colored surface onto your subject. If that isn’t a possibility, or you’re shooting a dark scene on purpose, try to use settings on your camera (like ISO or pre-programmed night scenes) to help properly balance the lighting and color in the image!
3. Use color saturation to help your image pop.
Now, let me preface this by saying that I try to be as conservative as possible when it comes to adding any effects to an image, but I find that something simple like bumping up the saturation a little bit can really help an image pop. In terms of built-in Instagram filters that help boost saturation, Lo-Fi, Hefe and X-Pro II are probably my favorite for this within the app, or else I use Afterlight which is one of my favorite photo editing apps!
4. Go easy on the filters.
Like I mentioned in the previous point, I try to be as conservative as possible when it comes to filters and added effects. Although that “authentic film camera” look was a popular feature for Instagram that lead to it’s rise, I think now, for the most part, people are over the lomography look. Don’t feel compelled to always use a filter if your image doesn’t require it and only use a filter if you think it enhances an image, as opposed to using a filter to mask the fact that your image wasn’t the great to begin with. This is especially true of HDR filters. HDR was hot in like the early 2000s, but now it just looks incredibly dated. If you aren’t familiar with HDR images, here are a few cringe-worthy examples to help bring you up to speed. I’m sure once you see the examples, you will know what I’m talking about!
5. Consider composition before shooting.
The final tip I have for making the most of your Instagram photos is to consider the composition of the image you are trying to capture. Instagram provides a “rule of thirds” on-screen guide to help you manage your composition, and I think not enough people pay attention to that feature! Unless absolutely necessary, try not to center your subject in the middle of your image, play around with it’s location in the shot and work with different and exciting angles that may add interest to the photo! I won’t go into how to do this too much in this post, but I will refer you to my Photography Tips post where I discuss this more in-depth and give examples to illustrate how to properly compose an image!
Okay, that is it! Just a few simple tips to help you make the most of your Instagram photos! Make sure to go ahead and leave your Instagram handle down in the comments so I can check our your accounts, and also be sure to follow me on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat if you aren’t already and help me get to 5,000!
