It’s been a minute since we last spoke, hasn’t it!?! As some of you may already know, the last month has been absolutely crazy for me because my husband and I bought our first home and moved into it, which was a massive undertaking that left me a little overwhelmed and kept me away from my work (and phone and computer!) to a degree that I never expected. Well, good news! Things are finally starting to settle down for us, although we have much work ahead of us, I do plan to get back into the groove of blogging and working come August and I hope that I can knock it out of the park with some great new content that you’ll enjoy! One thing I didn’t want to forget, however, was your monthly free downloads, so I am stopping by today to give you an update that they are ready for you to download over at The Charmed Shop! I’ve got your August Dashboard, a 30 Strategies to Make You More Productivity task list and of course, some beautiful August calendar tech wallpapers!
I have to admit, it’s been very weird for me not working much or interacting with you for the past month, so I would really appreciate it if you guys sent me some love and inspiration over on Instagram! Feel free to snap a pic of your inserts or wallpapers in use in your life and tag me @MissTrenchcoat so I can be inspired by your creativity.
Thank you all so much for your never ending love and encouragement, it really means so much to me, and thank you to all those who sent me messages and well wishes during my absence! Your kindness is so deeply appreciated!
It’s no secret that I love and use essential oils on a regular basis to help me manage my mood and my productivity. For some, the topic of essential oils falls into the woo-woo category, it’s not actionable strategy, it isn’t a true productivity tool that can aid you in staying organized or remaining on task. For some, the concept of aromatherapy is on par with inspirational quotes and meditation, and that’s fine. But I’m here to tell you today that I don’t care how woo-woo it seems to use essential oils, I know that the affects of aromatherapy have drastically helped me improve my life and I want to share with you my number one essential oil secret weapon that does help me increase my productivity!
If you are someone who has a hard time waking up in the morning. If you are someone who looses focus throughout the workday or falls into the afternoon slump where you just want to take a nap. THIS SECRET WEAPON IS FOR YOU! Anytime I use it, my mood instantly turns to one of action and empowerment, and it seriously helps me boost my productivity for the day.
Let me tell you a little story!
Back in April, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at a planner convention in Atlanta. I flew in for the event, met up with a great bunch of girls and we spent the evening before the event dining and having fun. I admittedly enjoyed myself a little too much, stayed up past midnight and had one too many drinks. My friends were slightly concerned that I may not wake up in the morning on time for our event, but I told them I would be there on time, bright eyed and bushy tailed!
The next morning, when my alarm went off at 6am, I immediately grabbed my secret weapon essential oil, sat in silence with it for about ten minutes breathing it in and waking myself up for the day. After that I drank down a bottle of water, got dressed and headed to the event. I was one of the first to arrive and I was on my feet for a solid 8-10 hours that day full of energy, no caffeine required. All the girls thought I was some sort of wonder woman and wanted to know my secret weapon, which I gleefully shared with them. It gave me the energy and focus to push past exhaustion and a hangover to put my best effort into the day ahead.
So, you’re probably wondering, what is this secret weapon? I’ll tell you…
Let me just take a moment to explain, this isn’t an advertisement or promotional post, I am not being paid to talk about this oil- it’s just seriously a tool in my arsenal that I use to get me up and at em when I need that extra lift. Some people turn to coffee, and I definitely do on a regular basis, but coffee doesn’t always sustain my energy and can leave me feeling even more tired once it’s affects wear off. Some people swear by pills or energy drinks, again, we are talking artificial chemicals or sweeteners and not our bodies own natural resources. When I take a few minutes to sit calmly and breathe in the scent of Doterra Elevation, I am stimulating energy resources inside myself. I’m not adding sugar or chemicals or addictive substances to my body, I’m flipping a switch inside myself that turns on my own juice!
Okay, so you’re probably wondering, what’s inside this Elevation Oil and how do I use it?
The elevation oil is a blend of floral, sweet and citrus to uplift your mind and produce energy. It’s ingredients include: Lavandin Flower, Lavender Flower, Hawaiian Sandalwood, Tangerine Peel, Melissa Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Elemi Resin, Osmanthus Flower, and Lemon Myrtle Leaf essential oils.
I like to use this oil a few different ways.
In the morning when I wake up, I like to sit quietly crossed legged, open the oil and keep it to my nose as I breath deeply in and out for a few moments. I will personally tie this to a gratitude or meditation practice where I am breathing the oil and thinking my positive, calming thoughts for the day at the same time.
During the workday I will either diffuse a few drops of the oil in my office space OR I will rub it onto my wrists so I can keep the scent lingering around me as I work. You could also add a few drops to your favorite hand lotion if you have sensitive skin that is easily irritated by scented oils.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways you can use the oil, but it’s the way I use it on a daily basis. I sincerely love this oil and consider it my number one productivity secret weapon for a reason- it really does help me to naturally elevate my mindset and promote productivity when I’m loosing focus! Definitely give it a try today, here is a link where you can purchase the oil if you are curious! If you use Elevation yourself or would like to recommend any other oils to me, I’d love for you to tell me about it in the comments.
5 Reasons Snapchat isn’t just for teenagers anymore
Are you using Snapchat yet? Although I have had my Snapchat account for a while, it wasn’t until a little earlier this year that I really got into the platform. For a while, I, like everyone else, thought it was just a fad app for teenagers. That is what it seemed like, but now a few years and a bunch of hype later, the platform really seems to be exploding and you’d be surprised that it’s really shaping up to be a valuable entertainment and community building platform for adults and businesses alike. So, today I want to share with you the 5 reasons Snapchat isn’t just for teenagers anymore, and share some of my insights for why this platform is so popular and fun for businesses and adult users as well!
It’s like instant vlogging
Vlogging has seriously grown in popularity in the last few years thanks to YouTubers who took the concept of “follow me around” videos and turned it into it’s own genre of reality tv. But for as long as their has been vlogging, there have also been the struggle of vloggers to produce engaging content about their daily life quickly and easily. A whole sub market of goods has been developing to help people vlog, from selfie sticks to cameras with front facing LCD screens- vlogging is hard work and vloggers are always searching for new technology to make it easier. Well, enter Snapchat! A platform that gives you the ability to quickly capture video and images in real time to share with your following. It’s like the behind the scenes of the behind the scenes and for me personally, that is what I use snapchat for myself. I am not a daily vlogger, but with Snapchat, I can easily share snippets of my daily life with my followers. And more and more, the people I choose to watch on the platform are people who do the same!
Real time updates mean you can promote organically in real time
It terms of running a business, snapchat is also a great way to promote to your audience in real time. One of the most inauthentic parts of running a business and doing promotions is certainly the fact that everything needs to be done “ahead of time.” Promotions are prepackaged, emails are scheduled, posts are queued up. Nothing is left for that organic, in the moment reaction. Unless you use Snapchat! By building a following on Snapchat, you can tap into more organic promotion by sharing things as they happen in real time and optimizing your content for real life events. And since the content on the platform is on a timer, you can do things like run flash sales for a short window of time and by the time the promotion expires, so has your content!
Everyone from celebrities, to entrepreneurs to your favorite brands are using it
I remember back in 2014 when I first signed up for Snapchat myself, and even before that, the joke was that Snapchat was for teenagers to text each other funny/naughty/controversial things without the content being permanently out there for everyone to see or archived in some dark part of the internet to creep back up later and bite you in the butt! But now, it’s a fun platform where not only adults are enjoying and sharing, but we also see a variety of celebrities, entrepreneurs and brands active on the platform as well.
It gives your community personal access to you in a controlled environment
One of the things I love about Snapchat from a business standpoint is how it gives my audience instant access to me without me feeling like I’m putting too much information out there. My audience can send me snaps and ask me questions very easily through the app and get personal messages back from me that are part of a private conversation between the two of us. It’s easier than email because you are able to send just a short message or quick picture if you please, it’s better than twitter if you want to keep your conversation private, and it’s simpler than Facebook messaging because you don’t have to go through that whole platform to use it! I also like the fact that I can see who has viewed my snaps and who has taken a screenshot of them. It makes the whole process more transparent but also creates a private environment at the same time.
It’s pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it
Snapchat is a relatively easy platform to learn, as it really only allows you to do a few specific things. If you are interested in learning the platform for yourself, I created a whole video demonstration walking you through how to use the app if you are a beginner. Check that out below and make sure to follow me on Snapchat, my username is MissTrenchcoat of course!
So, will you be joining me on Snapchat or have you already joined the platform? I’d love to hear your experience with the app and if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
Happy 4th of July Friends! Since most people in the United States have today off, I thought instead of my normal blog post, I would share some beautiful images I captured during a visit to Society Hill in Philadelphia. As some of you may know, I do currently reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia, but a few years ago I lived in a studio apartment in Society Hill Philadelphia, one of the most historic neighborhoods in the city filled with cobblestone streets and beautiful brick architecture dating back from the birth of our nation! I hope you enjoy these images of the city I love!
As I said, the Society Hill Headhouse Square area of Philadelphia was once my home and has a very special place in my heart!
My husband proposed to me under this historic building and gathering place in the middle of a snowstorm!
The architecture in this area of the city is a beautiful mix of classical and colonial.
The homes are all beautiful brick, with brick sidewalks on cobblestone tree-lined streets. A haven in this busy city.
On the weekends, horse drawn carriage tours are a regular sight.
As are early American flags!
And our more traditional American Flags are abundant as well!
This breathtaking area of the city is truly Americana at it’s finest.
Blue doors and stunning green ivy,
Paired with unexpected whimsy!
There is certainly nothing better than exploring this sleepy neighborhood of the city,
and taking a moment to let your surroundings take you back to the birth of the nation!
