Strange & Charmed

How to Build an Inexpensive Professional Website That Looks Like it Cost Thousands

When it comes to your online presence, whether you are a business owner, blogger or simply a social media fanatic, nothing is more important to your overall success than having a professional website. In many ways, your website is like your first impression on the web and so it’s crucial that your website be a reflection of yourself as well as a unique and well thought out experience. While many people spend thousands upon thousands of dollars creating a unique yet professional website with the help of professional design firms and web coding experts, I have managed to create a website that received hundreds of thousands of views per month spending a fraction of that! In all, my website cost me under $250 dollars to build myself using free resources and tutorials online, plus a few little web hacks that I would like to pass on to you today! So here are my tips for creating a professional website that looks like it costs thousands of dollars!

Go Self Hosted

Although there are plenty of free website options online, using a free service doesn’t hold a candle to a true self hosted website. Although you can certainly create a very decent user experience on a Blogspot.com account, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to your site’s SEO or search engine optimization, a website that is ran from blogspot will never pull in the rankings the way a self hosted site will. This is because your site will always be a subdomain of a larger site, even if you purchase your own custom URL. In order to get the highest rankings for your site and the best SEO, you want to have your website self hosted. Yes, this option costs money, but usually not more than about $100-$150 a year for your domain URL and hosting fees. I use a hosting service called Bluehost, but there are many others out there and I suggest doing a little research for which service and price point works for you!

Use Trusted Website Building Software

I personally use WordPress on my website and I love how reliable, easy to use, and versatile the platform is for my needs! It gives me professional results without actually needing to be a professional web designer! I don’t need to know how to code or even understand HTML because WordPress allows for you to download special plugins to your site that help you create nearly anything you could imagine. Because it’s used by so many professionals, there are so many (free!) resources available to help you build the site of your dreams, and WordPress is constantly updating and adding new functionality!

Buy a Professional and Responsive Theme

Your website’s theme is basically the design that is seen by the end user and although you can get many free themes online for your site, I highly suggesting spending a little money and buying a theme that is perfectly designed, responsive and full featured! I personally purchased my theme from BluChic.com which specializes in responsive WordPress themes for female-centric businesses. Although my theme cost slightly more than your average WordPress theme, I love that it is responsive (which means that the layout of my site optimizes depending on the screen or device that is viewing it), with a clean-cut editorial design that I was easily able to tweak to fit with my own branding. My theme is also backed by a customer service team so that if I ever run into issues or have any questions, I have a professional on call to help me!

Now, I’m not a web design professional by any means, but I am one smart cookie and was able to build my website for a very reasonable price by myself in less than a day and I know you can too! Yes, I was nervous to do it at first, but after Googling some quick how-to’s and watching a few YouTube videos on website building, I was quickly able to learn the basics for setting up my site and follow step-by-step instructions that helped me to create it. It may have seemed overwhelming at first, but in reality, all the information I needed to create my own professional website was available to me for free online, so if you want to create an inexpensive website that looks like it cost thousands of dollars to code and design, I suggest using these tips and doing some research and Googling of your own so that you can get to work!

xoxo,

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out my Blogging Resource Guide or How to Build an Online Business without an Email List!

Productivity

New Inspiration for Your Planner & Office!

I wanted to share with you today just a few updates for new products that have recently hit the Strange & Charmed Shop! I know I don’t always do the best job of keeping you informed of my new designs, and I’m hoping to do a better job of that in the future. Okay, so the first items I want to show you are a new set of printable journaling cards inspired by my Empire Building Program. This set of four designs are my new favorite inspiration cards for my planner and I actually use some of them as page markers/dividers as you can see in my latest YouTube video all about my business binder set up! Whether you are a member of my Empire Building Program, reading through the individual workbooks or just an aspiring #GIRLBOSS who has been following along with the Glampire Chat, I hope this set of inspirational cards brings a little motivation to your business and day!

Now, if you would also like some full size inspirational art to add some motivation to your office space or home, my new Wall Art Designs that coordinate with my Empire Building Journaling Cards are going to be perfect for you! These 8″x10″ graphics are also printable and sold individually so you can choose the art that fits your style. Whether you are a #blogboss or an Empire Builder, these unique designs are sure to add a punch of style and inspiration to your workspace.

I hope you have all enjoyed this little update with the newest products to hit the shop! I am actually currently working on a new collection of art and journaling cards for this summer that I really think you are going to like as well! Think, the perfect summer getaway! So, let me know in the comments how you like these designs and feel free to leave me some suggestions for new designs or products you are interested in seeing in the Strange & Charmed Shop! As always, thank you so much for your support, I love creating inspirational printables for you all!

Productivity

How to Craft Your Own Personal Mantra

For a number of years now, I have been very interested in the concept of personal mantras. For those of you who may not be familiar, a mantra is traditionally a word or sound that one uses during meditation to focus energy and concentration, but more liberally speaking, a mantra is also an affirmation or catch phrase that a person may use on a regular basis. The latter is really what I have been preoccupied with because I am someone who does really believe in the power of affirmations and positive self talk as a means to overcome a variety of issues. I truly believe that if a person believes something is true, that belief can actually change them at their very core, and the best way to get someone to believe something is to have them repeat it over and over on a regular basis until a simple phrase becomes engrained in their psyche.

So, I would say that last year I went on something of a personal quest to find my own mantra, something that resonated with me and helped me to address the specific issues I was having in my life and business. I tried out a lot of popular affirmations, but inevitably, nothing really felt like it was mine, until one day I decided to write myself a set of directions to overcome some mental blocks I was having. At the time, I was spending may too much time consuming content online and not enough time working on my own. I knew this was a waste of my time, but I kept finding myself in this trap that I would set for myself where I got bored, went online for some entertainment, saw all the awesome things other people were creating and then got own on myself because hours had passed and I had achieved nothing of substance for myself. It was causing me some serious anxiety and a feeling that I was literally wasting my life. I didn’t like that feeling. I really wanted to feel like my days were filled with a good balance of working on my own priorities and spending some time enjoying myself and other people’s content, in a normal and healthy way. So, I knew that I needed to give myself a plan, some directions and rules to guide how I would spend my time in a general way. First I wrote out what I was going to stop doing, then I wrote out what I was going to do instead, and finally, I wrote out a list of ideas and options of priorities to focus on. I really liked this short and simple statement so much that I kept it on a page in my planner right towards the front so I would always see it. I eventually realized that as time passed, I had it memorized and actually found myself repeating it to myself whenever I was getting overwhelmed. Unconsciously, this statement had become my personal mantra and without realizing it, I had drastically improved my situation. All of a sudden I was getting more work done and spending less time worrying or feeling anxiety over my work. I was producing better content and the ideas were flowing out of me at an unbelievable rate. I had crafted my own mantra and it was actually striking a chord with me on a daily basis!

Now, I know that this post can seem a little far out there, and I understand if you think this is a little hokey. The thing is though, that I actually believe that this mantra helped me to change my situation and make my life better (of course, or else I would’t be writing a blog post about it) and I think it is worth a try for you. Even if this isn’t your normal cup of tea, I challenge you to weigh the benefits and risks of this activity. Creating your own personal mantra isn’t complicated or difficult, so long as you understand what it is that you need help with and have some solutions in mind for correcting your situation, there is really no harm in giving this a try. As they say, you have nothing to loose and everything to gain. So, here are my tips for crafting your own personal mantra.

1. Think about an area of your life that you are dissatisfied with, but you also know you would have the power to change: Understanding what we can and cannot change is a hard task, but think of this in terms of problems you have control over. If you are a student in high school and live at home with your parents, I don’t think it’s reasonable to say you can change your living situation, however, if you are a thirty year old adult who still lives at home, you have much more control over that scenario. Things like your appearance and attitude can be changed, but you can’t expect to change someone else’s.

2. Swap one bad habit with one good habit: At the time when I wrote my own personal mantra, I didn’t realize that their is a lot of power in controlling your routines. So, when you have something you want to change, it’s best to swap one behavior for another. So, once you know what area of your life you want to change, think about how you could replace a bad habit that perpetuates your issue with a good one. It may be hard to stop doing something, and it may be difficult to add a totally new behavior in, but when you swap one for another, it’s much more manageable.

3. Give yourself options: I’m the type of person who does much better with change when I know I have more than one option available to me. So when it came to having a successful mantra that spoke to me, it was critical that I didn’t box myself in to one narrow concept. Giving myself more than one option for how to spend my time instead of waisting it showed me examples that I could then put into action, and it also provided me with flexibility depending on my mood. For example, if you are someone who is trying to loose weight and you know that snacking is an area that gets you into trouble, you may want to tell yourself to stop snacking on bad food and replace it with good food. That’s great, but taking it a step further and saying exactly what foods you have the option to eat will make it much easier for you to choose that healthy option when the time comes because you have more to choose from.

Now, try putting these simple rules in place as you craft your own mantra, and then of course, make sure you keep your mantra front in center in your life until you have it memorized. Once you have it memorized, make it part of your routine to repeat your mantra to yourself throughout your day. Set a timer or reminders on your phone if you have to, but make sure you are using your mantra so that you actually start benefiting from it!

xoxo,

Business

Get More Views & Make More Sales with these 3 Tips Plus 1 Awesome Resource

When it comes to online business, everyone wants to know the secret of finding success online. For some people, that success means more views on their site and social media platforms, for others it means making more money for their business, and of course, some people really want both! The key to success online isn’t some secret, it’s truly just a simple combination of a few key actions that do require a lot of time, work and dedication. I know when it comes to online businesses it seems like a lot of people are finding a lot of success with very little effort, but the truth is, you just don’t see the effort because the online space blurs those lines. So, if you are really ready to get more eyes on your work, and make more money for your business and you are ready and willing to do the work, here are the three tips you need to know!

1. Get Clear on Your Message

The online business marketplace is so saturated that it can seem overwhelming to try to communicate what makes your business different from all the others. People, including business owners, often get distracted online by the latest and greatest trends, products and niche markets, and because of this, often times, this muddies up the water and can lead even the most seasoned online entrepreneur down multiple wrong paths. To help you keep your messaging crystal clear, I suggest formally writing out a Manifesto or Mission Statement for your business. Include in this message, the specifics of your business and try to focus on what makes you unique even in a saturated marketplace. Then, when it comes to making decisions for the direction you want to take your business or opportunities that you want to get involved with, you have something of a roadmap to help you make critical business decisions. If opportunities and developments are in line with your manifesto, jump on them! If not, this document makes it super easy for you to pass, and feel a sense of confidence that you made the right decision for your business.

2. Create Dynamic Content

A picture here and a quote there does not equal dynamic regular content. Think about the types of content that you yourself enjoy online from your favorite online business or brand, I bet it looks polished, well thought out and really adds value to your experience with that brand. Yep, a lot of work went into that content, and nope, their is no way around it, you will need to get to work too if you want your content to be on par with the best of the best! Now, if this seems overwhelming to you, don’t worry, I’m not saying you need to create this awesome dynamic content every single day. Start small with one solid piece of content per week and work up at a comfortable pace. You don’t need to become a superstar overnight, although, I will say, the more high quality content you create on a regular basis, the quicker your rise will be, but pace yourself. As long as what you put out is on point, you can set goals for yourself and your business to grow into creating more regular content.

3. Interact with Your Community

The fastest way to get more views and sales for your business is to start making friends online! Interacting regularly with the audience you have will go a long way to get you repeat customers and regular audience members. Always keep your community at the forefront of your mind, because without them, you are seriously nothing. As you grow, find ways to engage and reward your followers, giving them incentives to be active members of your community, because the more active your followers are, the more growth you will experience. Your followers aren’t just there on your site cheering you on, they are most likely talking about you all around town, so be kind, available and supportive of them and it will go a long way!

Try this helpful resource!

So, that’s simple right? Like I said, no secret’s here, just good old fashioned hard work and these 3 key tips you need to know! As promised, I also have 1 really great resource for you if you want to learn more about these tips and so much more to help your business grow through active engagement of your audience. This week the third workbook in my Empire Building Program launched on the topic of Community Building and in it, I discuss these three tips plus even more strategies for finding, growing and retaining an audience of dedicated fans and customers. So, if you want to learn more about this topic and help give your business an edge online, I would highly recommend this resource! Of course, if you want even more help and guidance from me on creating a successful online business using my strategies and techniques, feel free to check out my Empire Building Path’s as well, where you can get either one-on-one or group coaching with me, plus access to all the workbooks in the series!

I’d love to hear what you think about these tips and how you make use of them in your own business or blog! Feel free to leave me a comment or drop me a line on Twitter or Instagram! I’d love to know how your business is doing, and how I could help you achieve more of your goals!

xoxo,

Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor: Hello May!

Hello everyone and happy May! Let me tell you how excited I am about this month. It is finally bright and sunny on the North East Coast of the U.S. and I’ve been enjoying the sunshine very much! Starbuck and I have been going on walks, I’ve been hitting the gym in preparation for my trip to Aruba and I’ve been getting some serious work done around Strange & Charmed! So let me catch you up on what is going on at Charmed HQ!

Lately, I have felt like I am making some wonderful progress on so many projects. I have officially launched the third workbook for Empire Building, on the topic of Community Building! The workbook came out so great, I’m so impressed with it myself and I know my Empire Builders are going to love it! It feels so great to have only two remaining workbooks left to publish, and once they are all out, I can’t wait to start on stage two of my master plan for Empire Building! I’ve also been inspired to start a few new series on both my blog and my YouTube channel that focus on educating bloggers and business owners. One of them is going to be a Photoshop course over on YouTube, and another is going to be a business resource guide here on the blog! I’m so excited to get started creating some great content to help my fellow bloggers, YouTubers and social media fanatics learn and grow! I’m also hoping that this month I can finish working on a special passion project of mine that I actually started last year around May, but ended up having to put on the back burner. Obviously, I will explain more as work progresses on that, but never the less, get excited because I’m seriously pumped about May!

Now, speaking of May, did you download my FREE May Planner Insert? If not, I will link it here so you can check it out! It’s adorable, if I say so myself, and it’s actually a list of 31 awesome seasonal things to do in May! Definitely check it out if you are a planner addict like me! Speaking of being a planner addict, I recently posted a video to my YouTube channel all about my Filofax collection. So, if you have been curious as to my planners, you may want to check that video out and meet my 14 (yes, I said 14!) planners!

Finally, I’m sure you are curious to know what Lisamarie and I are up to for the summer! You may have heard that we are going on vacation together to Aruba in June, and we are super excited about that! We will be vlogging it, and we have some awesome things planned for you guys in June to help get you involved with out vacation and such, so make sure you are following both of us on Instagram! We also have one more fun thing to share! On Wednesday May 6^th at 9pm EST, Lisamarie and I will be doing our second Glampire Chat over on her channel! If you missed our last chat, I will link it here, but this time around we are discussing branding, so we hope you will attend the live chat, but you can also watch the reply on my channel if you can’t make it!

So, I think that about wraps up my news for May! Remember, schedule May 6^th at 9pm EST in your planner so you can hang out with me and Lisamarie! Come with your questions and make sure to join us in using the hashtag #GlampireChat to celebrate our second event and send us questions! Can’t wait to see you on Wednesday!

xoxo,

Filofax

Oh, Hello May! {Free Printable}

Sometimes, I legitimately wish that I could have a time turner because the days really do pass too quickly! Well, it’s nearly May and it’s time to say a warm hello to one of the most welcoming months of the year. The first quarter of the year is over and done and we are well into the second. I know for the past few months I have been creating these free printables with a bit of a theme to them, but this month I decided to go back to basics and make a good old fashioned To Do List for the items I want to accomplish in May. It is just so important to make the most of each and everyday, and I think this is seriously a lesson I am learning on an ongoing basis. So, I hope you’ll join me in the month of May by getting your free printable and checking off the tasks along with me so we can celebrate the unofficial start of summer together!

If you would like to download these free inserts (available in both A5 + Personal Size), click here to hop on over to my shop where you can access and print them immediately!

If you do download these free inserts, please let me know about it by taking a picture and tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #StrangeandCharmed so I can see how you are making use of these inserts in your own planners. I love seeing your pictures, and I can’t wait to like them and interact with you on IG! Make sure you’re following me @MissTrenchcoat!!

xoxo,

On my iPhone

On My iPhone {April 2015}

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!

April was such a productive month for me! I feel like for the first time ever as an entrepreneur that my life and business schedules are finally melding together so that I can achieve all my goals without feeling like I am compromising one area of my life for another. I can’t say that I think that has to do specifically with these apps and digital favorites that I am about to introduce to you, however, I think that a mixture of some great productivity apps, some hard work on my part and a bunch of great informational content in the form of audiobooks and articles have really been coming together to make my days feel more productive and fulfilling! So here are my digital favorites for April 2015!

Currently Playing, Focus@Will: I recently did a review of this interesting productivity app that claims to help you improve your productivity through the aid of scientifically optimized music. It basically sounds like a spa playlist, but I have to admit, I am much more productive when I’m using the app!

Currently Reading, Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin: I’ve really been getting into Audible lately, and although I am not reading this book the traditional way, I am definitely enjoying listening to it while I work, clean up and even walk the dog! If you’re interested in understanding and changing your habits, this is another great pick, similar to The Power of Habit, but it takes a completely different spin on the concept!

Currently Watching, Penny Dreadful: The other week I was a little run down and spending a lot of time in bed resting, and during this period I stumbled upon Penny Dreadful and basically watched the entire first season in one day. It was right up my ally blending two of my favorite genres, period pieces and supernatural thrillers! Season two just started up and I’m excited to continue the saga!

Currently Surfing, IAmThatGirl.com: I Am That Girl by Alexis Jones is the Paper & Glam Bookclub read for May and I was very excited to discover that their is actually a whole website and blog for the I Am That Girl Campaign which strives to create community, and a support system around celebrating women and girls! Definitely an inspiring place on the internet to read, learn and connect with other women!

Currently Listening, Serial Podcast: I had heard a lot of great reviews about the Serial podcast a while back and I was recently reminded that I had never checked it out. So, I finally did and I can really understand not what all the fuss was about. If you like criminal dramas or mysteries, you should definitely check out this compelling and extremely thorough podcast that was more like a documentary brought to life in audio only form!

iPhone Case, Kate Spade Diagonal Stripped Hybrid Case: Although I have been something of an iPhone case fanatic in the past, I have actually stuck to the same case now since I purchased the iPhone 6 Plus in March. I will admit, however, that I have had my eye on some other cases, namely this gorgeous marble effect case!

Things I Read & Loved

So now for the second part of this post, a selection of articles I read from around the web that I loved.

So, let me know what you think of these articles and I’d love to hear your experiences with any of the apps, books or sites I shared with you this month! Please let me know what you’re digital favorites were for April by leaving me a comment below or for extra points, tag me in a photo on Instagram telling me about your favorites for the month!

xoxo,

Online Business

How to Build an Online Business without an Email List

I guess somewhere in Online Business Marketing 101 it must say that in order to have a successful online business you need to establish an email list and focus a good amount of time, effort and money into growing that list by any and all means possible. Of course, I skipped Online Business Marketing 101 and figured out a long time ago that much of the traditional marketing practices constantly touted as business essentials online are nothing more than mere suggestions. If you have started a business online or want to start one but get intimidated by the jargon and fancy lingo that the usual online marketers use, or get confused when you hear about SEO, Leadpages, Hooks and Facebook Ads, well, guess what? I am here today to tell you that you don’t need any of it to find success for your business online!

Why? Well, because building a successful business online doesn’t have to be about marketing, endlessly selling yourself and your products online. or even knowing some secret formula for generating leads through advertising. You can make the intentional choice to focus your business strategy on growing a community and finding that audience of like minded individuals who really need that product or service that you have. Let me ask you a question. Would you rather do business with a company online that spammed you with emails, constant product updates and click-bait sales methods or would you rather do business business with a company that took the time to get to know you, was there to answer your questions and support you first before they ever asked for a single penny? I know which I would choose! No one wants to feel like they are being sold to, and for many online entrepreneurs, it feels icky when we have to resort to basic sales tactics. Although I run a business online, I don’t consider myself a sales person, I consider myself a creator and I don’t want to waste my creative energy focusing on business principles that don’t align with my values and interests. I don’t run my business based on antiquated marketing principles, developed at the start of the dotcom era, and I’ve found more success than I could have imagined just by being myself, truly trying to connect with my customers and providing a source of helpful information for my community everyday!

So, you are probably asking yourself, “Alexis, how did you learn how to grow a community online? Where did you learn from? Which program did you take?” The truth is, I learned all this information the hard way, through trial and error. I’ve been at this for over six years at this point and it’s only been through testing and trying new things that I have slowly but surely uncovered the knowledge and information that I now know and which has led me to grow my blog, YouTube and Social Media feeds to numbers far beyond what I could have expected! In just the last year alone, I have grown my blog from just over 10k page views per month to nearly 150k, and my YouTube from 1k subscribers to over 20k! Oh and did I mention, all that and I never spent a single dollar on advertising, nor did I have an email list to communicate with my followers. Instead, I harnessed the power of social media and my own creativity to naturally attract an audience and community for my work who then turned into my customers!

Now, if you are interested in replicating my success, I will tell you, it’s completely do-able! I don’t believe that I was some one-off success story, I know that my success is repeatable for those who know and use the lessons and information that it took me years to figure out on my own. The best news is, that I am not just keeping this information to myself. Like all other great things I learn about and experience in my life, I want to share this with my community! That is why I developed the Empire Building Program, my personal e-course designed to help other creative business owners build a community of customers online using creative methods of communication instead of old-school online marketing tactics! If you want to build an online business, but you’re not interested in learning all the ins and outs of business strategy, this is the course for you!

The great thing about Empire Building is that I created a few different levels for the program to help people learn at the rate and style that works for them. You can sign up for my Empire Building Architect Path to get one-on-one coaching sessions with me as well as a Custom Content Development Action Plan that I create for your business, and of course access to the full Empire Building Program of 5 digital workbooks and a private Facebook group for members. Or, if you want to join the program, but don’t have the time for one-on-one coaching, you can join the Empire Building Blueprint Path and get group coaching through the private Facebook group as well as full access to the 5 digital workbooks so you can work at your own pace and check in with me for additional resources and guidance as needed. Finally, if you prefer to go it alone and select the digital workbooks and topics that you need specific help with, you can purchase my Empire Building Workbooks* individually! Each digital workbook is filled with all the information you need to know on the subject, as well as numerous worksheets that you can print out and use to build a custom plan for your business!

If you want to start your online business but aren’t sure where to begin, let me guide you! If you have an existing business but are having trouble gaining traction online, use my knowledge to your advantage! You don’t have to spend years testing every trick in the book just to figure out what works and what doesn’t. I’ve done all the heavy lifting for you in Empire Building! I can’t wait to work with you!

If you have any questions about Empire Building please do not hesitate to send me an email so I can help you decide which path of the program is right for you!

xoxo,

*Currently, the first two of the five workbooks have been released and the remaining workbooks will be published once a month through July.

Productivity

{Apptastic} Can Music Keep You Focused?

As a productivity junkie, I am always looking for the hottest new apps that promise to help me boost my productivity! I’ve tried games, guided meditation, and brainwave boosters, but most recently I have been using an app that creates a playlist of scientifically optimized productivity music to help you focus called Focus@Will. How’s that for a name, right? Who doesn’t want to have complete focus at will? I know I do! So when I first heard about this app, I knew I had to give it a try, so I downloaded the app, signed up for a free trial account and got started.

Now, the thing you need to understand about this app is that it’s essentially a semi-customizable playlist of relaxing, almost sound machine types of music. The UI of the app itself is pretty minimal and I found that it wasn’t quite adapted to my iPhone 6 Plus’ large screen, but then again, I guess that doesn’t matter very much because you’re not really supposed to be spending much time looking at your iPhone screen with this app on!

For those of you who may already be familiar with the concept to working to music, you may be wondering what makes this app so special? I think it all comes down to the thought that classical and similar styles of music make one more productive than other types of music, and in fact on their website, Focus@Will explains that modern music that most people listen to through the workday is not effective in forcing our concentration because such music normally evokes an emotional response that distracts us. Now, I can understand that! Personally, I am not productive at work with music on, I do better when I listen to music while cleaning the house or doing another physical activity that doesn’t require much thought. If you tend to work with your favorite playlist on in the background, you may want to ask yourself how satisfied you are with your productivity to really understand if this is an app you would want to try!

So, moment of truth, does the app actually work? Well, as I sit at my desk writing this review, it’s about 7:30 in the morning and I’ve been up since 6am working on blog posts, listening to and enjoying the music from the app. I haven’t been distracted by notifications, I haven’t taken moments to pause and rest, unsure of what to write next. I’ve been enjoying the soothing sounds radiating from my iPhone, and I think the science behind this app is correct. I don’t focus this well listening to regular music and I find that even in complete silence, I am not as productive as I seem to be as I type along to the rhythm of the spa playlist I’m currently enjoying. So, I would have to say that for me, yes, this app is working. Now, will I be signing up for a monthly subscription to the app once my 30 day trial is over? That will take some more thought. I am not completely sold on the app as a monthly subscription, although I would have no problem paying out $5.99 or even upwards of $10 to have full access to the app without a subscription fee or at least the option to buy a pre-made playlist flat out. I’m not entirely sure what sort of updates and value the Focus@Will team is adding on a monthly basis to validate the charge, which is my major hesitation right now, but I would say the app is nice, I do see a use for it and I would pay something for it, I’m just not sure how much value will come from the subscription!

If you have ever tried Focus@Will let me know what you thought of it in the comments below. I’d love to hear about your experiences with the app and if you are subscribed, let me know what value you feel you get from the app on an ongoing basis! If you have never tried Focus@Will before, definitely give the app a try, it’s available for download on iOS and Android devices and there is even a desktop client as well!

xoxo,

organization

Office Oasis {April 2015}

Last month, you told me that you really liked this Office Oasis feature and that you wanted me to continue with it and so I shall! Some of my favorite items in my office are cute little desk accessories and stylish stationery items, so for April, I have selected some functional pieces that do double duty. From a coordinating stationery box to the hottest pair of headphones a #girlboss could own, I’ve got your needs covered!

1. Stylish Headphones: The Frends Layla headphones are probably the most iconic feminine pair of cans on the market. They are available in a few different color choices, however, I love the white on rose gold look the best! Nothing is more feminine and sophisticated to keep a #girlboss focused on her work!

2. Fashionable Note Pads: I personally own, use and love this Garance Dore set of note pads from Rifle Paper Co! After using these you will never want to go back to a plain steno pad again!

3.See Through Storage: I get asked all the time about the acrylic storage container that sits on my desk and organizes most of my small office supplies and this is the one that I use! I love the look of the multiple drawers and particularly the sculptural effect of the drawer handles. It’s so reasonably priced, there is no reason to say no!

4. Chic Stationery: I think we can all agree that Kate Spade makes some of the chicest office supplies out there, but let’s be honest, owning her entire collection is going to cost you. That’s why I love this Whistle While You Work Tackle Box filled with a variety of Kate Spade office goodies, for a very reasonable price.

5. Catch All Dish: I always have a variety of little knick-knacks on my desk and to make sure they don’t go rolling all over the place, I like to keep them in this cute little Jonathan Adler Porcelain Zebra Dish! On a daily basis you will find anything from perfume and makeup items, rings and jewelry or even paperclips corralled in this lovely little dish. It’s definitely a must have for my desk!

So those are this month’s office picks. I hope you find something that you like as well as need in the selection above. Nothing makes me happier than when I can find a new office organization item that doubles as wonderful decor and of course, helps me boost my productivity! Let me know in the comments which items you loved the most and of course leave me recommendations for other products you think I should feature in future posts!