I feel like I have been arranging and rearranging the desk in my office all summer! I filmed a desktop tour video in June, but almost immediately after that went live, I made changes to my set up. When it comes to the way I like to organize my desk, I am far from a minimalist. I love having little gadgets and accessories all around me when I work- it helps keep me productive and filled with inspiration! I do follow a general rule that when it comes to my desk, all the items on it should serve a purpose while also looking like decoration. So, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite desktop necessities that are useful as well as lovely!
Ghost Stand by Twelve South: I recently purchased this Macbook stand in order to give my desk a more ergonomic balance. I love lucite desk accessories because they provide structure without adding to the appearance of clutter. This stand makes my laptop look like its floating on air, which is appropriate since I use a Macbook Air!
Retro Phone Handset: I know these were a fad from a few years back, but since I only use my iPhone for phone calls, I find it way more comfortable to use a handset like this, as opposed to talking on my iPhone for anything longer than a quick chat. It just plugs right into the headphone jack of my phone and the audio quality is great, so it comes in handy to have on my desk!
Kate Spade Paperclips: I have a thing for paperclips. I know its odd, but I try not to staple papers together unless I know they need to be permanent bound. These are such a cute departure from the standard paperclip, and relatively inexpensive, so I think they are a desktop must have! Plus they are infinitely cuter than the standard paperclip when dropped all over your desk!
#GIRLBOSS: You probably already know that I love this book. I love it so much, in fact, that I purchased it in hard copy just to keep it lying around on my desk! Its major motivation whenever I look at it, and I think it adds to the overall positive mojo going on with my desk!
Acrylic Drawer Organizer: I keep one of these on my desk filled with lovely stationery supplies! I like how I can see everything inside the organizer so I know what I have and it inspires me to make use of my abundant collection of paper goods and accessories!
Anthropologie Monogram Mug: Confession, I don’t use this for beverages! I use this adorable “A” mug to hold my favorite writing instruments! Pens, pencils, markers, even my chevron scissor! It’s a cute yet personal addition to my desk that serves a noble purpose!
Macaron Sticky Notes: What is there not to love about these adorable macaron sticky notes? I love leaving myself notes on these little guys because my eyes are always drawn to them whenever hey are sticking around (haha, pun much?).
Kate Spade Bluetooth Speaker: This little speaker cube packs some a major audible punch! Since I love listening to books on tape (currently, Game of Thrones, Book 1) while I work, its great to have this little portable speaker on my desk because I can take it with me all over my house while I’m working, eating lunch, relaxing, whatever!
So, what are you’re desktop favorites? Let me know with a comment below or feel free to tweet me or tag me in an instagram pic of your desk! I would love to see your set up!
I think anyone and everyone who reads this blog pretty much knows and understands that I am a self-proclaimed geek/nerd/tech obsessed femme. Although I talk about tech much more than the average human, I don’t necessarily think that liking my iPhone or Macbook is precisely what makes me a geek, or is anywhere close to scratching the surface of my nerddom. So, today I’m starting a series where I am going to talk to you about an obsession of mine that really starts to crack open my mind and the way I think that actually earns me these titles. I’m calling this series Geek Speak because that’s exactly what it’s going to be, me talking to you about whatever Geeky obsession is currently captivating my mind and today we are going to start with a topic that really begins to put that whole Strange and Charmed thing into perspective.
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about aliens. No, not the movie, and no, not foreigners that immigrate to a new country. I am talking ET’s, flying saucer driving, little green men, aliens! Have I lost you yet? Well, if you made it past that part get ready for some mind-blowing theories to be thrown at you.
I think about aliens a lot. I think it’s pretty normal for humans to be curious about the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, but I guess for most people it’s just a passing thought. Lately I have been theorizing about the possibility of alien invasions. I think I’ll blame July 4th for this since it always makes me think of the movie Independence Day, but if you think about it, much of the time we as humans are thinking about alien life in the universe, it’s usually because we are watching some show or movie that is preying on some deep dark fear we have that aliens are going to come in the middle of the night and kill us all and we will be forced to nuke the planet in order to make it all stop! If this is a fear that you share, I am here to tell you that there is no need to worry! I have given it a lot of thought but alien’s will not ever come to our planet and try to destroy us.
How do I know this? I have a theory based on the behavioral patterns of humans as residents of the universe. In order for an alien species to get to Earth from their point in space, I think we can all agree that it would take a significant amount of technological advancement and knowledge. So many resources and scientific advancements would be required for such an endeavor that in order for such a feat as intergalactic travel to occur, this species would have to have come to a higher consciousness and collectively work together for the greater good of space travel.
Take a look at humans and our current situation on Earth as an example. We have the ability to go into space, and we have for decades, however, partisan politics even within the U.S have effectively shut down our space program because we can’t get along enough to commit to prioritizing our scientific knowledge above allocating resources to wars among ourselves. Imagine if the U.S suddenly decided that we were going to get over our own issues and prioritize the search for knowledge, even then we would still need the cooperation of other nations to get an intergalactic space mission from science fiction to science fact. So, okay, we do it, we get the whole world involved in a global mission to search for life outside of our solar system. The amount of trust and cooperation that would require would be such a powerful force upon our collective consciousness as humans that by the time we successfully launched a fleet or even a single ship to search the universe for signs of intelligent life, the last thing on our minds would be to throw it all away and destroy whatever life we found.
Theoretically, this sort of collective consciousness and communal work ethic would mean that the species would have learned to be inherently good, unselfish and understanding of the importance of putting the needs of others before their own. In a way, they would have to embody certain values and ethics that we as humans on Earth associate with some of our greatest religious icons and because of this spiritual enlightenment, the species would then be unable to actually cause harm to any other species they encountered in the universe. Seriously, imagine if Jesus was driving around the Millennium Falcon and came across an alien race. He absolutely wouldn’t have it in him to kill them off, his only desire for space exploration would be to learn and understand more about the needs and lives of his intergalactic neighbors.
So, the next time you’re watching some ridiculous movie about alien’s bringing our world to an end, remember that any species with the amount of technological and scientific advancement to actually do this would also have a higher consciousness that would give them an inherent respect for life in any and all forms, and would prevent them from executing such a selfish and horrendous act.
So, what do you think? Do alien’s exist and if so, do you think they are going to come to earth to enslave us? Or, do you think one day humans would leave Earth for the purposes of raping and pillaging an alien species? Let me know in the comments or send me a tweet to share your opinion!
I know I am all about that digital life, doing most of my writing a designing via my laptop, but the truth is that paper is still a major part of my creative process. As much as I love the clean, sleek feel of a Macbook Air under my fingers as I type away endlessly, writing in notebooks can be even more satisfying and specifically very cathartic for me as I pour my mind out onto paper. Lately, I have been spending chunks of time working on a book that I hope to publish sometime later this year. Although I use my favorite piece of software, Scrivener, to organize most of my writing, it’s been my time with pen and paper that have really helped me organize my thoughts for this longer, more meaningful piece. That is why I love having beautiful notebooks and notepads around me for making lists, doing quick sketches and writing out my thoughts before I hash them out in Scrivener.
A lot of people are always asking me for stationery recommendations, so I thought it would be fun for me to curate a few of my favorite notebooks and notepads from around the web. Some of these I already own and some of these I am simply lusting after, but if you’re looking for a fresh new notebook to crack into for some writing or note taking of your own, I think these are a beautiful escape from the ordinary notebook or journal. Click through the carousel below for more information on this lovely collection!
Friday is Independence Day in the US, which means we have ourselves a short week and a 3 day weekend! YAY! I love three day weekends because they are like mini vacations spread throughout the year. They can be a great time to catch up on sleep, binge watch your favorite TV shows or finish a home project. So, here are my tips to making the most of your long weekend!
1. Plan Your To-Dos before the weekend begins: Before the weekend starts, I often find myself thinking how exciting it is to have a three day weekend ahead of me! THREE DAYS OFF! That seems like so much time to do WHATEVER I want! But inevitably by Sunday night I find myself wondering where the weekend has gone? It’s nearly over? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!! I think you know the feeling! So, if you want to fill your weekend with fun and awesome things to do, you should probably plan out your time before the weekend starts! You don’t have to make an hour by hour schedule, but have a general idea of what you want to do and who you want to do it with. Make sure plans with friends are hammered out before the weekend begins so you spend more time having fun and less time getting people to agree on dinner reservations!
2. Put your space in order:Whether you have your own place or share with roommates or family members, get your space in order and tidy up before the fun begins. Get your chores done, send off your bills, and get your life in order so that you can maximize your weekend time and not have to worry about the minutiae of daily life for approximately 72 hours!
3. Have at least one adventure: By this I mean, leave the house at least once! Yes, you can break from your Orange is the New Black marathon weekend to run out for pizza or something, but make sure to get some fresh air! Lord knows you don’t get enough of it in the normal work week!
4. Manage your expectations: I know I am totally guilty of over hyping my weekends before hand and then feeling a major crash when everything doesn’t work out perfectly or when I don’t feel like I have done enough! Give yourself reasonable expectations of how fun/exciting/productive/amazing your weekend will be so that you can focus on enjoying everything!
5. Take time to breath and relax: The weekend is about decompressing from a week of work, and long weekends give you even more time to decompress. Make sure to relax and just enjoy your weekend, whatever it may bring so that you are recharged for work and life in general once the work week rolls back around!
How do you like to spend your three day weekends? Share more of your tips for a great three day weekend by letting us know in the comments!
Since the response to my blogging advice has been so positive over the last few weeks and months, I decide it was about time for me to put together a full blown Blogging Resource Guide to keep everything organzied and the information easy to find!
If you are just starting out with a new blog or feel stuck in an old one, I suggest running through my Blogging 101 series to go over the basics, firm up your blog’s foundation and learn some new tips and tricks that will help you save time and money with your site and even bring in an income from it!
If you are reading this, I can only assume that you are either one of my regular readers or you have been searching online looking for information on blogging! If you identify with the latter, you most likely have been thinking about starting a blog or have done so, and hopefully I can help you find some sort of inspiration or direction if you want it! Blogs are a wonderful form of media that many people enjoy both writing and reading. What you may not know is that the history of blogs is actually rooted in a very simple notion. The word blog itself actually stands for web log, in other words, blogs were initially created to be places where people basically kept or shared information. That’s it! The earliest blogs were really more like online journals, where people would just write diary style entries about whatever they wanted. Today, blogs are usually a little more complex, with the most popular blogs actually diving into specific topics or niches and posts are often filled with pictures and videos to supplement the written content. But let’s go back to the concept of the web log as a place for people to simply chronicle their lives and/or interests. Blogs are a wonderful form of expression. For many they are a creative outlet or hobby that allows them to impart their knowledge, expertise or opinions on the internet. Although many blogs are ran as hobbies, others are ran as or to support businesses, helping people develop skills and network with customers, clients or colleagues.
There are many platforms available on the internet for bloggers to choose from when setting up a blog. To be completely honest though, most blogging professionals would tell you that there is really only one solid choice to go with for setting up your site and that is self-hosted WordPress. Self-hosted means that you buy your domain name (for example, my domain ishttp://www.StrangeCharmed.com) and you purchase a hosting package from a hosting service (Blue Host, Host Gator, etc) and you set your site up via the WordPress.org framework, giving you nearly unlimited control over your site and the way it looks and works. Now, going the self-hosted route is going to cost you money, perhaps about $50-$100 a year depending on the services you choose but it is the only way to have total control over your website. Obviously, for someone starting out, making a decision to spend this sort of money on a site that isn’t making you any money yet may seem a little frivolous but it is the most highly recommended route if you are serious about your blog, growing your audience and earning any sort of income based from your website.
Although I will be giving you tips and tricks throughout this blogging series, there is one single factor that will determine the success of your blog and that is your content. No matter what your blog looks like, or what the name of your blog is, or what camera you use to take your photos, its your posts that will attract your readers and keep them coming back for more. Now, I know that many of you reading this may not be looking to create the next million dollar blog, but whatever your goals are for blogging, your content is the key to fulfilling them!
Being a blogger is like having another job. Since I already work one full-time, I need to be very organized when it comes to my focus for my blog, my posting schedule and the time I allot to managing and responding to emails, comments and social media outlets. Now, I don’t work off a strict schedule for every hour of my day. Generally, I do what I can when I can, but I have a few organizational tools that help me stay on track, and make it easy for me to maximize my time.
Since I began this Blogging 101 series, I have covered a lot of fun motivational topics to help you get started blogging, and now its time for some utilitarian type posts. This week I am geeking out to talk to you about the software and hardware you are going to need to get started. Good thing is, if you are reading this, you most likely have much of what I am going to suggest. Then next week, I will be going in-depth with a list of some more advanced items you may want to pick up if you are hoping to bump up your blog and produce some major content. But for now, as promised, the basics!
Last week I discussed the basic hardware and software elements you would need to start a blog sufficiently. Now, its time for me to dig a little deeper and talk about some items you may want to think about if you plan to be a dedicated blogger! Of course, owning or using any of these items may not make you the worlds best blogger, but to me, these things are extras that can either help you save additional time and energy or help you stand out from other blogs out there in cyber space! Let’s begin!
Social media is one of those things that when it comes to blogging, is really just like real life. In real life as you probably already know, everyone is all about the Facebook and the Instagramming, and even your grandmother has a Twitter handle, so if you’re not signed up and actively using it, you’re missing out! It’s the same for bloggers! Of course, bloggers have the extra pressure of having to make sure their Tweets, Facebook Posts and Instagram pics are well thought out and put together, but luckily, I am here to give you some pointers so that posting and engaging in social media is a breeze!
If you are thinking that blogging has more to do with writing than pictures, you are dead wrong. There was a reason I listed a camera as a piece of necessary hardware in my basics guide, and that’s because pictures are a major component of blogs and blog posts in 2014! Think about it, do you read any amazing blogs that use images in their posts? Are those images relevant and interesting aids to the content itself? I’m pretty sure that would be a yes and a yes! Why is that? Because people love pictures. Images tell stories just as much as your blog posts do, and in this era of the 5 second attention span (thanks Twitter & Instagram) leading with a great image is the best way to capture someones attention so that they want to stick around to read your posts. Now, if you haven’t been very interested in photography before and are totally worried now that you don’t have the right equipment or skills to add great photos to your blog, worry not! With a few simple tips, I am going to instruct you on how to take great photos for your blog no matter what your current skill level with a camera!
If you have been following this series since the beginning, you now know how to start a blog, how to create great content and how to use social media to get your message out to your audience! Now, its time to discuss networking! Networking with your peers as well as networking with possible sponsors, customers or clients. You may have started a blog as a means to promote a business, or just to express yourself and have fun. You may have some specific financial goals you are looking to hit or perhaps just want the validation of knowing your content is reaching a certain of number of people. The best tool you have to make these things happen, is networking!
I have chosen the subject of monetization as the final installment of my series for a very specific purpose. First of all, I believe that blogging as we know it today was rooted in a true passion for writing and sharing as a means of creative outlet and that the monetization of blogs was something that came after. Because of this, I believe that you should first and foremost wish to run a blog for the love of it! If you don’t love what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be doing it, and people will be able to tell if your heart isn’t in it. That leads me to my second reason for publishing this topic last, because it is hard work to make money from blogging and if your heart isn’t in it, you won’t ever make it long enough to earn a decent income. So, start your blog for you, as a hobby and/or creative outlet. Put your heart into your content and feel a true passion for what you post, and then monetize strategically!
So, after you have made it through the Blogging 101 series, I also have a few topic specific posts that should help you make your way to blogging success!
Since this week’s installment of my Blogging 101 series was all about Choosing a Platform and Identity for your blog, I decided that I should probably talk to you today about my blog color scheme and what it means and conveys for my blog and its “brand.” Look, I am by no means a branding expert, but one thing I do know about branding is that you can do all you can to produce a certain image to your audience, but ultimately your brand is decided by them! It’s sort of a funny thing, trying to control other people’s opinions, but that is where consistency comes into play. Having a consistent look and feel to your blog and social media posts really helps to establish the vision of your brand that you want to convey to your audience. As you can tell by looking around, I have a pretty specific color scheme for my blog and the colors I have chosen are significant for a reason.
As you may know, yesterday was my final installment of the Blogging 101 series and I covered the topic of monetizing your blog in a variety of ways. So, today I thought I should spend some time talking about the importance of tracking your analytics to help you understand your blog’s audience and reach! There are two points that I would like to make on the subject, the first is that you should be tracking analytics on your site, and the second is that the tracking system you should be using is Google Analytics!
One of the most frequent questions I get from readers looking for advice on their own blogs has something to do with growing their blog. Whether you’re looking for more comments, more page views, or more subscribers, you are looking to draw more attention to your blog by engaging your current audience and expanding your audience. Now, let me be completely honest with you and say that this is a process that does not happen overnight. It normally takes a long time to do this and in my personal experience, you as the blog author need to be very hands on in this process or it will take even more time. I believe the consensus is from the blogging community and professionals that it should take you a year of solid attention to grow your blog to a decent following if you do a few key things regularly. So, I am going to give you some tips of some things you need to do in order to grow your blog, some you may do, some you may not do, but all of them are very important and require your sincere attention in order to work.
In my opinion, one of the most difficult parts of starting a blog is the whole starting part. It can feel overwhelming clicking on “new post” and then being faced with a blank screen just sitting there waiting to be filled with awesome and unique content. So, if you are suffering from a little bloggers block, I have put together a list of 25 interesting and unique blog posts that any blogger can do. Hopefully these ideas can help you get started with your own blog or inspire you to breathe new life into an existing one!
One of the hardest parts of being a blogger is coming up with great new content every week. As a blogger, I need a constant stream of inspiration in order to come up with ideas for my posts, images and my blog’s design. Although as they say, inspiration is everywhere, being a constant learner is an important part of locating inspiration in your life. If you are having trouble finding inspiration, here are a few things I like to do to find inspiration when I need it most!
Let me tell you a little story to kick off this post! Back in early 2009, I had just started a new blog with a tech focus that some of you may remember if you have been following me for a while. It was called “The Pink Mac” and it was all about my love for technology and Apple products; a total fan girl homage to my computer! One day, I was contacted by a company to review some of their gadget cases and I accepted. At that time, I had only been a traditional blogger, and didn’t even have a YouTube channel, but I loved watching tech reviews and unboxings so much that I decided that I would make the unboxing and review of these cases into a video. I’ll be honest, when I filmed that first video on the kitchen table at my dad’s house, I wasn’t even sure if I would post it. I remember feeling like a total weirdo for talking to myself about some iPod cases while my dad and step mom were watching TV on mute in the room next to me until I finished. Once I got home and reviewed the footage, I decided that although it wasn’t the best tech video, it certainly wasn’t the worst (although if you go back now and watch it, it was such poor quality, but for the time that was the norm). So, I bit the bullet, signed up for a YouTube channel and uploaded the video! Although I wasn’t as serious about my YouTube channel in those early days, it’s one of those, if I had known then what I know now, who knows how different things could have been for me, my brand and my blog! So, hopefully you learn a thing or two about video in this post and avoid my mistake!
Need Personalized Guidance?
I know this was a lot of information and I hope this Blogging Resource Guide proves to be a comprehensive one to help you establish a blog you love! Of course, I understand that even great information like this may be helpful but you may still have more questions and unique situations that warrant more specific assistance. That is why I also offer my Empire Building coaching program!Empire Building is designed to help get you off on a productive and strong start with your blog, or help you develop new and interesting content for an existing one! If you are truly interested in creating a blog that will be a creative outlet for your talents, while also making money for you or your business, than check out my Empire Building Paths and Workbooks today!
It’s that time of year again and I have some new tech wallpapers for you! This Summer Fun edition is dedicated to my mantra for the summer months, “Work Hard, Play Hard” and I designed these with some fun summer colors, neon pink and gold glitter! Hope you enjoy them and feel free to leave me any ideas for future tech wallpapers down in the comments! I love hearing your feedback and getting new inspiration from you so that I make these wallpapers as custom as possible for you!
I recently had a conversation with a friend and former colleague about the importance of knowing “what I want to be when I grow up.” She and I were discussing career paths and what sort of job she would like to have next within her company, but she was unsure which path to take. Should she look for a promotion, should she move to another company, where was her life and relationship with her boyfriend headed? In the midst of our conversation, I asked her “well, what do you want to be when you grow up?” She thought the question was funny, “obviously, we are grown up, but what was it that you always thought you would do with your life and do you still want to do it,” I asked.
She really didn’t have to think about it because she immediately knew the answer, she wanted to work for the company she had spent a year interning for after college. She knew it was the time of her life and although she knew she would want to go back in a different role and work in a different side of the business, she at least was able to articulate it.
“Okay, so go work for them,” I said, very matter of fact. “I can’t do that,” she replied, “[my boyfriend] owns a home here and he would never move.” The conversation went on from there and we discussed that ever confusing ambiguity of life where women are expected to manage their personal life and their career, and how to know if you are with “the one” or not. Clearly, neither of us are experts on the subject so I’m not sure the conversation ended with any sort of resolution to her issues, although I like to hope she was at least able to frame herself and her situation in new light.
The reason I am sharing this story here on my blog, is because I feel like for so many women out there, we struggle to find a career and a life that is fulfilling, but then we openly reject what it is we know we want because it may require our lives to change. My friend was probably right, her boyfriend probably won’t want to move to allow her to pursue her dream career, but does that mean that the career is wrong or the boyfriend is wrong? I think pragmatists would say, leave the boyfriend and pursue the career you want, romantics would say, find another career and keep the man. Who is right? Who is wrong? It doesn’t actually matter. The opinions of others don’t really matter when it comes to our own life choices. People will always have an opinion one way or the other, but we have to find the courage to make the choices that bring us happiness and fulfillment. The issue isn’t about choosing career or choosing love, the issue is choice itself and understanding that you do, indeed, have a choice in how to live your life. You can choose to be a passive participant in your life or you can choose to have the courage to be an active one!
On my iPhone is a new 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!
To kick off this new series, I have a bunch of wonderful content to share from my iPhone to yours! I have spent a lot of time this month focusing on inspiration for my business and consuming as much fresh, new content as I can!
Currently Playing, Lost Yeti: This adorable 32-bit puzzle game is all about helping your little Yeti friend navigate his way to a delicious frozen dessert while dodging obstacles like ice and enemies. I actually got this game for free from the Starbucks Pick of the Week in-store promotion cards, so if you are stopping by a Starbucks, take a look and see if you can grab this cute but casual game for free, or download it from the app store for $1.99!
Currently Reading, #GIRLBOSS:There has been a lot of hype about this book around the internet lately, so I decided to download the sample from the iBooks Store and see what it was all about. This frank, funny and admittedly vulgar memoir is a must read for any female online entrepreneurs and internet lovers alike. Although I download and read the sample on iBooks, I already went ahead and bought the hardcover of the book to own, if only for the awesomely empowering cover!
Currently Watching, Emma Approved: If you enjoyed the incredibly popular YouTube series, The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, you will love Emma Approved. Another timeless Austen tale told via the modern medium of internet and video, Emma Approved is a fashionable, technologically clever web series based off Emma, aka Clueless for those of you who are more familiar with film titles than paper ones! And if for some reason you missed Lizzie Bennett back in the fall when I told you to watch it, you seriously need to catch up on both of these series asap- seriously better than anything else on TV!
Currently Surfing, My Life as a Teacup: My good blogging buddy Kristin recently sat down for a Google Helpout session with me to help revamp her wonderful blog! Although Kristin has a lot going for her on her site currently, we were totally able to brainstorm some awesome new features and content for her site that is seriously going to bring so much more fun and whimsy to her corner of the internet. If you don’t already read Kristin’s awesome blog, I hereby give you permission to click out of this post and click onto her site, immediately! Oh, and if you have or are looking to start a blog but need some guidance from a blogging pro, head on over to my Empire Building coaching page and sign up today for one-to-one blog and business consulting with me!
Currently Listening, The Lively Show: I have been following Jess Lively for a few years now and I have loved her new podcast “The Lively Show!” Although it’s geared towards female bloggers and online entrepreneurs, I think it’s an inspiring Podcast for any woman who is looking to bring meaning and “intention” in their life! If you are a reader of my blog, you will most definitely love this podcast, so go ahead and subscribe to it now and hear the stories behind some of your favorite, and soon to be favorite, bloggers and business owners!
I hope you all truly enjoyed this first installment of my On my iPhone series! It will be a monthly feature posted the final Tuesday of each month, so make sure to keep you eye out for it! Also, let me know in the comments what you have been loving, content wise, on your iPhone this month! I love new content, so keep your recommendations rolling in!
I have been thinking a lot about happiness lately and happy people in general. The other week, when I stopped at the gas station, I was confronted with the notion that you really can’t predict who is going to be happy in life and who isn’t based on their situation in life. I was thinking about my regular gas station attendant and how he is always upbeat and happy despite having something of an undesirable career to most people. By all means, I am sure if I was in his position, I would certainly be miserable, and this is not meant to offend anyone who themselves works or know of someone who works in such a position, but for me the idea of standing outside, or sometimes sitting in a little glass box, at all hours of the day through extreme heat and bitter cold would be hell on earth. I’m not someone who could handle such a simple, repetitive task, even one as common as pumping gas for eight hours a day, in fact, I am sure I would botch it. Yet, the same gas station attendant is always there waiting for me, happy as can be, glad to be of service.
After that day, whenever I looked around, it was glaringly obvious to me, that many of the happy, outgoing people I would come across were found in the most unlikely places but they all had something in common, they were all making the choice to be happy, friendly, and genuinely nice people. This may not be news to any of you, the fact that we choose to make our own happiness certainly wasn’t news to me, but I find that whenever I am confronted with these sorts of situations it jolts me back into reality and forces me to look inward to my own feelings and why I make things harder on myself by not choosing happiness more often.
I challenge all of you to stop, take a look around you and search out the happiest people in your life. I bet that for the most part these folks aren’t necessarily always the most wealthy, attractive or even healthy people, but still they find happiness because they choose happiness. I hope for myself and for all of you reading this that we can make that choice for ourselves everyday and remember that it’s not our social status, job, friends or significant others that make us happy, but that it is we that make ourselves happy. Today, I am going to be happy, no matter what!
5 Quirky Uses is a new periodic feature for Strange & Charmed. For each post, I will select an everyday item and suggest five alternate uses or ways to upcycle the item in a fun or unusual way. Keep up with these posts with the Quirky Uses category!
True story, everyone! For some reason or another (all completely legitimate in my mind) I own four Filofax style planners. Two are actually Filofax brand name, one is my lovely Kikki K Time Planner (discontinued) and one is my personal sized Kate Spade! Now, the thing is, although I bought each planner with some grand idea of how I was going to use it in a slightly different way, I have recently woken up to the idea that these planners need to be repurposed or sold. Since, I like many other Filofax enthusiasts own more than one planner and refuse to sell any of them (are you kidding me, they are each beautiful and unique!) I have opted for repurposing the extra three I never use. So, I came up with a list of very useful ways to use a Filofax style planner, so we can all justify our obsessions and have them all!
1. A Home Binder: This would be perfect for any extra A5’s lying around because you can store documents folded in half and punched! A home binder is a place where you can keep all the important information for your home and items in it. Warranty information, insurance paperwork, schedules for regular maintenance and even home decor information (like the color paints and types of flooring used in case of repair). Anything that refers to your home (owned or rented) can be stored away inside in case it needs to be referenced.
2. A Dedicated Blog or Business Binder: If you run a side business or a blog from home, having an extra binder around that stores all your important information and schedules is a great way to repurpose a Filofax. Yes, some of your business information may also be important in your day-to-day planner, but having a dedicated place for business information, projects you are working on and specific business contacts means that you don’t have to cram it all in your daily carry and I think giving your blog or business its own binder that you leave at home and only take with you when needed is a great way to actually help you “switch gears” throughout the day.
3. A Gratitude or Happiness Binder: I am a major proponent of the importance of gratitude journaling and I think that it’s an awesome idea to repurpose a beautiful planner or Filofax into a place where you can store and write about all the things that make you happy and thankful in your life. In a way it could be like an inspiration board but instead of posting things on a single surface you have pages and inserts to decorate and theme out for each element of your life that makes you happy and grateful. You can keep gratitude lists, lists of your favorite things like books, movies, people and places. You can include pictures, sketches, or collages; the possibilities are endless, and at the end of the day it can be your happy place to help you lift your spirit and find joy in your life!
4. A Personalized Devotional: No matter what your religion or spiritual status, many people like to find peace and solice in a daily devotional. You can use a Filofax style planner to create your own with your favorite verses, prayers and inspirational stories and create your own schedule for private study. There are so many people out there who are trying on a daily basis to create a closer bond with their religious or spiritual side and creating a personal devotional is a wonderful activity that would give you time to both create and reflect on the subject.
5. A Health & Wellness Binder: If you are struggling with a health issue, trying to lose weight, or just want to keep a closer eye on your health in general, having a dedicated binder for your Health & Wellness may be a great way for you to track your day-to-day condition, the foods you’re eating and even your mood. I think a Filofax would be a wonderful place to store information like healthy recipes, exercise routines and important information about your physical and mental health so that you have all that information with you when you visit your physician. I think even expectant mothers would find this sort of binder useful as they track and almost journal their experience of pregnancy into motherhood that can then be something of a keepsake for them and their family.
I hope you have enjoyed these tips and if you currently use a Filofax for any of these purposes, please let us know in the comments below and be sure to leave your tips on getting started or elements that would be helpful for others to include if they were to start one of these binders for themselves! As always, if you have any additional uses for a Filofax, please leave those below so we get even more inspiration from the community!
