As you may remember, a few months ago I bought myself a mini gadget folio for work and travel, so I thought it was about time that I showed you all how I use it most frequently! This folio is great because it can fit an iPad mini as well as multiple other gadgets, chords, and other loose items, however, I have stopped using it to house my iPad mini (because I ended up picking up a new iPad mini folio from Kate Spade) and started using it as a quick grab pouch for my bag. This is what you will usually find inside the folio!
What’s Inside
1. A Personal Sized Agenda: Since this folio can hold an iPad mini or other small tablet, its actually perfectly suited for a personal sized notebook or planner! I find that keeping my daily planner in here is a great way to keep my paper planner safe from debris in my bag and means that even if I leave my bag behind, I can take my folio along and have my planner handy!
2. A Pen: Yes, it matches my planner, and Yes, I did plan it that way! A pen is practical for obvious reasons so we don’t need to dwell on this too much!
3. My Earbuds: My new favorite Earbuds are these black skulls that I got from 5 Below! I was worried about the quality when I bought these but they ended up be very reliable. I keep them in my folio to keep them safe from tangling in my bag and also so I can listen to music or a book on tape when I am in a waiting room or have downtime!
4. Business Cards: I like to keep my blog’s business cards in this folio so that they are separate from my work business cards, just in case I meet someone who wants to know the link to my site and social media feeds! You never know when your gonna find a new subscriber!
5. Other Things Not Pictured: At any given moment, this folio can also house my credit cards/cash in case I use it as a wallet (rarely happens but it does happen) and other miscellaneous bits of paper! If I end up carrying just the folio with me, I stick other business cards inside for safe keeping and other papers I may collect fit in fine if I fold them in half!
How do you like my mini folio? Do you happen to use a similar folio in your day-to-day life? What sorts of uses do you get out of yours? Let me know in the comments!
Whether you set resolutions for yourself on January 1st or not, goal setting is an important personal and professional exercise that will help motivate you to achieve your dreams or to discover them! This is an exercise that you can work on as frequently or infrequently as you want throughout the year, but I suggest doing this twice a year, roughly every six months to help you evaluate your progress in your goals or to adjust them as changes occur in your life.
Now, before we begin, I suggest downloading my free set of productivity printables here and printing out the sheet titled “My Goal Tracker” on page 4 of the packet. This sheet contains most of the steps in this goal setting exercise and is a great resource to keep with you to track your goals! If you do not want to use the print out, no problem! You just need a pen/pencil and some paper to proceed and YES, it does need to be paper because this is a very personal activity and the act of writing on paper will help solidify your goals in a visceral way!
Step 1: Select 3 Life Goals
The first step in goal setting is to choose the goals that are most important to you! Some people may have multiple goals that they wish to set in motion now, but I suggest only focusing on 3 at the most at one time. Trying to track too many goals will make things more complicated for you and decrease your chances of success by diverting your attention to often! Now, if you would like to select 3 goals, you may want to choose one personal goal, one professional and one other of your choice. Remember, even if you think everything is going well in your professional life or perhaps in your personal life, that doesn’t mean that you can’t set a goal for that area of your life. I suggest thinking about what is important to you and how you can either a) improve that area of your life or b) continue an already successful or positive trajectory. Maintaining success in an area of your life is often just as difficult or sometimes even more difficult than achieving initial success!
Step 2: Decide on 5-10 steps you can take to set your goal in motion!
A good goal is one where you can see a path of success that can be taken through a series of steps! If you are trying to loose weight you know that these steps may include following a healthy diet plan that can be tracked via a daily caloric intake and an exercise regimen that includes working out a certain number of days a week for a certain amount of time. However, unlike a weight loss goal, many personal and professional goals are not as scientifically precise! Achieving a professional goal to get a specific job may include getting additional training that would make you qualified for that job as well as a discussion about your professional advancement with your supervisor or someone who can help you learn how to position yourself as a desirable candidate. If you do not already have an idea of how to achieve your goal, I suggest researching your specific goal and discussing it with those who may be able to give you insight on the matter!
Step 3: Set parameters for your goal.
It’s all well and good to set a goal, and list out the steps you need to take, but you also need to make sure you have set parameters for when you will start your goal, when you want to have it completed and most importantly, how you will reward yourself for achieving it! The reward is particularly important because this should be something that will highly motivate you and be a constant reminder of the goal you are working towards and why!
Step 4: Take your first step!
As I like to say “once begun, it’s nearly done!” I’m not sure where that comes from, or if I have simply created my own version of another popular saying, but I still consider it truth! Sometimes the hardest part of getting to a destination is starting the journey. Once you take that first step you are invested in your goal and you have made progress! Take your first step as soon as possible, while you are still highly motivated, as this will hopefully propel you to take the next step and the next, until you have reached your goal! Remember, its natural once you have started your journey to tweak your path as needed, don’t be afraid to add steps to your goal or adjust expectations as you go along! Good luck & may this advice help you turn your dreams into a reality!
So, will you be setting goals for yourself this year? Did you find my free printable helpful with helping you track your goals? Let me know any other tips, tweaks or advice you have to help others set and achieve their goals this year but leaving a comment!
Last week the Northeast of the US was hit with an overnight snowstorm that dropped something like 8 inches of snow in my area. It was no wonder that both myself and my husband got an unexpected snow day at home together! However, it wasn’t all fun and game for us as we both have the ability to work from home, and so we ended up working nearly a full day together from our living room. Since I am sure this was just the first snow day of many we are sure to have in the next few months, I thought I would write about my suggestions for a Winter Work From Home Day in case any of you also get to work from home when it snows!
Winter Work From Home Day Must Have’s
A Computer: Whether you will be working from your own personal computer or from your designated work laptop, for most at-home workers, this is your key to getting things done! Make sure to find a nice comfortable spot in your home to set up shop (if you don’t already have a designated office area) and make sure to stock up on pillows and blankets to keep yourself warm in your cozy spot!
Your Favorite Mug: Hopefully you didn’t leave your favorite mug in your office, but really any mug will do! Make sure to keep yourself hydrated with your favorite coffee, tea or other hot beverage!
Comfortable Headphones: Okay, so you don’t need a set of headphones that look like ear muffs (those are just my personal favorite on a cold winter day!) but you will probably find a set of headphones or ear buds a good idea to keep you in the zone and focused on working if you aren’t used to the treat of working from home!
Adorable Office Supplies: Nothing is more fun or can keep you focused on getting things done like lovely office supplies! Hopefully you have a nice notebook at home and some matching pens & pencils! Okay, they don’t have to match, but it all adds to the ambience!
A Fun Gadget: Whether it’s an iPad, iPod, or just your TV with Netflix, you will want to have a fun gadget with you to take your mind off work every once in a while! Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you can’t take a break, so make sure you take a lunch and at least one fifteen minute break to decompress!
A Hydrating Hand Lotion: If you’re working at home because of a snow day, be sure to keep a nice hydrating hand lotion around to keep your skin hydrated and to defend against the chapped skin created by winter weather! Make sure to apply often!
Do you get to stay at home to work during snow days? What are some of your favorite tips for working from home? Make sure to share your experiences in the comments!
Have you ever heard of an app called Everest? Everest is an app that helps you track your goals, so it’s a great resource to use to help you keep track of your New Year’s Resolutions! When you first open the app, it urges you to enter in your first goal. After categorizing your goal and deciding if you want it to be public (for friends to see) or private (for your eyes only), it then gives you options to add steps to getting to your goal. Each step can be given a specific time frame, where you can set reminders for yourself so that you are keeping on track to complete your goal. This app is a great way to manage your expectations and break down your goals into steps that you can take each day that will make achieving your goals a series of steps instead of a giant feat! After all, you can only climb a mountain one step at a time.
Now, the fun thing about the app is that in addition to creating your own goals, you can also accept challenges from the Everest community that range from health/physical challenges (like doing 50 consecutive push ups!) to personal challenges (like finding a job you love). These challenges are of course optional, however, they are a good constant reminder that everyday you could be taking steps to give yourself a happier, healthier and wealthier life!
So, this year I plan to use Everest to track my resolutions and set small realistic steps for myself to take each week to achieve these goals! Do you plan on using Everest or another similar method to help you break your goals down into small manageable steps and then to keep you accountable for achieving your goals?
So, it’s been some time since I have made a new set of wallpapers for you guys, so I thought I would create a special design for the New Year! This quote “Start Something New” happens to be on the first page of my 2014 Kate Spade Agenda for January and I think it pretty much sums up the start of a new year! This time around I went ahead and created a Mac or Macbook Wallpaper that should fit up to a 21″ iMac, an iPad/iPad Mini Wallpaper and an iPhone 5/5s/5c Wallpaper!
iMac or Macbook Wallpaper {right click image to open in new tab & save}iPad/iPad Mini Wallpaper {right click image to open in new tab to save, or if using your device, tap image to open it in new window and then tap and hold until save options appear}iPhone 5/5s/5c Wallpaper {right click image to open in new tab to save, or if using your device, tap image to open it in new window and then tap and hold until save options appear}
So, how do you all like these wallpapers? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy New Year Everybody! Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to be more organized? I have to say that next to getting in shape, I think getting organized is a very popular wish for the new year! So, if you are looking to get yourself more organized this year, here are a few tips that I find can be very helpful!
1. Get yourself some new supplies: I recently went to Target to get myself a bunch of new office and organization supplies for the New Year. I think getting new notebooks and pens is a very easy way to get yourself excited for the task of organizing so that you will be more likely to stick to it! I would make sure to pick up an agenda, cute pens & pencils, some sticky notes, as well as any bins, file folders or other accessories to wrangle you daily tasks! It doesn’t have to be an expensive trip, but I believe that the act of buying these things signifies a metamorphosis that from now on you will be organized!
2. Develop your own system of organization: What organization means to you and what it means to me are most likely very different things. You have an idea in your head of what organized looks like to you and that’s your goal! So, you need to decide on a system to organize yourself that fits your goals and also the way you work. You can devise a system in which all new tasks are entered into a to-do list in an agenda, so that as you get things done you check off the items and add new items as they come in, or you could use a physical inbox where you organize tasks and papers, or you could use an app on your smartphone to keep track of everything! The possibilities are endless, but the point is, you need to find a system and stick to it!
3. Put new tasks into your organization system first and then go back and take care of the past: I think one of the big issues people have when they start to get organized is that they think they need to organize all the old items sitting on their to-do list first. What ends up happening though is that many people find the old “stuff” too overwhelming because they can’t see any progress for their new “stuff”. I say to start your new organizational process with today forward, making sure everything from this point on is organized, then once you feel like things are under control with the here and now, you can then go back to old items and incorporate those into your new system as well.
4. If you have a hiccup, don’t fret, just reset: Another major issue that prevents people from staying organized is that when they have an issue or they stop using their system for a little while, they give up on it as thought the system as failed! The truth is, even the most organized person in the world has breakdowns in their organization system and routine. People get lazy for a little bit or they assume they can go it without their system for this project or these tasks. Just because you do this, doesn’t mean your system has failed, you just need to recognize what brought you back to that point and get back on the horse and keep going. Organizational systems are never perfect, people are never perfect, forgive yourself and get back into your system if organization is truly a goal for you!
5. Continue to tweak: Like I said above, organizational systems are not perfect, they require effort on your part to make them work and to fix little bumps in the road and even major bumps in the road. As you come across issues, think about how you can fix them and implement those changes into your routine. And guess what? You may eventually find that the system you put in place in the beginning of the year is not the same as the system you end up with by the summer or even by the end of the year, and that’s okay! It’s okay to change, it doesn’t mean you’re not good at organizing, it just means that people grow and their systems need to grow with them!
So, is getting organized one of your New Year’s Resolutions? Do you have any other tips or tricks that you find useful that may help others trying to get organized? Please share your tips in the comments!
Since today is New Year’s Eve, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to reflect on the success and growth of this blog in the last year! This morning I woke up to an email from WordPress that linked me to a Stat’s page for the site that gave me all sorts of fun details about my top posts, my commenters, visitors and site views!
Now, although these posts were my most viewed, I, of course, have my own list of favorite posts! These are the posts that were some of the most fun for me to brainstorm and put together. Some took a lot of time behind the scenes in terms of photographing, organizing materials, and/or Photoshop skills, but in the end these are posts I am very proud I was able to bring to fruition!
The final items I wanted to include in this post were the articles I wrote outside of this blog! You may not have even been aware that I have been writing elsewhere this year, so I thought this would be a good time to review and link those posts, as they are all extensions of Strange & Charmed in one way or another!
The first site where I was able to publish a few articles this year was Levo League! You may have seen me mention them a time or two before, but Levo is a great website that I discovered last year, and this year I was given the opportunity to join their arsenal of amazing contributors with these two articles!
The second place you can find me on the web, outside of Strange & Charmed, is GeeksterLabs! GeeksterLabs is a website I have been following for years that focuses on all types of consumer technology. This summer I joined the team as a feature contributor, writing about fun and quirky ways to make the most of technology! Since I have written a steady stream of articles for them, I have included the direct link to my author page here, so you can check out all the articles I have written!
Overall, I would say that 2013 has been an amazing year for this blog! I have seen growth month after month and I hope that trend continues into 2014! So, let me know what you’re favorite posts were from Strange & Charmed in 2013 and the types of articles you hope to see more of in 2014! Happy New Year Everyone!
Hello everyone! I apologize for the lack of posts yesterday! I had to leave the house super early to help a friend before I was able to edit this video for YouTube and then once I got home… optical migraine! So I finally got this baby uploaded late last night, so viola, here is my What I got for Christmas Haul Video!
I don’t want to spoil the video too much, but I decided that I was going to talk about some of my FAVORITE gifts instead of each and every thing! Not every gift is a “big gift”, I was so pleased with many of the little gifts and stocking stuffers I got because it was clear the gifter had put thought into it (and for me, those are the best gifts!)
For the most part, there is one “big gift” that I ended up saving up for and many members of my family ended up giving me very generous gifts of money in order to help me pay for it! That one sneaks it at the end to be sure to watch the video the whole way through!
So, I hope you enjoy this video and make sure to let me know what your favorite gifts were this year! Remember, they don’t have to be big gifts or expensive ones, even the smallest stocking stuffer can be a thoughtful treat!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I know I said that today I would be back to the blog with a Christmas Haul, however, I have some slightly bad news… I’m sick! I wasn’t feeling too good earlier this week, and then I sort of summoned all my energy on Christmas Eve because I was having company and had lots of things to do, but after I got home late last night on Christmas Day, I just fell right to sleep and have basically been in bed ever since. I’m glad I really don’t have much to do, but I just don’t have the energy to put up the haul, but I will be doing it eventually once I feel better! So, I hope you all understand and also take some time to rest and relax yourself between the holidays so that you are in top shape for New Years Eve!
Today I wanted to take just a moment of your time to share with you a useful little tech tip to make sure you are prepared for your winter vacations, holiday travel and basically the rest of the winter days ahead of us! Did you know that during the winter, batteries drain at a faster rate than they do in warmer weather? Yep, they do! So, it’s very important to make sure that you are keeping backup battery sources with you while you are out and about and away from chargers and electrical outlets to make sure your most important gadgets stay safe! This is obviously important all year round, but even more so in winter months when accidents and emergencies are more common! So, I recently stumbled upon this adorable little backup battery charger for the iPhone 5/5s/5c at Anthropologie! It’s a very convenient little size and can pop right into your lightening cable port while you are still using your phone! Don’t let battery drainage ruin your holiday and winter season! Be prepared so you can have a fun and safe winter!
Now, everyone, back to your figgy pudding and I will see you again with a Christmas haul on Thursday!
As you may remember, a few months ago I bought myself a mini gadget folio for work and travel, so I thought it was about time that I showed you all how I use it most frequently! This folio is great because it can fit an iPad mini as well as multiple other gadgets, chords, and other loose items, however, I have stopped using it to house my iPad mini (because I ended up picking up a new iPad mini folio from Kate Spade) and started using it as a quick grab pouch for my bag. This is what you will usually find inside the folio!
