How To Work From Home And Not Feel Suffocated

The hardest part about working full time on your blog is working from home. At first when you tell people your working office is your bed/ small office from home it sounds ideal. That is until the motivation drops you haven’t seen anyone in a week and you’re constantly having naps because your bed and dressing gown in just so comfy.

After doing this for over four years I feel like I’m a pro at working at home. Although I still have those days where I can’t help but binge a new Netflix series, but that’s inevitable, that’s just who I am. The most important thing about working from home is to have a great balance. Between working hours and time for yourself.

I’ve found that having a clear working schedule helps keep me motivated and productive whilst after that I hardly even look at Instagram.

Here are a few tips I’ve learnt to practice over the years to help keep me on top of everything.

 Set regular working hours and days and stick to them

 Personally, I like to do a 9-6/9-5. It’s the same hours that all my friends do so I am able to fit in with their working schedules too. It’s also a great way to feel like you’re the same as everyone else. Holding yourself accountable to your working hours helps you really switch off after 6pm.

Find a reason to get out the house 

When I’m not attending events or shooting new outfits, I find it a huge struggle to get out of the house. Although my work can be carried out with a laptop anywhere I much prefer working at home because it’s just so much more comfortable. And then before I know it, it’s been three days since I last left the house and interacted with the outside world. Make sure you head out at least once a day. Whether that be to go to the local coffee shop/ pick up some milk it doesn’t matter. I find my biggest excuse to get out of the house is to visit the post office. There’s always something that needs to be picked up or sent out. But if you can’t find a reason, simply go for a walk around you streets/ local park. Getting fresh air will do you the world of good, and once you get back you’ll be able to get straight back to work with a clear head.

Make your bed get dressed in the morning and have a good breakfast

When I was working a normal 9-5 I always found myself in a rush. Having to get ready, have breakfast, catch the train all to be on work on time was stressful, and I’d end up rushing out the house without making my bed and putting on the first pieces of clothes I could find. Now that I’m not spending hours of my day travelling, I have more time to do these. I can have a proper breakfast, I can make my bed and I get ready for the day ahead. I’m not suggesting you wear a suit and sit at home, but getting out of your pyjamas is a great way to put your mind in the working stage. Get out of super comfy clothes and put something a little more rigid on. I tend to put on a pair of stretch jeans and a top/ jumper on and since doing this, I have noticed that my mind-set has changed and I’m ready to work. Although it’s so easy to stay in your pyjamas all day (I mean they’re super comfy and warm) it’s not a great habit to keep you motivated to work.

Open a window

This one is super simple, but effective. Open a window; get fresh air into the house and you’ll thank yourself you did when it’s time for bed. Having fresh air circulate your home is something that you should constantly do. Especially if you find it hard to actually get out the house.

Take days off.

The great thing about working from home is having the freedom to be able to do what you want when you want. This may sound really counter intuitive considering everything I’ve listed above. But there’s such a thrill that you can take a day off when you want. And sometimes you need it. I like to take days off liberally, and I usually spend these days with my boyfriend, family or friends with babies (as they are usually the only ones off of work). I always make sure that I’ve finished anything urgent before I take these days off and that the next day I make up for it, but it always does wonders to my mental health. Having the chance to just say I need time off is so important.

If you find yourself struggling working at home, I hope these tips work for you as much as they have worked for me. I’d love to hear what you do to stay motivated and sane working from home.  

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A Luxury Night At Royal Lancaster Hotel Review

Over the Valentine’s Weekend, Royal Lancaster kindly offered to host my boyfriend and I for the night.

When it comes to staycations you guys know how much I love exploring London and trying different hotels out. So when Royal Lancaster kindly offered to host my boyfriend and I over the Valentine’s weekend, you know I couldn’t resist.

I’d never stayed in the hotel before and it was one of my must visit hotels. Everything about the hotel draws me in. I love the fact that it’s location is so central. The views are incredible and the hotel has gorgeous white marble all throughout the entrance.

Location

The location for Royal Lancaster is a travellers dream. It’s right next to a tube station, a ten-minute walk to marble arch and right on the front doorstep is Hyde Park and the Kensington Gardens.

It’s a little surreal having such a large park in central London, and from Royal Lancaster you have some of the most incredible views of the park and the rest of London.

Our room was on the 15^th floor and we could see right across London to the.

Room

We stayed in one of Royal Lancaster's Double Deluxe rooms. The room came with a huge fluffy double bed, a great bathroom and the most incredible views over Hyde Park.

I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels all over the world, but I’ve never felt as comfortable as I did in this particular room. I loved the fact that at the foot of the bed was a couch. I find that rooms this size usually have an armchair and a desk chair, but nowhere to unwind and relax other than the bed. 

Food

The hotel has two in-house restaurants, Island Grill a gastro American menu and Nipa Thai I will try to book into the Thai restaurant another time as the concierge had highly recommended it to us. 

My boyfriend loves hotel breakfasts, I much prefer having breakfast in the room, in my robe relaxing, but he absolutely loves buffets as he likes to try a little bit of everything he likes. So this time, I we decided to go down to the breakfast on the second floor. But next hotel we stay at, we’re having it in the room! It’s a compromise we’ve come up with to make us both happy.

Despite my initial wishes, I’m really glad he convinced me to make the short journey down the lift as it was absolutely spectacular drinking my latte people watching in Hyde Park. As it was a beautiful sunny morning there were a lot of people walking around and embracing the sun. It really felt like I was away somewhere and not in central London.

We decided to go for poached eggs on muffins, I had smoked salmon and he went for ham. As well as the A La Cart menu there was a range of different fruits and baked goods which we also thoroughly enjoyed.

The Service.

As always I was impressed with the overall service at the hotel. Although we were only there for a day, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful to.

The lovely receptionist came up to show us to our room and make sure everything was ok. I always find that it makes such a huge difference as some times hotel hallways can get a little confusing and when you’ve refused any help downstairs by the bellman, traipsing around a hotel looking for your room is not ideal.

Overall, we had a wonderful time at Royal Lancaster and would definitely come back and stay here again.

Thank you to Royal Lancaster for hosting us and this gifted experience in exchange for coverage.

A VERY Merry Christmas

When I think of Christmas, the colour red, sequins and a whole lot of sass come to mind. There's something about this time of the year that puts everyone in a more cheerful mood while making them want to get a little more dressed up than normal. And so far, I am feeling very sassy and very Christmasy and it's still November. 

With my evenings currently being filled with Christmas parties, I thought it was about time I brought some festive looks to the blog. I've never been one who is loud and flamboyant, so I tend to keep my outfits a little reigned in. That is until the Christmas parties come around, and all I want to do is dress up like a disco ball. 

That said, I feel like sequins can either look really good or really bad. There's a thin line that you have to walk over carefully. I have decided to rein my outfit in by keeping all the accessories black suede. I feel like suede is softer and can help mute an otherwise over the top outfit. I have also added a leather jacket, as leather jackets are one of my party essentials. It works great with any outfit and can be worn day to night.

 One thing that I really like about Very is that it is a one stop online retailer. They have everything from clothing to accessories and it's so handy to pick yourself an outfit while also doing your Christmas shop for others.

SHOP MY LOOK

Dress Very

Leather Jacket Very

Boots Very

Bag Very

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Casual Sundays

There's been a real lack of casual outfits on the blog lately. I think that's because I find the summer so refreshing that I love dressing up, but when autumn and winter comes, I find myself in a lot more basic/casual looks as they are so much more comfier and warmer!

One thing I adore about the colder days are chunky over sized knits. I tend to team these with distressed denim or black leggings, as comfort is key for me. How do you like styling your oversized knits?

How cute are these jeans. I have a thing for ripped jeans, but these are a lot different to anything I've ever owned. I love the fact that they have a faux leather type of material where the slits are, meaning that my foot won't rip the slits further, and also, it makes them a perfect pair of jeans for when it's cold and raining as I'm completely covered, while still having the ripped jeans look. 

SHOP MY LOOK

Jumper: Zara (similar here)

Jeans: Just Fab 

Trainers: Adidas

Bag: Olympus

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

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