5 Tips for a Successful Vacation

5 Tips for a Successful Vacation

I'm terrible at disconnecting and stepping away from work when I'm supposed to be 'On Vacation'. I'm getting better as I get older - but here are a few tips from a seriously Type A personality to help you LET GO and ENJOY your vacation.

Don't Over-Plan it:

This is my problem - I have a tendency to wayyyyy over plan things. Leave yourself enough wiggle room that if something fun & spontaneous happens you can do it - but also leave yourself room just in case something doesn't go exactly to plan. There's no point in being stressed out over little things when you are supposed to be on vacation!

Don't Under-Plan it:

Okay - contrary to what I said above, at least plan SOMETHING. Having a rough daily plan helps your day have a purpose. I mean even lazy vacation days have a simple daily plan!

Don't Be Afraid to do Things Spontaneously:

Yes, it may throw you off schedule. Yes, it may not be what you wanted to do. But guess what - life happens! Don't let potentially awesome experiences pass you by!

Step Away from Work:

No seriously - unsync your work email, and log out of all work accounts. Tell your boss and coworkers you'll be unavailable and you won't have access to a computer and phone service will be limited. It may be a lie - but my boss has a tendency to pester me while I'm on vacation/sick and I always feel some sense of duty to find a way to make it happen. Don't forget the word 'No' exists.

Don't Bring your Emotional Baggage at Home with You:

You are specifically on vacation to get away  from the everyday stressors and baggage that you carry with you. You can be the best and happiest version of yourself when on vacation - so do it! 

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Organizing for the Holidays

Organizing for the Holidays

Getting yourself organized for the Holidays can be, well, excruciating. And I always feel like I'm waiting until the last minute to wrap gifts (literally on Christmas Eve some years). But this year, everyone will be bought and paid before this week is even over! I even have all the gifts I've already bought wrapped! I did a few things to make this Christmas go over a LOT smoother!

» Make a list - and check it twice!

I probably write like 5 Christmas lists at LEAST before my list gets finalized. Usually only a few names get rotated in and out during this process, but come shopping day I have a finalized list and can make a finalized budget. (that I will probably blow anyway, but hey! I tried.)

» Make a Budget for each person!

Once you've got a finalized list - make a budget for each individual person! I usually cap friends at $20, close friends at $30-$40. I average ~$50 per family member although I have a tendency to splurge on my Gram (hello, $100 Estee Lauder purchase). My fiance has a ridiculous budget, I don't know why. I usually put around $100 into his budget because I will win the present buying competition. My dog gets a budget too, a little $10 that I spend on squeaky toys to only be used at Grandma's' house.

» Shop early!

Shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday + the beginning of December gets you some great deals and some time to think! The last few days before Christmas are ridiculous - so I'm avoiding the malls/stores at all costs by getting done as early as possible.

» Wrap & Ship ASAP

USPS has this wonderful thing called 'if it fits, it ships' flat rate boxes that are affordable and you can shove as much crap in there as it can hold. Wrap your gifts ASAP (or throw them in bags with tissue paper, I don't judge) and get them shipped out. The sooner the better because the post is going to be slammed with all the holiday boxes.

Happy Holidaze!

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Blogging Advice: Breaking the Scheduling Stigma

Blogging Advice: Breaking the Scheduling Stigma

On this month's Blogging Advice I'm gonna talk about something that gets a lot of flak - Scheduling. And I'm not talking about when you schedule one or two posts - it's when you've got month's planned ahead of time.

I find that people feel scheduling that far ahead to be "cold" or to be "inorganic". Which, to be fair if your writing style comes off that way, it definitely can. A reader can always tell when the author isn't really into what they are writing about. But scheduling so far in advance doesn't make you detached from the subject in which you are writing about. If anything, your view may change and grow while that post sits and waits to be posted and you can always go back and change what you've written. (Whether it's been published or not, your opinions are allowed to change.)

If a topic comes up that you've like to post or speak about first, you can always reschedule! Moving a schedule around the moving your posts around is not as hard as it seems  - heck maybe you can even post off-schedule. *gasp* Bonus post! These extra bonus posts can also help your schedule if you're currently going through a bit of a dry-spell.

This is def a piece of helpful advice when you are working with brands and you schedule more than a month in the future: Let the brand know. Most brands like at least a tentative date in which their product will be featured. This keeps your relationship with them open and honest - which (when all's said and posted) leaves both of you with a successful post and a good working relationship.

Scheduling is not a bad thing, (tbh this post was written a month ago, with some edits throughout the month) and it definitely allows for less stress and panicking about getting posts up on time. Which I know I've done the mad dash right around posting time where I've got no ideas, no pictures, and a seemingly insurmountable task. Scheduling ahead of time gets me around that. (and scheduling my tweets for the week on Monday helps too!)

Stalk me?

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HTML/CSS Tips and Tricks

HTML/CSS Tips and Tricks

If there is something that a lot of bloggers need help with - its coding. So I've assembled a few quick and easy tips, tricks, and a few resources so that when you look at some simple code you can get the gist of what's going on.

How To: Dress for Graduation

How To: Dress for Graduation

I'm just gonna drop a couple tips & tricks that I used for graduation and pass them on. Graduation is an exciting time for everyone - no matter what you're graduating from! I recently (May 1st) just received my bachelors degree in computer engineering and wanted to share a few tips and tricks for how I picked out my dress for graduation. Remember: there will be a TON of pictures taken - so I opted to go for timeless rather than trendy!

1. Pick a conservative, but fun and young dress!

You're not an old lady! Pick a dress that is age appropriate and is a proper length. You want a dress that is young and looks cute with your friends, but also looks appropriate when you take photos with your professors and family. I personally chose a sleeveless dress because I graduated in the spring, but if graduating in the fall just watch that your sleeves don't peek out of your gown! Also - if you've got some large ladies like I do - find a dress that accentuates them but doesn't put them all out there on display! Nothing worse than feeling like your boob may fall out at any minute or having that one lecherous professor staring at them in photos.

Also - consider the color of your gown when graduating and choose your dress accordingly! My gown was navy for graduation so it pretty much let me run the gambit on what color I wanted to wear. I opted for a black and white a-line print dress with cross back paired with a cute yellow belt and black shoes. PS: A dress with pockets is a major plus!

My dress the day I got it!

I picked this cute dress by ELLE at Kohls!

Also: (and this is a personal opinion) Do not wear a maxi or high-low dress! It peeks out from under your gown and just looks weird. You can't see the top half of the dress so all people see is the bottom of the dress and they have no idea whats going on and it just looks like a flowy weird gown extension!