13 challenges to get your life together before the new year

there are only 13 days left in 2021… which is crazy. if you’re anything like me, you really want to get your life together & get organized before the new year.

i’m challenging all of you guys to complete one of these little challenges every single day (starting tomorrow) before 2022. i’ll be doing it along with you guys and posting updates on my instagram (if you don’t already follow my instagram, make sure you go do that! i post lots of little life updates & mini blog posts as well as products and things i love).

bonus: i also made a couple freebies to help you guys with this challenge!! i made a checklist for each of the items that you can print off and check off each item on your own. last year i made a list of journal prompts to reflect on 2020 & set goals for 2021 and i also updated those prompts for this year. both freebies will be at the end of the post ❤

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HOW TO SURVIVE FINALS (AND ACTUALLY GET SOME SLEEP)

Sadly, finals are here and it’s one of the most stressful times of the year. My finals actually got canceled because of covid and I’m honestly thankful. I know most people still have them so in today’s post I’m going to be sharing my lifesaving tips for surviving finals and actually getting some sleep! (sounds crazy, right?) Keep reading for the tips and don’t forget to comment and follow if you liked this post (:

HOW TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK ON TRACK | 5 HABITS TO BECOME YOUR HAPPIEST, HEALTHIEST SELF

Hey friends!! Today’s post is going to be all about getting back on track. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling kind of off these past few weeks and just haven’t been super productive. I was listening to a podcast episode about healthy habits and it inspired me to write out a few habits/goals I wanted to implement in my life. I’ve been following them and they have been so helpful for me to get back on track so I wanted to share them with you all ❤

HOW TO STAY FOCUSED DURING SCHOOL | GUEST POST WITH KAYLA

litle note before we get into kayla’s WONDERFUL post: sorry for not posting on monday! I got a post started but ended up being super busy 😦 for now I think I’m only going to be posting once a week but I will try and get a post up for y’all this friday so you can look forward to that. love, christina 💛

This article is from Kayla, a teen blogger who loves sunsets, beaches, art, goldfish, smoothies, and Jesus! 

If you’d like to write a guest post on my blog, feel free to shoot me an email at christina.raquel.snyder@gmail.com 🙂

tips to feel motivated

hey guys!! feeling motivated can be really hard but today I’m coming at you with some tips that will help you feel motivated when you’re feeling lazy. 🌻

online school tips

hey y’all!! since everyone is doing online school now I thought I’d give you guys some tips since I did online school for for 3 years and learned a TON of helpful info. so bookmark this post because you will use it ❤

3 steps to a better day

We’ve all had those days… where you’re tired and unable to get anything done. On those days, I often end up reading a trashy book while eating lots of junk food… definitely not a good idea! It’s not healthy and it doesn’t help at all!

Related post >> How to be productive when you’re not motivated

But what else can you do?

It feels like there’s no other option, but that’s not true. I’ve figured out several tips to share with you that will change your day from bad to good!

How to take advantage of Spring Break

It seems like a lot of people already had Spring Break… I’m probably the only one who has it this week 😂 But if you haven’t had your spring break already, here are three ways to take advantage of the week off!

❶ – Write extra

If you’re writing a novel, novella, story, or anything in between, take advantage of this week to write extra! You can set a specific goal or just make your goal “to write a lot”. If you’re not writing anything but want to, this is a great time to start that too! Your writing could even be for a blog or school project (or maybe not, because you should never do school on spring break. It’s a rule. That I have broken many times 😂 Actually it’s not a rule and it’s pretty smart!)

BONUS: If you’re doing Camp NaNo’s April session and your spring break falls in April, you’re in luck! 

❷ – Throw a party for no reason

… how is this a way to take advantage of Spring Break? I don’t know. But it would be fun! Throw a surprise party for someone with no reason. You could even do it for someone you don’t know (where do I come up with these ideas… don’t do this guys you could be killed.) Send someone a package full of presents for no reason. Basically, have fun and throw lots of parties. And make sure you know the person. 😂 🎉

Also, be sure to go to work so you can earn money to throw all these parties for no reason. 

❸ – Get organized

TIP: start cleaning before your Mom starts Spring Cleaning (oh the horrors) and you will have an excuse to back out of spring cleaning. JK.

Organizing is always a great idea! It’s also a great way to productively use your break 😜 Since you have a lot of time available, you can get organized. You could clean/organize your room, backpack, school stuff, or anything really, and when school rolls back around you’ll be extra-prepared.

and you just could…

❹  Do schoolwork. Okay there I said it. Don’t kill me! But seriously, Spring Break is a great time to catch up or get ahead… sometimes. Other times you should just take naps (seriously!).

What are you going to be doing over Spring Break? Have you ever thrown a party for someone you didn’t know? (guys I do not know where I come up with things like this. Don’t get any ideas children.)

just how much work is blogging (really)?

I thought this post would be fun for other bloggers as well as those of you who don’t have your own blog! Making it was actually really fun for me as well- except the math. 😁

g r a p h i c s

On average, it takes me about 5 minutes to create a graphic- not a lot, right? But since I blog twice a week, that’s 10 minutes a week and 40 minutes a month! And 480 minutes a year! And that’s just post graphics. That doesn’t even include redesigning, or my “well, hello” graphic, or anything else! 😲

Weekly- 10 minutes

Monthly- 40 minutes

Yearly- 480 minutes (or 8 hours!)

p h o t o s

On average, a photoshoot takes me about 30 minutes. Basically I carry my camera around and take random pictures. I don’t do this as often as I’d like (only about once a week 😞) but it still adds up!

Weekly- 30 minutes

Monthly- 120 minutes (or 2 hours!)

Yearly- 1440 minutes (or 24 hours- or ONE DAY!)

p o s t s

For me, writing a post takes me about an hour! But since that includes making a post graphic, research, and photos, I’m going to take it down to about 45 minutes. Still, that’s a lot of time! 😱

Weekly- 90 minutes (or 1.5 hours!)

Monthly- 360 minutes (or 6 hours)

Yearly- 4320 minutes (or 72 hours- or THREE DAYS!)

r e a d i n g // i n t e r a c t i n g

While this isn’t necessary, I do comment/interact with other bloggers. However, I’d do that anyway so I’m going to take that time off. For each post, replying to all of your sweet comments takes about 15 minutes- spread out over time, however.

Weekly- 15 minutes

Monthly- 60 minutes (or 1 hour)

Yearly- 720 minutes (or 12 hours 😂)

o t h e r

I have a podcast and email list, which I count as part of blogging. The email list takes about 15 minutes to make weekly, and I also send out a reminder for the podcast weekly that takes 5 minutes (copy and paste 😜) Making each episode of the podcast, however, takes about 60 minutes. Making the show notes takes around 30 minutes and actually recording takes 20, but I do a couple takes and also edit it! So on a good day, it takes an hour.

Weekly- 80 minutes (or 1 hour and 20 minutes)

Monthly- 320 minutes (or 5 hours and 20 minutes)

Yearly- 3840 minutes (or 64 HOURS 😱)

a d d i n g    i t    u p

YOU GUYS. When I started this post I was expecting a LOT less time. This really scares me… I know why bloggers take breaks now.

every year, I blog for approximately….

10860 minutes

-OR-

181 hours

-OR-

7 days and 13 hours

You guys i’m dying right now. All the math. Plus how much time I spend blogging. wow. I didn’t know I liked you guys so much 😂😂 

Did you enjoy this post? It was really fun to make… and very scary as well. I don’t think I can do math for another week- too bad I have to. 😂

I love you guys (I mean obviously… just kidding but still), see you on monday! ❤

 

 

How to be productive when you’re not motivated

Today I’m going to be sharing some tips for being productive when you’re not motivated. This has always been a struggle for me, so when I found some solutions I knew I wanted to share then with y’all so that you would know what to do!

1. Ask yourself: Why don’t I feel motivated?

There’s a wide spectrum of reason on why you’re not motivated. It might be that you simply don’t enjoy doing the task, or it could be possible that you have too much on your plate. Whatever it is, there is a fairly simple solution. If you don’t enjoy the task- make it enjoyable! One idea is to provide yourself with a reward for completing the task- maybe 5 minutes of social media, 10 minutes to read a book, or even simply a break to have a healthy snack. This question is essential because once you know why you don’t feel motivated you can remedy it.

1. Put away media.

This one is absolutely essential if you just feel unmotivated. It’s easier to scroll through social media that to sit down and complete tasks, even if the task is something you enjoy. Turn the power of all of your devices and turn off all of your notifications. You should probably make some way for emergency phone calls to come through, just in case.

1. Eat a healthy snack.

When I don’t feel motivated, I’m ready to munch on things like chips and sweets. Aside from the fact that those foods are unhealthy, they’re not going to help with the motivation issue, I promise! If you’re feeling unmotivated, try making a smoothie with some nuts and greek yogurt, plus some fresh fruits/veggies to make it even healthier. I find that taking the time to make and drink my smoothie gives me a break (which helps too) and gives me much-needed energy. Fresh fruits and vegetables also help with this.

1. Get moving

Sometimes you’ve just been sitting too long, or you haven’t stretched all day. That is the time to shut off your screen, close your planner, and take a quick walk. It probably wouldn’t be a great time to do an elaborate workout because that would take more time and you probably wouldn’t enjoy it very much. A walk is relaxing and peaceful.Try taking one next time you feel unmotivated.

1. Make it easy to do

During my research for this post, I came across an interesting sentence: “It’s hard not to do something when everything you need is staring you in the face.” The post was talking about grouping the items and placing them in a place where you’re bound to see them- maybe on top of the TV remote or your phone, next to your alarm clock in the morning, or even where you put your purse when you get home. For example, if you want to start making a smoothie every morning, you can gather every single ingredient you need and put it on the kitchen counter. That way, it’s so easy, even easier than making a frozen waffle for the umpteenth day in a row.

1. Eat a frog.

While this statement is probably true, I wouldn’t recommend eating a live frog… ever! However, doing the hardest/worst/least enjoyable thing on your to do list first I do recommend. The first task you do should be the hardest, and then you’ll fly through the rest of them.

1. Set a timer

If you’re trying to accomplish an especially long task, don’t try to do it in one sitting. One idea is to work on your task for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. You have enough time to check social media as a reward, or even better get a drink of water and make a smoothie. After three repeats of 25 + 5, take a 30 minute break.

1. Work in a space you enjoy

Whether this is in a coffee shop, at your own desk, or under a tree outside, this really does help. A change of scenery always gives me motivation, it’s really helpful!

Hopefully these tips will help you if you’re struggling with this as well. Goodbye for now!