Reusing your Birchbox!

So receiving a Birchbox for my birthday was amazing, and I love the contents to pieces but I had no idea what to do with the packaging! They have some beautiful boxes and I just don't want to throw them away...So here is what I did with it!

As a make-up and skin-care addict, I love to display my stuff but my problem was that it used to get really messy really fast, because in the morning you rush a lot and in the evening you just don't feel like cleaning up.

I have no idea when I decided to stick my freestanding make-up and skin-care into a Birchbox but I am really glad I did. It conserves a lot more space, and it's easier to clean up because there is an actual space where each product belongs. It's harder to knock things over and nothing can really get that lost.  The pictures shown are actually where I keep my stuff, I actually like the fact that the bottom and top of the boxes are different!

Everyday Skin-care

As a university student, space is definitely needed and also having these boxes around mean that when it comes to packing up I have extra storage space, that can transport my make-up and skin-care for when it's time to go home. 

Honestly, if you have a one of these boxes, try this out; it doesn't even have to be on your desk, it can be in a drawer or even in your bathroom. It makes a really great organiser. 

A few make-up pieces (the rest is in my make-up bag!)

Reuse your Birchbox by using it for:

- Chargers/ adaptors 

- Hair-care (a place where your hairbands and bobby pins will not go missing)

- Stationary 

- Desk tray - always lose your keys? or need a pen? 

- Important documents

I kind of want another one so I can use it for keeping my chargers because mine are all in different places! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post - especially if you are a loyal subscriber of Birchbox you now have a few idea's on what to do with all those boxes!

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram :) 

Motivation: Make It Happen.

So we all have those days where there is nothing more you want to do than to lay in bed and watch TV (Lie To Me is my go-to series right now!). But I bet there is a list of things that you could be doing but you keep putting it off because of... (insert applicable excuse). I've felt like that, heck I feel like that a lot since I am an university student and so I wanted to share what gets my butt in gear whenever I feel like lazing around.

In all my lifestyle posts I talk about goals a lot and there is a reason for that, it helps us to focus on what we want to achieve. For me the key to motivation is to think about what I want to achieve, I want to get a good grade when I finish uni, so whenever I feel like not doing work when I am supposed to I think about getting a  bad grade and suddenly there is nothing more I want to do. This can apply to any situation, if you want to get fit for summer or want to eat healthy but have no motivation, then think of yourself in the worst shape possible and compare it to how you want to look. Negatively framing things, for me at least, really does the trick because just thinking about the body I would like to achieve is just a nice thought, it doesn't feel applicable to me or make me feel any burning desire to become like that, if it does then it's very short and goes away the next time I feel like stuffing my face. So my next tip is to think about what you don't want, I know for a fact I do not want to get a 2:2 in my degree so I will do whatever it takes not to get that grade, the key with this tip is to make it realistic, keeping up with the grade example most people get a 2:1 in their degree, so for me to say I don't want a 2:1 is too unrealistic but for me to strive towards a first is a nice goal. See the distinction there?

My next tip is to think about why you want that goal and to keep on asking yourself why, why is it so important to you? What would it mean if you didn't get that. It sounds so bad but for me, I like to make myself feel guilty because I take my goals more seriously in my day to day life. So think about what you want, what you absolutely don't want and why you want it and remind yourself constantly. I mean it, save your goals on your lock screen, desktop image, in your diary and remind yourself of why you are living the way you are. 

Motivational quotes is a big thing, I know many people google constantly for them because they feel like that will make them have motivation but it's really just procrastination. If you are going to google quotes do it at night before you sleep and save the ones you think work for you, this way when you are in the middle of work and want to give up you know where to look, rather than googling for half an hour for a quote that applies to you.

Another big thing for me is to reward myself for my hard work, but making sure that the reward is worth the work, so if I have had a day full of revision then I will probably reward myself with good food, or reading a bit of my book and some chill out time because I deserve it. I will usually do this at the end of the day because it's not a reward if you treat yourself before the work is done. But after my exam period (which is going on right now!) I will probably buy myself something better that I have had my eye on for ages. Again, doing this after my exams makes it feel like a reward and more of an incentive to work now, rather than shopping online for it in the middle of exams. So reward yourself only when you have earned it.

This is my realistic motivation guide, I have not sugar coated anything and this is honestly what motivates me so I think it might help with you guys too - I hope it does! Even though it's a bit on the negative side I think we need to know the costs of our actions as much as the rewards. I'm all about that tough love. 

I'll share with you a quote that gets me to wake up:

Excuses are for people who don't want it enough. 

10 Studying Tips

Hey guys,

So it's that horrid time again - exams are approaching and I have already started to study for them. I thought I would share my tips and tricks on how to study and also the lifestyle changes that you should implement to fully absorb all that new information.

1) Keep Hydrated

Studying is mentally draining and so, just like when you work out, your body needs to keep hydrated. They say that you should drink two litres of water a day and when you are studying it's easier to get to that amount if the water is accessible to you and keeping a glass or a bottle near you will help you to reach for it whenever you feel thirsty and even when you don't. Just remember that more water = happier brain =  fully absorbing information.

2) Exercise

I bet I am not the only one who has fallen off this bandwagon, but recently I have been trying to climb back on. The reason why exercise is so important is because it helps to get rid of stress which is needed if an exam is approaching. Not only this, but studying usually consists of sitting down a lot which means that we are being way less active than we usually are. I know that when I haven't exercised I feel sluggish and lazy, which can carry-over to how I study and so I really try to incorporate some form of exercise into my day. Also exercising, at least for me, makes me want to eat healthier so that's another plus.

3) Food

When studying, snacking isn't ideal because you aren't aware of how much you are eating due to your attention being (hopefully) elsewhere. I know for me that snacking actually distracts me from my work so what I tend to do now is eat properly before I study, this way I am already full and won't need to snack anyway. If I want to have a break later on then I will grab some fruit, eat it, and then carry on. So my advice is to eat beforehand, and to perhaps plan out what you are eating so you are sure that you are eating a nice mix of things.

4) Music

Music helps me concentrate. If you are like me and find it weird to study in complete silence then I recommend playing classical music. Instrumentals, such as classical music are the best because anything with lyrics will definitely be the opposite of helpful. Also, if you can try to get long pieces of music because fiddling around with songs gets distracting too, or just stick it on repeat. My personal favourite pieces to listen to is Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy and Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.

5) Write, write and write again

So for paper based exams where you have to write, I make sure that I have personally handwritten all the information again and again, I do this because I find that I will know how to express things easier...it just flows nicer and quicker too. Also reciting things again and again is the best way to remember things even if it kills my hand. I love these record cards from Ryman! They come in four different colours so I can colour code my modules.

6) What person are you?

I'm a morning worker, I study the best in the early hours so I try to be working by 9am and because I know this I can utilise this. Try to find out what works for you and try to study in that period of time, I know a few of my friends are night workers and they get a lot done when other people are sleeping. Once you figure this out, try to build your routine around it so you can know exactly how much time you will spend studying - this is my next point. 

7) Time, and I mean a lot of time.

When it gets closer to the exam, you really need to dedicate a lot of your time to studying (and not just rewriting notes). I usually find that I can't get a lot done if I have just an hour, so really plan out your time well, if you have some errands to do then plan when you will take care of them. Because I am a morning worker, I will usually take care of other things in the late afternoon depending on how big of a job it is. Sometimes I like to get the other stuff out of the way first so I can truly spend the rest of my time on work. As long as you plan your time and know that you have spent enough time studying then that's all that matters.

8) Goals

So this goes hand in hand with my last point, I like to set myself daily goals on what I would like to get done - whether I want to rewrite three lectures in that day or just one. This is really good, at least for me, because you feel happy when each goal is completed. This doesn't have to be just for studying, I do this for my daily life too, today's goal is to put up this blog post for example. I find by doing this things do actually get done  and because things get done it also means you have some time to spare!

9) Motivation

So sometimes studying is something that you do not want to be doing. I get like this sometimes - all I want to do is sleep or read a book and do anything else but study. But you need to remind yourself why you are even studying at all. What gets my butt in gear is thinking about the grade I want to get at the end of my degree. You know what you are working towards - just remind yourself of what that is. Heck, even stick it on anything you look at daily - like your mirror or phone. If you lose motivation then think of the consequences of that. Another good way of maintaining that motivation is to reward yourself, this is something that I do constantly - If I think I deserve it then I will go ahead and buy it whether it be make-up, clothes, books or food. It doesn't have to be about buying stuff but just taking the time out to do something that you enjoy, for example if I finish everything before 5pm then I can read my favourite book or watch a movie with my friends. If you complete your goals then you feel better about yourself and can enjoy yourself much more knowing that you are done for the day.

10) Relax

Working 24/7 isn't going to help you. You need to make sure that you relax in order to perform as backwards as that sounds. Give yourself breaks in between studying. If I rewrite a lecture (my life at the moment), then after I have completed it I'll go watch one or two YouTube videos before starting the next lecture. Taking these breaks just means that my brain can concentrate for longer, it's like that whole Turtle and Hare race. Just take whatever breaks you need in order to perform and you'll find that you pay attention and digest the information better than someone who is rushing. 

Studying seems to be all I have been doing lately and I know people wonder how I have enough steam to get on with it and this post is basically it. I hope that this helps you guys, even if it is just keeping a glass of water next to you or going on an evening run after a long day. If you do have exams approaching then I wish you good luck :)

Do you have any more tips to share?

Thanks for reading,

Anjna