So, here's a list of the little life-changer - because little things can make a big difference.

• The Wet Brush: Honest, this hairbrush makes such a difference. I didn't realise how knotty my hair was, how painful running a brush through it felt until I started using a wet brush. I didn't get on with the tangle teaser if anything I found it more painful to use, but the wet brush takes all of the pain out of hair brushing.
• Using a Mooncup: I started using a Mooncup last year, and I wouldn't go back to using pads and tampons. It takes the hassle and spending out of having to buy sanitary products each month, it's easy to use and personally I find it feels more hygienic. 
• Tracking periods - it's good to know where you can blame your mood on your hormones. I personally use the Clue app, but I know there are plenty of others around.
• Keeping longer socks and ankle socks in different drawers. It's probably a weird flex on my part, but it saves the frustration of looking for socks for some trainer socks and pulling out full-length fluffy bed socks.
• Changing the sound of your alarm something you actually enjoy listening to. Mine is a Harry Styles song, obviously.
• Meditation: I've spoken a million times about how great meditation is so I won't keep going on. If you're sceptical, just give it a try, I have this blog post on my favourite meditation apps!
• Not sleeping with your phone under your pillow, not checking Instagram the moment you wake up: You want to wake up with your focus being on you, not trigger comparison by spending too much time scrolling. I now have my phone set to lock the majority of my apps until 9am. On a good day when I get up at 6, that gives me a few phone-free hours, which allows me to have a more mindful morning.
• Having a Monzo account, using the pots to save money: I have saved more than ever since I got a Monzo account. I feel more aware of my finances, and I manage to save money without even realising by setting up pots. If you do want to sign up, follow this link and we'll both receive £5, win-win.
• Give your belonging homes. It's nice not to have to search for a pen every time you need one.
• Make your bed every morning
• Get your bag ready the night before
•  Don't go to things you don't want to go to. No is a word, use it, often and kindly.
• Keep your keys in the side pocket of your bag. It's just not necessary to have to empty you're belonging, after rummaging in your bag for 10minutes to simply get in the house.
•  Get a notebook with dotted paper  (or a bullet journal - which you can find blog posts on here and here, and some youtube videos here) I didn't realise what a difference this made, but honestly, those dots are life-changing.
• Start getting ready 10 minutes before you think you need to.
• Don't go shopping hungry: You just buy so much unnecessary food, which won't get eaten, and you'll spend more money.
• Just get up when your alarm goes off: Hitting that snooze button won't enhance your day.
• Do the purse/phone/keys check before you leave the house.
• Have a savings account. Actually, use it to save.
•  Know how much money is in your bank account, don't spend more than that amount.
• Portable phone chargers.
• Put sanitary products, lip balm, hair bands, grips and plasters into each of your handbags: They always come in handy.
• Step away from Instagram when you're feeling down: There's no need to see photos of beautiful, rich, successful girls when you feel crap
• Do that laptop update you've been pressing remind me tomorrow on the past year
• Clear a decent amount of space on your phone, get rid of the storage full notification
• You know those things you keep having to go to the next room to get? like phone chargers, and scissors? Buy more, have them in every room.

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If you read this post you'll know I recently started #chloeharrietsbookclub, now although this will usually mainly exists on my Instagram, I thought for my first two reads, I'd review them on here, as they were also bloody good ones.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Why I choose this book:

A few months back I watched the film version of this story, unaware that it was based on a book and enjoyed it for an easy watch. During some charity shop browsing, I noticed it on the shelf and realised one of the authors is David Levithan who also wrote one of my favourite young adult books Everyday (review here) - that was the confirmation that I needed to read it.

Initial Thoughts:

I loved this book so much more than I expected to. I'm not much of a music person (I'm pretty much the only person in the world who isn't, I know) so with music being a central theme of the book, I wasn't sure if it would be for me - however, I was wrong. Although music is heavily discussed through the books, it's a relatable way, and music is used to emphasise the connection between the characters, the heartbreak they've both faced and the struggles with moving forward.

The Narrative:

It's a young adult read, which follows the story of how Nick and Norah meet and have a pretty significant night together. It begins with Nick seeing his ex-girlfriend in the crowd as his band plays, which leads to him asking a stranger to be his girlfriend for five minutes. His friends then set them up on a date with the girl, Norah. Nick and Norah spend an eventful night together, while they both deal with the repercussions of their previous relationships, their struggles with self-worth, and confusion about how they feel about each other v how they think they should feel about each other. Whilst seeing bands and exploring New York at night time.

Characters:

The book flicks between the first-person perspective of both Nick and Norah. I personally preferred the Nick chapters, as I found them easier to follow, and his character more relatable. Norah's tone of voice felt a little more chaotic, which really worked for her character, but sometimes was a tad more difficult to keep up with, although very clearly reflected some of the inner confliction Norah's character was facing.

Themes: 

Coming of age, unrequited love, music, sex

Favourite Quotes:

"When somebody breaks up with you, their beauty - which you took such satisfaction in - suddenly becomes unfair"

"I slipped into a surreal but true universe where we were over but I wasn't yet over it"

"Our world - don’t you just feel we’re becoming more fragmented? I used to think that when I got older, the world would make so much more sense. But you know what? The older I get, the more confusing it is to me. The more complicated it is. Harder. You’d think we’d be getting better at it. But there’s just more and more chaos. The pieces - they’re everywhere. And nobody knows what to do about it. I find myself grasping, Nick. You know that feeling? That feeling when you just want the right thing to fall into the right place, not only because it’s right, but because it would mean that such a thing is still possible? I want to believe that.” 

“There’s no such thing as ready,” she says. “There’s only willing.” 

"The world is broken. Maybe it isn’t that we’re supposed to find the pieces and put them back together. Maybe we’re the pieces. Maybe, what we’re supposed to do is come together. That’s how we stop the breaking."

"When is the night over? Is it the start of sunrise or the end of it? Is it when you finally go to sleep or simply when you realize that you have to?"

Rating: 

 8 out of 10

Overall:

 Although this book wasn't exactly your traditional epic love story, I completely fell in love with it. I enjoyed both authors writing styles and found it to be both easy to read and completely enchanting.

 As midnight came rolling around on New Year's Eve, I found myself crying while the rest of the world was celebrating. It was not glamorous. On what normally is my favourite day of the year, I felt defeated and sad. Although not my usual for New Years, it was not unusual for me to feel this way, as though life was too much.

In the morning, I wiped away my tears and made a decision. The decision that I was going to like my life. I wanted to like my life when my dreams were coming true, and more importantly, I wanted to like my life when they weren't. I wanted to like my life when I felt lost, and I wanted to like my life while I figured things out.

On the most part - I like my life now. A lot of days I love it. My circumstances haven't changed, at all really but my mindset has.

Now, I'm not talking about moods, because moods are supposed to be changing, and we can't all be 100% happy all of the time. I'm prone to a bad mood every now and then - which I'm sure is relatable. I'm talking about living life to the full, not in the sense going on some great adventure, but to a standard of full for me. A life where the things I do, big or small speak to my soul. A life where the little things matter. Where ever I am at with my goals my life is serving me. Where no matter how big my problems are, I can still enjoy a cup of tea and appreciate the sunset.

Everything about it is cheesy and cliché,  but I'm happy, and if it's cheesy clichés which makes me happy, heck I'll go with it.

So here are my tips to shift your mindset:

Meditation 

I try to meditate daily, it doesn't always happen but that's what I aim for. I find using a meditation app the easiest way to do this. The meditation app Headspace first taught me how to be mindful. It was practising meditation when I hardly understood it, that made me realise I have control over my mindset. That my thinking, and breathing each moment is affecting how I'm feeling and acting. I wrote a full blog post on the meditation apps I love which you can find here if you're interested to find a meditation app which will work for you. At the moment my go-to is Happy, Not Perfect.

Create a to a routine:

A mindful routine that is. A routine which you like. Mornings should be more than rolling out of bed to the sound of your alarm which you hate, skipping breakfast and rushing out the door. If you want to have a great day the chaos of snoozed alarms and no time to shower is not a way to begin it. You want your day to begin it a way which makes you feel good and sets you up for whatever the next 24 hours might bring. If all hell breaks loose that day, you want to know, you at least had a nice morning. The same goes for the evenings. You should actually take some time to wind down - you owe yourself that. (If you're interested in hearing more about my evening/morning routines I'll have full videos on them on my Youtube channel in the next few weeks).

Use time wisely:

 If we don't pay attention, time gets away from us and before we know it, our day has been unproductive, and we feel like crap about it. I want a life where I value and make the most of every moment. Again cringe and cliché but true. I wrote this blog post a while ago on how to make the most of your time. I've found calendar blocking has been a great way for me to see where the hours in my day are going, there's a full video on how I do it here. Anything you enjoy, whether that's binging Netflix or going to the gym, it not a waste of time, as long as you're prioritising your time well.

Make friends and have friends who inspire you:

 I don't make friends with anyone. Go to events and clubs of the things you love, and you'll find people you have things in common with. Your friends should be picked carefully because you shouldn't be giving your time to people who don't make you feel good. You want your friends to enhance your life, lift you up and leave you feeling positive. Friends should feel like platonic soulmates, not someone you find spending time with exhausting. There's so much joy to find in new friendships. I will talk about how to make friends as an adult more in an upcoming Youtube video, so keep your eyes peeled.

Be creative 

 This year I've begun being creative, simply for myself. I started painting again, and began going to life drawing classes - and I've just enjoyed doing it for me. On the days which have been harder, sketching has been a great escape, and on the best days, it's just as therapeutic.

Exercise outside 

Somewhere along the lines, going running has become one of my favourites parts of my day - I eased myself into it by doing couch to 5k (which I'll finish next week!). I run outside, I use exercise as an excuse to be in nature and it feels good. It gives you a chance to take in the world, or listen to podcasts while getting a sweat on.

Embrace failure: 

When you fail, it's usually because you've been working towards something. It's not a loss, It's evidence of the work. For me, this year has been full of unsuccessful interviews and failed driving tests, which at times has been hard, but I've been trying to look at these failures as stepping stones to get where I need to be, rather than dwelling on the loss of something which I never actually had.

Second a day: 

I used the one-second everyday app, where you film a second of your day, and it collates the seconds into a video. I began it, not as an act of mindfulness, but after seeing this video and thinking 'that's cool'. But as I began to use the app, I noticed myself paying more attention to the lovely parts of even the most boring days in search of a second to film. I noticed sunsets more and appreciated the time I had to read. Filming just a second a day, made me pay attention to making the seconds worthy.

Savour moments:

 This year I've learned the small moments often matter more than we give them credit for. Life is better when you taste your food and read without wondering how close you are to finishing your book. I've been practising savouring moments with a cup of tea recently. Taking time out of the to-lists to sit with a hot drink and enjoy it. I was kindly gifted with plenty of loose leaf tea sampler boxes from Adagio Teas (and this amazing tea infuser mug which is bringing me so much joy!) I've been enjoying taking a break from my day to try the different flavours. I've particularly been loving the earl grey-green in the morning and the lavender lemon before bed.

Tea Giveaway!

I will also be giving away several sample packs of Adagio Tea's because they're adding an extra pocket of joy to my day, and I want to share that with one of my readers! I have begun trying and sharing teas with friends, so a lot of the boxes have been opened, as I've dipped into a few of the sample sachets. I have the boxes:  Orchard Herbals, and Teas of India and Sri Lanka which are completely untouched so you can win these, along sample sachets of many of their different black teas (including earl grey moonlight, blueberry, cream, mango iced tea and more), white teas (including white peach, white blueberry and more) and herbal teas (including lemongrass, chamomile and more) and oolong teas (including grapefruit oolong, almond oolong, and vanilla oolong)  you can choose which flavours appeal to your taste, and I'll box them up for you. From most of the boxes, you'll get around 40 cups of tea! I will, of course, send a full list of the teas I have to offer to the winner, so they'll get a full choice over flavours they receive! Make sure you leave a twitter/Instagram handle, or email address in the comments so that I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!

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Pass my driving test and get a car: 

I have been so close to this one for such a long time, and a few failed tests down, it's certainly taking longer than I anticipated, but I'm taking steps in the right direction, I've realised driving (especially the test) really triggers anxiety for me, so I've been having hypnotherapy to help manage that (If that's something you'd like to hear more about I'll be posting a Youtube video on it soon!) and I've got my test booked, so I'm almost there.

Get articles published in magazines:

I'm still working on this one. I took a little break from pitching, but now I'm back onto sending pitches regularly, so hopefully, hard work will pay off.

Finish my book and begin my search for a publisher:

The first draft is finished. It's still very rough though, so it needs a hefty bit of editing before I start sending it to publishers

Save £5000:

Saving has not really been happening so far this year, however, I have set up several pots on my Monzo account recently, and that made saving much more manageable, although I'm only at nowhere near where I wanted to be at with saving this year, I'm starting to see it build up.

Read 30 books:

I'm currently on book 11, so I'm a tad behind with this, but I have set up #chloeharrietsbookclub to encourage me to read more, and I'm got a holiday coming up, which always turns out to be great reading time.

Reach 1000 subscribers on youtube:

 My Youtube channel hasn't grown as much as I would like so far this year. I took some time away from Youtube to figure out what kind of content I want to be creating, and what I enjoy making/watching, and I've recently got back into it, and I'm feeling excited to watch my little channel grow. I've got a long way to go, but I think I can achieve this goal - if you want to help me out or are interested to see my channel, you can find it here.

Work with brands on blog content:

This goal is one I can cross off. This year, I finally began to dip my toes into working with brands, you can see some partnership posts here and here. Working with brands is definitely something I want to continue doing throughout the rest of the year.
Start taking Instagram more seriously:
 Although my Instagram has not grown as much as would have liked so far this year, it's grown slightly and it's a platform I've really been enjoying, so I think that's really what matters. You can find my Instagram here

Stick to a weekly work out routine:

I haven't been constant with this, after all, I'm only human, however, at the moment I feel in a really good place with exercise. I've been going running several times a week. I'm coming to the end of 'Couch to 5k' at the moment, and I've seen huge improvements in my fitness levels.

Get up earlier, get into a good morning routine:

Again I'm only human, so it's not always constant, but I'm in a pretty good place with this the majority of the time, I feel recently I've really mastered the perfect morning routine for me, I will be posting a Youtube video on this pretty soon so keep your eyes peeled for that. 

Create more art. Paint, draw, doodle more:

  I'm definitely heading in the right direction with this one. I've begun painting regularly, kept up a doodle full bullet journal (more on that here) and last week I finally went to life drawing classes, after putting it on new years goals lists a few years ago (post here)

Document my life more. Take photos for me,  scrapbook, write in my diary more, vlog more:

I've been scrapbooking and journalling a lot more this year but definitely could be taking more photos, and vlogging on a more regular basis.

Start dating:

I'm not going to say too much about this one because it's slightly more personal than the others. I'm currently in a place where I don't really want to date, but so far this year I have been a little more open to romantic connections.



Did you set any goals for the year? How are you getting on with them? 

Outfit Details

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Photography: Madeleine Grace
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I've been seeing lots of Summer Bucket list floating around so I'd put my own one out there. It's easy to forget to live, it sounds silly to say, but we can become stuck in routine without the awareness that life is happening right now, and the things we plan on doing become hopes rather than actions. They can build as a list of 'one day's' in our heads. Lately, I've been trying to adjust my focus, put effort into living in the now, and transforming thoughts into actions. I thought a way to do see this, would be to share my Summer Bucket list on here, so I've got a reminder of all the things I want to do this season and a way to hold myself accountable for making my life what I want it to be. I've definitely been over-ambitious writing this list, but anything I don't get around to, I'd like to keep in mind for next year. This is also going to be the one blog post which I go back into edit, I'm going to cross things off when I've achieved them so it's clear where I'm at.


- Go on Holiday
- Visit 3 different cities
- Go pottery painting
- Keep a journal
- Go to life drawing classes
- Star Gaze
- Have a picnic
- Complete a 5k run (for charity)
- Do a random act of kindness
- Read 5 new books
- Watch a sunrise
- Watch a sunset
- Get a tattoo
- Swim in the sea
- Go to a drive-in/outdoor cinema
- Paint a picture
- Go to an art gallery/museum
- Send postcards
- Go to the theatre
- Do Yoga Outdoors
- Go to a basketball game
- Go berry picking
- Finally, pass my driving test
- Throw a party/host a dinner party
- Go on a staycation
- Buy myself flowers
- Scrapbook my memories





Wish me luck making it through my list! I'd love to know what's on your Summer Bucket List.

C x


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What I've Been Up To:

I didn't realise how busy May had been for me until I started writing this blog post. I've spent many days writing in coffee shops, attempting to get Portfolio together to apply for a Masters, many afternoons catching up with friends while sipping lattes. My friend Kelsey and I have enjoyed our classic coffee and harbourside walks, which makes it's way into my monthly round-up every time, but it's always lovely, and lovely days are worth repeating. I also attended a blogger event this month. The Influencer collective held a speed dating style event, which I was very grateful to have been invited to, I wrote a bit about it in this Instagram caption. I've been trying to read more, so I've managed to squeeze in some time reading on The Downs during those Sunny Days. My friend Jess and I had a day trip to Wild Place. After I told her I'd been a few weeks ago, we decided it was a good idea to go together. I've been building up my fitness again, attempting to get into a good, regular work out routine, so I've made to week 6 of couch to 5k. It's definitely beginning to get more challenging, but I'm really enjoying running and am seeing a huge improvement in my fitness levels. I've been spending my evenings scrapbooking, I enjoy the creative process and it's a nice way to store memories. My friend Madi and I had the cutest little day trip to Bathampton. It was adorable. We took some pictures, wandered along the riverside, dreamt up what it's like to live on a boat and enjoyed a yum pub lunch. I enjoyed a night of drinking and dancing, and as a bonus, I somehow got to skip the hangover the next day. This month I also began Hypnotherapy, so far I'm really enjoying it - but I'll go into more detail of why and my experience with it in a future Youtube video (subscribe to my channel here so you don't miss that). Also this month, I finally tried a doughnut from Pinkmans Bakery, and it did not disappoint.

Reading | Newsletters:

As I recently wrote this post banging on about how much I love newsnotes, I thought it was worth giving them their own segments in my monthly roundup, so here are the ones I've really appreciated in my inbox this month:
- Jamie Varon's Friday Letters 
- Morgan Harper Nichols

Reading | Books:

One Day by David Nichols
Nicks & Norah's Infinite Playlist (I gave myself a little head start on #chloeharrietsbookclub)

Reading | Articles:

Dear T
Ask Mr: One Romantic Partner in Man Repeller
No Idea? No Problem. By Fearne Cotton in Red
It's Good To Talk. No, Really by Mira Jacobs in Red
Can You Learn To Be A Leader? By Catriona Gray in Harpers Bazaar

Reading | Blogs:

New York Photo Diary by Kate La Vie
Where is my ghost life now? By Chloe Plumstead
Baby, I'm Bitter As A Lemon by India Charlotte
3 Things We Should All Stop Apologising For by In The Frow

Listening | Podcasts:

How To Fail with Phoebe Waller-Bridge
The High Low
Feminist Don't Wear Pink with Zoe Sugg
Tree Hill Talk: Season 1

Watching

Riverdale: Finally, it was a finale Riverdale season 3 this month. It was ridiculous. Yet I liked how the story tied in aspects from Seasons 1 and 2. I thought it was actually quite clever, and despite all of its ridiculousness, I enjoyed watching it.

This Is Us: I started rewatching This Is Us. I didn't feel like I appreciated it enough the first time around and needed to watch it slower. To really take it in. A few episodes in, my Amazon Prime stopped working (it won't play videos?!) so it went from slow to a complete stop.

One Tree Hill: I've started rewatching my first ever fave series. There's something so nostalgic about Lucas Scott and the Tree Hill Ravens to me, and I think it gets better each time I watch the series.

Youtube

Amy TV: 7 Daily Habits That Have Completely Changed My Life
Sunbeams Jess: Smoky Wing MakeUp
The Anna Edit: The Bedroom Make Over
Will Darbyshire: A Week In My Life


I hope your month has been wonderful too x



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