We wanted to boost our stay-at-home mood this bank holiday weekend and needed some inspiration! We spoke to blogger Jamie Rockers, or as you may know her @beautyrocksblog to find out how she has been spending her time indoors and what Monsoon styles she’s been wearing too.
Especially during this time, people are going to react to the situation in different ways. Some people might feel low on motivation and energy and this will affect productivity levels. Others might thrive on solitude and find they are flying through projects and smashing their goals more than ever before. Everyone is different. Because our screen times can be higher these days it’s so important that we don’t compare ourselves to others – it’s not a productivity contest.I spent the first week or two of this period feeling like I wasn’t accomplishing enough but these tips really helped me to focus.TIP 1: I challenged myself to write down a list of what I had accomplished at the end of each day. Looking at that list made me realise that in fact, I had accomplished quite a lot. When you write it down, small victories suddenly become very apparent.TIP 2: I found making a TO-DO list the night before the following day was extremely helpful in making me focus on what was important, with higher priority tasks at the top of the list. This helped me to plan out my days.TIP 3: For my TO-DO lists I initially found these to be impossible to achieve because there was just not enough time in the day to do them. By setting up impossible to-do lists, I found that I was actually setting myself up to feel like I had failed each day.Breaking those to-do lists into manageable smaller lists for each day with built-in additional time (lunch breaks, coffee breaks, distraction breaks), helped me feel like what I could do each day was much more achievable.Hence, I have a master TO-DO list and a smaller everyday TO-DO list based off the master list (I do love a list – they really help me keep on track).TIP 4: Try to take a break from social media. I found the more time I spent on apps, the more distracted I was. By stepping away from them I could get so much more accomplished as well as taking important time for myself to exercise, cook dinner and check-in with family/friends.
This is a really tricky one as I’m self-employed so often I find it hard to separate the two from each other. I do have a no-phone policy after 10pm (I realise this sounds very late anyways but I’m a night owl) and I find just having a bit of time before bed to myself to catch up on my favourite Netflix series without feeling like I need to be on my phone is really helpful. My job is based on being on my phone a lot, so I do have to schedule moments to break away from time to time. Exercise also really helps if I’ve had too much screen time!
Oh, there are so many to choose from! I do love the Meaghan Ditsy Floral Jersey Dress from Monsoon. The key about work-from-home clothes is that they have to be comfortable so when choosing your work from home outfits check the materials and how much they stretch (better for hot-desking from your couch). This dress is made from super-soft jersey and feels so comfy – almost like wearing a very cute nightgown. Except it doesn’t look like a nightgown! And that’s where your success is found – the perfect melding between comfort and cute. The print is also very spring-like with a ditsy floral design and I like the midi-length as well.
I know I’ve mentioned it, but I do love a bit of Netflix and losing myself in a series does help to take my mind off of daily stresses. I always reserve a bit of time in the evening to watch my favourite series. I also love to sit in the garden on a sunny day. Even if I’m doing something stressful, placing myself in the garden really helps to diminish the stress I’m feeling from whatever activity I am doing at that time. It’s something about the birds singing and the sun shining that just makes you feel less stressed and more positive so if you can take your work outside or just relax with a book, I would recommend it!
Ah yes, the garden is my new favourite hangout spot. I am a bit of a workaholic, so I do sometimes take my work outside with me as mentioned but if I’m not working on a project, I actually like to do a Pilates class out there with a yoga mat. I’m currently loving the Pop Sugar YouTube workouts – there are so many to choose from and lots of beginner workouts as well. I also like to use that space for brainstorming content ideas and it’s a great place to shoot photography as well if it’s sunny. An overall mood-booster, no matter what you are doing!
