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August Favourites

It’s September, which means it’s time for my very first monthly favourites post! Can you believe how quick this year is going? I had quite a few favourites in august and I’m sure they will be carried through into September too. I hope you enjoy seeing everything I’ve been loving!

Accessories

I’m not normally the type of person to follow big trends, however, I couldn’t resist the knotted headband craze. I purchased five headbands in August because I just needed more and more. I have been obsessed with three as they are so easy to wear with the majority of outfits. If you’re like me and hate having hair in your face, get a headband! I love having my hair down but I hate it being around my face and these have been a life saver!

The next accessory I have been loving, is this gorgeous backpack from Fiorelli. I got this bag at the start of summer so that I could take it on holiday with me as it was something I could easily throw on and would still be hands free. But, I have used this bag so much more than I thought. It’s been my everyday bag for the most part, when I don’t need a lot of stuff and it has been perfect for the concerts I have attended as it is the perfect size. I honestly can’t see this bag going anywhere, anytime soon and I’m sure I will continue to use it as I love how versatile it is!

I am such a big shoe fanatic and I could buy thousands if my bank account allowed me too. I have such a wide range of shoes but my favourite pair this month, has been these Adidas trainers. I purchased these from an outlet store as they were only £20 and I loved them as soon as I saw them. I did think that I wouldn’t wear them much but I was happy to pay £20 as I would definitely get the use out of them. This month though, I have wore them A LOT. They are so easy to slip on when I’m in a rush and they go with pretty much my whole wardrobe. They are so comfortable and I have worn these on days where I have been walking all day long and not once have my feet been in pain at the end of the day. I would definitely recommend these to anyone who needs a pair of realllyyy comfortable shoes.

Lifestyle

Back in April, I went to Iceland for a little break with university. On the way back, I was over the moon to see that they had Bath and Body works in the airport. Of course, I had to stock up on candles and hand sanitisers. I have loved them all so far but at the start of August, I lit my French lavender candle for the first time and I am OBSESSED. I think lavender is a very love it or hate it scent but if you do like lavender, please buy this candle. It is heavenly.

I had some university work to catch up on in August but I was lacking motivation and struggled to concentrate on my work fully. I downloaded an app called ‘Forest’ which you set a timer on, for how long you want to work for and you grow a tree each time. If you leave the app whilst your working, your tree dies. I had little hope that this would make me more productive but I was shocked at how much work I managed to fit into my day when I was using this app. If you are studying at any level, I would definitely recommend this.

Another app I have been loving has been ‘Headspace’. Headspace is a meditation app and you can choose courses to complete each day. I suffer from anxiety and this app has been so helpful in calming me down and helping to balance my breathing. I’ve also been using this app before I go to bed on a night so I can train my mind and body into a relaxed state so that I sleep better which has definitely worked. If you suffer from anxiety, stress or you live a busy lifestyle, I would definitely recommend trying this app.

My Final favourite for this month, has been Emily Canhams travel blogs. Emily went around Asia and vlogged all of it and my bucket list has now grown massively! She is so easy to watch and is so light-hearted which is lovely if you have had a busy day but need something fun to watch on the evening to chill out. I would definitely recommend any of Emily Canhams videos.

That is all of my August favourites and I hope you have enjoyed reading what I have been loving. I will be doing a favourites post every month so I hope you stick around to read! I am always updating my social media, especially Instagram so make sure to check that out!

Hope you’re having a lovely week so far. See you Sunday – Katy x

Weekly reset routine.

Sundays, for most of us, is a chilled day. Until the evening when you panic that you don’t know what you are doing the following week, nothing is prepared and you forgot to do all the things that needed completing. That used to be me until I started a weekly reset routine in preparation for the forthcoming week. I’ve found this has really helped me and here’s hoping it can help you too.

Weekly wrap up.

First things first, we need to tie up any loose ends from this week so we can move forward once it’s all done. This makes the jobs a lot easier so that you aren’t going back and forth between the weeks.

We all use emails, some more than others but they can be so easily neglected when being distracted by more important jobs. I am definitely guilty of this and I only reply to the urgent ones throughout the week. I like to clear out my inbox first. This way, I can reply to anything that has been sent, delete anything that isn’t needed and note down anything important. When I first started doing this weekly reset, I unsubscribed from all the companies that were sending me emails. I never used anything they sent me so what was the point in keeping them, when all they were doing was cluttering my inbox? I would 100% recommend doing this if you haven’t already. An empty inbox is THE best feeling.

Once I have cleared out my inbox, I like to review any notes I’ve taken that week. Whether it is on my phone or in a notebook, I get rid of any that I don’t need and act on the rest. Being at university and writing a blog alongside my beauty business, by the time Sunday comes around I have notes here, there and everywhere. Any notes that need keeping after I have filtered out the useless ones, tend to be wrote into my planner in the appropriate place. This could be a certain day or a general note for the overall week.

Now we have got rid of all the loose papers, have you got any other paper laid around? For me, it is normally a letter I have received or something that needs keeping. This can really build up if you don’t stay on top of it. A magazine file is a great way to store any paper that needs filing away from that week and I empty that in my weekly reset and put any paperwork into its correct file. Paperwork that needs any sort of action before filing, goes into another magazine file I have. My ‘to-do’ magazine file is next to the ‘file away’ one so that once I have completed the task that needed doing, it can be swapped over ready to be filed.

You must have a phone or a laptop if you are reading this and, in this day, and age, we are always using our devices. My laptop and phone are a huge part of everyday for me. They get so unorganised throughout the week, especially when other tasks take priority. My apps end up showing that I have unread notifications, I have documents all over my desktop and my storage is nearly full from all the unnecessary screenshots I’ve took that week! You’ve cleared your inbox, so now do your desktop. Delete anything you don’t need and create folders for any documents that need keeping. Now, reply to all your unread messages and notifications, tidy up your phone and delete any photos you don’t need. Sometimes, this is such a tedious task so can take me quite a while. I quite often do this on a Saturday to save time on the Sunday but the non-existent notifications is amazing!

Everything from this last week should be clear, neat and completed now. Once you get into this routine, you will feel so much better! I am such a huge fan of the phrase “Tidy space, Tidy mind”.

Get present, get prepared.

I don’t know if you agree, but not knowing what I have going on for the next week, drives me insane! My week flows so much better and I don’t spend time doing unnecessary things, if I follow these steps:

Let’s start with the most important thing which is my planner. I add any major tasks into my week or any plans I have. This is always my first step as this has an influence on the rest of the preparation. Alongside my planner, I use a ‘to do list’ pad. Brain dumping all my ‘to dos’, that have been going around in circles, gives me a much clearer view on what I actually need to do. I categorise my ‘to dos’ into urgent and non-urgent. Urgent tasks can be anything from appointments to emails that need to be sent or deadlines for work. These tasks all go into my planner. Non-urgent tasks are written on the pad and these are jobs that don’t have or need a deadline and can be done in any of my spare time.

Planning is my favourite thing to do. It makes me a lot less stressed and I can tell a difference in the weeks when I have planned and when I haven’t. I’m a student and I commute to university so I have to leave the house early on a morning. I don’t have time to be choosing an outfit 5 minutes before I leave the house. If I didn’t plan my outfits, I would be showing up in my tracksuit every day, which is not okay. On a Sunday, I iron any of the clothes that I need for the week after I’ve planned my outfits. I make sure each outfit is suited to each day so that I am not caught walking miles in heels or going to a fancy restaurant in trainers. As I am at university certain days of the week, I also like to meal plan. I use a pad for my plan which includes snacks. I tend to have dinner with my parents so sometimes this is left blank until they have planned their week. Planning my outfits and meals keeps me organised for the week which I need, otherwise my whole week turns into a complete unorganised mess. To do this, I use a weekly desk pad.

Weekly Goals

Each week, once I have completed my planning and organising, the last thing I like to do is set some goals. For this, I like to be really specific and I tend to narrow the steps down to make the goal seem more achievable. I pick five weekly goals and this can be anything. Waking up at the same time every day or staying on track with studying. Although, I pick five goals, I focus on one in particular. This is the goal I want to achieve most that week and is the highest priority. I also choose a goal that is my lowest priority and that can always be achieved another week. Once I’ve chosen my goals for the week, I reflect on what I’m most proud of from this week. I do this afterwards as I try to make it something that I haven’t set as a goal, for the new week.

I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful and have found a way you could make your weeks less stressful.

Hope you have a lovely day! Katy x

How to be organised at the start of the academic year and throughout.

September is fast approaching and that only means one thing. The new academic year is too. I am currently at university and I wanted to share my best tips for making sure you are totally prepared for going back to university, college or school as the things I do can be applied to all. Lets get started shall we?

No matter what you are studying, it is vital that you are as organised as can be so that you don’t have to worry about missing deadlines, losing things or forgetting information that your teacher decides to bring up 6 weeks later. For this, I like to use a number of systems to keep me suuuuper organised.

Firstly, a planner, that works best for you is so important. There are so many choices out there but unless it is the perfect one for you, it’s probably not going to work. I ordered a planner from www.personalplanner.com and I was able to design my planner to suit me and I could include everything I needed. In my planner I chose something completely different to anything I’ve used before. Luckily, I love the layout and I actually use it instead of putting it to one side and forgetting about it. I decided to have a monthly spread at the start of each month, so at a glance I can see any important dates or deadlines. My weekly spread is then over two pages and includes each day and a spare section for notes that I make that week, that apply to something I’ve done that week and need to remember or that I need to add when planning the next week. I would definitely recommend Personal Planner as there will be an option that suits you!

Secondly, I use a study planner which works hand in hand with my planner. This is a weekly planner and I use this to breakdown my tasks further and to be able to decide what it is that needs doing to hit my deadline. I think the easiest way to do this is to do a draft of everything that needs to be included in your work. My work tends to be essays so I will breakdown the objectives so that i stay on track and hit my deadline with enough time to research, read and check it at the end. I use my study planner to determine how many hours of work I will do each day, depending on the amount of work that I have been set for independent research or assignments.

Lastly, in terms of organising my work, I like to use a couple of different files. I have a lever arch file which holds all my work, my syllabus’ and any handouts given in class. I used to carry this one with me to university last year but I swapped half way through the year to a method that was much easier for day to day. I started using some popper wallets to take to lectures with me and to house the notes and paperwork I needed or used that day. At the start of the week, I check my syllabus and gather anything I will need for the next lesson. Along with this, I tend to keep the papers in here from the previous lesson and I file it away into my lever arch file after I am finished using them. I’ve found this method a lot easier to use, especially when travelling to and from university because I am not carrying anything too heavy. Another reason I think this works so well, is because I tend to only refer to previous lessons when writing an essay or revising for an exam, which I always do at home. I also like to take my notes on paper and for this I use a notepad which I can take the paper out of when I’m finished and store in the correct part of my file. Using loose paper and filing it away works a lot better for me than using numerous notebooks and having to search for something I need.

Now, you’re probably thinking I am missing a major thing and that is stationary. As an avid stationary lover, I thought I’d save the best till last. I use numerous different types of stationary to make sure my notes are clear, my planner is organised and categorised, important information stands out and it looks pretty (which is always a bonus). Now, I like to write in black and my favourite pens for this are the BIC Cristal, ballpoint pens. These are very easy to get hold of in most supermarkets or stationary stores. I’ve used these for years and they’ve always been my go to, which I think is why I like them so much. They write really well and the ink lasts forever, unlike other pens I’ve used. I don’t really use pencil as there is not much drawing included on my course, however, when I do, I use the Staedtler Noris school pencils. Again, you can find these in most supermarkets and they always have offers on at this time of year. The next most used piece of stationary for me, is highlighters! I use these for so many things and I just had to get the pastel ones. I use these to highlight important information within my notes or to categorise my notes and I also use them for my planner so I can see at a glance what I have going on that day. I find highlighters so useful when it comes to researching for essays to pick out the key points.

Of course, I do have lots more stationary which I will include in my desk tour, as I have just included the necessities that I think are essential for the new academic year. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and I hope it helped you with your preparation for the dreaded, upcoming year. These tips help me massively with being as calm as possible even when education can have such an influence on stress if you fall behind or lose notes. A desk tour will be coming very soon, which I am SO excited for and I hope you are too.

See you Sunday – Katy x

Introducing Me

Are you wondering what ‘Verba Katy’ means? Well, I wanted a space where I could escape to and share all my thoughts, opinions and a space where I can just chat (I’m a very talkative person)! So, ‘Verba Katy’ was created, a latin translation for ‘The word of Katy’, which is exactly what this blog will be.

Let me introduce myself, I’m Katy, I’m 19 years old and I live in Teesside, UK. I am very much a girly girl and I love all things beauty, fashion and lifestyle. This is the main focus for this space, to share my favourites, tips and advice. I am a qualified Level 3 Beauty therapist and I am currently studying level 5 Aesthetic practice and spa management, which is no surprise to those that know me. My first year of university has plagued me with the travel bug; a trip to Iceland and I now, can’t stop thinking about where is next! Reading, movies and tv shows, podcasts and socialising with my friends are my favourite things to do, along with organising and planning. All my family and friends say I talk FAR too much, so hopefully this blog will be a great way to express myself and be as chatty as I like.

I hope to share posts on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and Sunday mornings at 9am. My content will include; reviews on entertainment, products and experiences, beauty content including hauls, routines and tips, lifestyle content which will include study tips, organisation and routines I use regularly. I will also touch upon the topic of mental health and self care.

The first post after this one will be on Wednesday Morning and I hope you all enjoy it and love reading my blog! Please subscribe to my instagram and twitter (linked at the bottom of my page) to see more content from me and updates on everything to do with the blog and life outside the blog! But, most importantly, please subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on anything.