Tag: social media

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Fun Ways to Organize

Simplicity Challenge Recap

Hi everyone! 

Happy Wednesday! 

I hope you are having a great week so far. Although Valentine’s Day is behind us, I hope you continue spreading love all month long, whether it’s with your partner, spouse, girlfriends or even yourself. 

No matter how long you have followed me, you probably know I am a Simplified girl through and through. I love their mission, the products and their community. 

Last month, I participated in their Simplicity Challenge, which was little tasks to complete every day to simplify your life. The tasks took less than 10 minutes to complete, and they were a great way to reset for the new year. I have done the 31 Day Challenge in the past and I was excited to try it again this year. 

Team Simplified changed things up this year for the month-long cleaning and organizing. They still had a daily task, but they changed what the tasks were. 

The new challenges ranged from organizing specific drawers (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom), to holiday decor, accessories, specific clothing items (dresses, socks, jeans), and reworking your systems in your life to simplify.

I did many of the challenges, but not all of them since I just did a big cleaning and organizing back in the fall.  You can read about it here. Therefore, I didn’t have to go through my dresses, jeans, socks and medicine cabinets etc., since I already knew what I had and what I needed to get rid of. 

However, there were many that I still took part in.

Here’s some of the areas that I tackled through the 2024  Simplicity Challenge:

Followers– One of the tasks was to go through and edit down who you follow on social media. This one was super helpful to me. I try to limit my time on social media, and I hope by editing down who I follow helps that. I went through and unfollowed accounts that didn’t bring me joy, I wasn’t interested in anymore or didn’t serve a purpose. I’m hoping this makes me more intentional with my time online.

Hair accessories– This was a huge help to me. In the past, I had all my hair ties, scrunchies, ribbons etc. in one pouch and I was always digging through it looking for one thing. I decided to divide accessories up in smaller pouches for easier access. It took me 10 minutes to complete and I’m already noticing a difference in getting ready every day. 

Pantry and Fridge– I try to do my best to stay on top of clearing out the pantry and fridge, especially on garbage day when I get rid of old or expired foods. We had a lot of extra people home over the holidays and that meant extra cooking and ingredients. As I was cleaning, it was good to toss expired foods and see what things I needed to restock . Plus, it felt good to reset and organize things in their proper homes.

Cups– Anyone else always have too many cups or mugs?! Yep, that’s me! They are easy gifts to give or receive but we always end up with so many cups and mugs. I did some getting rid of and organizing our cups, mugs, and water bottles. Just straightening them up made a huge difference. I’m sad to report, it didn’t stay that organized for long and I’ve had to reorganize it many times since the initial challenge.

Tupperware– Another area that gets lots of use and doesn’t always stay tidy is our storage container cabinet.  We have a lot of Tupperware and use it frequently for food storage and leftovers, so we are constantly in and out of this space. I did my best to organize the bases and lids and I got rid of broken or mix matched ones too. Pro-tip, save any heavy duty plastic containers you get when you order take out soup, they make great storage containers and are easy to give away if you are sending food home with someone and don’t need the storage containers back.

That’s just a taste of how I participated in the Simplicity Challenge 2024. I thought all the daily prompts were super helpful, but I didn’t need to do all of them due to my recent clean out. 

If you are interested in the challenge more, you can head to Simplified’s Instagram page for a look at all the prompts. I know I feel better by having some of my most cluttered spaces organized especially in the new year.

Happy Simplifying!

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Fabulous living

10 Fun Facts About Me Round 2

Hey guys!

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! I’m going into my last week of classes and then it’s finals week! This semester has flown by, my finals week shouldn’t be too bad, so I’m hoping to soak up as much time with my friends before many of them graduate. I always feel that  pack them most into the last few weeks of school since that’s when everything is winding down. Last year, I did a fun facts post and it was so fun to do. You can read it here. Today, I decided to update it and share 10 more fun facts about me. Who knows maybe you will learn something new!

  • I journal every day and when I am stressed out or overwhelmed or have a problem, I always turn to journaling. I have several journals filled with thoughts or multiple word documents with thinking things out. I feel best after I write out a problem or talk it out with someone.
Journaling is the best way for me to unwind and be intentional every day
  • My biggest pet peeve is when people cancel plans on me, I’m always understanding especially when something unexpected comes up and someone has to reschedule consistently but it still bothers me
  • I love anything British, whether it’s books, movies, music, actors, the culture. I love everything about Great Britian. London, England is on my list of top three places to visit. One of my best friends is going to London this summer and I’m super jealous, I’m making them take lots of pictures for me. Haha!
  • Speaking of music, I have no favorite type of music, my playlists are all over the place from Praise and Worship, to 70’s hits, 2010’s workout music, top 40’s pop music, even country music and movie scores, it’s a mess. Whenever, I am out with friends, I let them pick the music since my taste is all over the place.
Just a peak into my pandora playlist…my amazon playlist is even more different
  • If I wasn’t a Communication major I would probably be an Education major. When I was growing up I always wanted to be a teacher growing up, but ultimately decided communication was the right path for me and I’m so glad I did since I love what I’m learning and doing.
  • I always have a bottle of water and gum with me, whether it’s in the car, going to class or running errands. I drink a lot of water during the day and even through the night, I keep water by my bed and typically finish a bottle of water through the night.
  • I prefer sweet over savory, I would rather have a big dessert than a steak dinner. Chocolate is my weakness so I will always indulge in something sweet.
I would prefer this over a huge dinner any day
  • I love hanging out and doing activites with friends, my friends and I go bowling and have a ton of fun even though I am probably the worst bowler…no joke, last time I went I think my score was 33…yeah, not the best score but I have a ton of fun when I’m with my friends and that’s what matters right?!
  • Although, I spend more time texting, I prefer calls over texts/DM’s/ snap chats etc. I find calls to be more personally and I can express myself more over a phone call than a long text or a direct message.
  • I love the simple things in life, for example, flowers. I love having fresh cutflowers in my room or on my desk. I love how such a small gesture can change your mood. I love the scent they bring into a room and how they can make a space feel warm and inviting.
Fresh cut flowers are a favorite of mine

And there’s 10, I hope you found this fun and enjoyable to read. These are always my favorite posts to read on other blogs since everyone is so different and it’s always fun to learn different things about each other.

How many did you know? What’s one fun fact about yourself? Leave them in the comments below!

Have a great week!

Categories
Fabulous living

Screen Time Feature: YAY or NAY?

Hi All!

Happy Tuesday!

I hope your weeks are off to a great start. February is flying by, it’s crazy to think we are more than half way to the end of the month. I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and were able to celebrate Valentine’s day with your loved ones. 

Today, I wanted to share my thoughts and get your thoughts on the new update on iPhones with the screen time feature. Essentially, your iphone monitors how long you spend on your phone from social media, to productivity, entertainment and more. 

The screen time feature is found under your settings

You can check your screen report by going under settings and then half way down you will see screen time. From there it shows you how long you have been on it for the day, how many times you pick up your phone per hour, and how many notifications you receive per day. For more of an overview you can see how long you have been on it for the week. Every week, your phone will give you a screen time report of how much time you spent on your phone for the week compared to past weeks. 

It shows you how much time you spent on your phone per day (Note: I wrote this post in the afternoon so it’s not a full day, but you get the idea)

If your amount of time on your phone alarms you, you can schedule time away from your phone or app limits, so you can control how much time you spend on your phone. 

This breaks down screen time hour by hour and you can see your notifications and how much time you spend on each app

When I first heard about screen time, I was intrigued. The first day I checked my screen time at the end of the day, I spent over five hours on my phone, I couldn’t believe I wasted so much time on my phone when I could be doing other things. Now, granted some of the time was listening to music, talking on the phone, replying to emails and social media but I wasn’t scrolling through Instagram for 5 hours straight. HAHA. Now, thanks to screen time I can monitor how much time I’m on my phone through the day and I can see when I need to put it down and away. After using screen time for a few months, I average being on my phone for about 3.5 hours a day, I wish it was lower but I’m glad it’s gone down since I’ve been aware of screen time. I have liked using the screen time app to be aware of how much time I’m spending on my phone. This is not an advertisement nor a sponsored post, I just wanted to share my thoughts on screen time and get your input from about it too!

Look at the full week-this week it was higher due to a number of interviews I was doing over the phone

What are your thoughts on screen time? Have you tried it? Did you love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments below! 

See you Thursday for a new look of the day!

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

What’s on My Phone?

Hi Guys!

Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had restful weekends! My weekend was pretty busy between homework, work, and the semester full underway, it was hectic to say the least. I am looking forward to this coming weekend as it will be filled with activities, family, and some R&R!

On today’s agenda, I wanted to share how I organize my phone and some of my favorite apps on my phone that make my life easier and more efficient. Now, as 20 year old, I do use social media a lot on my phone both for my blog and for my own personal use. However, I am just going to focus on apps, that make my life easier and more organized. This post is not sponsored or an advertisement, I’m just sharing what apps work best in my life and how I keep my phone organized.

What’s on my iPhone?

On the first screen, I keep most of my apps in their original place. I don’t like to move my apps around too much because I like to keep it simple and not complicated. My phone, safari, mail, music, messages, and notes are all near each other so I can access them easily.

First screen

On my second screen are the more speciality apps.

Second Screen

My first row are my apps for social media which include Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and the E News app where I get all the scoop from Hollywood. I use these every day even multiple times a day.

The second row are apps that I use that are clustered based on use. (minus pinterest- another form of social media but I ran out of room on the first row). My first cluster is for school. Outlook is great for collecting my school emails, GroupMe is so helpful for group messages, Schoology keeps all my assignments in one place, Cam Scanner is great for copying notes, and Remind is a great Reminder app.

School Apps

My second cluster is for work which include Linkedin, Facebook, and Messenger all used for work purposes not fun.

Work Apps

The last cluster is all the other apps that I don’t use all the time including Contacts, Stocks, Files, Compass, any other apps that I don’t use all the time.

Extra Apps

The third row includes my personal apps which include my online banking app, my Fitbit that tracks everything on my Fitbit, my Countdown app for important days, and Sprinkle of Jesus, a great app full of inspiration.

My last row includes three clusters.

The first for entertainment; which include Amazon Music and Video, Netflix, Pandora, and Podcasts, they are tucked away so I’m not distracted.

Entertainment Apps

My second cluster  has my favorite shopping and food apps which include Apple Wallet, Amazon Prime, and Panera Bread and Chipotle, my favorite eateries.

Food and Shopping Apps

Lastly, photos and videos which includes Layout, VSCO, Followers, and Repost all important for blogging.

Photos and Video Apps

Now onto my favorite apps.

–       Notes

Everyone with a smart phone has some kind of notes app and it is so helpful. I use my notes every day. I keep To-Do lists, Reminders, Movies that I want to watch, and Books I want to read, Passwords, and anything else I need to be accessible at all times. I use my notes all the time and it is so helpful to have it be synced with laptop and ipad to I have all my notes with me on any device. Notes keeps me on top of anything that gets thrown my way through the day.

–       GroupMe

This is one of my most used apps. It is an app just for group messages. It is so helpful to keep all my group messages in one area and not mixed in with all my other personal messages. For my job at school, we use GroupMe to communicate fast and efficiently. GroupMe is also super helpful when it comes to group projects, work meetings, or just friends making plans.  This app is free and can be found in the app store. Overall, GroupMe has made my life at school much more organized

–       Sprinkle of Jesus

Not an organizational tool but this app sends you positive reminders and mantras throughout the day. Whenever, I need a pick me up, Sprinkle of Jesus is always there. Some of the quotes hit close to home. They also have great content too. This is free and found in the app store.

Whew, that’s a look into my phone and what apps Im totally hooked on. Also, I keep my background fairly simple so I’m not distracted with a busy background. What apps are you hooked on and what tips do you have when it comes to organizing your phone?