How To Be More Productive

Wake Up Early

This is easier said than done. Especially if you are not a morning person. In my case, I have a dog - Margo who eats at 7 am and needs to go for a walk after that. So once its 7, he comes and literally places himself above our pillows or on the side and starts licking our faces. We never tried to change that habit because its better than any alarm clock in this world!

Now, waking up early is the best. I like to start my day with a walk with M & Margo. A long walk. i get back home and practice some yoga for half an hour. I like to do the bed in the morning and if possible clean the floor as well. It helps me stay positive as I believe that cleaning the home, even if its just the little bit like making the bed it helps eliminate negative energies in the house. Then I get breakfast and get to work. So, if I get up at say 11 I will not be able to do any of this and by the time i have had enough caffeine to get me going half my day is gone. I also need to shoot photos during the day, so day light is critical. 

Make A Joblist & Review

I do not use a lot of paper. I think it is waste of paper to begin with. Though I like nice stationery, I hardly get a lot of them. I do have a weekly planner, but for a more detailed daily plan I prefer virtual stick ons.  While I am grabbing my breakfast and tea in the morning I put down each and every job that I need to do that day, whether work related or personal. And I write them in the order of their priority. I never miss a thing and take a good 20 minutes to write them. Then I start addressing them from the top and address them one by one. I format everything in bold, and once the task is done I unbold that one. It hardly ever happens unless it is a job that would take time that it has not been accomplished.

Take Short Breaks

It is very important to take short breaks. I find it extremely difficult to concentrate if I do not. Also, its not really a healthy practice to stare the computer screen for hours. So I take breaks to sometimes apply some nail polish take out half an hour to read a book. It refreshes my mind and I can get back to work with renewed energy.

Take A Night Bath/Shower

A night time bath relaxes me completely. I usually get into the bath and use that time to also massage a cleansing balm on my face while watching something on the laptop. Then I apply a face pack, which I wash off at the end of my bath and then apply my serum and night cream. I don't do it for more than 30mins but it completely unwinds me. Also, applying moisturizer at the end of the bath gets me going for the entire day the next day. Sometimes when I have the time, I also go through an elaborate skincare routine. For an absolutely relaxed bath check this.

Make Most Of Your Time, Everytime

Even the short breaks that I take during the work are meaningful. If I am reading its a way of self-fulfillment, or applying nail polish then I need to do so for a meeting or a shoot. Its a good way of utilizing the break and not feel guilty about it. 

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Blogging Guide : Things I Didn't Know

I consider blogging to be a process of evolving. Every blog I know and read has gone through the phase of not-sure-what-am I doing to I am happy with this. But what is common is the passion to do it. Not everyone is doing it, nor do they want to. But some do and they love it. They have been doing it for 2, 6 or even 10 years. or may be even more. Blogging is not a hobby, its a passion.

However, it can be a process of constant evolution and learning. For me the most fun part has been photography & designing the blog. I don't have a designer and do it myself. Though I think my prior knowledge of Illustrator & Photoshop, from my advertising days has been immensely helpful. Its not very difficult to learn either, the tutorials on the Adobe site is almost a giveaway. And then you need to stay at it, of course! Another useful software is Picassa by Google, and its free. But when it comes to blogging few things, came up from feedbacks and research, which has kind of worked. 

1. Whats Your Key Image

Its just like writing a letter. You start with an introduction, continue with the main content and then end with call-to-action. As the image is one of the most important part of a blogpost, make sure its woven in. We must understand that in the time of so much visual medium, at least a key image is a must!

2. A Clean Layout

Keep it low key. Our hero is the content. We do not want to add distracting backgrounds and other constant pop ups to take the readers focus away. The idea should be to look at the image and read the content, pay attention to what you want to communicate. You will not force it to them, but it works in our favor to keep distractions away.

3. Social Media

I don't have to tell you this, but its key. It can be difficult though considering there is so much to cover. But what I focus on is doing one content a day 'At Least'! When there is so much going on and people are posting some real good content, it can be difficult. Honestly I feel it makes more sense to choose one media and prioritize it. I usually pick up instagram, and post it across to Facebook, Twitter & Tumblr. Similarly plug into Bloglovin so that the posts are automatically displayed there.

4. Don't Forget To Tag

Tagging is not only done to categorize but to optimize your content to show up when searched on search engine. It makes your blogpost fall under a certain category. If someone is looking for content under those keywords by plugging them in say 'Google' it will show up faster.

5. Write What You Feel, But Don't Lose The Diplomacy

This one is about maintaining the fine balance. You have your readers on one hand and the advertisers on the other. Your blog is essentially about what you think, and your readers trust you for that. To be very honest thats your soul. Whereas the advertisers the backbone to keep the venture going. Ideally I feel one must speak the truth. But reviewing a product and being honest about not being impressed is alright. However, being rude and hurtful while doing that isn't right.

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Do you use Picasa?

Since I have started blogging, I have been reading up a lot. I did that earlier too, but now with a renewed perspective. My biggest observation have been, and I work on that everyday so that I can improve and become better everyday, the visual appeal. A blog that looks clean and beautiful definitely scores much better than the one that is not. DO you remember that girl in school, who had the neatest notebook, with occasional cute doodles and neat placement of writing and you thought, "how does she do it?"

Well I just think, for those 'who are not born with it', it comes with practice. Its not un-doable at all, with all the facilities available its even more doable than ever.

The biggest attraction on the blogs are the images. Especially in the fashion, beauty or lifestyle space. I know people who go to a blog and just glance through images. Its the generation of visual culture with social media apps like Instagram and Pinterest, 'words are only words'.

I use a certain tools. Though I personally believe the key lies in the perfect photography. That photo, which doesn't need a touching up is the best visual. Most of the time, I just use tools to adjust the brightness and the contrast and then crop the images. However, being from advertising has its advantages. My familiarity with Photoshop and Illustrator, has been immensely helpful, for my 'feeling-creative' days. But for more frequent use, I use the Picasa 3, and I swear by it. Given below are some effects created on the Picasa3.

Its amazing how much something as 'basic' as the Picasa3 can do. It can brighten up, disappear blemishes, change your image into a work of art or create a collage. It does have restrictions too and is not as extravagant as the dear photoshop, but those are for the experts and let them handle it. For those of us, bursting with creative juices and just wants a medium to express it better, Picasa 3 is great.

In case you are wondering:-

Eyes - Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eyeliner in Ivy Green
Eye Shadow - UD Electric Palette in Freak
Lips - Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Wildflower

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