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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How To Start A Blog

When I wanted to started a blog for the first time I thought and contemplated and pondered and pondered and spent, what looked like an entire lifetime! But the second time around I just did it, and since then I never quit. This has been a process of discovery and learning which I have enjoyed and love. I know that I will continue to do so for a very long time!

What you need to know?

o Do you really want to do this? It takes up time and effort like you would to raise a baby. You need   to be involved, passionate and your heart right there.

o What is your blog going to be about? Do you like fashion, cooking, watching TV or just reading blogs? Thats the fun part of it you can write whatever you feel for. But it must be something that you love.

o  Is your blog going to make money? there are success stories all over where bloggers make so much money that its worth quitting a 9-5 job. But the point is whether thats what you want to do. Because if thats what it is, then you have to put in that much effort. You have to have a clean blog and have good content regularly. Because that means traffic.

So how do we start?

o Choose a platform. I like blogger.com as I have complete flexibility to build from scratch. But you should seriously consider Tumblr too, as it has the option to share and like. However I know bloggers who are completely smitten by Wordpress. Choice is yours. If you want help building up a pretty blog, try Wix.

o Choose a name. Keep it Simple Fun & Meaningful.

o Create a neat layout. I am permanently re-layouting my blog and playing with designs & elements. Its important to have a neat looking layout because people like to scroll through a page which has things organized. And more importantly it will keep your mind sorted, and know what exactly are you unto with the blog. Apart from that, brands like blogs which are well looked after.

o Try to optimize the quality of your photos. Today with great internet speed & rich media people are rather used to seeing content with great visual quality. The pictures might be from internet, but improvise it in that case or if it your's try and use simple tools like the Picasa. Its simple and great for pictures. If you are feeling a bit more confident, opt for adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and you can get online courses too!

At the end of it, its about the content. Thats why people are there, and thats the reason it means so much to you. This is where your passion lies and it shows. Hope you found this write up useful. If you have any questions, or want to add something then I would appreciate your comments down there in the comment box.

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