Tag: advice

Tips for Working Well in, and Having an Effective Team

In all honesty, I have never been a big fan of teamwork or jobs/projects that require working with other people. Not because I don’t like people, in fact, I love people. The reason why I hate group projects and things is because I’ve never been part of a good team. People either never do their work or don’t do things properly or miss deadlines or simply refuse to do or show up for anything. So, I usually end up doing most of the work myself. However, being out of high school doesn’t exclude me from working in groups. I’m at a job right now where I am working with a big team where we have less than two months to complete an enormous project. As much as I wish I could, there is no way I could do this job on my own, and because I like to get things done correctly, I have thrown myself into this team. In the last few weeks, we have all learnt so much as a team. Even though we had many obstacles, we are now such a well-oiled machine that I’ve almost rethought my opinion about teamwork in general. Today, in honour of the great people I have worked with and the respect I have for proper collaboration, I would like to share the tips I have learnt about working well in and having an effective team. For those of you who might not need these tips, I hope you still enjoy reading, but for those of you who are like me or simply want some suggestions, I hope you find something useful in this blog.


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Tips For Being A Truly Great (and Better) Friend – The Little Things That Really Make Friendships Work

Friendships are not always easy. Like any other type of relationship, it takes effort, time, compromise and commitment to make it work. Sometimes it is also hard to be a good friend for many reasons. Things might be going absolutely crazy in your life, or in your friend’s life, or the two of you might be having problems or never get the chance to see each other. What I’m trying to say is that if you think that friendships aren’t always easy and that it is sometimes hard to be a good friend, you are absolutely right and I agree with you. I have been there, and I’m sure we all have been there. Today though, I would like to move on from just saying these things about friendships and share a few tips. Because, as hard as it can be to be a friend and maintain a healthy friendship, there is almost nothing more satisfying or happy-inducing than having and being a good friend. I’ve had some bad luck with friends over the years, but through every failed friendship, I learnt more about what it truly means to be a good friend and how to become a better friend. Through the things that went wrong, I realised the little things that really make friendships work, and today I would like to share those tips with you.

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Tips for Exercising and Staying Healthy on Holiday

Whenever we go on holiday, all we are usually thinking about is how relaxing it is going to be. Our thoughts are often around all the great activities we can do, the great sites we might see and in general how fantastic it will be to escape from all thoughts of work and the mundane to have a fun and relaxing holiday. What I’m sure a lot of us usually don’t do though (if you do though, kudos to you and ignore this assumption I am making) is think about exercising on holiday or being healthy. Why on earth should we be healthy on holiday? Being health conscience in terms of food can be so restrictive, especially while travelling and you want to try all of the delicious meals available to you. Exercise can also seem so dull and unfun when compared to the other activities you would rather spend your time doing. I’ve been in that spot – where thinking about doing exercise and being healthy on holiday is the last thing on my mind – but over the years I have realised that it is incredibly important to do so. While it may not seem like the fun option, it is still the right option to continue to think about the importance of our health while we are on holiday, but before you cry about all the problems it will cause, give me one second. There are ways to exercise and stay healthy on holiday without losing out on all of the fun, it just takes a few tips to do it all right. You are on holiday, of course – you want to be doing fun and relaxing things you don’t usually get to do at home. So, if you would like some tips for exercising and staying healthy on holiday, then here you go. I hope you enjoy it.

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How to Survive a Family Vacation

We all love the idea of going on vacation. It’s a chance to kick back and cleanse all of the work stress out of our bodies. It is the chance to finally take a deep breath out and just relax for once. You can revel in the fact that the hardest decision you will need to make is about what you feel like eating next. Family vacations can be even more fun in principle. It is an opportunity to spend time with your family in a relaxed environment, where you can all bond and have fun and make lots of special memories together. On paper, it all sounds perfect, but anyone who has been on a family vacation knows that sometimes it can be anything but perfect. Let me tell you the truth – perfect family vacations only exist on social media and in travel brochures. Even the most tight-knit family that gets along swimmingly won’t be 100% happy and picture-perfect on holiday. Things happen – people argue and fight, plans fall through, there are too many people, or the weather just has it out for you. Anything can happen that can turn your picture-perfect family vacation into something that seems more fitting in a horror show than a blow-up picture in a travel agency. Sometimes family vacations take a little hard work so that they are fun and relaxing for all. So, seeing as I am currently on holiday with my family (and boyfriend) in Croatia, I thought I might share some tips for how to survive a family vacation. If you’re interested, keep reading 🙂

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Why Friendships Change and How to Deal with those Changes

Sometimes when we make friendships, we think they will stay the same forever. Now some friendships do stay the same, but most of the time, friendships change. They change for many reasons, but at the base of all these reasons is that people change as life happens, no one stays the same for their whole life. Now some really strong friendships make it through this because the people change and the friendship is strong enough to adapt and grow as the people do. Other times though, this isn’t the case, and friendships end up changing. Now friendships changing can either be a blessing or a really tough experience to go through. It all depends on how and why they change. But either way, as sad as it can sometimes be to see a friendship changing, there are a few ways to deal with these changes so that they don’t completely take over your life and make things horrible. Today, because I’ve had many different kinds of friendships over the years that have changed, especially this year, and have recently made a great friend, I will be talking about why friendships change and how you can deal with those changes. I hope (if you are struggling with a friendship change) that this post gives you good advice and helps you through it. I hope you enjoy it.

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How to Pack like a Pro

Oh, packing. The activity we all have to do whenever any sort of travel is on the horizon, yet somehow it causes a lot of stress and problems. A lot of people I know don’t enjoy packing because they are worried they will forget things, it stresses them out, or they don’t pack the right things and end up not enjoying their trip. Well, today I would like to put a stop to all bad packing experiences. Packing doesn’t have to be a headache so long as you approach it and do it the right way (as with most things I know, but this is an easy one I promise). I have spent a lot of time packing in the last 9 months due to my travelling, and it gets easier every time because I have tips and tricks to help me. Now those who are regular readers will know that I am quite organised and tend to stress a lot so something like packing would seem to be a stress-inducing activity right? Well, once I started using these tips, I haven’t found packing stressful at all and in fact, find it quite fun. So, if you aren’t a fan of packing or would simply like to get some tips, here are some suggestions for how to pack like a pro.

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Tips and Tricks for Cooking for One

I absolutely love cooking. I get to destress and focus on something else, and by the time I’m done, I have something delicious to eat. However, I know that not everyone else has this same loving feeling towards cooking, and sometimes that can be because you are just cooking for yourself. When you are cooking for yourself, and have no one else to worry about feeding, you can often get quite tired of it or think about reasons not to. It takes too much time, it is far easier to just go out or order takeaways, or simply you don’t feel like it. Well, today I am putting a stop to those feelings because cooking for one doesn’t have to be something cumbersome. In fact, cooking for one can actually be a lot easier, cheaper and more fun when you do it the right way. Today, I will be sharing a few tips and tricks for cooking for one so if you happen to be living on your own or fending for yourself this weekend, the thought of putting on an apron doesn’t make you break out in a cold sweat. If you implement one or two of these tips and tricks, you may soon find that you actually enjoy cooking for yourself, it is saving you money because you don’t aren’t ordering takeouts six times a week, and it is no longer a hardship you have to force yourself to do. Here are my nine tips and tricks for cooking for one

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How to Deal with Negativity (And Negative People)

Negativity. What a disheartening term, and unfortunately, it is something that is becoming more and more of a problem. There is negativity almost everywhere you look, and a lot of it can come from people who refuse to exist on the bright side. Negativity is particularly dreadful because it is toxic – it is like a disease. It has the ability to ruin what was a great day, and suck you into being negative too. It can also be quite hard to deal with, especially when it is coming from people around you, and once that devilish toxin has taken hold of you, it can often be quite hard to shake it. Now I know this might sound very optimistic (but you’re going to have to deal with it because I have always been the glass-half-full kind of girl), but there are too many things that you can be positive and happy about, if only you learn to think about that rather than all of the other things that are trying to drag you down. There are ways to escape the bite of this evil negativity creature, and so today that is what we are going to discuss. Keep reading to find out more xx

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How to Have the Perfect Picnic

Picnics are a great recreational activity no matter what time of year it is. The focus of a picnic is food, which is always a good sign, and you can have a solo picnic, a picnic with friends or family or even a picnic date. The options and themes for your picnic are limitless, only tethered to reality by the extent you let your imagination take control. Why I love picnics so much is because they are just such a great activity to do with just about anyone, and you can have them basically wherever you want. The only problem with picnics is that they tend to be a bit finicky in certain regards, and what often happens is they spiral into overcomplicated, stressful events that become a nightmare. By the end of it, everyone wishes they’d just stayed behind and had a pizza. Let me tell you now though, that as much as there are quite a few worst-case scenarios, picnics don’t have to be a metaphorical thorn in your side that you try to avoid at all costs. With the right approach, a picnic can become a relaxing activity that you fall in love with, and that is what I’d like to prove to you today. For those who desperately want to enjoy a picnic, or have tried and the results weren’t quite what you wished, then you’ve come to the right place. Today I would like to share some tested tips and tricks on how to have the perfect picnic – I hope you enjoy!

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Practical Advice for Short Courses

What a lot of you might not know is that I am currently taking a gap year, having graduated high school at the end of 2018, and am filling my gap year with short courses — kind of to help me figure out what I’d like to study and do in the future. I recently came home from a short course at Oxford University in England and am about to leave for another short course at Stanford University in the USA. I am currently preparing for my Stanford trip, and I kept thinking back to all the practical things I had learnt while on my Oxford short course and I felt that this was something that someone else might need. After all, no instructions were lying around about how to handle a short course and so, for all of you who might need this advice in the future, or those who are considering signing up for a short course, I’d say go for it! Just make sure that you read some of this advice beforehand because I wish I’d had this before I left. At least I now have it for round two. So if a short course sounds like it would be in your future, I’d highly recommend just taking a quick skim read of this before you embark on your journey xx

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