Tag: advice

Tips for not killing your significant other during quarantine

For many couples, the idea of having to quarantine together sounds like a dream come true. So often, due to the hustle and bustle of life, you seem to never have enough time together. It’s such an effort to try and squeeze a date night in, or some quality time outside of work with no phones or distractions but now with a stretch of time ahead where you’re meant to be inside for 24/7 with each other, that should solve all the problems right? Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way and more often than not, this forced period of alone time could end up being more of a curse than a blessing. So how on earth are we meant to get through it? I’m sure that you don’t want to lose your cool with your partner during quarantine, or get so annoyed that the foundation of your bond starts to crack and violence is starting to sound tempting. Well, I’m not going to lie to you that it isn’t going to be easy. People trapped inside a house, unable to go outside or out into the world and stuck with each other all day every day with no break? I don’t think even the strongest of people can survive that without getting at least a little bit frustrated. However, there are certain things that you can do to ease the pain and make staying together during lockdown bearable and not a total disaster. So, let’s get started shall we?

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IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!! Now what?!

Everyone and every country are responding quite differently to the Coronavirus. In South Africa, things have become quite serious as COVID-19 has been declared as a national disaster. Scary right? This means travel bans to high risk countries, all learning institutions have been closed and gatherings with more than a hundred people are an absolute no. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it will actually reduce the infection and spread rate because it is minimising access to high risk areas and forcing social distancing. However, this hasn’t boded well for grocery shopping, or parents who now have children without a place to go during the day. I went to buy some ingredients for dinner on Monday and was shocked to see that there was no protein in the store. Absolutely none! Most of the non-perishables had been cleaned off the shelves and I couldn’t find even the shadow of a roll of toilet paper. These are crazy times for us to be living in, especially when we, the public, have got so little control over the situation. So, here are a few suggestions that can hopefully help all of us get through this pandemic – together.

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The key (and tips) to mastering Self-discipline!

My younger brother was asking me for advice when it comes to getting work done since the majority of his time is split between school and Waterpolo and the remainder he would prefer to spend relaxing. Eventually, he realised that the real problem is he hasn’t yet developed strong self-discipline. Let me be upfront, it’s not an easy habit to master. Especially if you aren’t naturally inclined that way. Unfortunately, it’s an essential skill to develop because it can help you achieve so much in life. Also, there’s not always going to be someone reminding you or chasing you to work – you need to have that drive on your own. So today, for my little brother and everyone else who feels they want to up their self-discipline game, here are some tips and habits that can help you become a hard-working master of self-discipline!

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Tips and tricks for surviving long car trips

Guess what everyone? I’m doing another road trip! This year just seems to be full of them for me. First, I drove with my family to the bush, then I joined my dad on a road trip for his iron man race, and now we’re driving all the way from Johannesburg to Knysna and back. I’ve spent a lot of time in a car this year … Anywho, long car trips can be a great way to travel. It is cheaper than flying, you can essentially pack whatever you want, and you have more luxuries than you would on a plane, such as being able to pull over somewhere to have lunch or simply stretch your legs. Now, even though driving has all of these advantages, that doesn’t mean a long car trip doesn’t have its negatives. They can be cramped and annoying and tiresome to a point where walking sounds better. But, that doesn’t have to be the case. Long car trips don’t have to be a bad experience if you know how to avoid certain things and travel the right way. So today, given the fact that I’ve spent between two and three weeks worth of days of this year on road trips, I thought I would share some helpful tips and tricks for surviving long car trips.

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Last minute Valentine’s Day gift ideas

It’s the final count down. Literally. Valentine’s day is only two days! Those who are simply too busy and haven’t noticed the big day getting closer and closer, or procrastinators who knew two weeks ago but thought they’d wait another week … well with two days to go now is the time when all of us who haven’t been able to get a gift in time will be scrambling to come up with something that doesn’t look like we bought it 15 minutes before the date. If this is you, and you’ve left your shopping a lot later than you would have liked, don’t feel alarmed. As stressful and panic-inducing as it may feel to not have a gift this close to the day, it’s not the end of the world. Why? Because there are plenty of last-minute gifts that you can scrape together, both homemade and bought, that look as if you put hours of thought into it instead of rushing to get it done in time. Keep reading to find some great ideas for last minute gifts!

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An update on life … and some advice needed from YOU!

I was reading through the blog’s archives the other day, and I realised something quite startling. It has been practically a year since I started this blog. I almost couldn’t believe it. So much has happened since then, the blog has grown so much and writing these posts has become such a part of my routine that I almost can’t imagine a time when I wasn’t writing, editing or thinking about blog ideas. It’s been a roller coaster, but a ride that I’ve loved more than anything else. So, with the blog about to embark on its second year of life, I thought I’d do a little reflecting and share with all of you my adventures over the last year, as well as a little bit of my plan for this next year. But more than that, this post is about thanking all of YOU! Without all of you, this blog would be nothing and so make sure to keep reading until the end, because I have a few questions that I could really use YOUR INPUT on. I may be writing this blog as an outlet/diary for myself, but I’m also writing it to share stories and information with all of you so any help and advice you could give me this time, would be much appreciated. Now that that’s done let’s dive into my digital, metaphorical time-machine so we can see how much has happened in 365 days.

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Advice for first-timers doing athletic races and events!

My dad usually has excellent advice to share, but because one purpose of our trip was for him to do an athletic event, I thought I’d use that as inspiration. Today, straight from the mouth of Dr Charl (aka my dad), I’m going to be sharing advice and tips for first-timers doing athletic races. Now this is pretty good advice for any person wanting to do an athletic event but is more geared towards people doing it for the first time. Anywho, I hope you enjoy today’s post, just please be aware that it will contain some potentially terrifying content (like marathon races and extreme amounts of training and exercise), but if that doesn’t scare you, then please enjoy.

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Back to reality – tips for being a better student in 2020

Now I know that not everyone may have started college yet for this year (as it only begins at the end of Jan or even early Feb), or those of you in the Northern hemisphere are well into the term and January isn’t such a big deal (because the school year starts in September). However, whether you are in school or college and whether it has started or not, the reality of getting back into it is undoubtedly there or is at the very least looming. I may not be starting university right now, but just because I’m not going back myself, doesn’t mean I am free of the impending reality. My younger brother just started at a new school, and most of my friends are getting ready for university (or are already back). So, for all of those getting back into the reality of academic life, I dedicate this blog post to you. Even if this isn’t the start of your academic year or you feel like you’ve got the whole ‘school’ thing mastered, here are ten tips for being a better student in 2020.

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10 ways to relax after a long, stressful day

We are now well into January, the year is in motion, and I’m sure most, if not all of us are back to some form of work routine. Whether that means school or college or a job of some nature, I’m sure we are all back to that reality and working hard at it (if not, lucky you and I hope you enjoy the remains of the holiday). That being said, being back at work, especially after the oh-so-luxurious and leisurely Christmas holidays, can be quite a bummer. Days are long, there is undoubtedly pressure in some shape or form, and I’m sure that even if you’ve only been back for a few days, the little stresses are already starting to appear. If you’d like to read my tips for relaxing after a long, stressful day, keep reading 🙂

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