Lorna Cole

I'm writing this just as it's been announced that we are back in lockdown (as was expected!) Knowing this, setting goals, or making plans for the upcoming year may seem pretty pointless and I fully get why people won't bother this year. For me, it's a way to be somewhat productive, something that boosts my mood if  I've been feeling uninspired. I'm not making any huge goals this year, many are short term things that should be relatively easy to achieve. I'll revisit them later in the year and make additional ones if necessary! Choose a university course My main goal for 2021 is to start a new university degree. If you've read any of my previous posts, you might know I was studying with the OCA and doing a Creative Arts course. Since completing (and passing!) the first course, I realised I want to focus on a more specific avenue, rather than creative arts as a whole. Another reason I want to change courses is so that I'm able to move to a new location...

We’re all going to be pros at finding things to entertain ourselves after this aren’t we! Being stuck inside feels very familiar, however, without the warm weather that accompanied the first lockdown. I thought I’d share some of the things I enjoyed doing and some ideas to pass the time over the next few weeks.  Get some fresh air  One activity I really enjoyed and valued during the first lockdown was getting out and going on regular walks around my town. When restrictions were eased more I also travelled to quieter beaches since I love being by the sea and find it so relaxing! It's definitely harder to get outside as much during the colder months but I've still made an effort and always feel better for it. Here are a few photos I've taken whilst out on walks this year! Watch anything and everything  The most obvious go-to activity is of course watching films or tv shows. I’ve spent my time watching all the cheesy Christmas films on Netflix recently and have no complaints...

You don’t have to wait for a new year to make better decisions, habits or goals but I think it does motivate people to reflect on what they want to do over the next 12 months.  After the Christmas period and when no one really knows what day it is, it can often be a relief when January rolls around! It’s an opportunity to get back into a routine and be a bit more organised again. I took some time to have a think about my goals and plans for 2020 so thought I’d share them here! Creative Arts degree  In late April 2019, I started studying for a Creative Arts open degree (you can read more about it here). I’ve made a lot of progress and am really getting into it now. Obviously studying is something that is a priority and I want to dedicate a lot of time to over the next year so I can continue learning and working my way through the degree. I’ve enjoyed it so far and am looking forward to the upcoming stages!  Regular exercise  ...

Well, it’s definitely been a while, in fact, this is the longest I’ve not posted on here! I wanted to come back with a post talking about what I’ve been up to and why I’ve not posted for a bit.  There isn’t a big reason, I think it’s mostly because I’ve been dedicating a lot of my time to my Creative Arts degree. I actually have to upload my work to a blog and since I’ve been trying to work consistently and maintain that, I ended up neglecting this one sadly!  Another contributing factor is the fact that I wasn’t feeling too inspired with new creative ideas for this blog and didn’t want to write for the sake of it. Also, we all need to take a break sometimes! So, what have I been up to recently? Well as I said, a lot of my time goes into studying. I feel pretty productive and so far it’s going well as I’m making a lot of progress. I’m actually really enjoying learning and developing my knowledge again!  Something I've been trying to improve for...

I feel like we could all use some tips to boost productivity now and again, I know I certainly could! I've tried to come up with a few things that I try to use to help me stay motivated and achieve the things I set out to do. - Work out what time of the day you work best, I find I'm actually more productive later in the day so I tend to set myself tasks that require more focus in the evening. Obviously, this isn't always possible but I would recommend you have a think about when you feel most productive! - Try making lists to keep track of the things you need to do but keep it basic, you don't want to spend all your time creating a perfect list and not actually complete any of the tasks on it! - Do you prefer to work in silence? With music? Or perhaps you just need some sort of low background noise, setting the best environment for you can really help you to stay productive for longer. For me, I like to listen to music in the background so always ma...

Everyone has days where you need to take some time for yourself and I've created a list of a few suggestions! Taking some time out of your day to focus on yourself may seem selfish but it can really improve your mood and day, anyway, being selfish every so often never hurt anyone! Have a pamper day Light some candles and run a bath with your favourite Lush bath bomb, paint your nails, do a face mask or even take a trip to a spa. Pampering yourself is a great way to make you feel relaxed and refreshed! Binge watch Netflix Sometimes all you need is a evening, (or an entire day) to watch your favourite shows on Netflix. Whether it's something new you've come across or you're re-watching something for the 80th time, nothing can beat a day of Netflix! Or take a trip to the Cinema  You can spend a couple hours lost in a great film and it is always good to get out and to watch something new!  Go for a walk One of the most obvious but not to b...

Each and everyone has a different opinion of New Year's resolutions, personally I don't think you should put too much pressure on them, as you can't always achieve them! However I do think setting yourself some sort of goal to help better yourself and to open up new opportunities is a great thing to do! Here are 10 resolutions or goals I have set myself for 2018! Be healthier A fairly common one here and one of the hardest to stick to I'd say! I really want to start being healthier in general, for instance I'm planning to make smoothies as a replacement for breakfast or lunch on some occasions, as well as making sure I drink enough water. One of my biggest downfalls is snacking so that is also something I want to work on! I've recently made a Pinterest board with some ideas for smoothies, you can find it  here ! Start exercising more I definitely want to start being more active again, I used to love sport so this is something I hope to get b...