Blogging has been a little hobby of mine for nearly 5 years now. That's a bloomin' long time. Over that time, there has been a lot of things it's given me, so I thought today I'd share them with you.

Pink Parcel

Last week I took part in an instagram collaboration with Pink Parcel. Pink Parcel are a subscription box (I know what you're thinking, not another one) with a bit of a twist. They're not your typical beauty box, although they can have a few beauty related goodies in, they're actually a subscription service for when you're on your period. Absolutely genius.

The importance of treating yourself

In life, I think one very important aspect is treating ourselves once in a while. Each of us are busy people, leading busy, and often very stressful lives. Without a treat once in a while I wonder how we would function properly. Now, I'm a student - while I wish treating myself was whisking myself off for a mini break to somewhere exotic, quite often it's simply having a lie in. And that's perfectly fine, and absolutely brilliant.

Revision tips

The exam period is slowly approaching and it's got to that time again for all GCSE, A Level and University students to step up the revision. Seeing as I'm in my first year of Sixth Form, I figured this will be my fourth year of exams and it's fair to say I've got the hang of revising now. I thought I would share with you my top tips for Revision!

BE ORGANISED!

Unlike GCSE, in A Level you don't get books, just lots and lots of sheets. Be organised and get folders! I got these at the beginning of the year so I could start as I meant to go on. Whatever subject you've taken, you're likely to have different topics and units so it's a great idea to have some dividers too to keep everything in the right order. It also makes it a lot easier when going back to find something!

Revision Techniques

There are hundreds of revision styles out there and you just have to find what works well for you, this may take some time but you'll get there! You can do Q cards - these are perfect for condensing down information, mindmaps - perfect for when you've finished a unit/topic and posters - good if you're finding too much writing boring and want to be a bit more creative. I've found the most important and a must do of revising it to do plenty of past papers, although it seems horrible at the time, I promise it will be worth it! Go onto your subjects exam board's website and print all the past papers off. This way you can practice your exam technique and know what areas you need to revise further. It also gives you a much better idea of what questions are going to come up in the real thing.

I've also found that sticking all your work up around the house can really help - stick on your kitchen cupboards, in the shower - everywhere you can think of! You'll find yourself reading the work when you're around the house and you can also get your family to quiz you on them too! Although, I like to keep my room a revision-free zone, it's important to have somewhere to return to and relax, without the stress!

Extras..

Revise in a well lit room which is quiet and where you won't get any distractions. I tend to use my brothers desk in his room which is right next to the window! Also, you want to take breaks in your revision. Tell yourself you'll do 20, 40 or 60 minutes then you'll have a 10 minute break to breath. Don't cheat and say you'll have a 10 minute break and it end up being an hour long! 

Eat well and sleep well! Make sure you're eating your fruit and veg and just generally food that's going to keep your energy levels high! Eating rubbish food really does make you feel a bit 'poop' and you never want that when exam times come. Sleeping is important too - I'm one of those people that needs their sleep. I go to bed at 9/10 every night and if it's any later I physically can't stay awake in class. Get at least 8 hours sleep every night if you can. 

Following on from the last point - make a cut-off point! You don't want to be working into the early hours of the morning so you need to decide when you're going to put the revision away and chill. For example, I hate working after 9 o'clock, so that's when I stop. I find you tend to stop taking the information in as it gets later so it's not much point in continuing!

B R E A T H.  Take some time out for some you time. Yes you need to be revising a lot, but stress is something that will soon knock you down. You need to have some time to relieve the stress so organise something with friends, maybe a walk? Fresh air will always do you good. I also like to have a day a week where I wont do any work, normally a Friday!

And last of all.. stay positive, know you can do it and you will!

Balancing blogging

Being a blogger and a A-Level student can sometimes be hard, I'm at Sixth Form five days a week from 8:30 till 3/4 and spend a lot of my spare time doing sport, so it's always hard to to balance my study time and my blogging time. After juggling both for over a year now, I've learnt many lessons..

Lists

Make lists of what you want to blog about - I have a little notepad and pen on my bedside table to jot down any ideas I have, whether it be a particular outfit/item of clothing or a review. There's been so many times I've thought of something great to blog about but not noted it down and forgotten about it! Also, the satisfaction you receive when you cross everything off your list is great.

Schedule Posts

I've always scheduled posts, especially when I've had exams. I know some bloggers aren't so keen on people writing posts months ahead, but at the end of the day, my education comes first and if that means having posts go up when they're no longer necessarily up to date, then so be it! Of course, don't go doing Christmas posts when it's mid-summer, but you know what I'm getting at here. I tend to make sure I have 2 or 3 drafted posts at a time so if something does pop-up, I have something that keeps my blog active.

Plan Ahead

I like to know when I'm going to blog. For example, I'll wake up on the weekends and set myself an hour or two to do a few blog posts in the morning, and again in the evening and I'll do some studying during the day. This way I know I'll get everything I need to do done. Similarly, sunlight isn't around every hour so sometimes it's a good idea to pick a certain time to take your photo's. During the week I don't have time to photograph my outfits, so normally I'll pick a day when I don't have much work to do and I'll go through and picture all of the outfits I wore that week during the day when there's the right light for photos.

Prioritize

You need to know where your priorities lie. For me, blogging is simply a hobby and my education will always come first, so sometimes my blog will have to take the back seat for a while, but that's okay. If you have a job, maybe that will take priority. Some people are lucky enough to have blogging as their job!

Only do it if you feel it

I am very guilty of doing posts simply because I have time, and not because I want to. I sometimes have days when I really aren't feeling it and am incapable of doing a fairly decent post. Nobody is forcing you to blog. Most readers are bloggers themselves and know what it's like. If you're not going to produce a good post, don't force yourself. Readers can wait that extra day, or maybe week!

What are your tips for balancing blogging?