The Sunday Post #17

I've been going through old posts fixing some technical aspects (lack of alt text, broken links etc) and very happily stumbled upon an old series I wrote in 2013 called 'The Sunday Post'. Each week on a Sunday evening I'd write a short blog post about what was going on in my life that week and what I'd been enjoying. Honestly, for the most part it was me gushing about One Direction and calling into the online abyss for friends who shared my Pretty Little Liars obsession. But I have completely loved reading these back. They're such a vivid reminder of a very specific time in my life where I was completely immersed in Higher exams and, as cheesy as it may sound, I was finding myself and my voice. Incidentally, reading through the number of posts I managed to produce back then, I'm in awe at how I managed to find any time for studying at all. I'd just got my first proper part time job in Wetherspoons and my favourite song was Avicii Wake Me Up. I ended up working in spoons for 3 years (maybe one day I'll write a book about the fun and games that went on in there). Funny enough, I've been listening to Best of Avicii on Spotify the whole lockdown. I guess we don't change that much even though our circumstances might.

So, I thought I'd dive back in - 7 years later - and write The Sunday Post #17. Even if no one reads it, I absolutely love looking back and catching a glimpse of myself in time.

What Does My Life Look Like At The Moment?

I was lucky enough to get a graduate job in marketing after I finished uni. My first year flew by and I learned more than I thought possible and developed my skills no end. However, as with everyone's life at the mo, my work has hit a bit of a bump in the road as the industry I work in is travel and tourism. I'm on furlough at the moment and the future is pretty uncertain. I trust myself to be able to adapt and thrive whatever happens though.

I'm taking all the newfound free time I have by the horns. I'm exercising more than I ever have, and enjoying it a heck of a lot more than I ever have too. If you're interested, you can read more about my journey in my recent post 'Great Home Workouts for People Who Hate Exercise'.

When I was in uni I couldn't wait to be finished with learning and get into the big wide world. Now? I've realised I love learning and will probably have so do it forever. I get such a kick out of it. I've done 5 online courses over the last few weeks, with one still in progress:

• The Science of Well-Being by Yale University - absolutely 100% recommend everyone to do this. It's free unless you want a certificate and takes a couple hours a week for 10 weeks, but you can do it at your own pace. It unpacks our brains' mistaken beliefs and teaches the scientifically proven ways to increase happiness. I absolutely love neuroscience and psychology (in simple, easy to digest terms) so this is right up my street. I do it every Monday afternoon so tomorrow is Week 7.
• Google Digital Garage - The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing - this is certified by the Open University and is completely free. I had done bits already as part of my Digital Marketing Diploma in work so thought I may as well complete it. It says it should take 40 hours but if you have any digital marketing experience you will be able to skip to the quizzes and do it quicker.
• I done two mini courses on Udemy, one on Time Management and one on implementing the principles of Deep Work (a book I read a few years ago). I also completed a 'How to build your own wordpress website' which was great for filling in some gaps in my knowledge I had due to my 'learn as you go' approach.

The Week

This week has been much the same as all others in lockdown. I've found it really important to continue to differentiate the weekend so I have quite a structured week followed by a more relaxed weekend. On Tuesday I had a bit of a 'when will things get back to normal' glum phase but that's totally normal and everyone is experiencing it at different times. Other than that I've been pretty content. 

Since the beginning of lockdown I've been struggling with forcing myself to be productive. It's almost as if the more I think, the less I do. If I stop putting pressure on myself the results are much better than if I'm like 'I need to do this' 'I shouldn't be doing this' 'Stop wasting time' etc etc. I heard on a podcast this week 'The hardest thing about working out is getting to the gym'. I couldn't agree more and think this applies to pretty much everything. The hardest thing about anything is starting. Anyone else feel like this?

Quick-Fire Favourites

• Chocolate - I tasted a Fry's Cream Strawberry for the first time. It is immense.
• Music - Very random but my favourite songs of lockdown have been Tubthumping by Chumbawamba and Tough Love by Avicii. 
• TV - I've been working my way through old episodes of Doctor Who and just started Line of Duty. I'm not watching too much TV as I have huge sloth potential. See '5 TV Shows You Should Watch on BBC iPlayer' for more of my recent faves.
• Reading - books and I are usually best buddies but we've had a troubled relationship during lockdown. I don't know if it's because I'm more easily distracted than usual. Since I've now started blogging about books as well as beauty and lifestyle, I'll review books I enjoy as I discover them. I don't really want to write reviews for books I didn't enjoy as I don't want to slate someone who has taken the time to put their creativity out there. Someone else may enjoy what I don't. 
• Stand out books from the last few weeks are Pride & Prejudice and The Husband's Secret.
• I've currently got two books on the go (so unlike me!): 'Three Dublin Plays' by Sean O'Casey (assigned for a uni course but I only read one at the time) and 'Neverwhere' by Neil Gaiman. My uni friends have recommended 'Neverwhere' loads and my little work book club were supposed to read it before we were dispersed so we're carrying on through What's App. I'm even considering throwing in a third book to the mix: 'The Perfect Wife' by J.P. Delaney as it's the book of the month for the Quite Literary online book club I'm in.
• For the first time ever I bought The Sunday Times twice in the last few weeks. Talk about bang for your buck. For £2.90 you get the newspaper, business and money paper, home paper, a general magazine, a culture magazine (w/ TV guide) and a fashion magazine. The writing was excellent, as were the recommendations. I think I'll get it once a month from now on, as the magazines inside could last me ages.
• Beverage - I'm a tea lover at heart but I'm totally having an affair with coffee right now. Is this what addiction feels like? When you just think a cup will make your life? And to think... I used to think it was disgusting.
• Meme of the week: 

• Photo of the week: me waiting in a teams call for everyone to arrive... like being at a party too early and waiting for your buddies to show up.

I guess one marked change in my blogging style from 2013 is I tend to go on a lot more than I used to. I'll sign off now.

Let me know in the comments how your week has been and what you're enjoying!

P.S At the beginning of lockdown I filmed a Youtube video '9 Great Ways To Spend Your Time In Lockdown' which you can watch if you want to hear more from me.