How to set up a photography studio at home+ videography – simple and affordable

Posted in All about me by

Whether you need a studio for test shoots and self-tapes, like me. Or you`re in the start of opening a business and need somewhere to photograph merchandise or you`re a photographer. Either way, I absolutely recommend my new setup. It takes less than an hour to put up (even the first time), every part has bags and boxes to bring them with you or put them away when you need the room for other purposes. And everything is just very easy to use. Trust me. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be using them.

Where to put the setup

I would recommend you put it in the room you do most of your work in, for me that`s my home office. In that way you have access to your computer, notebooks, books, props and anything else you might need. And you`ll feel ready to work when you enter the room and will in a way take your studio more seriously. However, I would only recommend that placement if it also inhabits this next, and most important, qualification. Your studio should absolutely be placed across from a big window, or at least a window. Any natural light you can get is good, and in this case, the more, the better. That being said, what do you need for your studio?

A whitescreen and backdrop stand

This is essential for home photography as it gives you a clear and reliable base that can be edited in infinite amounts of ways. For test shoots, product shoots and self-tapes, this just elevates everything and takes a home shoot from pedestrian to professional.

For me I went with this set-up from Amazon.

Whitescreen backdrop for home studio for actors, models, influensers, bloggers, content creators and small business owners.

You can get the screen here (affiliate link) for just 18.99 and the stand here (affiliate link) for just 38.98 as it is currently on sale with a 22% discount! It was very simple to put together and I love that the stand came with clamps to hold the sheet. Even though the sheet has a rod pocket to hang it easier. Silly me didn’t realize that until right now of course, as I am reading up on it to make my post as informative as possible. So, if you do get this backdrop, you’ll definitely be more informed than I was.

For me length was the most important, and at 8×10 ft, it does not disappoint. They also have it in loads of other colors, if that`s of use to you.

Whitescreen backdrop for home studio for actors, models, influensers, bloggers, content creators and small business owners.

The stand is very large as well. On the photo you can tell that it`s taking up a bit of real estate. The height is very adjustable, and I only adjusted it to that level because I needed it to be taller than me and I`m 5 10 (1.78). The length on the other hand was actually the minimum. Makes sense since it can do group photos and stuff. I was just a bit surprised that it extended beyond my designated wall.

Lighting

Now, I’m a YouTuber, so I’m kind of married to my ring light. However, I knew that I needed something different for photoshoots and I thought “Hey, if I’m well lit, but in a more natural way in my next videos, that can’t hurt.” So, I bought this double set of dimmable led lights that you just plug into phone chargers (I know, it couldn’t be any simpler!) and tripods that to my surprise came with cell phone holders! They also came with adapters, so that you can plug it into a USB or a USB-C with ease.

2-Pack LED Video Light Kit, NiceVeedi Studio Light, 2800-6500K Dimmable Photography Lighting Kit with Tripod Stand&Phone Holder, 73" Stream Light for Video Recording, Game Streaming, YouTube…

You can get the set here (affiliate link) for the very affordable price of 51.99.

And to prove to you that you really do get bang for your buck, look at how much the light changes my face in these photos.

Warm
Regular
Cold

That`s what a normal, tired, adult woman without make up looks like by the way.

Camera and tripod

If we`re shooting, we need something to shoot on. Since I’m a content creator, I decided to prioritize video when it came to choosing a camera. After careful consideration I went with a budget, yet heavy hitter, vlog and longform video camera. The Sony ZV-1F. And so far, I am really happy with that decision, especially being someone who is a complete novice when it comes to any camera that you can’t also text on. Let me know if you want a review! For now, let me just say that I did loads of research, so if you`re in a similar position as me, i.e. you’re taking content creation seriously, but you’re not about to drop several thousand on a camera you don’t understand, get the Sony ZV-1F! And thank me later. You can get it here (affiliate link) for 398 USD (which is a crazy sale and literally 200 less than what I bought it for two weeks ago.)

Sony ZV-1F
Sony zv-1f

It comes with a wind cap for the mic and it has one of those screens that flip out so that whether you’re taking photos or filming, you can see yourself.

When it comes to the tripod, I use the Velbon ex-530, which I, honest to God, am a bit obsessed with. As you might have gotten by now, I absolutely have my fair share of tripods, so to be so blown away and frankly giggly, as I was unboxing this tripod, is not my normal, and says alot. Honestly, it’s just super robust and functional, while still being easy to hide away or carry. So yeah, kinda hits all the notes. Unfortunately, I could only find the Velbon ex-430 on Amazon. Though to be fair, it`s basically the same thing, it’s just a bit smaller. You can get that here (affiliate link) for 52.48. They also have a couple of options on there that are even bigger than the 530.

Velbon ex-530 tripod for how to set up your own photography studio at home for influensers, youtubers, models and small business owners

So that is my current setup. Let me know if you have any questions!

Love ya

Zoë

How to change your life in six months

Posted in All about me by

The first quarter of 2024 just passed and whether you felt like it passed you by or you had a stellar quarter, I`m always an advocate of looking forward. Because here`s the thing, if you don`t know where you`re going, you`ll just end up somewhere. On the flipside, if you map, plan out and follow-through on your action plan, well, then you really can change your life in six months. Maybe even end up at your desired destination, but even if you don`t, you`ll definitely be closer. Here`s how.

SET GOALS

I`m sure you`ve heard that writing down your goals makes you 40% more likely to achieve them, and I don`t even have to tell you the power of writing by hand. Before we dive into my favorite method of goal setting, make sure to grab a pen and a notebook and write along with me!

Got it? Great! So here is my favorite method of goal setting, back tracking. Where do you want to be in six months? What are you wearing? Who are you with? How is your bank account looking? Are you in a different career? A different city? Really get into the mindset and visualize your life to the best of your abilities. Remember to pay attention to how you’re feeling and why you are feeling that way. What have you accomplished that has gotten you there and what are the day-to-days that keep you in this position?

Once you have a clear view of what separates you and your life right now from you and your life in six months, set goals. And hey, I`m sure you already guessed it, but just to confirm, we are setting SMART goals, as explained in the graphic below. Btw, feel more than free to download this and fill it out! But don`t wait with setting the goals themself, jot them down in your notebook.

When writing out these goals, try to limit yourself. Six months is long, but it`s not that long. So, it`s best if we have a handful of goals that we really hone in on. My rule of thumb is to pick around five categories (for me: health, finance, career, personal development, and studies) and choose 2-3 goals for each of these. And honestly, one of the best ways to figure out whether or not a goal is worthwhile is to put it through the SMART goals system. If you cannot for the life of you answer the question in even just one of these categories, then you have to rewrite the goal or even swap it out entirely. And don`t just halfheartedly answer these questions. Really think about them. Specifically for achievable, I want you to think about this one thing; if you want to accomplish X in Y months, what does the marker look like for each month? Whether the results are compounding or exponential, if you break the goal down to each month or even week, is it truly achievable? If not, you can reign it a little or rework your strategy. And, hey, if you find yourself exceeding your goal early on, consider amping it up!

PS. If a goal isn`t compounding, but rather a one and done, when looking at your strategies for achieving the goal, focus on the step-by-step instead of the routine.

If you want to change your life even further, I have 100 pages of self-help knowledge made fun and actionable to share with you. In the e-book “One year to becoming your ideal self: Unleashing the power of thought, habit creativity and wealth” that I wrote with a friend of mine who`s a successful entrepreneur based, you get weekly and quarterly challenges and check-ins to implement the knowledge of all the best self-help books across the different categories (business, personal development, creativity, etc.) without having to read them yourself. Although I would absolutely encourage you to do both if you have the time. As it was just released it is currently on sale and will be so until April 20th.

Becoming your ideal self- e-book and planner

$37.00

Lifetimes of knowledge ready to be implemented into your life and change it forever.

Click to learn more

SET SYSTEMS

Once you have your goals, you need to find a way reach them. The way to do this is through action, but not just any action, it needs to be thought out and monitored. So, while we are going to look at the day-by-day at the habits portion of today`s blog post, at this point we are looking at systems.

The most important part of any system is that it works for you. However, this is what I do. First, as I said, you need to break down your six-month goals into monthly goals specified for each month. This way, each month you can track your progress and know whether you’re on track. So monthly check ins are a must. To make sure that your actions are focused and not scattered throughout the month, I also recommend choosing three main goals for each month. That does not mean that you shouldn’t work towards any other goals during that time period, it just means that when you’re planning your days and your weeks, you know where your priorities should lie. I do the same when I plan my days. Does that mean I don’t do anything else that day? Of course not! But it means that I can’t sit down and watch Netflix until those three goals are met.

Furthermore, once we’ve got the months down, we need to know what we should be doing each week to stay on that desired track. That`s why for each week you need to draw desirable actions from your goals and jot them down. 80% of these goals should be weekly and 20% should be specific to that week, somewhat drawn from that month’s goals, and partly from circumstances. For example, study for 10 hours can be weekly whilst prepare for X test will be specific to that week and that test.

For the sake of simplicity, I recommend going over your months on the last of each month and reviewing the week that has been, as well as planning the coming week, on Sundays. I also recommend you to time block each Sunday, which makes it a lot easier to reach your goals, as well as implement new habits. I don’t have a blog post up on time blocking yet, but I do talk a lot about it on my channel. For example in this video.

CREATE HABITS

Goals only work if we`re working. The easiest and most effective way to do this is by creating habits. For each of your goals you should have habits attached to them. For example, if you want to lose weight, write out how you will exercise, how much you will exercise and when. Time block it and follow through. In the same vein as our goals, we don`t want our habits to be wishy-washy, because we won’t follow through. Instead, we want them to be very specific. We need to know what and when, at the very least.

We won’t automatically become the type of people who love going to the gym or who always has a tidy room. But we will become those people if we force ourselves to pretend for long enough. But we must get specific about it. “Tidy” and “work out” aren’t habits, there aspirations. However, “tidy for 30 minutes at 8 pm each day and clean on Saturdays from 12- 3”, that`s a habit.

To learn more about habits from someone who truly knows what he`s talking about and can teach you how to implement the right habits in your life and ditch the bad ones, no matter who you are and how far-fetched it seems (I`m literally sitting in a tidy office right now, if you`ve ever met me, you know that is crazy), then check out the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. PS. If you`ve got Audible, you can get this book for FREE with one credit.

Either way, if you click on this link, I`ll (to know greater cost to you), get a small comission which helps support my business, so that I can keep providing you with free content. Also feel free to check out my own digital self help products. ❤ Digital Products

That`s it for now. Hope you got value from it and I`ll talk to you again tomorrow.

Love ya!

Zoë

FREE Planner and Habit Tracker (PDF)

$00.00

The clearest path to building good habits and becoming THAT GIRL. Delivered straight to your inbox.

Download

 

Have a fear of failure? Don`t worry, I got you. Here are THREE Methods to overcome fear of failure + a bonus tip (shh)

Posted in All about me by

A while back I was doing some thinking on why we procrastinate, not all that random considering I did release a post on Parkinson`s Law last week. That being said, I realized that tools to combat procrastination are awesome, but what`s even better is getting to the root of the procrastination itself and tackling it head on. I quickly realized that for a lot of us, that root is fear of failure, and so I went back to the drawing board, did some research, and gathered three methods to combat fear of failure.

Method One: Try new things

If you`ve ever seen one of my confidence videos`s or had a prolonged conversation with me, I`m sure this is all painfully familiar to you, but that doesn`t change the facts. If you want to be less afraid of failure, you need to get to know it better. It kind of reminds me of this weird trick I would use as a kid to be less afraid of the scary characters in movies. I would picture them opening up to me and saying that the reason why they were bad was because they were hurt and afraid. Ignoring what that might say about me, here is the point: failure isn`t the big bad wolf it wants us to think it is. Quite the opposite. It is only through failing over and over that we can actually get to the skill level or the level of experience we need in order to succeed. The more we fail, the more we will learn that a) when you fall, you can actually just pick yourself up again, and b) each big success is built on the back of many small failures.

I propose you find this out for yourself by using the goldilocks method from James Clear`s Atomic Habits (affiliate link <3).

Simply explained I want you to try something that `s not to hard (i.e. to far from your existing skillset), or to easy (i.e. something that is similar enough to something you know that you know that you can easily master it). What I want you to do is find something that is juuuust right. I.e. something new for you to try that you know you can do if you try really hard and fail your way to success, but that is definitely going to be a struggle and a hard fought battle. This for two reasons. A) You`ll learn the aforementioned importance of failure, as well as get experience falling flat on your face and maybe even feeling embarrassed, and certainly uncomfortable. And B) You`ll feel an important sense of pride and confidence when you actually succeed at this thing that was really, really hard to do.

Method Two: Mantras

Yes, you heard that right, we are using mantras. Specifically three mantras.

#1 Everything is as it should be

I use this as a reminder that even though I am uncomfortable, at a low point or maybe even scared or angry, I know that no matter what I`m feeling right now, there will always be better moments waiting for me in the future. Not only that, but the existence of those better moments depend upon us being able to push through these tough moments armed with trust in a better tomorrow and a belief in ourselves. When things get particularly tough, I like pairing my “Everything is as it should be” with a “The only way out is through”. However, I also use “Everything is as it should be” as a positive reminder throughout my day, like if I see “11:11” or if the sun is shining or if I`m just for some reason feeling really good. Just to remind myself that no matter what, I`m always at the right place in the right time.

#2 What`s the worst that can happen?

Sometimes I use this to get myself in action and to make a decision. Kind of like with Mel Robbins 5 second rule. Like “Ehh, what`s the worst that can happen?” Other times I go through the steps I learned from the savvy psychologist. I literally identify the worst thing that can happen, look at the immediate consequences and then decide what I will do in that case. This always works. Once you realize that even if the worst thing that can happen happens, there is still room to take action and achieve success, fear losses it`s grip. After all, fear thrives on unknowns.

#3 As long as I`m alive and breathing, I`ve got a second chance

Listen, there are only two ways to truly fail. The first is to stop trying and the second is to die. Other than that you can`t actually fail, because you can always try again, in a new and better way even with what you have learned from your so-called failures. If you look at the most successful people in any industry, you will see that what they all have in common is that they simply refused to give up. Instead of interpreting setbacks as failures, they interpreted them as tools for further learning, which is what they truly are. You don`t have to be afraid of failure, because as long as you are alive and trying, you cannot fail. And honestly, you owe it to yourself to try.

PS. If this blog post is giving you value, please hit the follow button. And consider signing up for my email list. For a limited time you`ll get a FREE That Girl Planner and Habit Tracker, and I`ll send you content that`ll empower you through knowledge and motivation weekly (but like, in a cool and fun way.)

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Method 3: Be afraid, but do it anyways

Doing things we`re afraid of are not easy, especially when we are really attached to the outcome. However, this is where confidence comes in. And contrary to what you might think, confidence is not about feeling, it is about action. I always tell people to “fake it till you make it”. But here`s the kicker, when you are faking it, you are actually making it at the same time. You don’t have to feel good doing the things you need to do, you just have to do them. So lets talk about that.

After method one, having gotten familiar with failure and it`s positives, you are ready to actually go after your dreams, but in a smart way. One way to make this easier for yourself is to utilize visualization. Even though I am personally a big fan, what I am talking about here is not visualizing your success itself, but rather the steps, in particular the hard ones, to get there. This is what athletes do to win, and well, they have a lot of winners. Thing is, your brain cant tell the difference between the things you do in real life and the things you imagine, so if you imagine the hard steps of your journey over and over, when the time comes it will feel familiar and be less overwhelming for you.

I got a bonus tip to help you along this process, as well as more information on each method that you can find in this video.

That`s it for now. Hope you got value from it and I`ll talk to you again tomorrow.

Love ya!

Zoë

combat fear of failure

The benefits of a digital detox and how to actually follow through

Posted in Productivity by

I`ve been on a bit of a self-improvement kick lately, which makes me sound both healthier and stuffier than I really am. Truth is, I took this huge chance a few months back packing up my stuff and my dog to move across the ocean from Norway to Dallas. And although parts of my life in Dallas, like acting in movies and spending evenings at Walmart (we don’t have anything remotely like it in Norway, so hold your judgement please), truth is it was one of the hardest experiences of my life. I have a lot of family in DFW, and they`re not all the best people, though luckily some of them are. In general Texans are very different from Norwegians. My dad was like “told you, why do you think I moved all the way to NY?”. But I guess I had to see it for myself.

Long story short, I returned to Norway somewhat with my tail between my legs, feeling anxious, embarrassed, traumatized, depressed, tired and shitty. I didn`t want to meet anyone and let them know what happened, or even that I was back in the country. Instead, I self-isolated and tried to cope. Badly, of course.

Every time I felt the feelings of despair, depression, and anxiety creep up on me, I`d distract myself as quickly as possible. And what`s quicker and easier that a short TikTok designed to overload your senses and make your brain produce dopamine?

To tell you the truth, I`ve always been skeptical towards social media. I know that scrolling lights up the same part of our brains as cocaine and gambling. I know that we fall into comparison traps and that we feel increasingly anxious posting on more local platforms like Instagram as time goes by and it becomes a bigger part of our culture, and I know that TikTok messes with our attention spans.

PS. Before we get further into this post, let me just share with you that if you just want to get to the root of the information, gain some scientific knowledge and a step-by-step social media detox guide, here`s a YouTube video that delivers exactly that. My blog however is a bit more personal and rambly. So know ya now.

Moving on. The point is, I know all of this. So well. Even that it can not only increase depression, but even cause it as well. And still I used it. Because even though I`ve deleted Snapchat countless of times, turned of notifications and blocked people for years, I don’t think I truly understood just how damaging social media could be, even with the precautions of blocking and turning of notifications, until I found myself tired, lonely, depressed and with bad skin and TikTok songs on my brain.

I just realized that “hey, TikTok is ruining my focus and I`m using it to cope with my anxiety, and Instagram is making me feel like absolute shit. Like everyone`s got it all together and I`m just some failure. Fuck this.”. I deleted the apps in early December. Oncs Christmas rolled around, they weren’t even on my mind anymore.

But not only that. My skin cleared up. I was working out more and getting out of bed in the morning. And all of the trauma of Dallas that had been plaguing me was being released, simply because I had no other choice than to face it and work through it once I couldn’t pull up TikTok and distract myself every time an unwanted thought entered my head. And honestly, I felt so free. I still do.

If I`m being more honest, I don’t think I would’ve had the time to start blogging again if I were still spending hours trying to create the perfect Instagram feed or study TikTok trends to find the right ones to jump on. That would truly have been my loss. It is so much nicer to sit here and write exactly what I feel, no curation, no filter, and not have to worry about “trends”, but rather the truth.

That being said, here are two methods for quitting social media. You can do one or both. Personally I recommend to do Method 1 first and then follow up with Method 2. I`m actually currently working on a downloadable workbook that combines these in a 100 day digital detox guide, so stay tuned for that.

Method 1: Quitting cold turkey

This is probably the most popular method and the one you`ll see the most videos on. Personally I think all those “I quit social media for 30 days and this is what happened” video`s are popping off for the simple reason that we`re all addicted and have at least some curiosity towards quitting, if not a full blown desire.

I prefer this method for two reasons. A) I`m an all or nothing person, a little quickly turns into a lot, so I prefer a hard line. B) Doing these makes it apparent how often we actually think about social media, i.e. how “bad” the addiction truly is.

How to quit

First, let the people you communicate on social media with the most let you know that you`re taking a break, so that you don’t accidentally hurt anyone or use “oh, I have to check so they don’t get sad that I don’t respond to the memes.” as an excuse. Secondly, delete the apps. After this you`ll have a void of both time and the emotions you`ve been putting off that you need to find solutions for. That`s why before you do step 1 and 2, you should actually write a list of around 15-30 actions you can take if you`re bored, stressed, anxious, depressed, awkward or whatever. For example walk, work out, draw, paint, call a friend, read, watch a movie, go to the park, hang out with your dog, take a bath, bake, learn something new, etc.

For a while you`ll notice that you`ll try to open the apps, even though they`re not there. But trust me, nothing beats the feeling when you realize that you haven’t even thought about them for weeks.

For when you`ve completed your detox.

Method 2: Major cuts

Again, this method is probably best as a follow up to the first one. However if you don’t have a strong phone or social media addiction, or if you need the apps for work, this might be the right approach for you. Either and/or, cut out most of the apps or decide a certain timeframe that you`re allowed to use the apps. For cutting out the apps there are two categories, and you should be cutting in both. A) The apps you`re most addicted to. F.ex. for me that would be TikTok as I clearly used it as a security blanket for my anxiety. B) The platforms you really don’t need or like as much as the others. In other words, the platform(s) that give you the least value. For me that would be snapchat, as I could care less what a girl I met at a party once had for lunch.

PS. If this blog post is giving you value, please hit the follow button. And consider signing up for my email list. For a limited time you`ll get a FREE That Girl Planner and Habit Tracker, and I`ll send you content that`ll empower you through knowledge and motivation weekly (but like, in a cool and fun way.)

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Furthermore, try to use social media very consciously. Decide why you`re going on the platform (for example to answer messages or post a specific piece of content), and then get in and get out.

If you try method 2 and it doesn’t yield the results you want, then definitely try cold turkey.

Longterm

Honestly, after having taken a break for social media, we usually see the bad more than the good and automatically get a bit more conscious about our use. However, always monitor your own behavior and try to keep an eye out for any bad habits you might be slipping back into. And remember, you can always do another detox!

By the way, if you want to distract yourself, and work on improving your life at the same time while social media detoxing, Ive been obsessed with Atomic Habits by James Clear lately and it`s really improved my life.

If you have Audible, you can get it for free with a credit here. If not you should definitely consider signing up. Otherwise you can get a hard cover here or a pocket here.

Either way, if you click on one of these links, I`ll (to know greater cost to you), get a small comission which helps support my business, so that I can keep providing you with free content. Also feel free to check out my own digital self help products. ❤ Digital Products

That`s it for now. Hope you got value from it and I`ll talk to you again tomorrow.

Love ya!

Zoë

45 DAY DIGITAL DETOX GUIDE (PDF)

$ 9.99

45 day guide designed for you to feel happy, creative, productive and fulfilled without the apps.

Click to download

The Productivity tool we didn`t know we needed – Parkinson`s Law

Posted in Productivity by

First of all, let`s address the proverbial elephant in the room. It`s been a while. Like a while, while. As in, I haven’t uploaded on this blog since 2017. Which I know is technically 7 years ago, but my brain can’t fully comprehend that. So instead of pulling a “last year, one more year older”, I`m just going to say that you`ve been on my mind throughout, and I`ve missed you.

That being said I am sure that more information about my whereabouts the last seven years will occasionally pop up in my posts (not that anyone cares), but for now, let`s move on to what this post and this blog is truly about, providing you with value.

So today we are going to talk about this brilliant law and productivity tool that popped up around the 50`s, initially as a critique of bureaucracy, called Parkinson`s Law. More specifically we`re going to talk about how you can use this law to hack your brain and improve your productivity.

PS. If you`re more of a audiovisual learner, or just a super nice person who would like to support me, I also got a YouTube video on the subject.

What is Parkinson`s Law?

Parkinson`s Law states that “Work complicates to fill the available time.” You know when you`ve put off an essay to the last possible minute, but you still make it? Or when you hit snooze a thousand times, yet still manage to complete your face routine and blow dry your hair? That`s Parkinson`s Law. If we have to get something done and we only have a specific amount of time, rest assured we`ll get it done. On the flip side, if we want to get something done but we seemingly have infinites amount of time, rest assured we`ll procrastinate.

 Examples

When C. Northcote Parkinson first introduced this concept in a 1955 article, he himself gave what is probably the best example to date of how the law works. He tells us to picture a woman who`s only task for the day is to mail a postcard. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Or, well, no. Technically right, but… Human behavior. She spends an hour finding the perfect card, half an hour looking for her glasses, 90 minutes writing the card, 20 minutes to decide whether she should bring an umbrella along with her to the mailbox, and so on and so forth until her day is filled. For those of us who struggle with  ADHD, this is almost to real to be funny. But just almost, we also got a great sense of humor.

Another example of Parkinson`s Law is how meetings ALWAYS seem to last at least the amount of time set aside to them. This can be great, if you`re with a good team or if the meeting is super relevant and productive, or if you in general have time for it. However, if you`re pressed for time, sitting in a two hour meeting that very well could`ve been an email, with people you`d rather not be with, you tend to curse Parkinson`s Law a bit.

Before we move on to application, let me quickly say that I think we all have our own experiences with Parkison`s Law when it comes to getting specific projects done with very hard deadlines. For example, if you have to write something, code something, create a concept or put on an event, very often you finish quite close to the deadline. Funny thing is, this would likely be the case no matter the deadline.

How can we use it

Obviously, we just talked deadlines. Since these impact our psychologically so strongly, the most logical way to work with this law is to set our own deadlines. But not as in “oh, I`ll finish the essay a week before the given deadline.”. That`s flimsy and your brain catches on. However, what you should do is divide the project into smaller tasks and assign them deadlines and days/timeframes to work on them.

Within this same system, I`d advice you to both time block and create specified to-do lists. Time blocking both allows you to breathe, because you get visual proof that you have time to get everything you need to done, and it promotes productivity and logical deadlines. I.e. if you`re giving yourself a two hour time block to work on an essay it`s easy and logical to also give that time block a goal (deadline) and subsequently cross that off a larger to-do list after the block is complete. These three actions all reinforce each other and make productivity more positive.

When creating to-do lists with smaller tasks, also prioritize them. One of the reasons why Parkinson`s Law takes effect, is that we use tasks to pretend to be productive while procrastinating on what we have to do. Therefore, prioritize, so that you can`t do any of the less important or more fun tasks until you`ve done the ones of higher priority.

That being said, there are two pitfalls we need to avoid here. The first is that we don’t want to get stuck on task number one, and subsequently the other tasks as well. The second is that we should absolutely get to do less important/more fun tasks each day as well. That`s why the next tip is to choose three tasks you must do each day. Not the same tasks, but three tasks particular to that day. They can absolutely be appointments, lunches and stuff like that, they don`t all have to be stuffy and difficult. That being said, if you only follow one advice from this post, let it be that one. It has done wonders for me and countless of others. And plan out the top three before you go to bed, not after you wake up and read emails or talk to people.

Before I move onto the last tip Im going to mention in my post, let me just say that I first learned about Parkinsons Law from my guru, Mel Robbins. One of my personal favorites of her books is "Take control of your life with Mel Robbins". If you have Audible, you can get it for free with a credit here. If not you should definitely consider signing up. All of her books are created for audio listening (i.e. theyre not adapted from written books), and I think thats part of why they`re so entertaining and satisfying to listen to.

Plus, if you check it out, not only will it improve your life, but I also get a small comission which helps support my business, so that I can keep providing you with free content. Also feel free to check out my own digital self help products. ❤ Digital Products

Building on our top three. Delay gratification until these are done. No Netflix, no snacks, no hour-long phone calls. Humans are all about dopamine. If our brain knows that we`ll get a hit of that hormone as soon as we`ve done X, Y and Z, it`ll guide us on the quickest path to a good result.

I`m looking at my word count and concluding that I should probably save some tips for another post, as this already double the intended length. Though if you are interested in the other methods I use to improve my productivity using Parkinson`s Law, my YouTube video on the subject covers them all.

Love ya!

Zoë

FREE Planner and Habit Tracker (PDF)

$ 00.00

The clearest path to building good habits and becoming THAT GIRL. Delivered straight to your inbox.

Click to download

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Learning life lessons before the sun rises

Posted in lifestyle, Rants, Tips, tricks and motivation! by

So, a couple of weeks ago I discovered that I could jog 7 km (4 miles) before breakfast. This was obviously a milestone for me as it is an incredibly practical route for me and increases my number of steps in a day greatly.

However, a couple of days later I realized that my fitness abilities and joint abilities are not exactly aligned, as I in some way fucked up my ankle and had to practically limp home one day.

Fast forward to a few days ago and my ankle is feeling fine. So I warm up with some hard, but short, elliptical work-outs for a couple of days, and then with some light walking (too, in and from the mall to be perfectly honest. 9 000 steps though, so, what up?).

Then today at 4 am I set out to jog once again. Not only do I jog, but when I come to the hill leading up to the bridge, what do I do? You know, just what any other reasonable human being recovering from an ankle injury would do. Sprint up the fucking hill. Then proceed to jog across the entire bridge.

5 minutes later the pain hits me so hard, and I`m like “Omg, I have to turn”. Every step was just so painful. So, I turn.

And this whole walk-jog, I have been listening to the Julianne Hough episode on Lewis Howes podcast “The school of greatness” and she`s talking about being a young dancer and the whole perfectionist thing. Which makes me think about ballerinas, the only dancers I care about because they`re amazing, interesting and too me the embodiment of perfection. Above all I admire their insane work ethic. They don`t step down no matter what.

So I thought to myself “Zoë, a ballerina would never quit like this over some ankle problem, there is no blood, no bones sticking out, you`ll be fine”. So I figured that even if today wasn`t the day were I would jog that route again, it would at leat be the day were I would walk it.

And you know what? It took forever and honestly my leg got a little fucked up from the weird way I was walking, but I finished that walk. Pluss, I got some added steps from when I initallly turned and walked back.

And eventually my ancle didn`t even hurt as much.

The lesson that I took from this?

Sometimes the best way to get back where you were or get to were you want to be, is to take a step back. It can be insanely frustrating. But what`s even more frustrating than spending double the time on a route, is not being able to take it at all because your hybris makes you push yourself too far and puts your recovery back. Listening to your body is so important. If your feeling pain, there is a reason. Your body isn`t pranking you, it`s giving you important signals. And I feel like this applies to so much more. For example, if you`re feeling super anxious at work or you feel depressed when you reatreat to your appartment at the end of the day. Maybe take a step back in your career chain and see if you want to go with option b? Everything in life doesn`t have to be lineare. Maybe your living room is painted in a colour that`s draining your energy? Maybe you should get a dog? Whatever is going on in your life, take time to check in with yourself. And don`t just feel the feelings and move on. Make change where change is needed. You are worth investing time and energy in.

That`s all for this little rant. I am just so happy that I actually went through with this walk and managed to not jog even when my ankle started too feel more ok, and even more happy that I had a mini-awakening, haha. I hope that this resonates with some of you. I really feel like anything you can do for yourself, you should do for yourself.

Have a great day,

and love yourself!

 

 

 

Big Makeup Haul! 

Posted in makeup by

About a week ago I ordered some new makeup from my absolute favorite brand, Makeup Mekka, and a couple of days ago the package finally arrived! So I thought I’d share with you what I bought and write some about it as you might be interested in the products yourself.

PS: This post is basically a picture series/review, but it’s makeup, so it’s fun, right!? So here is the content of the package.


As you can see there are quite a few collections in this. Personally, when I love a product, I just have to have the entire line. And Makeup Mekka are amazing at lip products! So obviously I need to buy every new lip gloss and lipstick line they come out with. But that’s not all I bought.

So, let’s start with the basics.


Okay, so I haven’t tried the matte lip maker yet, but I am super excited about it and will post a review as soon as I have. I love matte lips, so I am really counting on this product to elevate some of my lipsticks to the next level. The future is matte guys.

As for the Incredible Impact Lash Builder, it was amazing! I honestly don’t think my lashes have ever been so long and Bambi like before! (My only note is that you should probably wait a minute before applying mascara instead of being impatient like me and ending up having to apply multiple layers to conceal the black and white swirl mascara-situation going on).

I haven’t tried the Total Lash Effect mascara yet, since I’ve been using my old trustee, 5XL. ‘Cause it’s amazing.

The soft velvet liquid lipstick collection is great because there are a lot of elements to it. Remember when you were a kid and your lip gloss was scented. With this orange chocolate scented liquid lipstick you can put some #nostalgia in your makeup bag. I did read the reviews on the site though to see what others thought, and some said that the scent was a little overpowering (but they still loved the product overall), but I personally liked it. Just a preference thing, I suppose. Furthermore the product does truly have that soft velvet feel and when you apply it, it also stings a little for a plumping effect (the nostalgia keeps coming guys). My favorite part about this lipstick though must be that each color can provide many different shades depending on the amount of layers and can therefore be used in many different settings.


Those of you who follow me on instagram know that I am 100 % in love with the Aqua Shine glosses! There are few materialistic things I love more than lip gloss and the glossier and glitterfull, the better! And this product is bringing it! And I know I should be more objective, but that’s hard when MM has literally fulfilled my lifelong dream of looking like a Bratz doll!

Some of you might remember me posting about the Hangover shade from this line a fee months back. Well, know I finally completed the collection. This liquid lipsticks are truly great. There super matte and pigmented. regrettably the lighting situation for these selfies does not do the color justice. My only note on this product would be that you have to reapply quite frequently. And as a tip I would definitely urge you to exfoliate your lips before wear.

That’s all for today. I have something more visual planned for my next post that I’m super excited for. PS: I’m posting this from my phone, so all links will be added later, including to my instagram (@zoenoelrobertson).

Green Smoothie Recipe

Posted in Recipes! #crueltyfree by

Lately I`ve been super into green smoothies. And I know that there are a lot of variations of them out there, but i wanted to share my recipe with you and also write about some of the health benefits of this smoothie. You know that I`m a sucker for food (and drinks) that meet on that sweet spot in the middle of the healthy and delicious venn-diagram.

venn

This recipe is my adaptation of model and youtuber, Alexandria Morgan`s and you can find hers here.  So without further ado, here is my green smoothie.

green

General and health based benefits:

Spinach:

  • Vitamin K and calcium for bone health
  • Vitamin A, vitamin C and iron for healthy skin and hair (aka aesthetics, jot that down)
  • Low calories, high satisfaction
  • Magnesium for cardiovascular health

Bananas:

  • slow releasing energy
  • good for rebalencing electrolytes
  • great pre workout food
  • lots of fiber
  • makes the smoothie booth sweet and extra nutritious

Ginger root:

  • Adds some great spiciness to the smoothie
  • Helps digestion
  • Reduces nausea (seriously the best cure for hangovers)
  • Reduce menstrual pain
  • Help fighting the cold or flu

And the berries will obviously depend on which you use, but in general, low in calories and high in nutrients. For optimal health I would recommend throwing in some blueberries though. You know the hype.

 

Sources/further reading:

Three of the day #11

Posted in Tips, tricks and motivation! by

Don’t think that my long break from blogging means that I’ve forgotten about my three of the days, because it definitely does not. I think this might be my first summer- 3ad ever, so hopefully I won’t let you down! Haha.

Advice of the day:

Take advantage of the sun! The weather has been really on and of this summer, but lately it’s been generally good. So my advice is to take advantage of this. Go to the beach, or just read in the sun in your garden. Or take a page right out of my book and take a few selfies in the best lighting there is, natural light! There are endless things to do outside when you’re not half-freezing to death (I live in Norway, so I’d know). Bonus tip: Get a new pair of sunglasses and take some cool pics while you’re at it 😉 

Motovation  of the day:

Since a lot of us are out on summer break, I don’t really know how much motovation is needed, but just incase your feeling down or not on break, we’re doing this right now, haha. Okay, so there are a lot of cool things going on right now, right? The sun, concerts, everyone bubbling of joy while daydreaming about the vacations. But what’s the best thing going on atm, you ask? Sales! June is the designated sales month of the season, and I personally, am here for it, and so should you be. So go out and see how much you can get for how little or buy something you’ve always wanted. June-shopping works for every budget! But if you really don’t have any money to spare right know, go outside and soak up some vitamin D. Free and guaranteed too make you feel great! 

Fashion tip of the day:

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with a bikini top and high waisted jeans or shorts for your lounging, beaching (coming for you oxford dictionary 2018) or basically any other outdoor vacation stuff. Just bring along a t-shirt to throw on before entering a store. 

Have a great day! 

Happy Summer!

Posted in All about me by

Hi guys!

 

It`s been a while since my last post. Honestly I`ve just been so busy with school and all. I have literally never had any more schoolwork than I did this year, and the last few weeks they just kept pilling on work `till the point where we basically didn’t have time to sleep, ha-ha. And obviously I could have thrown in a couple of posts here and there, but I didn`t feel like I was in the right mind space to blog because of all the stress, and I don`t really want to half ass it as a really do care about my blog.

So now that it`s finally summer, I am ready to plunge back into the world of blogging! I have so much to update you on, as well as plans and projects for this summer break that I am just so ready to start. I even made a new Instagram to mark this new beginning, and I will be putting it up on my blog as soon as I have posted a few things on there.

I am super excited about this summer and I am super excited about blogging again. I hope you all get to do what you want to do this holiday, whether it is travel, work on a special project, party, read or just relax and sleep `till noon. Maybe even all of it! I hope you have a wonderful time 🙂 

Happy summer!


^^Me in summer mode haha.