How to stay Motivated day to day

I work from home. I have a puppy. I have riding lessons a few times a week. I run a home, meaning I cook, I clean – a lot and everything else that needs doing. I have a fitness regime. I am busy.

So I have to be productive and motivated in order to get the most out of my days and my life.

Lists

I put this first because honestly it’s the only way I get anything done. My moto? How can you expect your day to plan out well without a plan. I have a daily list and a weekly list. I make my daily list each morning or the evening before and ensure some of my weekly tasks are on there so this gets ticked off too.

Bribe yourself

Sorry not sorry.

It can be as simple as once I do this peice of work I will make myself an iced coffee. Or more luxurious such as once I learn how to do this I will book on to do this event or buy myself those new gym clothes etc. Rewards and bribery – super motivational!

Diary – Goal setting

My diary is my life. It’s how I remember everything, how I plan and set my goals. It has a super awesome page for reviewing the end of each month. This I use along with my lists for day to

Just get up and go!

Wake up early (if it suits your lifestyle) and get those everyday jobs out of the way and done! Empty the dishwasher, make your bed and get dressed asap. Trust me, it frees up your day and sets you on a fantastic path for just getting things done.

Believe in the process

Whether it’s getting lifting that next weight at the gym, a promotion at work, jumping higher jumps in riding or just being able to master a chocolate souffle. Believe that practise makes perfect, you have to master what level you are currently at in order to progress. Do not be put out if that takes time, it will just make it all the better when you do reach your next goal.

To me, the key is being happy and enjoying the process, enjoy and respect where you are at now. If something is going to take a year to learn then if you start today it will be complete in a year, if you never start then it will never be complete.

If it’s really not working look to why, is it that you need some outside help or advice? Are you not enjoying what your doing? Is an outside influence causing you too much stress?

Mindset

This is a biggie. Happiness and motivation are not destinations, you have to be happy and enjoying your life everyday, we only have so many days on Earth. While some days will suck and everyone has parts of their life they don’t enjoy, set yourself up for success and happiness. Believe you are worth it and it will happen.

I hope some of these hints and tips help you get the most out of your day! Follow my instagram or watch my youtube for more!

Instagram | @harrietkristina

Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfirw6B6FK3CjbXyrYqBSQ

Fitness: May Diary

May was a wonderful month, my fitness was a little (a lot) disrupted due to being on holiday. My riding has improved which is fantastic and with it my core strength.

What went well

My scheduled riding lessons and a hack while away kept me in riding shape, which has helped strengthen my core. Lots of walking definitely was part of our city break!

What could have gone better

Time! Being abroad for most of the month simply meant I was far too busy to care about my fitness. Which is pretty great really, I had no stress or worries about this and just truly enjoyed my time away. Which in its own way is super healthy – your health and fitness should be a benefit to a healthy lifestyle not your whole life!

Stats:

Riding lessons: 6

Gym sessions: 3

Yoga sessions: 3

Swims: 3

June’s Plan

So my gym has unfortunately closed while it is going through the process of being bought, which is just a little annoying! So my gym sessions will be lacking. I’m going to make a little home work out circuit but most concentrate on improving my swimming and yoga as well as keeping up my regular riding lessons .

Do you have any fitness goals for June?

Thanks for reading! Please go follow my other social media:

Instagram | @harrietkristina

Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfirw6B6FK3CjbXyrYqBSQ

Meet Winston

We have a puppy. A real puppy, one that barks and plays and chews your fingers. He is adorable and I am in love.

It was a bit of an accident really, born and raised on one of the business sites, him and one of his litter mates were offered to us and as we had been toying with the idea of a little pup, so he came home with us. I know – brave and risky! Both of us have grown up with and had dogs so it isn’t really an unknown territory and honestly, he has been the most well behaved and lovely pup ever.

It has definitely reminded us both how much hard work puppies are – an insane amount! You need eyes on the back of your head and at least three hands. They don’t understand well, anything. Thankfully this little guy is nearly house trained (in three days) and has almost got the knack of sleeping all night.

Want to see some videos of the cutie?

Vlog: First ever!

I made a vlog! So don’t judge my filming/editing etc, it is very much my first attempt. It’s much harder than it looks. I had a pretty chilled day, just riding and hanging out by the pool before starting my work. But wanted to see what I get up to? Go watch 🙂

Hope you enjoyed! Give my youtube a subscribe and instragram a follow (@harrietkristina)

Vlogging is strangely addictive and editing is fun – much harder than I expected. Time to get learning! Who doesn’t love having to learn a new skill.

Haul: Forever 21

Moving to a hot hot hot climate meant I was super short on summer clothes. In the UK we only really need a four weekends worth of summer wear *weep*. I did a fairly quick online shop at Forever 21 and was super pleased with all the bits I recieved.

I really struggle to buy summer clothes, especially in stores in the UK – I feel like there is never enough choice. I was super pleased with how all the bits I bought fitted and looked.

Want to see everything I bought? Head to my youtube to watch my haul.

Thanks for reading and please go check out my other social media:

Instagram: @harrietkristina

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfirw6B6FK3CjbXyrYqBSQ/

Beauty: Gel Nail Fix

On my journey to DIY beauty one key area that I plan to focus on is my nails. Previously an acrylic addict this is going to be hard for me. My biggest issue is that my nails are fairly thin and weak, so I need to take more care of them.

When back in the UK I ordered all the parts I needed in order to be able to do my own gel nails and so far I’m a convert! Its fairly quick (maybe an hour to remove a set and do a new set) which is about how long you have to leave paint to dry and it looks much nicer and lasts longer (win win).

I also really love that because it’s a home you can fix a nail as and when you need. So I had a thumb nail peel off (my own fault – newbie to this) and I could fix this in about 5 minutes which was so amazing.

The look is a lot more subtle but I’m liking it – way easier for typing, riding, cleaning etc! What do you guys do with your nails?

Please go follow my instagram @harrietkristina and subscribe to my youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfirw6B6FK3CjbXyrYqBSQ/

Paris: Lime Scooters

If you had told me I would go scooting around Paris on an electric scooter I would have laughed at you. Me? Being a girl that often wears heels, skirts, dresses and carries large handbags. Ha. No.

But I did, and I loved it. Even in a dress and heels.

It’s super easy, you just download the app, find a scooter, scan the code and off you go. Linked to your bank (I used apple pay so even easier) and crazy cheap I cannot recommend trying them out more. They are in lots of locations across Europe and the USA.

We stayed mostly along the river and quiet areas, this was super safe and a good way to see Paris. It really made our trip.

If you want a free first go then use my referral code: RQUBEXD

Review: Bicester Village

Shopaholic? ME? Never….

I mean, I do love clothes, bags, shoes… oh okay maybe I am a little shopping addicted.

Bicester Village is a designer lovers candy land. With big names such as Valentino, Gucci, Chloe and Prada just to name a few, all at discounted prices – what is there not to love?

Where I am back and forth from the UK and Barbados, I tent to do the vast majority of my shopping in 2 weeks every few months so I end up having a serious splurge. Not going to lie, its crazy fun! Bicester Village was a big old shopping day!

Want to see what I bought? Head to my (new) youtube and watch my first Haul 🙂

Thanks for reading, go subscribe to my Youtube and follow me on Instagram (@harrietkristina)

Paris: Itinerary

I just got back from one of the best city breaks of my life and thought it only fair to share my itinerary so someone else could have an amazing trip also!

Day 1

Fly to Paris and check into Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg. This hotel was just completely perfect for us, the location and decor was wonderful, a perfect home away from home. We then walked through Paris to this wonderful italian restaurant that served the largest portions of delicious food.

Day 2

Disneyland! Do I need to say more? We got up and ate breakfast at Laduree (Just around the corner from the hotel) then walked to the main train station to catch the train to Disney. This is wonderfully easy – just ask for tickets at the desk and follow the Mickey Mouse. Once there we had pre-booked tickets and as it was a tuesday we just walked straight in.

No lie this was a day of pure magic, we went on rides, met Darth Vader and then watched Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which is not to be missed if you love horses. After the fireworks we just hopped on a train home and then got a taxi back to the hotel where we quickly fell asleep on our perfect pillows.

Day 3

Paris in a day!

This really was a tour of Paris in a day, in the morning we went to the Louvre. This was insanely busy, some of the art was amazing but by 11am we had to get out of there! We then had lunch at Cafe Maly which is a place to be seen at – the food is pretty great too.

We then got a scooter (Lime – I will pop a referal code at the bottom) to the Eiffel Tower where we went to the top on its 130th Birthday :). The views are super pretty and it was 25 Euros per person. We then scooted along the Seine back to our hotel.

For the evening we went and watch the Birthday light show at the Eiffel Tower and then came back and ordered room service, I would recommend going for dinner at Kong though if you wanted to go for a lovely meal.

Day 4

We had breakfast at our favourite (Laduree) then scooted down to Ile-de-France where we saw the Notre Dame and visited the beautiful flower market. We then went to Le Girafe Paris for lunch (reservation required) and finished by having dinner at Monsieur Bleu which is a lovely ‘fancy’ french restaurant – another place ‘to be seen’.

Day 5

Fly Home

I will do another blog about Lime Scooters by if you need a code for a free ride use my referral code: RQUBEXD

As always please follow by instagram for more @harrietkristina

Travel Tips – Before you go

I’m an adventure seeking explorer at heart. I love new. New hobbies, new sights and new experiences. I love to explore the world either physically or even mentally through a good book or movie. Due to this regular exploring and also living in different countries I’ve got a few good travel tips:

The trips below are mostly aimed for a city break type of trip but can be applied elsewhere.

Book (EVERYTHING) in advance

Seems obvious but really do book in advance as much as you can – airport parking, restaurants, hotels, taxis, tours etc. This saves as much last second panic and gives your trip some structure. It often works out cheaper to book in advance.

Book a suitcase

I know it’s cheaper not to and to just travel with hand luggage, but it’s stressful. To me trips are supposed to be enjoyable and fun, having the wrong shoes or coat is always the worst and having to buy a new coat /shoes/toiletries is more the £40 checked bag fee. If you can then sharing a suitcase and maxing hand luggage is the most money saving way in my option.

Have a plan

Similar to the first point, but have a list of things you want to do and even a flexible schedule to ensure you make the most of your time. Also this can stop cities from feeling daunting and overwhelming.

Get a map/your data sorted

No-one wants to get lost, no-one wants a £500 phone bill to come home to – enough said. Most phone companies do a good bolt on package now 🙂

Be aware of scams

Different cities have different things – black ubers in New York, ‘lost’ jewellery in Paris and shop traps in Jamaica. Read the horror stories of your destination and be wary.

Overall, be prepared and keep safe. Check your travel insurance for any requirement to have injections etc if you are travelling somewhere ‘excotic’. Most of all – have fun!

I’m getting super excited for my next city break – Paris. I will be heading off in a week and I really can’t wait. If you want to see what I get up to and follow along then please follow me on Instagram (@harrietkristina).