Perfect Alfresco Dining

Image from HONSESTLYWTF

At this time of year, with the weather warming up it is the perfect time to have people round for dinner outside! And I pulled together a couple of tips for having the perfect night;

CUSHIONS AND THROWS. The nature of outside dining tables chairs, is that they are usually wooden so they can last outside, making them more uncomfortable. So throwing tons of cosy cushions all over it, making sure you have some throws out there for when it gets chilly! (Living in the UK of course it will)

LIGHTING. Having lots of lanterns with candles in and loads of fairy lights every where creates such a lovely atmosphere! Especially when it gets dark and a bit chilly. It is one of my favourite moments in summer, having a couple of cocktails, and chilling with friends in low lighting with a blanket. Perfect.

CANDLES. Candles not only make the space cosy, but Cintronella candles reportedly also keep insects and creepy crawlies away from you!

MUSIC. Music just completely sets the mood for whatever evening you want. Create a playlist, or find one on Spotify, kick back and relax.

FOOD STATIONS. My final tip for a stress free evening, is to set up food stations. Make up the salad, the toppings, drink stations etc, serve up the mains on the table too and let your guests serve themselves. Meaning you don't have the pressure or serving up, and your guests can pick what they want!

What are you top tips for Alfresco Dining?

Tips For The Most Productive Day

Image from everlasting.charm Instagram

I'm not going to lie ... I have absolutely been nailing my to do list this weekend and I wanted to share some of my secrets to having that productive day. I love to plan one of these when I feel like I'm getting a little overwhelmed with everything that whirling around in my head.

This weekend have managed to get up to date with work, completed a couple of modules on a course I am working on, cooked fresh meals at home, headed to the gym at 5am Saturday and Sunday (yes, even on the weekend), and just generally bossing my to do list.
The best tip is to start with some good foundations, so you can hit the ground running when you wake up.

WRITE A LIST. The most obvious, but the most simple. I like to start with writing down every nagging task that is in my head under category headings. For me these are things like; work, cleaning, blog, study etc.I like to break down my lists, so that I will have one or two things from each of my categories. I have found that for me, this is the best approach, because it forces me to break down tasks into smaller tasks and then do one larger thing per night. So have a think about what it is you want to achieve the following day, and be realistic!

TIME YOUR TASKS. I like to think about how much time a task will take me, and set a timer. If I finish a task, then I will let myself spend the rest of the time doing whatever it is I've been dying to procrastinate on ... social media, texting, ASOS. This also motivates me to also complete the tasks quicker and not procrastinate.

PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE. If you are planning on heading to the gym in the morning the get your clothes ready to pull on. Also, ensuring that your surroundings are tidy. Tidying your whole house will make you much more productive, but if you don't have time then just the specific place you need to be the next day. I.e your desk or kitchen etc.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. Because quite simply if you are sleepy or cranky, then you will not want to nail that to do list.

WAKE UP EARLY. (if you are an early bird!). For me, if I can tick a workout and a couple of other points off my to do list by 10am, it actually makes me feel more productive.

What helps you to be more productive?