Sasha Chats: Procrastination,Productivity and Podcasts!

Hi everyone!

I hope that all of you are having an amazing day/night!

I just realized that I haven’t done a ‘Sasha Chats’ post for ages and it’s been eating me up inside because I have SO.MUCH to say and share!

So, grab a cup of coffee/ hot chocolate/tea and let’s catch up together!

Firstly, let’s talk about school. I’ve been having a TON of exams recently (why do I always have exams when I want to blog??) and I’m trying to look into participating in more extra-curriculars so it’s actually been a fun experience overall!

I actually don’t mind exams all that much anymore now (unless they are MAJOR exams and I haven’t studied) because the subjects that I’m taking this year are really interesting! I know that sounds weird but I think that if you enjoy what you learn, then that’s when you can truly benefit from it. Trust me on this one;changing your mindset can change everything!

Ooh! That reminds me, I’ve got a Motivational Monday post coming soon and I’m SO excited to share it with all of you!

Anyway, although I enjoy my subjects, I don’t always enjoy studying them-revising isn’t as fun as learning it for the first time and.. well..I get lazy? So I usually end up procrastinating my work.Sometimes, my excuses to not be productive just don’t even make any sense haha..

Anyway, It’s even been officially stated (by my friends and family, so maybe not that official haha) that I’m a ‘Master Procrastinator’ and as honorable as that title is, I’m not a big fan of it. Therefore, I’ve been thinking and coming up with ways to make myself more productive and eager to work!

All of the articles/videos I read and watched (you know, to educate myself on being productive) said that the main reason for procrastination is the wrong mindset and lack of focus.

So through that, I’ve learnt that your goal doesn’t have to be short term one- (‘study to get good grades!’) but it can be a long term one that actually helps you get things done to not just accomplish your goals but also help you fulfill your ambitions- (‘study to learn and get educated and be an asset to the community’)

Your goal has to be something which motivates you and pushes you to work harder, and to work not just because you have to, but because you want to.

Anyway, changing my perspective really helped to fuel my energy into being productive and I just wanted to share that!

Something else that I’ve learnt recently has also really helped with this- it was the fact that whatever I get to do-be it studying wise or otherwise, a lot of people aren’t able to have the opportunities that I have been given.

A lot of people would love to take my place and go to school; have to opportunity to be recognized for their hard work and talents, but they aren’t able to.

It’s a harsh but real reminder to myself to not take advantage of the opportunities I have been given and to make the most out of them.And to work hard enough so that one day I can help to contribute and make sure that everyone is able to get the opportunities that I’m able to get.

Another thing that I do is something that I call-‘Productive Procrastination’ I know that term itself sounds ironic but it works for me!

So, if I’m not feeling motivated to do something; for example-math homework, then I would force myself to do something else that’s productive before coming to the homework. I would probably get through a few chapters of other subjects and then eventually come back to the homework.

The point of ‘Productive Procrastination’ was for me to do something productive even if it wasn’t strictly what I had to do, just so that I wouldn’t waste time doing nothing whilst procrastinating.

I think that productivity fuels productivity. The more productive you are, the more it motivates you to do better and work harder so eventually you get the task done! In my case, I eventually get a bit more work done that I originally anticipate, but that’s always a good thing!

I’m not a hundred percent sure if that made much sense? I just wanted to share how I rationalized the concept in my head and I do hope that it does help any of you because although it sounds weird, it does work for me haha..

Anyway, I’ve also been listening to some really inspiring podcasts by Robin Sharma before I start my day and I’ve been really enjoying them! I’m currently listening to ‘The Mastery Sessions’ and it’s all about channeling the best version of yourself and working towards your dreams!

I’ve only listened to the first three episodes and I’m already hooked haha..

Sometimes you need a little extra something to help you put things into perspective and figure out what really matters and I think podcasts are a great way to do that! It’s really fun to listen to something while you are doing something mundane, and you get to multi-task too which is always a bonus!

Well, I think I’ve rambled enough for one post haha.. I really hope that you enjoyed it and I can’t wait to share my next post with you all!

Thank you so much for reading!

What did you think of this post? Did you enjoy it? Do you procrastinate a lot like I do? I’d love to know what helps you work harder and be productive! Ooh, and do you enjoy listening to Podcasts as well? any suggestions?? Let me know in the comments!

Advertisements

Visualize Your Dreams And Make Them Goals | DIY Vision Board!

Hi everyone!

I hope that you are all having a great day!

I’ve always enjoyed setting myself goals and doing my best to accomplish them! While pen and paper is definitely wonderful for helping you finish up your to-do list or plan an event, for long term goals and motivation, I think visualizing your goals is definitely the way to go!

I absolutely love the concept of vision boards and how versatile they can be. I made my first one a couple of months ago and I really enjoyed it! There’s just something amazing about waking up each morning, and being greeted with a literal world of possibilities, dreams and hope.

The greatest thing about it is that it’s extremely easy to set up and you can be as creative as you’d like! There are no restrictions!

Because I loved my vision board so much, I wanted to show you all how to make one too, so that all of us can get inspired and accomplish all of our goals together!

What you use for your vision board is all up to you! You could use a frame, a cork board, a chalkboard even the cover of a notebook or a piece of cardboard!

You are also going to need a visual representation of your goals and this leads to the first step-

Think of all the things that you want to accomplish, make a list of your dreams,passions and goals and then visualize them!

If you want to become a successful author, then picture a massive bookshelf featuring all the books you’ve written! Or maybe if you want to think of smaller goals like getting good grades, think of what motivates you to get good grades!

What drives you to work harder and be more productive? What makes you happy? What inspires you? These are questions that you should answer using your vision board! A lot of people start with inspirational quotes and then move on to their ambitions and passions.

There a loads of good places to get inspiration from, but my personal favorite is Pinterest!

Decide what your priorities are and what you are going to focus on. Then, bring that order to your vision board!

I’d recommend focusing on five things or less because if you spread yourself too thin then you aren’t going to be able to do your best for everything that you want to do.

For me, my priorities are- Trying to be the best Muslim girl that I can possibly be, doing well at school, writing up fun blog posts, working on my other writing and being creative! So, that’s how I mapped out my vision board.

I organized my images to make the inspiration and quotes that motivate me to stay in the middle and I spread out the rest of my goals from that point.

I really wanted to focus on all of the positive aspects of my life and and make the most out of every moment! As I mentioned in my previous post, that’s my quote for this year so it’s going to be highlighted in my vision board.

Your vision board doesn’t have to be picture perfect, nor does it have to be exactly like someone else’s! That’s what makes it so unique. It’s kind of like a glimpse into your personality and dreams!

This is the most important step! Having a vision board is amazing but the point of it is to motivate and inspire you everyday.

When you look at your vision board, it should remind you of all of the wonderful things you can and will accomplish! Working towards your vision is what is truly going to complete your vision board.

If you aren’t feeling inspired after awhile, then change up your vision board. If your priorities change or you lose your focus, adjust your vision board according to that. When you change, your vision board also must represent that.

This is what my vision board currently looks like:

I decided to keep my ‘school and learning’ goals on top (along with with a Hermione reference!) and then gradually moved down towards my most important goals and quotes! I wanted to throw in a couple of fun images but also make sure that everything I added to my vision board was something that wasn’t unnecessary.

Since I love fashion and writing, I put together a cute little ‘designing graphic?’ and I also added a feature to my vision board which I called ‘Words’. I wanted to display my favorite phrase/ paragraph of the month out of my own writing!

I had a lot of fun making my vision board (as you can probably tell haha..) and I really hope that,if you make one yourself, you do too!

What do think of vision boards? Do you have one? and if not, are you going to make one?? I really hope that you do! What are some of your biggest goals? Maybe we can all inspire each other to accomplish them in the comments down below! Let me know!

The Good, Bad and Beautiful Bits of 2018 | Goals for 2019 + Looking Back at 2018

Hi everyone!

This is my first post of 2019! It feels absolutely incredible and I’m really excited to write many more to come!

I wanted this post to be a chatty ‘reflections of 2018’ post and also a ‘2019 Goals and Dreams’ post. I absolutely love writing (and reading!) these kinds of posts; in fact I’ve done them for the past two years! You can check out my 2018 and 2017 posts here and here.

I also wanted to use this post as an opportunity to explain why I’ve been gone for so long?

In 2018 I constantly experienced massive blogging slumps and even though I really wanted to, I just couldn’t bring myself to blog. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it was just like I didn’t want to type up a post anymore.

It was just really odd because I’ve always enjoyed blogging. I know that blogging can, and is, a career to many people. But to me, it’s simply my hobby. And if I didn’t feel like blogging, I didn’t want to force myself to do it. I did draft many posts, took pictures, even edited them, I just couldn’t bring myself to post anything, if that makes sense?

Anyway, I think that’s long passed now. I’ve never been more excited or full of energy and excitement as I am now!

Before I started typing up this post, I went through my post last year and I realized that although 2018 was an amazing year, I hadn’t been very productive goals wise.

So, I decided to skip the goal checklist part of the post this year and just move on to the reminiscing and goals for next year!

I’m beyond grateful for all of the wonderful and amazing memories I got to make in 2018. The year started off with school and tons of extra curriculars and I definitely made an effort to get more involved in activities that I wouldn’t usually participate in and it definitely paid off!

I’ve learnt so much during the past year. I wrote down some of my favorite little life lessons to share with all of you in this blog post!

• You can really surprise yourself sometimes. You never really know what you are capable of, until you try.
• Unexpected gifts are sometimes the best ones
• Beauty is ugly without kindness. You can never be truly beautiful if you aren’t kind.
• Whatever happens in life, always happens for a reason
• Life is surprising. Learn to expect the unexpected.
• You need to be patient to cultivate patience. (Oh the irony)

• You never know what a sincere compliment can do.
• when words fail to be heard, silence can speak volumes
• Always stand up for what you believe in, you will make yourself proud.
• If all else fails, eat chocolate. It keeps the dementors away. 😉

As I mentioned in my post last year, my motto for 2018 was to live with no regrets which I think I definitely managed to accomplish!

• My Party! I’d wanted to throw a proper party and invite all of my friends for absolutely ages and I finally did it last year! It was definitely a day full of amazing (and funny!) memories that I’d definitely not forget haha..
• Traveling to Dubai! I had the opportunity to travel there a few weeks ago and I had an amazing time! The sun,sand and shopping definitely didn’t disappoint. 💗
• My First Escape Room! It was an hour full of mystery, fun and brain wracking excitement. I loved it.
• Reading! I read some mind blowing-ly wonderful books last year that definitely made me think and just appreciate the existence of books even more. (Not that I didn’t already haha..)
• Learning as much as I could and trying to make a difference. It’s absolutely unbelievable how much of poverty and injustice that people go through, even today, and it has really inspired me to do everything that I possibly can to do something to help.

I was also blessed enough to spend tons of time with my family and friends, learn an immense amount about the world and ate lots of chocolate. (Because chocolate is amazing, so why not?)
Although I wasn’t able to accomplish many of my blogging goals in 2018, I did manage to do a lot of other things! I tried out food I hadn’t eaten before (shrimp and dumplings!) and tried my best to get out of my comfort zone as much as I possibly could.
I’ve learnt that it’s not about how much you do, it’s about how you do it. Setting goals is simply a way to motivate me to do something different and to make each moment more exciting!

Collaborate with more people! (This was something I really wanted to do last year, but I wasn’t able to. I’m definitely going to try my best to do it this year!)

Start up a new blogging series! (I’ve got so many ideas and I can’t wait to share them with all of you!)

Get to know more of the amazing blogging community.

Do more fashion/style posts.

Blog as much as I possibly can!

• Get straight As for all my subjects (including MATH)
• Bake the perfect chocolate chip cookies (yes, this is very important.)
• Follow one of Bob Ross’s painting tutorials
• Try out new things and experience as much as I possibly can
• Be more eco-friendly when it comes to both the big and little things
• Read MORE
• Become a better writer + perfect my writing schedule
• Get better at learning new languages (I’m never consistent haha..)

I think that no matter what you do or how hard you work,if you don’t have a positive mindset/outlook on everything you won’t ever enjoy it. Life isn’t always about the big, grand moments, it’s also about making the most out of the little things and appreciating all of your opportunities!
That’s why, I’ve decided to make that my motto for this year- Make the Most Out of Every Moment. It’s quite similar to my motto for last year but that’s also why I like it. It’s a reminder to treasure the little things and take advantage of the big opportunities!

Thank you so much for reading! I really hope that you liked this post! Ooh, Now I want to know: What are your goals for this year? What were your favorite moments of 2018?? What do you want me to blog about next? Let me know in the comments!

DIY PINK Velvet Cake! | My Favourite Recipe + Free Printable!

Hi everyone!

I hope that all of you are having a great day!

Recently the weather has been absolutely gorgeous! It’s been raining heaps and I’ve been really enjoying it. In fact it’s been the absolute perfect weather to bake something.

So, I decided it was time to make some red velvet cupcakes-but with a twist! As you all know, I love pink so I decided to make pink velvet cupcakes and share my super easy recipe with all of you!

I’m not exactly the best baker out there, so I usually prefer to use ‘tried and tested’ recipes and just experiment with that! Anyway, I got this recipe a while ago, and trust me; it’s absolutely impossible to mess it up. (Which is great for me haha..)

I also decided that since I love to bake, it would be really fun to merge all of my favourite recipes into one random blog series!

Oh, and I also compiled this recipe into a cute ‘lil printable so you can easily download it,if you decide to try it out!

You can grab your download here!

Here are a couple of pictures just to show you how I made it!

It tastes awesome and I had an amazing time making it! If you are ever bored and in need of some good ol’ cake (who can say no to PINK cake?!) and want to bake, then try out this recipe! you definitely won’t regret it haha..

I’m really sorry for the short post, I just really wanted to blog about cake and coziness?Ooh and stay tuned for next week’s post! It’s going to be a really exciting one! (well, hopefully anyway!)

Let me know what you thought of the recipe and the series in the comments down below! I’m also really curious to know-Do you like cake, and if so, what’s your favourite type of cake? I think my fave definitely has to be red velvet! (Well,,Pink velvet now haha..) Ooh, don’t forget to try this out and let me know how it goes when you do!

My SECOND Bloggerversary + BLOG PARTY!

Hi everyone!

To be completely honest, I can’t quite believe what I’m typing out because it feels so unreal but..

IT’S MY SECOND BLOGGERVERSARY!

(Sorry for the all caps there, I’m just really excited haha..)

It feels absolutely incredible to have (somewhat?) successfully completed TWO years of blogging!? (I’m still a bit stunned).

I know that this year I wasn’t able to blog even half as much as I wanted to, mainly because I didn’t prioritize my blog as much as I wanted to and during the past couple of weeks I haven’t been able to have any access to the blogosphere as my device started malfunctioning. (oops)

Anyway, all of that aside, I still feel like I have learnt so much this year as well, although it seems to have flown by. I think I’ll chat about that in a different post, otherwise this one would be really long haha..

Whenever I blog-finish planning a post, making the graphics, writing, editing and then finally hitting publish-it always gives me an overwhelming sense of excitement, satisfaction and just pure happiness. That feeling is one that is just irreplaceable! It’s  a definite part of what makes blogging so special.

The thought of having other people reading-even enjoying-something that you have written is just amazing!

Starting my blog on August 1st two years ago, was most definitely one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made! Through my blog I’ve not only been able to express my ideas and thoughts on a completely different platform, but I have also been lucky enough to have gotten to know the most AMAZING people!

Last year, I hosted a blog party to celebrate my bloggerversary, so I thought; Why not have one this year as well?

Blog parties are a fab way to get to know more amazing bloggers in the community and to just celebrate and have fun!

Here’s How it Works:

• You leave a comment introducing yourself and your blog (don’t forget to leave a link!)
• Interact with the other people who have left a comment. Start up a conversation!
• Get to know more bloggers and have fun!

I wanted to add in a couple of extra details (just to make the party more unique!)

• Bring virtual party food! (donuts are the best, but cake and ice cream are always appreciated!)
• Include one of your hobbies/interests in your description so you can find more people who share your passions.
• Feel free to add in a random fact about yourself. I always think that these are really fun to read.

example-I like pineapples! (I really do haha..it’s abit random, but it’s still a fact!)

Always be polite and kind in the comments and please don’t say anything that could potentially offend or upset anyone!

That’s about it! I really hope that you enjoy the party (I’m really looking forward to it) and I hope that you have an amazing time!  *hands donuts*

Thank you all so so much for all of your love,support and amazing comments throughout the past two years, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!

See you in the comments!

 

 

 

 

DIY (Eco-Friendly) Statement Necklace + How To Personalize Any Outfit!

Hi everyone!

I’m really excited about today’s post because it’s going to be merging three of my favorite things together: Fashion, DIYs and being eco-friendly!

Recently, I happened to spot a couple of gorgeous statement necklaces; they were bright, colorful and unique. And I loved them.

Lately I’ve also been wanting to get more into conserving energy and saving the planet,consuming less etc.. and on that thought, I thought that those necklaces looked easy (and fun!) enough to DIY, so that’s what I did!

I have tons of old beads that I don’t use anymore, and I thought that I’d try to re-use them for this DIY. I had a couple of pretty bracelets that accidentally broke (oops) and I had collected the beads, hoping that they would come in handy, and I was right! They did!

I decided to paint my beads and charms (both taken from old bracelets) and I used a chain that I had bought ages ago, that went well with my plan for this necklace!

-Step 1-

You can connect the invisible thread to the chain using a jump ring, if your chain is a bit more delicate, or you can just tie a double knot through the chain, like I did.

You’ll have to close the chain first (with the clasps already on the chain) and then add in the thread in the middle part of the chain.You might have to remove a couple of the links in your chain or you could just use pliers to prise it open, to get to the middle.

You just need to thread in the invisible thread (that’s a mouthful haha..) through one link of the chain.

-Step 2-

Now it’s time for the fun (and slightly nerve-wracking) part: the beads. I recommend planning out a pattern or having a little idea of how you want your necklace to look before you begin, because that will definitely make it easier.

After you are done threading in your beads, you can tie a double knot at the other end of the chain to connect it all together, and then you are done!

You could also just go wild and add in all sorts of combos as well, too! Just have fun with it, it’s your necklace, it’s a part of you. It’s your statement so make it as big and bold as you want it to be.

You don’t even have to use beads or charms if you don’t want to! You could always trade in the invisible thread for some colourful yarn and make something intricate with a macrame knot style necklace! It’s all up to you,and how you want to make your statement!

I decided to go with an all silver theme with a statement pink bead in the centre and I also wanted to add in some charms after every two beads, to give it some variation and also because that’s what I wanted it to look like; a charm bracelet style necklace mixed with a unique layout!

When it comes to styling statement necklaces, it’s all about incorporating your personal style. You can either use your statement necklace as a statement piece to dress up an otherwise ‘ordinary’ outfit, or you could simply use it as a unique accessory to add in your personality to an already fab outfit!

I usually like to style my statement necklaces with shirts or dresses which have high collars so that I can slide the necklace under the collar, or I just wear it with a dress and a cute jacket.. the options are honestly endless!

Here are two outfits which incorporate my favorite ways to wear the necklace!

For this outfit, I decided to go with a water coloured shirt underneath a teal overall style-dress and of course the necklace! I really like how the necklace contrasts and coordinates with all of the colours!

I wanted this outfit to be a bit more toned down, so I picked out this white Broderie-Anglaise style dress and paired it with my sparkly denim jacket.(Yes, it does have glitter on it. I don’t know how. It’s amazing. Unfortunately you can’t really see it in the picture, unless you look really close.)

Anyway, I think a statement necklace really helps to transform an ordinary outfit to an extra ordinary one. Especially ones that you’ve made yourself!

I think it’s really cool to know that I’m the only one in the world who owns a necklace exactly like this one. There definitely might be similar ones, but nothing will be the exact copy of my one!

What did you think of this post! Are you going to try this DIY out?! I hope so! Oh, and what do you think of my necklace? At first I didn’t really like it, but the more I wore it, the more I liked it. I suppose it’s just one of those things ha ha.. also, if you made a statement necklace, what do think it’ll look like? What is your version of making a statement? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments and for reading my post!

The NEW Blog Design Reveal + Blog Update!

Hi everyone!

It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Well, this post is the reason why..

I’ve been re-doing my blog! Oh and I had exams. But I redesigned my blog! That’s the important thing haha…(as you can probably tell,I’m really excited)

I had a ton of ideas for my blog and I decided to just plan it all out and just go for it! I also really wanted to improve the quality of my blog-the graphics, content, pictures etc and I really hope that you all like it!

Okay. It’s time for the most important part! The Before and After pictures. After all a real re-design isn’t complete without it! 😉

I already loved the overall colour scheme of my old blog design, so I decided to use the similar colour palette, but with less colours so that it wouldn’t look too cluttered. I also wanted to change up the fonts I used and be a bit more consistent with my overall design!

Oh! And I changed my theme as well. I wanted my blog to be a bit more minimalistic and also easier to access so I switched themes from the WordPress theme-Dara to Toujours. One of my favorite features of both themes was the fact that they were both so easy to customize and they both had a ‘featured’ content slider for your home page! I’d definitely recommend both themes if you are looking for a change in your blog design.

There definitely isn’t that much of a drastic change, but I still really like how it looks!

While I was re-designing my blog, I came up with loads of fun new blog post ideas as well as ways to try and make my blog posts better! Since I haven’t done a blog update for absolutely ages, I thought that now would be the perfect time to have one!

As you can probably tell now, my blogging style has changed a tad bit. I’m thinking about using more pictures and graphics in my posts. I love having visuals along with my blog posts so I think that it’ll be a nice little addition!

I’ve also decided to update the style of my special Blogging Days!

Motivational Monday-

Motivational Mondays are a randomly posted (at least once a month) blog post to hopefully inspire you to have a better week, share my favorite quotes for staying motivated, chat about topics that I think are important and maybe even share a couple of DIYs! Whatever it is, I just want Motivational Mondays to help you all (and me!) stay inspired to be the best version of yourself. (And to spread positivity as well,of course!)

Talent Tuesday-

I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper ‘Talent Tuesday’ on my blog before but I’ve always wanted to! Talent Tuesday’s are the days on my blog when I collab with amazingly talented people, host fun interviews and do other lovely things with other fabulous people!

Wacky Wednesday-

Wacky Wednesdays have got a whole new look as well as a lot of fun new features like the scale of Wack-Fab-Ness (Wackiness+Fabulous-Ness?) where you get to decide how wacky/ fab that day’s experiment/experience was! I’ve also got a ton of ideas for new posts, including a challenge on trying not to talk for a day (Terribly hard for someone like me, because I tend to talk quite a bit haha..) and trying to bake my dream cookies! (Cookies+ Sasha=A Very Risky Combo)

Apart from these special days, I’ll still try to post regularly every Sunday and I’ll also be continuing ‘Sasha Chats’- The Occasional Chatty Sunday post where I chat about a lot of fun topics and just ramble (a lot) haha..

I’m also thinking about starting a little addition for ‘Sasha Chats’ called ‘Sasha Speaks Out’. I want to delve a little deeper into more topics like Bullying,Confidence, Staying Positive and other important topics! I actually need all of your help on this one because I’m not sure if I want to add in this to ‘Sasha Chats’ or just continue having it on my ‘Motivational Monday’ posts like I used to do.

I’ll also be continuing ‘Dreamer Diaries’ which is my official blog name for my travel diaries! I haven’t got any planned yet, but it’ll still definitely be a part of my blog!

I think that’s about it for my Update! It’s not as massive as my previous ones, but I’m still quite pleased with how everything has turned out! I really hope that you like my new design and that you are just as excited as I am for my new (and hopefully improved?) blog posts!

What did you think of the new design? Do you like it?? Do you have any design tips, you’d like to share? What do you think of the blog Update? Do you have any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them! Also, how is your day/ night going?I hope that you are having an amazing one!

Thank you so much for reading!