A lot of people have told me that I am an intense planner (I agree). People have also told me that they cannot, for the life of them, plan consistently like they see me or any of those planning gurus on the internet do. So I decided to make this post on what inspires me to plan my day so you can too!

Planning has been a key part of my life for a long time now. I think I initially started planning in high school to keep track of assignments, tests, etc. and to also establish a studying schedule for my finals in 10th grade. I remember buying a dark blue planner (it was my first one) and being so excited for January to roll in so that I could finally use it. And I did. I decorated it with washi tape and tried to write in decent handwriting. That is when I fell in love with planning. 

The idea of being able to see tasks either get ticked or crossed off gave me satisfaction for some reason. I slowly realized that I could detail my planning as much as I wanted so I created a very detailed calendar schedule for studying for my final exams (10th grade) and for the first time, I realized I actually finished tasks and that I was really productive throughout the time period when I had to study for my finals. 

Making a proper schedule helped me to organize and assign tasks and prevent cramming information the night before the exams.


In my personal case, planning helps because I am lazy. Usually, I am in denial of tasks I have to do and make myself believe I have enough time or that I don't really have to do that task. I could even make myself believe over a few days that the task is completely unnecessary, hence the task doesn't exist. 

Physically writing down my tasks on paper helped solidify them in a way (if that makes sense) and make them "real". I don't like to have incomplete tasks (I either do the whole thing or don't do it at all) which in my case, I believe, is an inherited trait. Writing down a task in a planner/notepad suggests that it is incomplete. It's like I have already begun the task by stating it. So seeing the task still there on my planner at the end of the day makes me feel awful because I absolutely love productivity. It makes me feel like I have kind of failed myself and I couldn't even do a simple task in the entire day. 

Planning helps me remember the tasks whenever I check my planner incase I have forgotten them and then I proceed to finish the task.


Now, there are several ways you can go about this; it honestly depends on what kind of person you are. If you are a morning person: after you wake up, have a glass of water, and brush your teeth (whatever your initial routine is in the morning), the first thing you should do, after the essentials I mentioned above, is to write down your tasks for the day in a notepad. They don't only have to be tasks with strict deadlines. It can be as simple as doing a hobby or reading a chapter in the book you are currently reading.

If you are not a morning person, do the same thing, but do it the night before. And be sure to read the list in the morning/afternoon as soon as you wake up.


Similar to what I said above, write down simple tasks that you would otherwise do anyways, or simple routine tasks you sometimes forget to do. You are very likely to tick these tasks off so it will seem that you have already done a lot in the day! Even if you end up not completing the actual, bigger tasks, you will still get a sense of being a little productive. 

The reason for doing this is, if you only write large tasks that will consume a lot of your brain power, resulting in the rest of the tasks being incomplete, you will end up repelling the idea of planning since it only shows you that you haven't done anything in the day (if you are like me, that is a bad feeling).

The idea is to basically get hooked to the idea of  planning.
 So you have to associate a good feeling with it when you start.



Get inspired by flawless layouts on Pinterest. Get inspiration for format, decoration, etc. Pinterest basically has endless posts on whatever you search for so it's a great place to get a lot of ideas for what ways you can plan and how you can plan.


Once you get used to planning on a notepad or a random notebook, you should definitely advance to a planner, even if it is a small one! If you don't have too much to do every day, you can even print out monthly overview sheets (go to the bottom of this post to learn how you can get my printables!). Having a proper planner will help you organize your day(s) better and will encourage you to plan in a more detailed fashion (since you will probably have more space on each page than on a notepad and your pages will be dated). You can also make a DIY planner from a normal notebook but you will have to waste some time in adding dates/month headers to your pages. However, if that doesn't make a difference to you, then go ahead and save a few bucks by making a DIY Planner. You can even use an old planner and revamp it like I showed in the following video:



(P.S. phone planning apps didn't really work for me because the notifications would annoy me and it was way easier to move a task to the next day)


Personalize your planner/notebook by adding washi tape, doodling in it, etc. By making your planning therapeutic, it'll make you get work done as well as destress!
You can even add sticky notes and other elements to your planner to make it personalize and fun to use. You will not want to use your planner if it doesn't look attractive.

• Add boxes for ticking instead of crossing your tasks out. It will keep your planner less messy (unless you make really clean cross outs)
• Print out stickers and/or headers if you want to make your planner look pretty but you aren't good at drawing or you feel that your handwriting isn't that good.
• Get creative and customize your planner to your needs
• Get used to opening your planner every day in the morning so you don't forget your tasks
• Make it your goal to make your planner #PlannerGoals ! Inspire yourself!

Note:

Don't forget to slowly start omitting daily-routine tasks from your planner once you get used (and hopefully addicted) to planning! Or you will end up actually not doing any work and telling yourself you were productive because you checked your emails!

Once you become a pro at planning, you may want to consider making a bullet journal. Head over to my Bullet Journal posts:

• Bullet Journal Setup (Old)
• Bullet Journal Setup (Updated - New)
• June 2017 Monthly Spread
• July 2017 Monthly Spread
• August 2017 Monthly Spread

How you can get my printables!!

Here are my self-designed printables:

• My Etsy Shop

I am currently fostering a 6-week old mix-breed puppy (who is chewing on my furniture at this moment) and she's my first foster puppy ever! I've never had any puppy at my place for more than a few hours and I didn't know how much time and effort it took to take care of and clean after a puppy.

1] Your puppy will either be super energetic or super sleepy

2] Lots and lots of pee

3] Different kinds of poop

4] Potty training isn't as easy as it looks

5] Unpredictable pooping timings

6] Lots of energy

7] Stepping over her pee and poop...

8] Whining 

9] Waking you up in the middle of the night

10] Ripping any kind of paper or cardboard to shreds

11] Biting you

Isn't she adorable?!

CONTRASTING STRIPES LEATHER CROSSBODY BAG - ZARA


I love this minimal, clean design on the bag and lately I've really been into cross body bags like the one above. I feel like it would be really easy to style this bag with almost anything in my wardrobe currently.

RUFFLED OFF-THE-SHOULDER JUMPSUIT

TOP WITH CONTRAST PIPING
   
Lines always make a piece look minimal when it's not over the top and in this case I think achieves this, along with making the top simple but different. This top is just simple with a strange lining and I'm digging it.

FRILLED TOP

I am recently obsessed with dark reds (not deep maroons though) and cool toned reds and I love this almost-peplum-like top. It seems classy and is kind of basic but also doesn't need to be accessorized.

FLOWING BLOUSE WITH GATHERED SLEEVES

This is way too simple for a style wish list probably, but it's so chic and flowy (like the name suggests). I also love that the sleeves are already gathered so there wouldn't be any annoying sleeves slipping down every once in a while (I love gathered sleeves!).

FAUX FUR PLIMSOLLS
 

TRACK ANKLE BOOTS WITH SLITS


I am obsessed with boots and these ones look pretty badass. The big belt ring also stands out to me and in my experience, boots with chunky heels don't only look great but are also way comfier to wear than pencil heals or any thinner/smaller types of heels in general.


RED FINE-KNIT JUMPER
Lately, I've been more of the tight-fit or loosely tucked-in top kind of person but very recently, I've been enjoying the thought of wearing loose, baggy clothes because you could still look put together in it without looking like you tried. Paired with my recent obsession of red, the above sweater is something I would like to add to my wardrobe.

GREY FINE-KNIT JUMPER
This jumper is flowy, V-necked, and can be worn casually like the model is or accessorized and dressed up. It looks like a basic item you can throw on whenever you are in a hurry. I love the shade of gray and it looks very comfortable too.

FINE-KNIT LACE-TRIMMED JUMPER

FITTED SKIRT

LEONARDO Ankle Tie Platform Shoes

Lounge Boxy T-Shirt by Ivy Park
 
This top is that type that you could wear at home or wear when you go out. It's universal. It's boxy so looks over-sized which may or may not be flattering (the model definitely sells it, though). I also like the visible lining detail on this t-shirt.

Cropped Long Sleeve T-Shirt by adidas Originals
 

Three things I love: Cropped t-shirts with long sleeves, the color black, & Adidas. So now you know why this basic cropped top made the list!


That's it for this month!
I surprised myself by picking more fashion items from Zara compared to the other two brands because usually when I walk into the Zara store I like nothing at all. Perhaps the online store just has a better collection that the store near me. Let me know what items you loved from my August 2017 Style Wish List!

As I'm writing this, I have long hair. Not insanely long hair, not even close to that. If I stand really straight, my hair is a little bit above from my elbows. I've dealt with hair fall almost my whole life. I'm sick of it at this point and don't know what to do about it.


A few months ago, I went to a trichologist (someone who specializes in hair loss problems scalp issues too) and she started prescribing my medicines for my dandruff (which I've also had forever) and my hair fall. She gave me some hair vitamins along with some other tablets and a medicated shampoo and hair cream.

I guess, because I've had these two problems for so long, it took some time for me to see the results. I did see the results. In about 2 months my hair fall got reduced to nothing. Nothing! I was relieved. Finally, the thing I was worried about the most was gone. Or was it?

My dandruff wasn't budging quite yet. It did reduce in some places but remained just as much in the rest of the places so my trichologist continued with some medicines and changed some others. I had exams and I was stressing out a lot. I had so much to do, yet I was dealing with the problem of not wanting to study because I was so over high school. One part of me told me to do whatever I could in the time I had before the exam date and the other part of me said it doesn't matter I got admission in my University already and every thing is set so why put in so many efforts? I listened to the side that I thought was right and studied my butt off. I knew it was the right thing to do. The dilemma now was that I had realized what I want to do a bit late and now had even fewer days to prepare for my exam. If you know anything about studying right for A level exams, you know there is a lot of different materials you have to go through and a lot of past papers to solve (unless you are a genius and only need the textbook to ace your exams, then, respect).

The stress may have been the main factor for my hair fall rising back from the dead. Of course, there could be other factors but I honestly have no clue what the other factor could be. My diet has been same for as long as I can remember (Indian food every single day unless I order something or eat at the mall). My hair fall became just as worse as it was when I first walked into my Trichologist's clinic. I continued the course hoping for some answers or an alternative medicine, or anything for that matter, that could help me when I next went to visit her. As I'm writing this, I still have to visit her today but I'm not sure what can happen in one month (my flight is next month). I'm not trying to be pessimistic because I truly want healthy hair again (I've had that only as "phases" in my life) but I have to also look at the realistic side. I don't want to be on heavy medication because I don't want to discover what side effects those could have.

Once I visit her, no matter what the situation is. Whether she prescribes medicines that will work or that will take time, I have decided to do the following:
Cut my hair short.

I'm not going to cut it very short - not a pixie, not even a bob. I'll go for shoulder length probably. I don't know if it is a myth or not but I have heard that cutting your hair can help your hair grow healthier. I don't know if that should work with my case or not but in my experience whenever I get a hair cut, my hair magically stops falling (I don't understand how, though). It could be due to some legitimate reason or just a placebo effect from reading such things on the internet but I shit you not, every time I have gotten a hair cut, my hair fall either decreases or stops.

So basically, I'm cutting my hair short for two intertwined reasons:
In hopes to stop my hair fall and because I may not get the time to take care of my hair once University begins so I don't want the quality of my hair to get worse because of not taking care of it. (In shorter words, less maintenance).

 x x x x x x x x

I just came back from my trichologist and she remembered that I'm flying next month (P.S. I love when your doctor/any professional person you come into contact with actually remembers things about you and doesn't just pretend to listen to the other things you said) so she gave me a 3 month course and said I could come back for a follow-up before I leave if I get the time. She changed my vitamins back to the ones I was taking before (because they did work or at least my hair fall stopped during the time I was taking those so it could be the reason why) and gave me another tablet to take. I told her that not only was my hair falling from the roots but also that my hair was breaking at random points. She explained I needed to add more protein to my diet and I'm hoping that takes care of that.

I am hopeful that the slight change in my prescription will help my hair become healthy and strong again but I know I still want to get my hair cut and I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it will turn out good and maybe at least close to what I expect it to be (I have a few pictures downloaded from Pinterest to show to my hairdresser).

 x x x x x x x x

It's time to go to the salon and cut off my hair! I'm nervous because I haven't had my hair short since I was in elementary school. I have the Pinterest picture so I'm not as nervous but I really hope my new hair suits me. I'm leaving in a few minutes, but before I go, here's the "before".

BEFORE:


I don't know if you can tell but my hair is really damaged and is pretty brittle so I'm hoping that cutting off a good few inches will remove a lot of the damaged parts.

 x x x x x x x x

I'm back! Firstly, I would like to say that I don't really care about the negative comments about my hair because I love it. But I do appreciate the genuinely nice comments. I already sent a selfie to my friends and a little sneak peek on my Instagram and I am so glad that everyone likes it so far! However, I didn't do this to receive compliments, I did this for me. I am truly happy about my new hair and never thought I would like it this much. Of course, there's the blow drying and everything that makes it look super nice right now but I'm still happy! No more suspense, here's the after:

AFTER:

• Show your hairdresser an inspiration picture because describing your haircut doesn't always work and you may not be able to get your vision through to your hairdresser. Go on Pinterest and find the cut you want. Don't expect to look the same but it should turn out similar.
• Let your hairdresser know if you want something specific like long hair in the front compared to the back or if you don't want layers or if you don't want them too thin out your hair at the tips, etc.
• If you wear spectacles because you can't see without them, put them on when your hairdresser is asking you the length at which he/she is should cut your hair!
• Let your hairdresser know how you want them to blow dry your hair because if they do it according to what they feel is great for you, you may not always like it.

 x x x x x x x x

• You look cute AF (you do with long hair too, but ya knoww)
• It's way more manageable
• When it's hot your hair doesn't bother you as much
• Cute hairstyles
• Less time has to be spent on doing your hair
• Less shampoo and conditioner needed
• Hair dries in no time

Some personal perks I noticed:

• Less breakage and hair fall like I'd hoped. The damaged hair is all cut away. I still have hair fall because it's obvious that a hair cut can't heal hair fall from the roots but I definitely see an improvement
• My hair doesn't get in the way of everything hence I don't feel the need to tie it up all the time (I hate tying up my hair sometimes)

I am glad that my hair still looks and feels good after I wash it and I'm hoping to discover some neat hairstyles for short hair that I can finally do. It's funny how as a child I used to hate when my parents told the hairdresser to cut my hair short and now I'm living for it!

Update: Puppy got adopted! Thanks to the family who decided to give her all the love in the world! :)

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by any of the mentioned companies. All images are taken by me and are not to be stolen/copied/used in your content without my permission.

Planning is a key part of my life and it has been for a long time now. I have tried and tested different ways of planning. I've had different "planning phases" and so I have gathered this compilation of different ways you can plan your day!

Don't have the time to read this entire blog post? No worries! Watch my video below on the same topic (you can even speed it up if you want):

1. The Simple Square

For those who want it to be quick and over with, I assume you don't want to look too far into this blog post either and hence I will address you first! The fastest and easiest way to plan has to be using sticky notes or those colored squares (basically the sticky notes without the "sticky"). It's great to have a small pad of those on your desk or your work-space to quickly write down a list of things you have to do for the day or the next day as and when you remember them. This is a simple method and great for you if you don't plan everything in a detailed manner and want something you can slip into the back of your phone case or in your wallet/purse pocket if you need it on the go because not everyone has a purse/space in their purse and not everyone wants to carry an entire planner everywhere they go.
Keep it on your desk, stick it to the wall, use it as a bookmark in your textbook, etc, etc.

2. The Digital Dummy

First of all, I mean no offense by the above title (I just couldn't think of anything else).
If you use your phone all the time then this might just be something to put that exposure to radiation to some good use (sort of?). If you're a simple person, use your phone memos! I do that all the time but not exactly for planning; I use it when I get ideas and I'm not at home or at arm-distance to my physical paper planner. But you could definitely use it for planning and then delete the memos when you call it a day. If you want something more attractive but still in memo form, download an app like Google Keep or anything of that sort. For those who want to go the extra mile, I strongly recommend a phone To-Do List app/phone planner app. There are some really great ones out there that aren't only functional but have a great appearance so you don't feel like you're stuck in time. Any.Do is one of my favorites and I used it for a long, long time (till I realized that I preferred a physical planner over a digital one). 

Any.Do

Apps like Any.Do are great because you can set the exact time and date for your "to-do's" and the app will give you reminder notifications. I even like Onceaday because it's kind of like the digital version of the habit tracker you see in people's bullet journals. 

Onceaday

The main pros of these apps are that they are simple to use, remind you about deadlines unlike your physical planner (if you don't read it every day to make sure you don't have incomplete assignments/tasks, you could end up forgetting to do them), and I guess you don't waste paper if you like to be really environmental-friendly. It's a compact system that you don't have to flip through to find the page, it isn't messy because you can delete a task or postpone it to another day without having to scribble it off and it looks sleep and classy (because it's in a typed font, of course).

3. Digital Dummy Part 2

Alternatively, you can use apps/google chrome extensions/google calendar/Excel sheets on your laptop to plan your day. If you only want a monthly view for deadlines/meetings then a google calendar is great for you! Google Keep and Evernote are some widely used apps used on laptops (as well as phones).

4. Erasable & Efficient

You can literally make your own layout!

A whiteboard is what I'm talking about. If you don't have one, it might be a bit of an investment (compared to the free phone app or the sticky notes pad) since you'll need the board, an eraser (but hey, a cloth napkin could work too), and the whiteboard markers, but it's worth it if you know you'll use it often. The best part about having a whiteboard/dry-erase board as your planner is that you are not confined to lines/grids or a preprogrammed interface - you get to choose what the colors will be, what they layout is, and so on. You can use it for planning your home workout routine, make a to-do list, a grocery list - literally anything you want. You can divide your board for different categories if your board is big enough. If you don't want to get the typical whiteboard here's an alternative quick DIY (if you want to put in the efforts):

Get an acrylic glass of the size you desire.
Look up tutorials on YouTube on how to drill the correct screws into the walls and how to correctly drill holes into the acrylic without breaking it.
Put it up on your wall!
OR
Keep the acrylic glass on your desk if the acrylic is small enough/your desk is big enough

This DIY is great if you prefer a more subtle/minimal alternative and you can get the acrylic cut in any shape you want and any size you want to fit its location/your stylistic choice.

The cons of this method, however, are that you are confined to the size of your board and it may not be for you if you are an intense planner.
Intense planners, read ahead.

5. Planning Princess/Prince

You can get these anywhere and everywhere. You just have to make sure you get the right year (lol) and you're all set. Planners come in various sizes and little effort is needed since the basic layout is already printed and there is a yearly and monthly layout already there. Depending on what kind of planner you buy, you may also have a weekly and/or pages for day-to-day planning. If you are a very busy person and need space for your chaotic (but productive) days, then a good, durable planner is a must-have! You can DIY your own planner, but in my case, it didn't look great (chances are yours won't look like a Moleskine either) and it didn't inspire me to plan, in fact, it kind of even drove me away from the idea of planning. Planners can be a bit costly too depending on what brand you get so if it's you first time planning (or first time after a previously failed attempt), you can do one of three things: 1) Go through the other methods on this page and just skip the planner. 2) Get a small planner that isn't of a known brand (so it's cheaper) as a trial planner. You won't feel as bad wasting pages if it's a small/thin one and you can use it as a notepad for something else. 3) Analyze what went wrong the last time you had a planner - what elements you didn't use that caused you to waste most of the book or what elements you needed that wasn't provided. Get a new planner according to your needs. If you need too many custom elements, the next one is for you.

6. The Queen of Planning

For those of you like me that are in love with customization and don't mind (maybe even enjoy) putting in the extra efforts to have a functional but also visually pleasing planner, two words: Bullet Journal. If you don't know what a bullet journal is, I only want to know if you have been living under a rock. I know I was until early this year. The bullet journal has transformed my life. Transformed. I've never been as productive and I am so efficient (If you read the next points though, you'll see how I plan my day using an additional technique). Bullet Journals are literally anything you want them to be. They're like the white board I mentioned earlier but with way more pages. These are so diverse and can be taken in so many different directions that I honestly feel that you should do a google or even better, YouTube search on what Bullet Journals are and what types are made by people. For starters, you can watch my Bullet Journal videos below:




You can also click here to see my bullet journal setup post (if you don't feel like/can't watch the video right now!)

7. Combo Pack 1 (What methods I combine)

My combination is for the extreme people out there: Bullet Journal + Daily Planner. Yes, that's right. I'm a maniacal planner (I might need help). I have the case of the Planner Syndrome and hence I combine the most intense forms of planning to have productive days. I like to keep my bullet journal clean and minimal so I use it for monthly and weekly planning and tracking my habits/activities and my daily planner, obviously for daily planning (duh). This combo works the best for me (for now, at least), especially for this month (and the next) since I'm recording & editing videos (visit my YouTube channel by clicking here) and blogging like crazy. I am likely to continue this combination since University life will probably be a more hectic than my current lifestyle and I will need a proper system to keep track of assignments, deadlines, etc. (sticky notes and phone apps just don't suffice in my case)

8. Combo Pack 2 (Another method I use occasionally)

Planner + Squares. I have these moments when I'm super sleepy or have to go out and have these sudden bursts of "Sh!t I have to do this! And that!" and I really don't want to put in the efforts of writing it down neatly (or even in a remotely neat fashion) in my planner. So I just take those sticky-less squares or sticky notes and quickly write down the important tasks that I know I'll forget the next day/by the time I am free to do them. When I have time (i.e. later on) I washi tape the note to my planner so it doesn't look too messy and perhaps even visually acceptable. This is a great combination if you want to use a planner but have moments like the ones described above. It's kind of like an unintentional decorative element to your planner.

That's about all of the methods of planning I can think about right now. If with some miracle 5-10 more ways pop into my noggin, I will make sure to make a part 2 to this one.