Dare to be
June 2017
The Ultimate Office Makeover Guide
14 5 Things That Eliminate Procrastination
22 Summer Recipes
06 08 Home Office 101
Organization Hacks
16 18 What to do When You’re Feeling Stuck
30 Relaxed Summer Fashion
But First Coffee
32 DIY piñatas that are totally instagram-able
PRODUCTIVE
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Dare to Be
The Ultimate
Work Space Makeover Guide Whether your office is at home, in a cubicle, or in a hipster open concept space – customizing your workspace makes all the difference. It becomes even more important when you’re working in a plain grey cubical or at home! Your workplace should be just as dynamic and unique as you are. Since you’ll be spending a substantial amount of time here, why wouldn’t you sprinkle your personality on your space?! Decorating can not only inspire creative problem solving, but it can actually have an overall effect on your productivity and moral. Bright colours have been known to make people feel more energized and positive. Yellow is said to inspire creativity, while green creates a sense of calm. Even the saturation of the colour matters: more intense colours will stimulate and dull colours will soothe. There are tons of
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colour-psychology theories out if you’re in the mood to research. The bottom line is: style matters in your workplace. Feeling more at home also contributes to your sense of comfort and connection to the work you are doing. Comfort is important, especially if you are starting off at a new work environment. Adding a touch of personality to a uniform workspace also encourages networking. Statement pieces give you a jumping off point to strike up a conversation with your co-workers! It also shows what kind of person you are, which may attract like-minded people. This is especially a great way to make office friends in a huge organization.
Working from Home? Home offices are another ball park! The
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challenge here is trying to remain productive in a place where you primarily relax. The temptation of snuggling into your bed, watching the View or Doctor Phil in the middle of the day, or constantly making yourself snacks throughout the day – gets tricky! Décor is one, but certainly not the only factor of making a home office work for you. Here are some things you should consider when making a home office:
1. Location Is Sooo Important Consider the logistics of the space: is it in cramped corner, near a window with lots of light, a high traffic area with
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tons of distractions, quiet and secluded? The perfect space all depends on the way you work best (by yourself? Collaborating with others? Calm in a sea of chaos?). Choose a location that won’t work against you and your productive flow. It also may be a good idea to consider if you would have clients in your office. If so, make sure your office will have space for seating!
2. Shelving and storage units Having places available to put your odds and ends can be the made or break factor of a functional office space. Organize in all directions! Book shelves,
floating shelves, wall units, and even cabinets provide a great place to hide ugly but essential elements of your space—like a printer!
3. Functional Comfort like A Boss Make sure you are comfortable, but not in a way were you are too comfortable. Finding a personal balance is completely based on your personal choice. But ergonomics needs to be taken into consideration. What’s that you ask? A well kid, ergonomic is all about the placement of chairs, screens, and work
materials. The placement of these fundamental elements can actually have long-term effects on your physical wellbeing. So it’s really important to make a comfortable work setting— especially since you’ll be spending
4. Have a wall design that you love Paintings, pictures, DIY statement wall – all of these elements make your office your own. Wall art pulls together a room like no other. Mapping out shapes of
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Key Tips To Maximize Efficiency Organization is another key element to a home office. These tips can also be applied to other working spaces as well:
1Your Worst Enemy! Put . Make Loose Papers
Them Out Of Site In File Cabinets, Drawers, And Bins
Keep It Simple & Organized
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. Colour Code With Folders
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. Create A Mailing And Printing Station
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. Have A Place For Everything
. Make Labels
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will boost your mood, lavender will help you relax, and citrus will help you stay awake! You can also choose to go with a more savory or sweet smell depending on your taste.
7. Be a master of technology In 2017, it isn’t an office without being plugged in (more or less)! Is your office located where the Wi-Fi signal is strong or will you be reconnecting constantly? Making sure that you have full access to working Wi-Fi is essential. What kind of tech will you have in your office? Will you have a desktop computer or a laptop? How many screens will you have in your office – one or two monitors, maybe even a TV? These are all personal preference, but definitely key elements to any functional home office. With tech comes with cords, which can turn into a hurricane tangled frames or canvases with crate paper before committing to hanging your wall art up, is a great trick to see what kind of spacing and placement you like best.
5. It’s all about the visual Natural lighting and having a view really changes the feeling of a space. Deciding on a room with these elements is completely a personal preference, but if you intend to have plants or even a mirror in your room – lighting is important. A view on the other hand, contributes to overall moral especially
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during a long day of nonstop work. Décor is also important. There are so many options out there to express your personal style. A throw pillow here and a statement piece there, will really take your office to the next level. Play your décor cards right and your office will be picture perfect for Instagram!
6. Scented Bliss Have a candle, essential oil infuser, or plug in a wallflower. The scent of your work place is also a factor. The scent of cinnamon will help you stay focused, peppermint
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mess. They can also be quite ugly to look at. Consider hiding or organizing them with a DIY project, putting them in a drawer or a cabinet.
8. Have small healthy snacks in the room Having all the comforts of home just steps away can be dangerous – especially if you’re a snacker! Having healthy and easy to grab snacks in your office can help you avoid distractions and extra trips outside of your workspace throughout the day.
9. Embrace Nature Introducing greenery not only gives your space a soft touch, but it also releases more oxygen in the air and absorbs toxins (just like our 5th grade lesson in photosynthesis taught us). You can choose to put a small potted plant on your desk, freshly cut flowers, or even a cactus if your desk doesn’t get a lot of light.
Hanging pictures, accent pillow, and other décor may seem a bit frivolous to some – but the benefits tell otherwise. Don’t be afraid to express your inner Interior Designer. Have fun with it and get inspired!
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5
WAYS TO KICK PROCRASTINATION OUT THE DOOR!
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. WRITE THINGS DOWN write all your tasks in an agenda or a notebook throughout the day
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. DIVIDE AND CONQUER Huge project? Break it up into little mini tasks
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. MAKE A VISION BOARD If you can perceive, you can achieve
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. JAM OUT Make a killer playlist for your ‘get things done’ soundtrack
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. LEARN HOW TO SAY ‘NO!’ Know your limits.
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Your productivity can really take a backseat when you beat yourself about perceived failures that happen along the way. Let’s get real: sometimes your feel stuck. This feeling goes beyond procrastination. We get into ruts when we start thinking that our lives ‘should be’ or ‘have to be’ a certain way. Often times these expectations come from our own idealized perception of what we should be at a certain time in our life or from outside relationships imposing these milestones on our journeys. Often times this feeling can cripple someone into a place that is unproductive and even toxic. The first step in the right direction should be to relax and really understand that you cannot control your life completely. Find your own personal joys in your life and
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work towards small goals at a time. Be proud of every single accomplishment you have. PRO TIP: Life is a journey, not a destination Ultimately, moving forward is completely on you! You hold the keys to your own happiness: define your own self-worth, goals, and achievements for yourself by yourself. Take joy in whatever stage you are in. Appreciate whatever struggle comes your way because one day you will look back and wonder why you were even worrying in the first place! Everything has a funny way of working towards building you up as a person. Even though life can be unpredictable, the way you treed through the tides of change is completely up to you!
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A Cup Of Coffee A Day...
... Keeps the Sleepys Away Page 18
N
ot a morning person? That’s cool, coffee is the beautiful nectar of energy. Shout out to coffee for allowing next-day productivity after countless allnighters and Netflix binges! It’s an acquired taste, but the great thing is that it has tons of options to drinking it! You can get iced, frozen, mixed, spiked, in a shot form (Bailey’s, anyone?) and so much more ways. Here’s to you, coffee.
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KALE AND ASIAN PEAR SALAD INGREDIENTS •
2 bunches lacinato kale, stems removed
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2 medium Asian pears, cored and cut into slices
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1/cup cup pecans, rough chopped
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1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
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1 small shallot
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2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
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2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
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juice of one large lemon
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1/8 teaspoon sea salt
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1/2-1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
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1 large clove crushed garlic
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coconut oil
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Maldon salt and fresh cracked pepper
DIRECTIONS In a small mixing bowl combine olive oil, shallot, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, honey or maple syrup and sea salt. Adjust salt and honey to taste. Use coconut oil to lightly coat a saute pan. Cook kale in batches over medium low heat until bright green and slightly soft. Pile kale onto a large serving plate, top with sliced pears and pecans. Dress to your preference. Sprinkle with maldon salt and fresh cracked pepper. Source: A House In The Hills
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Grapefruit Mint Sorbet INGREDIENTS
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4 cups of grapefruit juice
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1 1/2 cups of sugar
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2 tbsp. finely chopped mint
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a pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
Pour 1 cup of the juice along with the sugar, mint and salt into small pot. Bring to a boil and boil for just one minute. Allow the syrup to cool completely. Pour through a strainer to remove the mint leaves. In a large bowl combine the remaining juice and syrup. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Following the instructions of your ice cream maker, freeze the sorbet. I have a Cuisinart Freezer and it took about 20-25 mins to freeze this sorbet completely. Transfer the sorbet to an air tight container and freeze in the freezer for a couple more hours before serving.
This recipes makes 4-6 generous servings. Garnish with a couple fresh mint leaves.
Source: Oleander and Palm
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Pink Lemonade Jello Shots INGREDIENTS •
2 packets of unflavored gelatin
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1 cup pink lemonade
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1/2 cup regular vodka
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1/2 cup lemon vodka or Lemon Eddy
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5 lemons
DIRECTIONS Cut your lemons in half and use a spoon (a serrated grapefruit spoon works great if you have one) to scoop out the insides as much as you can. Heat the lemonade in a pan over medium heat and stir in the packets of gelatin slowly until they dissolve. Add the lemonade and gelatin mixture to a bowl and pour in your vodka liquids. Stir until combined.
Transfer the liquid into a pourable container and place your lemon halves into a muffin tin to keep them upright. Pour in the liquid until each half is full and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Remove the tin once the lemons have set and slice into slices right before serving. Makes about 9 lemon halves you can cut into wedges.
Source: A Beautiful Mess
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Look Good, Feel Good. You have to look the part to get the part. Sprucing up your hair or your outfit provides a boost of confidence like no other. If you’re looking for an extra push to do the things you dream of doing, but are too nervous or scared to go after – start with yourself. Ask yourself what kind of person you aspire to be – then dress and carry yourself like that. You can even visualize your goals in a vision board to help you truly embody your Sasha fierce alter ego! Having the right look also has a huge impact on being productive. A higher moral gives you the motivation to move forward and achieve the goals you had thought you were not good enough to conquer. It’s powerful. Dare to be just as bold and fearless with your look as you are with your goals.
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Summer fashion 2017
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1. Boohoo off the shoulder top, 26 CAD 2. Popmap Round eyeglass, 21 CAD 3. Chicwish off shoulder top, 37 CAD 4. WithChic crop tank, 28 CAD 5. Macy’s pineapple
earrings, 16 CAD 6. Monki tortoise shell glasses, 17 CAD 7. Rose Gal Green dress, 22 CAD 8. H&M mini shorts, 33 CAD 9. Simons Sandals, 46 CAD
10. Revolve Soludos platform shoes, 99 CAD 11. H&M boyfriend jeans, 53 CAD 12. Steve Madden flat shoes,105 CAD 13. BaileyRayandCo Jean Shorts, 38 CAD
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Super Fun Intsagram Worthy Diy Projects That Will Make You Wanna Cut Loose And Relax
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S
ometimes you just have to reset or completely cut loose. If you’re an extrovert, it may need to unwind at a party or if you’re more an introvert it can be having some quite time. It may not seem like it, but having some time to have fun contributes greatly to your productivity process. There are tons of options out there for parties of course, but we thought that there is no better way to release some frustration and tension than by beating an inanimate object to a pulp. The social acceptable solution to that behavior is of course: a piñata! Invite some of your friends to join in and make it a stress relieving event. DIY projects are a great way to unwind. Check out these DIY piñatas featured! Not only are they super cute, they are 100% DIY-able. These party favors are also a fiesta-themed DIY that you can share and have fun with. They also don’t require many materials – no stress involved!
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Bring The Pa
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arty Outside...
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