New Dates for The Blogcademy: Portland & LA!

Kat

January 4, 2013

I am SO EXCITED about 2013, like SO SERIOUSLY EXCITED (can't you tell!?) and I'm starting 2013 as I mean to go on with new date announcements for The Blogcademy. Now I know we haven't even done our London workshops yet but, basically, we just couldn't wait any longer... At the end of March we're heading to Shauna's home town (I think many of you will have guessed that one!) of Portland, Oregon and the week after we're zipping down to LA. In fact we'll be in LA for my birthday which I'm rather enthused about!

Business Bites: Raring to Go!

Kat

January 4, 2013

Oh yes I am. So much good stuff was posted online between Christmas and New Year relating to business lessons. I guess this is the time to be inspired for the most prosperous, exciting and utterly bloody awesome year to come!

Happy New Year!

Kat

January 1, 2013

Hurrah! A new year is upon us - full of infinite possibilities and exciting opportunities a-plenty! January is one of my favourite months of the year. Setting some goals, making some plans and generally getting over excited for the year ahead is one of my favourite things to do.

Business Bites: We’re all Still Alive Right?

Kat

December 21, 2012

I would imagine that most of you are winding down for Christmas today, and that if you haven't knocked off already then today is probably your last day of work. HURRAH! But the internet has been awash with great business advice this week - I think everyone's thinking about next year and how they're going to make everything so much better! Assuming the world hasn't ended today (we're all still here right?) let's use this new age to make our 2013 plans. I'm personally so ready to forge into 2013 with renewed vigour!

Achievements & Pride

Kat

December 19, 2012

Beat the Bullies

Lisa Devlin

December 18, 2012

The week after anti bullying week, both my daughters experienced incidents of bullying at school. They are aged 7 and 4 and that Friday, we sat down at the kitchen table and discussed bullying and what we can do about it. Now they are both fairly feisty and have handled this situation well, but halfway through telling telling them ways I think they can stop this, I realised that actually they never will.

Business Bites: Properly Preparing for 2013

Kat

December 14, 2012

Welcome to another delicious instalment of Business Bites - ha! How's your December going so far? 2013 is not long off so I hope you've all been making your business plans and setting yourself some goals for the year ahead. It's actually one of my favourite things to do (nerd!)

6 Ways to Stop Procrastination & ACTUALLY Get Things Done

Kat

December 11, 2012

What are you procrastinating over right now?! Come on, admit it, you're putting something off and reading this post instead aren't you?! BUSTED! I am in NO WAY perfect at this, in fact I've put off writing this post for longer than I'd care to admit. Oh the sweet irony. There is of course nothing wrong with a little escape from time to time, but if you procrastinate too much and you're really not getting the important things done, you'll end up in a constant negative spiral of putting things off. Not achieving the things that you know you have to is a sure-fire route to I-suck-at-life-ville. And no one wants to live there. So what can you do to stop the dreaded procrastin-monster and actually get things done already?!

Business Bites: Self Promotion, Slideshows & Blogging Tips from the Best

Kat

December 7, 2012

We're all gearing up for Christmas, but you know me, I'm always on the hunt for business related articles that I can learn from. I'm excited for Christmas, but almost more than that, I'm chomping at the bit to get into 2013 and to progress my business further! What about you?!

Dealing with the December Slump & Making Those New Year’s Resolutions

Lisa Devlin

December 4, 2012

It’s December - everybody is gearing up for Christmas and I mean everyone. It’s like the world stands still and gets covered in fairy lights and glitter. I love Christmas so much that we are always the first people in our street to put up our tree and I totally wind down on work so that I can make the most of this magical family time of year.

Business Bites: Getting your Business Healthy

Kat

November 30, 2012

This week I've been seriously considering doing a juice cleanse. Now I'm not one for fad diets and I generally hate talking about anything to do with weight loss but - EUGH - I don't half feel in desperate need of a detox at the moment. I blame Bri but I think I'm going to see how she gets on before I go into it wholeheartedly! Have you ever done a juice cleanse? What kind of results did you see/feel?

The Treadmill

Kat

November 27, 2012

Sometimes I sit here and feel like a failure. I have a job I love, a husband that makes me so incredibly happy, and a life I never thought I would... but still... sometimes, just sometimes, I feel like I'm a fraud. Like it's all a front. Like it probably won't last. Like it's not real life or something. I don't know... do you ever just feel a little bit lost? That the constant pressure for perfection and to 'be the best' makes your head spin?

Business Bites: Gratitude, Email & Education

Kat

November 23, 2012

I wanted to introduce a links post in the same vein as Thursday Treats the Green Room, and so after umming & ahhing over the perfect name, I thought to hell with it, I'll just keep it simple, cheesy and memorable. So behold Business Bites!

8 Skills You Need When Running Your Own Business

Kat

November 20, 2012

It's no secret that running your own business is hard work. When those heady first few weeks of excitement and anticipation are a distant memory, getting to - and staying at the top of your game can be a constant battle. So if you're near the start of your self-employment journey, what are the key skills you might need to give yourself a head start?

Updates to Pinterest & Instragram

Kat

November 15, 2012

"Huraaaah!" was the resounding response that rippled through my Twitter feed when, seemingly simultaneously, two of the biggest social media platforms both made some exciting new announcements last week. Firstly, Instagram profiles are now accessible online. Obviously Instagram is a phone ap, but it's great to be able to see everyone's photos, profiles and bios on your computer too. Plus it's a huge bonus when writing about your own instagram on your blog as you can now link directly to it without having to use a 3rd party website (statigr.am must be GUTTED!)

Pick Yourself Up and Try Again

Lisa Devlin

November 13, 2012

We've all been in situations when something work-related just hasn't gone our way. And if it's something you feel you have worked super hard for then it's even worse. Gutting even. Not everything we plan for or aim towards always comes off, so how can you cope with a professional disappointment without taking it out on your loved ones or hitting the gin?

Is Guest Writing a Waste of Time?

Kat

November 6, 2012

In the late 80s, with the popularity of chat shows on the rise, television producers would always have 'go to' standby guests in case somebody pulled out at the last minute. After a while it seemed that any time this happened it would be Christopher Biggins who filled in... I guess because he was always available (aww)! Biggins swiftly became known on the circuit as a 'professional guest', and needless to say, was a bit of a running joke. When I heard this story this week, I immediately started thinking about guest blogging and whether it's a good thing to be so readily available all the time...

5 Lessons Learnt by Bunking Off Work

Kat

October 30, 2012

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure" - Oprah Winfrey What a whirlwind! First up thank you so much for allowing me to take a few weeks off the Green Room while I was away. I had good intentions to get some guest posts up, but when it came down to it I just didn't have any in the pipeline that I thought we're strong enough... and so I figured, quality over quantity, and let it go. A moment of honesty - the few weeks running up to me going away were tough. I was seriously lacking inspiration and my blogging mojo was waning. The endless treadmill that can be running a blog full time, with the constant pressure to update daily (or in my case multiple times daily) was starting to loose it's sparkle. Don't get me wrong, I am forever in love with my job, but I was just feeling like the posts I was publishing we're only okaaaay. Like I was just going through the motions and that the standard of what I was writing was slipping. I needed this break. Badly. We all know that those moments where you're sit staring at your computer screen just willing the inspiration to come are the least productive. Then add immense tiredness and a crap load of deadlines to that mix and it's a recipe for disaster.

Gratitude

Kat

October 9, 2012

As this is my last Green Room post before I jet off to New York, I'm feeling a little apathetic. I'm sure I'll be coming home with a truckload of post-Blogcademy inspiration in tow but right now I'm just... tired. Keeping up with life and work, getting things organised before I leave, it all piles up and sometimes it can feel like it's becoming too much. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm knackered and in need of a holiday. Badly. I can't be the only one who's feeling like this either. I guess it's a lot to do with the time of year, and if you work in the wedding industry you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The Summer season can be rather mental all-round, and it's swiftly followed by the usual October wedding fair circuit and new collection launches... AKA it's exhausting.

Creating a Foolproof System for Just About Everything

Kat

October 2, 2012

Over and over again I hear the excuse from people that they just don't have enough time... "Oh I'd love to blog more but I just can't find the time...", "I can't possibly reply to all my emails, I just get too many...", "Yeah I'd love to take a holiday/work on a personal project/spend more time with my loved ones, but there just aren't enough hours in the day..." Now forgive me as this might irritate you but, honestly, if you're not getting things done that you know you should be it really is no ones fault but your own. So instead let's stop making excuses and prioritise. If in your heart you know you should be doing something but you really don't want to then that's fine... let it go and be OK with it. But let's stop blaming the imaginary time stealing fairy and take some responsibility for that fact.