Hi There!

My name's Brittany, which I'm sure no one knows because IT HAS BEEN FOREVER SINCE I BLOGGED, GUYS.

Sorry about that to the maybe 2 people that read this perhaps once a month!

Well, I'm back.

AND I HAVE A PUPPY. (One of the few many reasons I've been MIA the last....how long has it been?)

His name is Rory and he's 6th months old and I adopted him from a rescue on November 8th!

He's a weirdo, but he's adorable and I LOVE HIM.

I've also been working on my portfolio and developing my new website, so maybe when all that's done I'll post a link so anyone who would like can have a looksie!

These things coupled with working all the time have really taken up a great big chunk of my life, which left little room for blogging. I'm working slightly less now though and I am doing better (still not great) with my time management, so here's hoping I keep up with this thing!! (I used to be so good at time management...what happened?)

If all goes according to plan, you'll hear from me on Friday!

Busy, Busy, Busy Bee!

Things are really picking up at work!

Which is super weird, since that is the exact opposite of what everyone was expecting!

I do the marketing and design for a Real Estate company and, as I'm sure you can assume, not many people typically move during the Fall/Winter months.
Well, not so this year, it seems!

We have had SO many new listings and closed listings I just cannot keep up with it all!

I'm designing new brochures, flyers, and postcards like a mad woman!
At least I'm keeping busy!

I also have recently been added to the blog for our company, so that's exciting!
Right now, I'm just blogging about our new listings, but maybe someday soon I'll be able to contribute some actual content!

I am also still in the works of developing a remastered social media marketing plan, so that's pretty exciting!

I know some of you out there have got to be into marketing, or at least social media, so any tips would be extremely helpful!
I learned a lot in my coursework and internships, but there's no reason to not look for a different insight into it!

 

Surviving the Average Workday (My Way)

   

Most of us aren't lucky enough to have our dream job at the current moment in time

(Sometimes I think Carly at The College Prepster is closer than any of us, though!)

You know what that means?

A 9 to 5.

Or, in my case, an 8:30 to 5:30 (with an hour lunch, of course)

How are we expected to get through a long work day--or worse, work week--when every second seems like it's dragging on forever and we've been done with our actual projects for hours?

Well, there's problem number one:

You're  never  done with work. If you're in the office, you should be busy.

When I first started my new job, I would spend a good bit of time feeling bored and hopeless.

And then I realized.

There's plenty for me to be doing.

I just haven't found it yet.

So I asked. That's a big part of growing up. Asking.

I asked my boss (the marketing director) if there was anything else I could do and, what do you know, I was handed not one large assignment, BUT TWO!

Those two projects have kept me sane the past two weeks.

They've also given me a sense of responsibility that, prior to now, I didn't really have with this position. I felt like just another marketing assistant, doing busy work. Now I have what I call "real work" in addition to my day-today projects. It's been great.

And when all of those day-to-days get out of hand and I'm a little stressed? A quick break with a hot cup of tea and my sketchpad calms me down. Maybe you'd prefer a glass of water and a game on your phone. Whatever you can do to "get away" from it all will work. It's been proven that taking a break from your work can increase productivity AND creativity! So give it a try and see how it goes!\

Finally? Make friends. Work is going to be no fun if you're sitting around by yourself all day not talking to anyone. Befriend your coworkers; form an attachment with them; eat lunch with them. You're going to be spending 8+ hours a day with these people, so you might as well bond over something.

In summary:

1. Ask Questions
2. Take a Break
3. Make Friends

It's pretty simple, if you ask me.

Now, every workday is not going to be perfect and some days even the most foolproof plan is going to fail, but keeping these few things in mind should make those bad days just a tiny bit better.

Please tell me if you have any of your own tips that I missed! I'd love to be able to try new ways to make my unbearable days a bit better!

Work Wear!

I've seen so many people post the best back to school fashion posts.
I'm not really what you would call a "fashionista" (is that what the kids are calling it these days? #oldlady)
And I'm most certainly not going back to school.

But I thought it would be a good idea to put together some of my favorite office outfits!
Now, my office is business casual, so these picks definitely won't work for everyone, but they look pretty nice if I do say so myself!!

(Some of my actual items are no longer available, so I used comparable ones available on Polyvore!)

That gives you a bit of my tastes! Does anyone else have a few favorite outfits that they wear to work? Or school?

Where Has The Time Gone?

I have already been at my new job for over a month!
How did that happen?

It feels like I just started, and now here we are: 35 days later. I feel like it's just gonna keep speeding past me now.

Everything is still fabulous (except for that one new girl who is managing to get on everyone's nerves!)

But I do admit, this working 2 jobs thing (My full-time marketing job & my part-time hosting job) is getting a little crazy!
I appreciate the extra income (hello, student loans) but I do NOT appreciate the lack of extra time.

I do get a break (I'm off every Saturday, yo!) so I still get a chance to have some alone time and spend time with my friends!
That is definitely essential:

Make time for yourself!

There's no way I would be able to survive without having that one day off; those few hours of my very own make the rest of the week worthwhile.

Those few hours also give me entirely too much time to spend all of the money I just earned!
(Sorry, bank account, but I really needed those shoes. And that wallet. And that day trip with Mandy just to get lunch 2 hours away.)

All-in-all, I'm enjoying it, but it is taking a bunch of my free time away! (Definitely the reason I have been so MIA lately!!)
I am actually penciling in some blog time now, though, so the poor thing will not be left abandoned!!

Has anyone else recently started on a new journey? A new job, a new school, or a relocation perhaps?

Working Woman

Okay, so I know what you all probably think of when you hear that, but I'm not that kind of Working Woman.

I'm just a woman.
Who works.
A lot!

Now that I'm working my real job and my host job at Mellow Mushroom, I'm working 60 hours a week! Woah!
I actually love it, though. For multiple reasons.

A) I'm making BANK. It's pretty fabulous. I still have to budget, but not nearly as much as I did before. Puppy? HERE I COME.

B) I'm back on a schedule. Before, I had pretty regular hours at Mellow, but I only worked 25 hours a week. That left me with entirely too much time; I was going insane.

But now, I'm working a lot. And I'm doing things that I actually LIKE!
It's so weird getting paid to do things that you enjoy; I'm not used to it!

And now, I'm able to buy the things I want, too!
Guys, it has been SO long since I've been able to do that!

I just got an adorable Kate Spade wallet and, as I've mentioned plenty in this and recent posts, I CAN GET A PUPPY! Not quite yet. But before the end of the year, you can bet that I will be getting all of the puppy snuggles. (And not just from Snickers!)

I also just completely rearranged my room, so I'm looking into getting some new furniture!! I'm preparing myself for the IKEA trip of a lifetime!
(You can also bet that there will be a post on this ASAP!)

All of these wonderful changes are happening for me right now and I just cannot contain my excitement!!
Does anyone else have any exciting news they'd like to share?? I'd love to hear about it, people!