20 Things I Want To Do Before I'm 20

Having just celebrated my 19th birthday, I can't help but think about the fact that this is my last year as a teenager. I have to admit, it's a very scary thought that this time next year I'll be in my twenties. I'll no longer be a something-teen, I'll be a twenty-somthing, and that's pretty daunting. So, for my last teenage year I thought I'd set out a list of 20 things I want to do or achieve by my 20th birthday. Some of them are just small things that I've been meaning to do for months or even years and just never gotten around to, while others are life changing decisions which will affect where I live for the next phase of my life. Hopefully in a years time I'll be writing about how I achieved all of the following...

1. Be studying on the degree that's right for me
2. Go to Chicago
3. Go to Glastonbury Festival
4. Get my eyebrows done professionally
5. Finish my art foundation and (fingers crossed) achieve a distinction
6. Really, properly clear out my wardrobe
7. Reach 100 Bloglovin' followers
8. Learn to meditate
9. Make a vision board
10. Start learning how to hand letter
11. Consider getting THAT tattoo if I still like the idea a year from now
12. Move out
13. Have a weekend away somewhere new
14. Go to a spa
15. Get to and maintain a weight I am happy with
16. Declutter
17. Wear more heels and lipstick
18. Start a regular personal sketchbook and keep it up
19. Get my hair cut
20. Go go-karting, swimming, rock climbing, walking, running & play some badminton

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How To Have A Productive Day

1. Write A To Do List The Evening Before
As I've mentioned before, I'm one of those people that are very into making lists. If I write all my 'to dos' down on paper, I find it helps stop them scrabbling around in my head and I can actually get on with doing them. If you have a particularly busy day ahead of you, I find the best time to write your to do list is the evening before. You've finished your work for that day, so you know exactly where you stand for tomorrow, yet you're not using up any precious time in the morning brainstorming all the things you need to get done (and probably causing yourself more panic than is needed in the process!).

2. Wake Up To Your Alarm First Time
I know this is a tough one, and I may be being just a tiny weeny bit hypocritical including this, however it really does put you in the right frame of mind to be productive from the outset. When you pull back your covers and jump out of bed first time your alarm goes off (ok, maybe jumping out is asking a little bit to much..), you almost feel as if you've gained some time from nowhere that simply didn't exist before. Of course in reality that time has existed in the past, we've just all been using it to catch the last few minutes of that dream where we married Bradley Cooper.. or whatever it is you may do with your time on the pillow. 

3. Make Your Bed
There's nothing that makes me feel more like a grown up respectable adult than making my bed the moment I get up. It's almost as if i'm over the first hurdle and I've completed a task already. There's also the whole idea of tidy room, tidy mind and it actually does hold some truth. Getting on with work seems much more manageable in a clean and tidy space.

4. Make The Most Of The Morning
Never underestimate the power of your first few hours awake. They have the power to set the pace and overall mood for the entire day. Say you find yourself having lunch at 1pm having done not very much so far, it'll probably be well into the afternoon before you've actually made a decent start on your tasks. On the other hand, if you woke up at 8am and worked solidly until 1pm, you'll feel much more accomplished and motivated to carry on through the afternoon (that is if you haven't finished already!).

5. Focus On One Thing At A Time
I'm a big worrier. I fret 24/7 about things that will probably never happen and this overspills into my work life. If I have say 5 reasonably large things to do in one day, instead of taking it one thing at a time, I'll dabble in one thing before my mind wonders onto worrying about another. MORE HASTE LESS SPEED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. If I force myself not to even think about another task before the one at hand is finished, I find I get my workload done much faster overall. Plus, if you don't attempt to do a bit of everything at once, you'll be able to tick off whole tasks much quicker which can give you a big boost and sense of achievement.