Productive Pixie: July 2020

Are you bored of wearing the same old outfits every day? If you are here, then the answer is probably yes. You are looking for more ways to wear the clothing you already have because most of us can't afford to go shopping every week. I am with you there so let's make the most out of the clothing we already have!

Side Note - This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you buy something from one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. For more information, you can read my privacy policy. Thank you for supporting my blog. :)

Updated for 2024

In this post, you will see some repeat items. While the items in your closet are going to be different than the items in my closet, I am sure we have some similar items. Hopefully, this post will give you some tips that you can use to make the most of your closet.

8 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Outfit

1. Add a Jacket

Adding layers to an outfit is an easy way you can stop your look from being boring and they keep you warm too. :)

Jean Jacket
Navy Striped Purse
Front-Tucked Shirt
Black Belt
Ankle Boots

2. Cuff the Sleeves

Okay, so you're wearing a jacket now, but you want to make your outfit more casual. The easiest way to do that is to cuff or roll up the sleeves.

In the post 4 Ways to Casually Style a Blazer, you can see how I made a blazer more casual, by simply pushing up the sleeves so they are three fourth length. It can work with pretty much any jacket no matter how formal it is.

Cuffed Sleeves on Jean Jacket
Silver Bracelet (Mixing dressy and casual)
Front-Tucked Shirt
Black Belt
Black Dot Sunglasses

The key is to not add too many accessories. I wouldn't have worn a necklace or added a bag to this outfit. Remember less is more when picking how many accessories to wear.

For this outfit, I am wearing the same black skinny jeans and the same boots. I switched out the jean jacket for a field jacket, and rolled up my sleeves instead of cuffing them. I also had a mini backpack with a bow, which balances out the edgier look of the field jacket.

3. Wear a Hat

Another easy way to upgrade an outfit instantly is to add a hat. A lot of people don't regularly wear hats, so it will help you to stand out from the crowd.

I am wearing a beret I bought off Amazon. You can read my review of it here. I am not wearing a jacket in this photo, but I did cuff my skinny jeans, which is another way you can style your jeans differently.

And of course, it doesn't have to be a hat like a beret, even a casual hat like a baseball cap can add to your outfit.

4. Tuck in Your Shirt

Tucking in your shirt is probably the easiest way to instantly upgrade your outfit. When doing this I recommend wearing high-waisted, or mid-rise pants and if you feel like it, you can add a belt.

For this outfit, I took a dressier button-up shirt, and made it more casual, by leaving the top button unbuttoned, and by cuffing the sleeves so they are three fourth length. I am not wearing any accessories in this outfit, so it looks very casual even though I am wearing a dressier top, which leads me to my next point.

Side Note - If you aren't wearing a jacket and you want to make your outfit more casual, you can still do the same things as if it was a jacket.

5. Mix Dressy + Casual

If you are getting bored of wearing the same old outfits, then why not try mixing things up and wearing dressy and casual items together?

This is one of my favorite things to do, as you can probably tell just by glancing at some of my other outfits.

White jeans are seen as more dressy, even though they are jeans, so I wore them with this v-neck blouse. Since I was mixing dressy and casual, I wore white Converse. I also cuffed my jeans, even though it is hardly noticeable in this photo.

6. Front Tuck Your Shirt

Very similar to tucking your shirt all the way in, front tucking your shirt is great for when you want to highlight the belt you are wearing.

I am just wearing a red tee and skinny jeans for this outfit, so front tucking it and adding a belt makes all of the difference. I am also mixing dressy and casual because I am wearing a silver bracelet.

7. Add Accessories

A very cliche tip, I know, but adding accessories takes an outfit from being boring to polished. The key is to not go overboard.

If I had been wearing a hat, a necklace, and a bag along with this outfit, it would have been too much. Keep things simple and only wear an accessory, if you really feel like it.

8. Break a Rule

The old rule of wearing blue and black together is a rule I break all of the time. So if you are feeling bored, break a rule and see what new outfits you can come up with.

Me, wearing black and blue together (again). :) For this outfit, I wore black and white dotted sunglasses, so I am not wearing too much black, and it adds a pattern.

8 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Outfit

Just a quick recap of the 8 easy things you can do to upgrade your outfit. I hope you found these tips helpful!

Add a Jacket
Cuff the Sleeves
Wear a Hat
Tuck in Your Shirt
Mix Dressy + Casual
Front Tuck Your Shirt
Add Accessories
Break a Rule

If you liked these fashion tips, you should also check out some of my other posts.

Which one of these ways are you going to try?

Please give this post a share if you found it helpful. Thank you!

July 25, 2020 4 comments

Everyone wants to be more productive. Who doesn't want a few extra minutes or even an hour of free time to do whatever they want? It would be great if we could just add a few extra minutes to our day, so we have time to do what we want, but that isn't realistic. These are the things you are doing that are ruining your productivity and this is how you can fix them!

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

Updated for 2024 - This article was written during quarantine, but the tips in it are still relevant.

This is a list of things you are doing that you can stop doing to be more productive, but if you simply want to be more productive, then you can read Things You Can do to be More Productive Right Now.

You might also still be on home quarantine, as I am. If you aren't on home quarantine, you can skip to the next header. In that case, you might want to read How to be Insanely Productive During Quarantine because being productive during quarantine is hard.

Being bored during quarantine is also another problem and so here is a list of Fun + Productive Things You Can do While at Home.

Okay. Now that you are all set on how to be more productive during quarantine and fun things you can do at home, let's get into the things you can stop doing to be more productive.

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

1. Not Knowing When You Are the Most Productive

You have to know when you are the most productive. I am not a night owl, so if I go to bed late and wake up late the next morning, then I am naturally not going to be as productive.

But if you are a night owl, then you might be more productive at night. The key is to know when you are the most productive. I know that after lunch, I am less productive so I try to get as much of my to-do list done in the morning as I can.

The Fix

This might take you a few days to figure out, or it might take you only a few minutes to realize when you are the most productive.

If you don't know right away when you are the most productive, then notice over the next few days when you have the most energy or the time of the day you get the most done.

Are you most productive in the morning?
At night?
After you eat?
After you exercise?

When you know what times of day you are the most productive at, you can make sure to do your largest tasks then.

2. You Get Distracted Easily

Everyone gets distracted sometimes, me included. :) You have been pretty productive all morning, so you decide to take a quick break, which then turns into an hour or more scrolling on social media and then clicking video after video on YouTube.

Then when you finally realize how much time you have been wasting, you get back to what you have to do feeling rushed for time because you just wasted so much of it. It's a real problem!

The Fix

The fix is to eliminate distractions, which is way easier said than done, I know. The first way to do this is to turn off all unnecessary notifications on your phone. Stick all of your distracting apps away in one folder. If you have to, you can even sign yourself out of websites, so you can't just check real quick because it will only take a few seconds. We all know how that ends!

Taking quick breaks is a good way to be more productive, you just don't want to get sucked in. The next time you take a break, instead of pulling out your phone, go on a quick walk instead.

3. You Don't Have a Plan

Now this one is for those of you who don't have a plan of any sort. If you don't know what you need to do, then how are you going to do it?

It can be as simple as writing out a to-do list every morning. It doesn't have to be complicated. The level of organization an individual needs is going to vary from person to person.

You might not need a calendar; you might write down what you need to do on sticky notes (which is fine as long as you don't lose them!).

The Fix

Make a plan! It doesn't matter how simple it is, as long as you have some sort of plan. You will be more productive if you have a plan because you can go from task to task quicker.

I use a bullet journal to be more organized. If you want to know more about bullet journaling, or how to start your first one, then you can read Bullet Journaling: What Is It?

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

Just a quick recap of what you can do to be more productive.

Know When You are the Most Productive
Eliminate Distractions
Have a Plan

If you liked this post, you can also read these ones for more productivity tips.

I hope you liked this post and found it helpful! Have a productive week!

Sharing only takes a second and is much appreciated. Thanks! :)

July 18, 2020 2 comments

Exercising and eating healthy is always important, but especially during quarantine, when you can't go to the gym to exercise, and you are at home trying to combat boredom, it is important to stay healthy. I made this fitness schedule and this healthy eating layout in my bullet journal to help me stay healthy during quarantine.

Healthy Eating + Fitness Tracking in My Bullet Journal

Updated for 2024

Side Note II - Please note that this is how I am using my bullet journal to exercise and eat healthy during quarantine. I am in no way saying that this is how you should eat or exercise.

Healthy Eating + Fitness Tracking in My Bullet Journal

Quarantine is a great time to start new habits because your regular schedule has most likely already been interrupted.

So, if you are looking to start exercising more frequently, to wake up earlier in the morning, or to eat more vegetables then now is a good time to start! Even if you aren't in quarantine, it is still important to exercise regularly and to eat healthily. Using your bullet journal can help you do just that!

Let's get right into the post by first taking a look at my workout bullet journal layout.

How I am Tracking Fitness in My Bullet Journal

Goals

A good place to start your fitness bullet journal layout is to define your goals. Why are you working out? What goals do you want to achieve?

At the top of the first page of my bullet journal layout, I added a section for my fitness goals for the year. I already filled it all the way up though, so I may start writing goals in my achievements section too.

Achievements

Below that, I have a section for achievements, but as I mentioned above, I may start writing goals in this section too.

In the achievements section, I could write down things that I have achieved that are helping me get closer to my final fitness goals written in the section above.

For example, one of my goals for the year is to do a needle. In this section, I might write down that I did a scorpion, and then the date. This way, you can tell that you are actually improving and getting closer to reaching your fitness goals.

My Workout Schedule

Below that, I have my actual workout schedule. I didn't want it to be too rigid because I like to change things up, so I decided not make it rigid. I can write down what I do each day and for how long I did it. Then I use color-coding so I can see at a glance whether I did stretching, strength, or cardio.

I wrote the dates in the corner of each box with a grey Zebra Mildliner (My review of the Zebra Mildliners). Using a grey Zebra Mildliner or pencil, I can also plan my workouts in advance, and change it up, whenever I get bored. Plus, if you decide to do something else, then you can just write over it, and it won't be noticeable.

This workout layout goes all the way to December because that is when I am planning on starting a new bullet journal. I had some extra room at the end, so I drew some pointe shoes and I wrote the quote "Don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong".

That is it! Every day all I have to do is write in what I do for exercise, and then color-code it. It is pretty easy to do, and you will be more motivated to exercise if you don't like having blank spaces in your bullet journal. :)

Healthy Eating in My Bullet Journal

I wanted to make my eating tracker really simple. I didn't want to have to write down what I am eating every day, so I decided to make mine in a habit tracker format.

What I am tracking...

Beans
Fruit
Chia seeds
Vegetables
Grains
Greens
No Treats
No Snacks
Berries
Spices

This list is based on The Daily Dozen by Doctor Michael Gregor, but I adapted some of it my own needs, like not tracking exercise because I already have an exercising layout.

Every day, I just have to put a dot next to what I ate or in some cases like treats, didn't eat. If I did it the day before, then I connect it with the day before. At a glance, I can see how well I have been eating. If I complete everything, then I get to fill in the box on the side. As you can see, this hasn't happened yet. :)

Healthy Eating + Fitness Tracking in My Bullet Journal

I hope this post helped you get some inspiration for your healthy eating and fitness bullet journal layouts.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy reading these ones too!

Thank you so much for reading this post!

If you liked this post, please share it. Thank you! :)

July 11, 2020 No comments

2020 is already halfway over, which is kind of hard to believe! If you haven't been working on your goals, then you still have half a year to get started or to keep working on them. For my July bullet journal layouts, I decided to do something which I have never done before. I went with a black and white minimalist theme, and I really like how it turned out! It is pretty much the exact opposite of my June bullet journal layout.

Plan With Me July Bullet Journal Layouts

Updated for 2024

What is a Minimalist Bullet Journal Layout?

I just wanted to give you a quick definition of what a minimalist bullet journal is, in case you are new to the bullet journal system, and you don't know what it means.

Minimalist bullet journal layouts are usually black and white, but some of them have a little bit of color. They are also usually simple to create so they are great for beginners!

Why would someone want to do minimalist bullet journal layouts? The simple answer is time. Minimalist bullet journal layouts usually take less time to create, so they are ideal for people who are really busy. Plus, some people (me included) just like the look of minimalist layouts.

Plan With Me July Bullet Journal Layouts

Obviously, my layout this month is very different from my other bullet journal layouts because I have never done a minimalist bullet journal layout before, but I also switched up some other things too.

You are probably wondering if this layout took me less time, than my other bullet journal layouts, and the answer is, "I don't know". I should have timed it to see how long it took to make, but I usually don't make my bullet journal layouts in one sitting.

It definitely took me less time to decide what colors to use! :)

July Bullet Journal Supplies

Crayola Super Tips - Crayola Super Tips are used on almost all of my spreads! They are great for beginners, really affordable, and there are tons of colors. If you are looking to buy some markers to use in your bullet journal, then I recommend these ones. For this layout, I used it for the thick black lines.
Black Sharpie Pen - If you have read probably any of my other posts, then you will know that I always use a black sharpie pen for writing in my bullet journal.
Tombow Fudesonuke Brush Pens - Another great option for beginners, the Tombow Fudesonuke brush pens come in a two-pack: one hard tip, and one soft tip. I used the hard tip Tombow Fudesonuke brush pen for the calligraphy on this layout.
White Gel Pen - I use a white gel pen to mark out any mistakes I make on my layouts, and while it is sometimes still a little bit noticeable, it doesn't bother me. I have seen some other bullet journal layouts, where people used a white gel pen on top of black, so that is what I did for this layout.
Mechanical Pencil - I used a mechanical pencil to sketch in parts of this layout, but I did all of the lettering freehand.

July Minimalist Bullet Journal First Page

One of the biggest things I changed this month, is the setup of the sections. I did a two-column layout instead of a one-column layout.

Header

The header I did with a hard tip Tombow Fudesonuke brush pen. Below that, I put 07/12 because July is the seventh month of the year, and then I put 01/07 - 31/07, just because I had a little extra space. I wanted the bottom of the header to line up with the bottom of the calendar. It might be obvious to you what the numbers stand for, but I thought I would explain them anyway, because I know I would wonder what they stood for. :)

Mini Calendar

I love how the mini calendar turned out! It was inspired by the mini calendar on Amanda Rach Lee's July bullet journal monthly layout. The numbering I had to do really tiny, but it was worth it, because I think it makes it look more minimalist.

Habit Trackers

I did separate habit trackers for each habit. I didn't have enough room to do mini calendars (I have six boxes in every row instead of seven), but as long as I fill in my habit trackers daily, I won't have to count the squares.

This month, I added two more habits, so I am now tracking six habits. I put three on each page.

Goals + Highlights

Below the mini calendar, I put my goals for the month and my "Highlights" section. For the headers, I used a black Crayola Super Tip, and then I used a white gel pen for the lettering on top. I had to go over the lettering around two times before it was dark enough.

As usual, I am tracking five goals for the month and each of these mini goals, in some way helps me get closer to achieving my goals for the year.

Last month, instead of having a "Highlights" section, I did an "In Review" section so I could write down anything which happened. Favorite memories, the most important thing I learned, favorite books read, etc. I only wrote down highlights though, so I decided to switch back to having a "Highlights" section.

July Bullet Journal Second Page

This Month

Along with the mini calendar, I use the "this month" section so I can see at a glance what I have going on for the month.

August

Below my other three habit trackers, I have a very small section where I can write down what I have going on in the month after the current month. I usually don't plan more than a month in advance, so I don't use it very much.

Quote

I still had a little bit of room left over, so I decided to add the quote, "Don't be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else". I like this quote, because if everyone was the same, then life would be pretty boring.

July Bullet Journal Weekly Layouts

If you didn't know, I used weekly layouts last month, even though I hadn't, since the beginning of the year. I liked using weekly layouts in addition to my monthly layouts so much, that I am going to continue to use them. :)

I usually only write down my to-do list on my weekly layouts to avoid repetition. (So I don't have to write down the same thing on my monthly layout and my weekly layout.)

For July, I went with the same heading I used for my habit trackers. In the morning when I open my bullet journal, I write the header below my to-do list for the day before. As I complete things throughout the day, I put an "X" next to it.

I hope you liked seeing my bullet journal layout for the month! If you did, you might also want to check out some of my previous monthly bullet journal layouts.

Have you tried a minimalist bullet journal layout? Did it help you to be more productive?

If you have a second, sharing is always appreciated. Thank you! :)

July 04, 2020 No comments

8 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Outfit

1. Add a Jacket

2. Cuff the Sleeves

3. Wear a Hat

4. Tuck in Your Shirt

5. Mix Dressy + Casual

6. Front Tuck Your Shirt

7. Add Accessories

8. Break a Rule

8 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Outfit

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

1. Not Knowing When You Are the Most Productive

The Fix

2. You Get Distracted Easily

The Fix

3. You Don't Have a Plan

The Fix

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

Healthy Eating + Fitness Tracking in My Bullet Journal

How I am Tracking Fitness in My Bullet Journal

Goals

Achievements

My Workout Schedule

Healthy Eating in My Bullet Journal

Healthy Eating + Fitness Tracking in My Bullet Journal

What is a Minimalist Bullet Journal Layout?

Plan With Me July Bullet Journal Layouts

July Bullet Journal Supplies

July Minimalist Bullet Journal First Page

Header

Mini Calendar

Habit Trackers

Goals + Highlights

July Bullet Journal Second Page

This Month

August

Quote

July Bullet Journal Weekly Layouts

About Me

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