You all know YouTuber Alfie Deyes aka Pointless Blog – well, I chatted all things motivation and organisation with his assistant Ange so I could share her words of wisdom with you. If anyone is qualified to give tips on these topics, it’s her…
What are your morning motivation tips when you know you have a busy and potentially stressful day ahead? Do you have a morning routine?
I get up at 5.30am, three times a week, to go to a training class along the beach – which, although it’s a bit of a struggle getting up that early, it always makes me feel great afterwards. It helps me to release any tension or stress that I may be carrying, and by the time I get to work, I feel as if I have had the most productive day already. When I’m not training, I get up at 8am, have a shower and get ready, then usually make myself a smoothie before walking to work for 10am. My obsession at the moment is a healthy Cinnamon Roll Smoothie. It is delicious and fills me up ’til lunch time.
You have a lot of organising to do and recently had to kit out your new work desk. What desk essentials do you rely on to keep you organised? Are you a stationery addict?
POST IT NOTES! – I cannot work without them. I love writing everything down as I feel as if once it’s written down, it helps me to remember things a lot more. Being a PA, you have to remember quite a lot and so writing everything down really helps. I also love a good biro pen and a moleskin notebook – it makes me feel ‘profesh’ and ready for anything! I’ve always loved stationery – my favourite thing to do when I was back at school was getting new pencil cases and pens before starting a new term. I love Paperchase and all of the pretty patterns they do.
What apps on your phone make your working day easier and could you not live without?
I cannot live without Trello. I use it everyday for work. If my boss wants me to do anything, he’ll add it into our Trello and then I’ll automatically see it when I sign in. The best thing is when you can drag your To Do list to the ‘Jobs Finished’ column – you soon see how much work you’ve done already and it makes you feel great.
You travel a lot and go from appointment to appointment. What handbag beauty essentials do you rely on to keep you looking fresh and groomed on-the-go?
I carry my makeup bag with me and just take my essentials for topping up. In it is a Benefit black eyeliner pencil, a dark brown Bourjois liquid eye liner, Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Mascara, Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, Dior Forever foundation/Nars Sheer Glow foundation/Garnier BB Cream (whichever one I’m wearing that day), a Barry M lip pencil, a Clarins and a Barry M lipstick, an Urban Decay powder and my essential multi-tasking Real Techniques brushes.
What tips do you have for unwinding after a busy day at work?
For me, walking home along the seafront really helps me to unwind. It’s a 25 minute walk, but it allows me time to reflect on my day and take in what Brighton has to offer. As I’ve recently just moved down here, I’m still at that stage where I think how lucky I am to work in such a beautiful seaside town and feel really thankful. Once I get home, I’ll catch up with my housemates, make a nice healthy dinner, watch a bit of Netflix or TV and then FaceTime my boyfriend before going to bed.
You’ve moved to a new town by the sea and you work with friends in an industry you love. What advice would you give someone trying to pursue their dream job?
Just stay focused and make sure it’s something you truly feel passionate about. Don’t give up, go the extra mile, work for free for a little bit if you have to get your foot in the door and meet the right people; but most importantly, believe in yourself – that was probably the biggest struggle for me as I never thought I was good enough and would always second-guess myself. It’s taken me a few years to realise that I AM good at what I do and that I CAN do it!
I am a huge believer in that you create your own reality. I have a vision board hanging up in my room where I sit down and think about what I want in life and then I find pictures or certain words that relates to it. Pinterest or old magazines are perfect for this. Then I cut and stick them to a board, make it look all pretty and I look at it everyday and imagine that I have already got everything. I cannot tell you how much it has helped me in life, and almost everything I have put on there has come true for me. For example, it was only in January this year when I was living in London that I had had enough of living in the big busy city and wanted to move. However, I loved my job so much that I thought there was no way I could find something even better than this outside of London. I sat down and thought, if I could live anywhere, where would I live? I immediately though of Brighton. So, I found some gorgeous photos of houses on a Brighton street with a view of the sea and put them on my vision board. One month later I get offered a job in Brighton to work with the same people I’d been working with before, and the house I have moved into has the exact same view as the one on my vision board – something I hadn’t realised until I moved in 2 months later. It’s crazy how it works, but it’s the most amazing feeling. It’s like having your very own Genie!
I really struggled with trying to decide what I wanted to do. I remember about five years ago my Mum asked me to describe my perfect job, so I sat down and wrote exactly what I wanted to do – work with celebrities, go to launch events, try out new products, travel the world and be happy. This was when I was living back home in Camberley, Surrey and I had just been working as a sales assistant in Next. It seemed like an impossible dream to make come true, but after years of hard work and perseverance, that’s pretty much what I am doing now and I could not be happier. My Mum and I laugh about it now, because it blows our mind how I managed to do exactly what I wanted. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
If you liked this post, please follow my blog via Bloglovin’ to keep up-to-date.
Photo Credits: Instagram/angesayss