I have a theory that January & February are such cold dark months for us that our bodies want to hibernate. I don't expect much from myself over those months - if you're managing a 9-5 well done, sometimes it's enough! I'm totally here for spring & mini eggs.
I agree - I find the more I follow natures patterns the better I feel. Hopefully I’ll get better at going with the flow of it each year! ❤️ and yes to mini egg season 👏🏼👏🏼
I’m definitely a silent watcher but just want to thank you for being honest about your productivity. I want you to know that you are not a failure and i actually feel even more inspired to keep being productive and setting goals and all you are showing us, is that it is ok not to be perfect, and it is ok to have a slow month and that you can get up again and keep being productive despite a little blip. Thank you for sharing your videos, I LOVE them
Thanks for your honesty!!! Makes the rest of us who also didn’t meet our goals feel like it’s not too late. We for sure can reflect and reset/restart goals. Appreciate you!
Not rushing and enjoying the journey is such a beautiful way to look at life…that’s definitely one idea/goal im bringing with me into March! ❤ Have an amazing week!
My mom always says that if you wanted to do something and did it, then carry it with the same joy it gave you in the moment, in other words be present, and don’t let guilt dictate what you’re supposed to do, our relationship with productivity can become unhealthy if we let it depend on external proofs that we’re accomplishing something; enjoy your book, let yourself get lost in it, enjoy your rest time guilt free, we all love you and appreciate your outlook in life, and to be honest I never thought of you as a machine, I love all your vlogs, I love when you’re feeling motivated and productive, but to be honest my favorite ones are the ones where you’re enjoying a gorgeous plate of pasta and tea in front of the TV 😂 the most relatable thing ever! enjoy your day and don’t worry for a second about what other people think, just be you ❤️🥰 xx
Ellen you are seriously such a gem ! Thank you for sharing the goals you didn’t reach, I love the way you communicate, and I applaud you in your book reading era, and hope that I can live vicariously through you as I am in my nursing era 😅 🤱🏼
Thank you for leaving such a lovely comment! 🥰 haha I am loving my reading era - but ngl I am very excited for my nursing era one day ❤️ sending you and baby lots of love! xx
Helen! I hope you had a wonderful week and I hope you're enjoying your weekend. You have been working very hard and You deserve it. Thank you very much for this video, I really appreciate it. 🙂👍👏👏👏🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you for the video Ellen ! :) Ya I hear how you feel about guilt felt rest. Same here. It did feel much less energetic and productive so ya you are not alone, we had a pretty slow Feb too. But I just blame the wintery weather and short days hahaha ...It will all be good in March Ellen. Enjoy the start of the spring time !
Love your videos! I enjoy hearing about what you are reading and cooking/baking, so don’t ever feel like you aren’t being inspiring! It would be so fun to do an online book club with you sometime ❤
I love your attitude of living seasonlly. I've always missed sunny and warm seasons and ended up wasting 8 months of the year. Realized how it's nice to find joy even in the cold and dark months instead of staying inside and doing nothing. Looking forward your next vlog :) love from japan.
I also reflected on Feb as I didn’t do what I planned; on reflection I was sick the first couple weeks and then tried to get back on it so the end of the month ended better. I know what was laziness vs genuine so I know what I need to do better for March ❤ reflection is a good thing & being honest with yourself ❤
I love your videos! you're so such an inspiration and motivation person...I've had the same feeling this February....and you helped me to understand my feelings better and to not feel so bad about it. thank you for much for this video! love from Spain!
I’m a great believer that life is all about balance. At times we need to recharge and do less, there is nothing wrong with this, as it’s what your body and mind needs at times. Don’t be hard on yourself, accept this is what you needed at the time. You will soon get back on track and goals shouldn’t need a deadline. I think we all think January we must make changes, but we can do this at anytime. Love the hair, looks so nice! Book wise I just finished reading the seven sister series by Lucinda Riley, they are so good!! Have a great week ❤
Thank you ❤️❤️ I totally agree, it really is all about balance. And I will definitely add that series to my list - I’m loving reading series at the moment! 😊
Hi girl, thank you so much for this video. Like these style of video's so much. I like the way you are so honestley reflect on your life. And it is so relatable. The first 2 months of the year where very slow. I am totally out of my flow. So I feel you girl. And omg the jumper in the begin of the video. I remember when you bought that. He is so nice. And yeah it is a real spring jumper. Here in belgiun the sun is shining and it is pretty warm this week. Spring is there. Yes!!!😊❤ And yes you are building a great community here. It feels so safe here and I feem so much love. ❤❤❤
I’ve loved watching all your videos lately! I’m in the exact same place as you in terms of February goals. We traveled twice in Feb, so that just guarantees to get everything off schedule. But I like your words of patience and optimism! It’s going to be a great month :)
Great vlog as always. Hair looks gorgeous. You've become one of my top faves now. I was out on a walk this morning and was saying to hubby that i thought you'd have a vlog tonight so i was looking forward to that. He works away on shift so it was lovely to know I had your video to look forward to. Don't call yourself lazy or unproductive as you're definitely not. You were listening to your body and enjoying reading and relaxing with Cameron in your new home. As someone else has said, productivity is good but be careful it doesn't turn toxic. You're doing brilliantly. Thank you so much for brightening my evening. Xx
Goodness, so much to unpack! First, thank you for another video, it’s lovely to see you get so excited about Spring :) the hair is gorgeous and I had no idea laser-dying existed! I think Mist and Fury remains my absolute favorite (and I also did love Silver Flames) but Mist and Fury… I mean I read it at least every year or whenever I fall into a reading slump. Started throne of Glass but only read book one, I guess it didn’t hook me like ACOTAR did, I need to give the next books a shot. Also, regarding your productivity, you do inspire us/me, and please don’t feel guilty about those unintentionally unproductive days, we need those sometimes, we have those and you’re human too. I had plans to read so many short books in February and clean up my TBR a bit, and it didn’t happen, but somehow I needed that time off to breathe and be gentle with myself. You’re not a fraud just because you don’t get to be as productive as you’d like and as you make us feel like being. Also, we have a French saying that goes “les cordonniers sont les plus mal chaussés” which means that the shoemakers don’t end up with the best shoes (I’m not sure there’s an equivalent in English haha), so it’s not because you inspire us with productivity and goals setting that you’re gonna end up being productive all the time and always on top of everything. We’d all like that for ourselves, we also need to be kind to ourselves and find a balance that help us in the long run. Your 9 to 5 videos have helped me see my own 9 to 5 job in a different light and romanticize it bit I guess, and I love it. So thank you for that, I think we need to romanticize our lives when we can :) Take care or yourself :)
I love youre reading again. It is a big part of me for such a long time. I to found my footing with the jmass books... im on the last tog book and oh boy it is a truly amazing series. Im 3 books in to acotar series which was also brilliant really looking forward to the crescent city series too. Oh I really wish I could eat those mini eggs but not to be no treats due to an underlying health condition, which is rubbish this time of year especially. Youve also reminded me to live intentially. Im trying to live seasonally and project 333 is really helping with that. Organising a seasonal wardrobe seems to motivate me in other ways. Thank you for your relateable and calming influence.
I love your enthusiasm about setting your goals for the month!! Such a positive vibe! My heart did a leap when I saw those adorable mugs with the dragonfly(so obsessed with them) I think you guys have such a huge range of products and items I've ever witnessed....besides being so gorgeous. Thanks for sharing with us. Have a great week ahead.
To be honest I still haven't properly set my 2024 goals, so you are already doing better than me! I need to spend some time this weekend thinking about what I want to achieve this year. Sounds like you are getting on with meeting more of your goals so look forward to hearing more next month about what you are doing.
For me, prioritising saving always top other expenses. Not saying you should never treat yourself, but my spending hierarchy is always essentials, followed by savings followed by fun money. Your hair is lovely but maybe the greys can wait awhile? Grey hair is nothing to be embarrassed about anyway. I think people often see pampering as self-care, but the purest from of self-care is financial freedom (even if you have a partner - I say that as a married person!)
i agree - financial independence is key! which is why i have worked hard to build my own financial freedom and have my own bank of savings that i can spend how i wish e.g. getting my hair done 😊
Be careful of toxic productivity. It is a serious issue for your generation. Most people do not have a big job and a big side hustle. Please take care of yourself and your mental health.
@@Fishka5678 I mean the drive to achieve at all costs and do too much can put too much stress on someone, especially if they compare themselves to other people who they perceive to be more successful. It can be damaging to someone's mental health.
It used to be called working hard, why is there a need to create new labels for things, pictures are now wall art, a walk in the woods is forest bathing, the blinkin' worlds gone mad 🤭
Agreed, it’s much healthier to establish consistent habits than obsessing over goal achievement. Most people who do that hit the goal and realise it doesn’t make you happier. Atomic habits is by far the best method and book if you want to make long lasting changes. Agonising over productivity is not being kind to yourself and detrimental when you see it as failure.
Hi Ellen, your haircut looks good!! & I appreciate your honesty in this vlog about you not reaching your goals however i believe You shouldn't ever feel guilty about having rest days or self care days considering you have a 9-5 job also i wouldn't worry to much about increasing the subscriptions to your channel
Please, everyone, don't overthink every single thing! Life is so transitory nothing we do matters in the whole scheme of things - just live your Life as you want to now x
Please allow yourself some grace - it’s enough to exist right now in the UK. It’s a challenging time with the cost of living crisis and the cold, gray weather which is awful at the best of times. It sounds like you need to have a bit of a break and that’s okay! We aren’t meant to go, go, go all the time - sometimes rest is needed so that we can reflect on that time and find the joy in the everyday - which you miss when you’re going a mile a minute. Your desire to reflect on your monthly favourites sounds like that’s what you did :)
I think February is a funny month anyway, after all the busyness of Christmas and New Year I enjoy having a month of “laziness” it’s like a hibernation before Spring 😊 I LOVE that waistcoat on you by the way. You should definitely order one in a size 10! ❤ Out of interest what is the book you are currently reading?
Sometimes we need longer time to rest and that is understandable. You should listen to your body and live in harmony with it. The hair turned out beautiful. They are brighter than the previous ones. lovley. Ps. In March, I undergo all check-ups with my doctor.
I’m currently reading ‘4000 weeks’ by Oliver Burkeman which may be worth a read - it’s about how society pressurises us to constantly feel like we have to be productive all the time 😊
