lesleymurphy

The Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe

April 7, 2020 by lesleymurphy 8 Comments

It’s something you’ve probably seen multiple times on Instagram during COVID-19. People trying their hand at one of the most feel-good comfort foods of all time. #BananaBread is currently at 1.2 Million and growing.

Maybe it’s the low-risk high-reward nature of it all? Maybe it’s the fact that bananas are easy to hoard until a week later when you’re left staring at brown bananas wondering WTF to do with them. It’s a trying time for everyone, so the thought of attempting a meticulous recipe and absolutely failing could really tip us over the edge into even darker times. NO THANKS. What we need, really need, is a fool proof, simplistic list full of sugar, flour, bananas and nuts that will send us off to the couch fat, happy and accomplished. Thanks for the recipe, momma.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

2 large eggs at room temperature (vegan option: use 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce per egg)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, (+ more for preparing the pan, option to use vegan butter)

1 cup sugar

4 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup walnut pieces (or chocolate chips…bakers choice here!)

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.
Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl, set aside.
Lightly coat a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with butter, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixer OR by hand like me, cream the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and lumpy 🙂
Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing.
Mash and add the bananas.
With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the pan.
Lick the bowl.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in cling wrap. Devour.

COVID-19: How to Cancel or Reschedule Travel Plans

April 2, 2020 by lesleymurphy 2 Comments

I have to be honest. This is the least excited I’ve ever been to write a blog post. How to cancel or reschedule travel?! I’m sorry, I truly am, but this needs to be addressed. Obviously, if your trip was supposed to take place in March or April of 2020, more than likely it’s done for due to travel bans, flight cancellations and shelter in place orders. My heart goes out to all the brides out there as well. In the end, it’s about the love you have for your partner. I know, I know. It still doesn’t take away the pain of a postponed wedding.

As I write this, there are more than 1 million coronavirus cases around the world. So far, 51,485 people have died from the virus. It’s completely devastating and a shock to everyone’s system and life as we all knew it…including anything having to do with travel. This is a massive part of my business, especially as it relates to LimitLes, the retreat arm of The Road Les Traveled. After spending hours on the phone and on email rescheduling various trips, I’ve learned a thing or two about how the industry is operating in such a pandemic.

The good news? Numerous travel companies have considerably relaxed their change and cancellation policies at least through the end of April or May. The bad news? If it’s a full refund you’re hoping for (unless the supplier canceled your trip, and even then it’s not a guarantee), you’re not likely going to get one although it’s complicated. If you have travel plans further into the year, there’s no reason to cancel right now…especially knowing the travel industry is on its knees and needs our patience and funds to continue operating.

Note: For the latest information, pay attention to alerts from the World Health Organization and the embassy of the country where you intend to travel.

Do I need to cancel my trip abroad?

WHO travel advice continues to go against traveling to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks. The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential international travel. In countries where commercial travel options remain available, U.S. citizens should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite length of time. I know people trapped in Peru and Mexico due to the closing of borders. The question that remains is what to do about traveling in May, June, July and beyond? Many people are holding out hope that we’ll flatten the curve by then, but only time will tell.

Will my airline refund my ticket due to coronavirus?

Delta, American, JetBlue, United, and Alaska airlines have waived change fees for upcoming flights, no matter the destination. Southwest Airlines already allows travelers to change or cancel their reservations without penalty. For more information on rebooking upcoming travel, contact your airline directly.

Will Airbnb give me a refund?

It depends. The current message on Airbnb’s website states the following: Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and May 31, 2020, are covered by the policy and may be canceled before check-in. Guests who cancel will have a variety of cancellation and refund options, and hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status. Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit that includes, all service fees for covered cancellations.

For hotels, other vacations rentals and online agencies like booking.com, many are allowing travelers to cancel without penalty and receive a credit to use for future travels.

What should I do if I booked a cruise?

CDC recommends that travelers defer all cruise travel worldwide. Like the airline, hotel, tour and rental industries, the poor cruise industry is really feeling the effects. Many cruise lines have canceled all itineraries through May or even further out. Because of this, many lines are offering a choice of a full refund (cash back) or a credit for a future travel while offering great incentives like onboard spending money and bonuses. Crazy stories are coming out of this industry such as The Zaandam ship sailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 and originally supposed to end in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21st. They are currently disembarking in Florida after being turned away from port after port. A handful of other ships are trying to negotiate disembarkation as well.

Will travel insurance cover my cancellation costs?

The thing about travel insurance is that you need to secure it immediately after you book a trip. If you wait, you may miss out on a lot of benefits. Anyone concerned about upcoming trips should purchase a travel insurance plan that includes “cancel for any reason” coverage. Allianz Travel Insurance states the following on their site: We are currently accommodating claims for:

Under Emergency Medical Care Benefit: Emergency medical care for a customer who becomes ill with COVID-19 while on their trip.
Under Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption Benefits: Trip cancellation and trip interruption if a customer becomes ill with COVID-19 either before or during their trip.

Customers may change their plan’s effective dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip. We are offering refunds for the cost of your travel protection plan to customers who wish to cancel their travel protection plan if the customer’s travel supplier canceled the customer’s trip due to COVID-19. That’s just one example. Contact your plan for more info.

What if I didn’t get travel insurance?

Considering the global pandemic, contact your airline or hotel directly to see if they have policies for cancellations that are specifically accommodating travelers during the outbreak. Obviously, there is no one-size-fits-all policy in the travel industry. Everything is a mess, a mess we will soon leave behind as the world heals and we find a vaccine.

Tips

Credit card concierge is key right now. If you have a premium credit card, the concierge service should be able to let you know your options within a matter of minutes…or maybe hours considering their lines are probably swamped.

If the supplier cancels, you should be entitled to a full refund. Don’t accept the voucher.

Check all channels. If the phone wait time is astronomical, try twitter, Facebook or Instagram DM.

The U.S. government has delayed the Oct. 1, 2020, deadline for Real ID, one of the accepted forms of identification travelers will need to use in place of a regular driver’s license to get through airport security under the federal Real ID law. The new deadline is Oct. 1, 2021.

WHO has launched a dedicated messaging service in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Send “hi” to +41 79 893 18 92 on WhatsApp for English texts.

Criminals are disguising themselves as WHO to steal money or sensitive information. If you are contacted by a person or organization that appears to be from WHO, verify their authenticity before responding. The only donations WHO has issued is the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

If your travel has been affected by COVID-19, let us know your story here. Any tips? We’re all ears.

My 9 Favorite Props for Home Workout Equipment

March 30, 2020 by lesleymurphy 9 Comments

This goes for many little corners being transformed into a new home gym. Some of my favorite moments during this crazy time are spent in my home office/gym with the music blasting as I drop into my body and out of my head…if only for a moment to escape. Here are my current home workout faves.

Yoga mat

My 4mm of yoga mat cushion is like home to me. It’s been on many worldly adventures, it has crossed the globe, and it always comes right back to California ready to hold me when I need a good yoga practice, a meditation session or even a good cry. HOME, I tell you. If you don’t know what kind of mat you’re after, I wrote a guide to yoga mats here.

Yoga blocks

I was always that yogi who never wanted a block in class as if I was too advanced or something. HA. Ego, step down. Yoga blocks allow for correct alignment, for deepening your practice and for an all around more comfortable session. You can place them on one of three different height settings (pictured above is the middle height). A few different options present themselves here such as cork blocks or foam blocks – I choose foam 🙂

Yoga strap

Talk about deepening a stretch! Yoga straps are an extremely useful tool when it comes to flexibility. *SO* often I hear from people who want to get into yoga but can’t because they “aren’t flexible enough.” Excuse me for raising the volume but THIS IS WHAT THE PRACTICE WILL GIVE YOU. Say hello to flexibility. Straps are so versatile from stretching tight hamstrings after a long run, assisting in finding the length in a difficult yoga pose, and helping to keep your arms together in a handstand.

DumbBells

I’m always looking to increase my upper body strength and tone my arms. On a normal day, lifting bags into an overhead bin + the high to low push up during yoga is about all I get! I love these little 3 lb weights, and I’ve come to learn that you don’t need heavy dumbbells to tone, build and strengthen. Instead, the number of reps and pace are what matter. To each their own.

Resistance tube

Talk about versatility and easy ability to throw in a suitcase. This single resistance tube can work many parts of the body such as the biceps by standing on one end of the resistance band and pulling upwards, the triceps by securing the tube to the upper frame of a door, or even the back by performing delt raises.

Booty bands

These booty bands hurt so good. What I like about them (on most days lol) is that the resistance is constant, which forces me to use more muscle groups and helps to improve my coordination and balance while building strength. They also weight next to nothing, making for the perfect travel buddy.

Stability ball

I love this thing so much. So many exercises can be done with the exercise ball such as placing it between the legs for leg lifts, propping yourself on top for abdominal work, placing both feet on the ball in and out of full extension for full body workout, the list goes on. Even if you don’t want to exercise on it, try using it as an alternative office chair. It’ll work your core as you work from home. I have the 65 cm ball.

Jump rope

If you don’t want to leave the comfort of your own home for cardio, the jump rope is a perfect exercise that allows you to stay in one spot 🙂 It gets the heart rate going and the sweat dripping.

Muscle roller

If you’re into deep tissue massages, this one’s for you. I have the RumbleRoller which is a tool designed to mimic a thumb-like, deep tissue massage pressure. This effect helps to break up knotted muscle fibers, decrease muscle tension and diminish tightness. This roller is more aggressive than most conventional foam rollers and is able to get deeper in the muscle fascia to reach the toughest trigger points.

How To Edit Photos Using Lightroom

March 25, 2020 by lesleymurphy 13 Comments

Enter Lightroom.

I figured out that while the correct settings are important and while lighting is imperative in controlling the image, there’s this other incredibly useful tool to make my photos pop. Lightroom is the only editing tool I’ve ever used to showcase the crazy beautiful places I’m able to visit. It’s become fun to me…an art form if you will. No, truly – it makes for the best plane activity! Give me a glass of wine, headphones and a full SD card at 30,000 feet, and I’m happy. It’s so user friendly both on my laptop and mobile so I’ve never found it to be this scary, intimidating platform. My current subscription gets me Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC and Photoshop with 1Tb of storage for$19.99/month, completely worth it to me with all the editing I do.

Lightroom Classic vs. Lightroom CC (Creative Cloud)

Lightroom Classic is just that – the classical version of Lightroom that seasoned users are familiar with as it relates to desktop-based (file/folder) workflows. It’s the one we all know and love with local file storage. The sheer scope of what this version can do at the speed it can do it in is beyond impressive. Lightroom CC is the photography service designed to be a cloud-based ecosystem of apps that are deeply integrated and work together seamlessly across desktop, mobile, and web (cloud-based storage). I don’t use the CC version on too many occasions, but I’m happy to have it on my phone when I can’t get to a computer!

Inside the Camera

First, let’s go inside the camera – an important place to begin! Before working inside the actual editing platform, you have to first take the photos.

My advice:

Shoot in RAW – an image format that allows for the highest level of photo manipulation. They’re massive files which means you’ll probably want a bigger SD card to accommodate them. You can easily make the switch from JPEG to RAW inside your camera.
When in doubt, underexpose rather than overexpose – this allows the image to retain more detail and edit with a bigger range inside Lightroom.

My Equipment:

My first ever DSLR was a Nikon D3200. After a few years, I upgraded to the D7200. Now, I’m crushing on the Sony a7 III 🙂

Tips & Tricks

1. Import: From the File menu, I click on Import Photos and Videos and go to the tab that shows my external hard drive (where I’ve already transferred all photos from the camera SD card). I then begin the selection process and hit Import once done. Inside the Develop Module is where the real fun begins.

2. Lighting: First things first: I start with exposure, highlights, shadows and whites/blacks. If the image is underexposed, I typically increase the exposure slider, decrease the highlights, and brighten the shadows. The whites/blacks slider can be extremely useful as well in brightening and darkening an image. For example, sliding the blacks to the left can help an image that looks a bit washed out. And then there’s the Tone Curve, almost like a contrast slider on steroids. A few adjustments here can really pack a powerful punch to an image.

3. Color: I’m anything but black and white – I’m pretty much everything in between 🙂 I LOVE color as ever apparent in my Instagram feed. Vibrance and saturation are my friends (found under the Basic panel) but I also love shifting individual color saturation in the HSL panel. I’m careful to not make photos look too fake by blowing up all colors of the rainbow or making anyone look like they had a cameo in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (shout out Oompa Loompas). Without delving into the Color Theory, the Split Toning panel enables editors to completely change the feel and vibe of an image without necessarily affecting the skin tones and other specific features, yet another powerful tool.

4. Details/Texture: I love a good clarity slider. It makes everything look a bit more 3D. The contrast slider can punch up an image as well, and both of these tools located in the Basic Panel can impact the mid-tones of an image (but careful not to g overboard and make the overall look too harsh). You can sharpening your image, of course, by going into the Detail panel (careful not to oversharpen).

5. Temperature: Increasing the amount of orange introduces warmth to your image while increasing the amount of blue introduces coolness to your image.

6. Undo/Reset: Command Z is my BFF as it’s the ever popular ‘Undo’ button. You can also find it by going to Edit –> Undo. The Reset button on the bottom right corner will set your image back to its original settings.

7. Experiment! I truly love getting lost inside Lightroom because at the end of the day, the above information is different for every single person. This is my style – perhaps yours is completely different! Photography editing is an art form and to each their very own as they create 🙂

Presets

Presets are, in their most broken down form, adjustment recipes or a combination of slider settings that you can apply to one or multiple photos at a time. I tend to edit on an individual basis based on that certain photo’s needs, but presets can certainly help in a time crunch as well as in certain destinations for batch editing. They will most likely look different on every image taking into account the different lighting, colors, subjects and settings. Adjustments will most likely need to be made after the preset is applied. You can create your own or buy files from someone else and easily import them into Lightroom. Here’s my collection based off of various locations around the world and their colors, textures and lighting. Let me know if you’d like the option to purchase them!

The Road Les Traveled: me doing what I do best – taking the road Les traveled down a very, very colorful road..

Location: Fitz Roy, Argentine Patagonia

Here Comes The Sun: all about those sunny, daytime vibes

Location: Lake Tahoe, California

Tropical Getaway: features turquoise water and white sands a la the Maldives, the Bahamas, or whatever paradise I’m visiting

Location: Kuda Huraa, Maldives

Desert Dreams: beautifully dramatic preset showcasing desert sand bathed in sunlight

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Jungle Fever: moody, lush landscapes and greenery for days

Location: Bali, Indonesia

Sunrise Sunset: because obviously.

Location: Sumba Island, Indonesia

Adobe Customer Care

If you have questions, one of the best customer service lines I’ve ever known is with Adobe. They’ve been beyond patient with my incessant questions through the years and can help answer anything down to categorization inside the platform.

Happy editing, y’all!

How to Get Creative While Stuck at Home

March 22, 2020 by lesleymurphy 10 Comments

Coronavirus has us all up in our feels. Hellooo, emotional rollercoaster! It’s important to think on the bright side and realize that there’s plenty to do during this time in all of our lives. It’s not all napping and netflixing…

The following ideas are all very unsponsored.

For Creatives

Vision boards – I made a wedding vision board last week because I need major vision for my wedding. Go buy some magazines, a glue stick, maybe some stickers and get to creating!

Creative writing – Lots of platforms offer helpful creative writing tips including the links directly below. Poet @rupikaur went live with a creative writing class this weekend. I caught the tail end of it and was super inspired. What I’ll say and what I have said to various people over the last few days: PUT YOURSELF IN THE WAY OF CREATIVITY. Follow inspiring people. Be curious. Ask questions. Do the work.

Skillshare – All hail the educational videos. From online photography classes to techniques for interior design (NEED), Skillshare has thousands of videos to learn just about anything you want for free. Unlock even more with a paid subscription. Right now, anyone with a .edu or .k12 email gets two months free.

Brit + Co – Yassss more online classes! ALL Brit + Co classes are free until 3/31. From watercolor painting to wedding photography to investing 101, Brit + Co is helping those creative juices flow!

Adobe – Between Lightroom and Photoshop, I spend many minutes in a day on the Adobe platform. Right now, Students have free, personal in-home access to Adobe Creative Cloud in place of their schools’ in-classroom licenses through May 31, 2020. The web-based PDF services on Adobe.com is free through May 31, 2020. For Creative Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud team, they’re extending the renewal grace period to 60 days.

Duolingo – Learn a language for free on this app. Enough said. Listo!

For Woowoos

Astrology – I’m currently taking an Astrology course and obsessed is an understatement. It’s a mix of astrology and psychology (one of my majors), so I really love this approach. It has allowed me to understand myself better as well as my loved ones! We just wrapped Level 1 and are heading into Level 2 next week 🙂 I’d recommend Debra Silverman’s online Applied Astrology program. The next session begins in September.

Enneagram – “What’s your enneagram number?” I’m sure you’ve been asked this question in recent months, and if you haven’t, listen up. Sarajane Case, the face behind the Enneagram & Coffee Instagram account and podcast and author of The Honest Enneagram, just wrapped an online Enneagram summit (still available for purchase). Like astrology, it’s another tool I like to use to help me make sense of ME and my relationships.

For Self Help & Self Care

Enroll in Yale’s most popular class in its history for FREE – Y’all, I am *geeking* out. A lovely follower of mine recently sent me this news AND I CANNOT WAIT TO ENROLL. I’m a lover of psychology so I know I’ll adore this class. The Science of Well-Being is designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. SCORE.

Talkspace for online therapy – A session doesn’t always have to begin with laying on a chaise lounge like we so often imagine when it comes to seeing a therapist. Speaking to someone online is just as effective. All therapists here are licensed, verified, background checked and come at a significantly lower cost than traditional, in-person therapy. Couples therapy goes for $99/week, teens for $65/week, and you can get $100 off right now with code 1004U.

Reading – I wrote all about my favorite books recently with links to purchase.

Nails – Dare to do your own? My nails depend on it lol. YALL. I *still* have the gel manicure that I had before the proposal. To take you back, the proposal was February 4th. We are now getting into late March. WTF. Where is imPRESS press-on manicures when ya need them.

Baths – Don’t forget the bombs, bubbles, soaks, salts, candles, face masks and all the cute mats.

For Movers & the Shakers

Yoga with ME! – Every Monday through Friday I go live on IG for an hour yoga class mixed with meditation, weights, cardio or whatever the day brings.

Run your apartment stairwell – Yes, I really just suggested that. I saw a friend in Chicago doing it this morning because they closed his apartment gym. Desperate times call for desperate cardio.

Hike outside – We are technically on “lock down” here in California, but we’re still able to go outside and get into nature alone or at least 6 ft away from another human.

For Homebodies

Home projects – I need, like reeeeally need this time, to finish making this house into a home. The walls are a little bare and new bedding just arrived! It’s the little things 🙂 I’m currently looking for outside furniture to purchase online so that we can start getting more vitamin D.

Bake – Emulate Ina Garten, Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay. The only thing I know how to make is banana nut bread, but how cool would it be to set up your very own Chopped OR The Great British Bake Off?!

Netflix – And chill. So much to watch, so much time. If you haven’t seen Cheer or Love is Blind, do that first. Then go into whatever your heart desires. Right now I’m watching Tiger King…with my jaw on the ground.

Spring cleaning – It’s hard to get super psyched on this one, but there are times (few and far between) when I get into a cleaning grove with the music blasted, the swiffer goin’ and before I know it…it’s a mini workout AND the house is clean. Win-win. It’s also a great opportunity to clean out your closet and donate clothes to your nearest Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other locations once they open again.

Couch concerts – Sounds pretty epic, right? Open a bottle of red and watch John Legend sing directly into your phone LIVE from his house and piano. It’s like he’s serenading you, just you, looking directly into your eyes ever so lovingly…until Chrissy walks into frame.

Taxes – This is a downer. I’m sorry to even put it in here. GOOD NEWS is that tax deadline has officially moved to July 15th this year. Bad news is they’re still due soon-ish.

For Socialites

Zoom Party – I’ve already had 5 of these this week with friends all over the world. If you sign up for a free account, you can call anyone but note the 40 minute limit on calls with 3 or more people.

Netflix Party – PSA: If you want to still have movie night with friends, Chrome has an extension called Netflix Party that allows you to simultaneously steam with friends. It has a chat window & play/pause button for everyone in the group so you stay synced. It’s like Netflix knew Coronavirus was coming for us or something.

For Kids

Cosmic Kids Yoga – My nephews legit take part in this yoga! I’ve actually been thinking about trying to create a yoga class around kids for my Live IGs, but I’ll just leave it to the Cosmic Kids instead.

Easter Egg Hunt – Indoors = the new outdoors. Place post-it notes with either letters, numbers, spelling words, addition, division, or multiplication problems inside. After all eggs are gathered, quiz your kids on their post-it notes and give out candy based on their answers.

Hopscotch – DIY indoor hopscotch with painter’s tape. Put letters or numbers inside the boxes and quiz your child where they land. Everyone’s doing it. Or at least my big sis is 🙂

Virtual Tours – There’s a beluga whale webcam at the Georgia Aquarium, tours through certain parts of the USA’s first ever National Park at Yellowstone and even the Louvre in Paris, France.

If you have any other ideas, please write them in the comments below!

6 Tips on Working from Home

March 18, 2020 by lesleymurphy 3 Comments

Working from home. Everyone’s doing it. Well, not everyone. Shout out to all the healthcare workers, grocers and so many others out there on the front lines making sure humanity doesn’t disappear altogether. SO much love to y’all!

I travel for a living, but obviously all that’s off the table as airlines continue to thin out their schedules and tourism vendors continue to close their doors for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19. When I’m not traveling, I’m working from home. WFH. It’s been in my vocabulary and on my schedule for many years, six to be exact. When I quit my job in Argentina to start The Road Les Traveled as a full-time blogger, I logged hour after hour in my living room trying to build a business. Many of y’all are used to going into the office. You’re around co-workers, printers, set schedules, business attire and the like. Coming from someone who has literally worked from every surface of her home, I’m here to tell you it takes a lot of self-discipline! Here are a few things I’ve learned through the years…

Get into a new morning routine and stick with it. You already had one a week ago, but I imagine it looks very different now. Time for a refresher! I wake up around 7am every morning, I eat breakfast and catch myself up on the daily news (Pacific Standard Time always makes me feel behind on the day since we are three hours behind EST). I’m answering emails by 8am most mornings after putting on my WFH uniform consisting of yoga clothes. Again, I travel for a living so I don’t have pets and I don’t have a baby. Perhaps your routine looks a lot different depending on your responsibilities. Maybe you do well with morning workouts or a journaling session. Everyone is different.

Create a space for yourself. I can’t stress this enough. For me, supercharging my space gives me a jolt of creativity. If I sit down every day to a dull, messy corner, that’s not exactly going to get my juices flowing ya know? I’ve found that greenery, a dry erase board, colored pens, my crystals and candles – definitely candles – make for my type of space. For you, maybe it’s using a pilates ball over a traditional office chair or opening all the windows to bring the outdoors in. It doesn’t have to be a complete remodel by any means, but even a nice pop of color or fresh flowers will make for a brighter, creative mind.

Alone time is the best time. I love my fiancé, but the best thing we ever did was to separate our offices when we moved into a new place together. It’s amazing how just being in the same room offered so many distractions and thus, wasted time. I’d have a phone call or he’d be trouble shooting a drone for an upcoming shoot. I’d ask him his opinion on a photo which threw him off his train of thought. Having boundaries helps keep everything on track.

Make To-Do Lists. One of the most satisfying feelings in the world to me is marking off an item on a to-d0 list. AhHhHhhhHh. THE BEST. I don’t know where I’d be without my Notes app or better yet my Erin Condren personalized notebooks. They keep me in check and help me prioritize my daily tasks like nobody’s biznass.

Limit distractions as much as possible. It may be tempting to have the TV on in the background, even if it’s on mute. Yeah, no. You gotta cut that out because the next thing you know…BREAKING NEWS: CORONAVIRUS UPDATE pops up and boom. It’s all over from there. I think it’s a great idea to keep your phone out of reach as well since this always throws me off my work game. I’ll reach for it to look up something on my calendar and the next thing I know, I’m three months deep in someone’s Instagram photos.

Set a time to leave the house. There are some days when I don’t get around to this, and it’s no bueno. Getting out of your home (office) is important to feel like you created space. If I only walk from my desk to the couch to the shower and to my bed in a day, I feel claustrophobic. Taking time to carve out a run by the beach (a great lunch break) or have happy hour with friends (end-of-day treat) is imperative to a healthy WFH lifestyle.

The below schedule is one of a million different ways a WFH day could actually end up for me. I may have brand calls or sunset shoots, but this is a sample day in the life of me 🙂 Hopefully you find this helpful as we continue to navigate these crazy times together. How are you doing WFH? Let me know if you do things differently!

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