Trello is my new best friend

Since starting my new job in March, I've become a little addicted to Trello. I haven't had much time to blog this week as I've been ill, so I thought I'd quickly summarise why I love Trello and what I use it for. 

Trello is basically a haven for list lovers and super organised people (a.k.a. me). You can set up boards for various categories, and within those boards you can set up numerous lists and cards. Cards can then be dragged and dropped into different lists when tasks get finished or priorities change. You can do lots of colour coding and add attachments, and it's completely free! 

Trello has a great mobile app as well as a user-friendly desktop version, and I'm now obsessively using it in my personal life as well as in work. 

So, what exactly do I use Trello for and why is it my new best friend? 

Work 

I'm a member of at least ten work-related Trello boards. As a communications team, we use Trello to plan our events and content, allocate tasks, organise workload, keep track of progress and keep on top of deadlines. We also use Trello to work with different areas of the business on wider campaigns and projects. It has a useful 'calendar' feature which allows you to look at the upcoming week or month in its entirety, and I honestly don't know how I'd be able to do some parts of my job without it! 

Blogging

I use Trello to jot down ideas for blog posts whenever they pop into my head. I move cards to my 'blog content in progress' list once I start drafting a post, then they satisfyingly get moved to the 'published' list when they go live on a Friday at 5pm. Trello has a handy 'comment' section where I keep a rough summary of what I want to cover in each blog post, and it's so much neater than keeping a big long note on my phone as I used to do pre-Trello. 

Holidays 

We used Trello to organise our holiday to Florida in May, and we're now using it to plan our trip to New York next week. Neil and I both have access to our 'NYC 2018' board which means any updates we make will sync across all our devices. It's a great way of keeping track of the restaurants we want to visit and to make sure we've actually got enough days to do all the exciting activities we've got planned. 

Christmas 

I used to keep my Christmas shopping list in the back of my paper diary. Not any more! Trello has been a really fantastic tool for noting down who I need to buy for, quickly jotting down gift ideas, keeping track of what I've bought and how much I've spent, then moving cards to that hallowed 'people I've finished buying for' list once I'm happy with what I've bought for each person. 

Is anyone else obsessed with Trello? Let me know if you can think of anything else I could use it for! 

Things that make me happy I'm alive (52 Lists Project)

This is my second post in the 52 Lists Project series... here are some things that make me happy I'm alive!

1. The lovely people around me (family, Neil, friends etc).

2. Food. All food. 

3. All things Disney.

4. Bobby (my car). Sadly, I don't think Bobby himself will be alive for much longer. *Sad face*

5. Our new house. Blog post to follow on that very soon!

6. Pretty views

7. Holidays

8. Neil's dogs (Homer and Tara)

9. Nights in with pyjamas, hot chocolate and a Yankee candle

10. Christmas 

What ten things make you happy that you're alive?

Things that remind me of home (52 Lists Project)

I love lists. I have a little book of lists, a week-to-view planner, and eight different folders on my phone for different list categories. Do you get the idea? I cannot function without lists.

I'll leave you to imagine my excitement when I came across Emma's 52 lists project. This project is perfect for me, and I'm slightly gutted that I'm late to the party and have already missed a few lists. Still, better late than never!

So here are a few things that remind me of home...


1. Beautiful views
I'm from a small village in West Wales, and sometimes I really miss this breathtaking view from my parents' back garden...

2. Toffee ice cream

My mother always buys toffee ice cream whenever I go home for a visit, so toffee ice cream will always remind me of home.

3. Warmth

My parents' house is always warm and cosy. My flat might be cosy but it's definitely not warm!

4. Piano music 

I started having piano lessons when I was 6 and they continued until I left home at 18, so hearing beautiful piano music always reminds me of home and our trusty old piano.

5. My parents' voices

I have the most lovely parents in the world, and hearing their voices over the phone always gives me 'hiraeth' for home. 'Hiraeth' is a Welsh word which can't really be adequately translated into English... it loosely translates into 'longing' but has a much deeper meaning. 

6. Muller Corner yoghurts

I can't usually afford to buy these myself and have to stick to cheap yoghurts instead. My parents' fridge is always stocked full of Muller Corner yoghurts so I make the most of them when I go home!

7. Creaky attic ladders

My parents used to have the most creaky attic ladder in Wales. Although it has now been replaced by a lovely wooden staircase, ominously creaky ladders still remind me of home. 

8. Christmas 

Home is the first thing that pops into my head whenever I think of Christmas. This is hardly surprising when I've spent all 28 of my Christmasses at home with my parents and loved every single one of them. I'm getting married this year so the routine will change, but I will always cherish my memories of spending Christmas at home.

What reminds you of home? 

I love packing... no really, I do!

I love packing, mostly because it enables me to write lists and to be super organised. I've already blogged about my packing method so I won't go in to detail, but just thought I'd post a few photos from my packing fun ready for Florida! I always start packing two or three weeks before I go on holiday to make sure I've got everything sorted in time. I am a massive stress head so I could never leave it until the last minute. 

Here are a few photos from my meticulous packing process...

I have a lot of flowery clothes, apparently.

And a lot of flip flops and bags...

Minnie Mouse poncho and shower cap!

Most important items in my hand luggage... apart from passport and money. 

They're not exciting so I didn't photograph those!

Does anyone else love packing? I can't be the only one, surely?

What's in my bag?

I've read lots of 'What's in my bag?' posts lately and thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. First of all, one thing you need to realise is that I love bags, so I always use a different one depending on what I'm wearing, how much I need to carry, or which mood I'm in. This means I have some essential items which I transfer from bag to bag on a regular basis. The contents of my bag aren't particularly girly if I'm honest, the items are more geared towards organisation than beauty. This won't surprise you too much, as I LOVE ORGANISATION. 

My essentials

Purse: I never leave the house without my purse, whether it's got money in it or not (it usually hasn't). I bought this purse from a Guess outlet in Florida at a very reasonable price, and I absolutely adore it.

Phone: My phone is one of my favourite things in the world, ever. Whenever I forget it or the battery dies while I'm out, I genuinely feel as if part of me is missing. Got to love the digital age.

Keys: Obviously I never leave the house without these, or I wouldn't be able to get back in. I love my little pink Converse keying!

Diary: I'd be totally lost without my diary. I write all my work meetings, appointments, college sessions, social occasions, holidays, birthdays and addresses in it, and genuinely enjoy keeping it up to date.

Book of lists: Yes, I have a notebook specifically for lists which goes everywhere with me. This book contains my monthly budgets, to do lists, shopping lists, lists of what to pack when I go away, and any other lists you can think of.

iPod: My boyfriend bought me an iPod Nano for Christmas, and it's definitely a handbag essential. I can plug it in to the tape deck in my car while I'm driving (yes, my car is old enough to have a tape deck), I listen to it in the gym, and also when I go for walks. And it's pink!

Soap and Glory Hand Food: The best hand cream ever. No really, it is. It's essential for keeping my hands moisturised when I'm out and about, and it smells amazing too!

Mirror: I always carry my little pink mirror around just to make sure my hair hasn't done a wobbly and to make sure I haven't got food on my face. Usually, people won't actually tell you if your hair is messy or you've got food on your face, then you feel like an idiot when you see yourself in the mirror after talking to them for an hour.

Paracetamol: You just never know when you might get a headache.

Pens: An obvious essential... My diary and book of lists wouldn't be very useful without one of these. And it doesn't hurt to carry a few spares!


What's in your bag?