Hey lovelies! Welcome to part one of my "Staying Organized"/"Get Your Life Together, Girl" series. Today, I'm showing you how to tackle your workspace situation. I went to town today organizing my desk. For me, I find it hard to get work done in a cluttered and unorganized environment. I like things put away neatly, and in it's place (everything has a place). I don't like my workspace looking like my brain - a hot mess. If I want to get something done, I need my space to be organized and clean. Let's handle those workspace woes.
Alright so step one is to take everything off your desk. Yes, I mean everything. Make it look brand new, and wipe it down a bit (because when is the last time it was cleaned, hmm?). Finished? Okay, cool. Let's continue. 
Now we are going to see what actually belongs on your desk. Put your computer back up there, a desk calendar if you have one, and your pen holder. Stop right there. Grab your pen holder, and take out all of the unnecessary items like the pen without a cap, a pencil without led or an eraser, and the twenty extra highlighters you have in there. You should have at most two pencils, two pens, and one highlighter. The rest is all just clutter and not needed, so pop those in your desk drawer and out of the way. 
As you may notice, I have a little tray on my desk that houses things I use pretty much on the daily: my ring/paperclip tray, post-it notes, notepad, business card holder, flash drives, and a stapler. This is my catch all with things I use all of the time, and can reach quickly and easily. I would definitely suggest using one of these because it keeps small things all in one place, making your desk look instantly neater.
Now you should have at most four items on your desk (computer, calendar, pen holder, catch all tray), and it should be looking pretty neat. Now we're going to integrate some personality and design back into your space. I brought out a few of my favorite small decor items like my wooden ampersand, my Voss bottle with a fake flower, and two stone bookends. I didn't want a super boring desk because I know my creative juices will cease to flow if I only had the necessities up here. Just make sure  you are not brining more than three decor pieces into your space or else you are at risk for a messy desk once again. I brought out my dreams and schemes journals and centered them in between my bookends, and created a small creative space off to the upper right side of my desk. I drink between two and three cups of tea per day (I'm obsessed), so I put down a DIY silver coaster (which is actually just an Ikea candle lid ;) and placed my mug-of-the-day on top of it. 
Cool! Your desk is now organized and beautiful. A tip to keep it that way - don't store anything on your desk. If you needed to use a calculator for a math assignment make sure you put it away as soon as you have finished the assignment. If you were watching some Netflix while at your desk and ate a small bowl of popcorn, take the bowl off your desk. Trust me, if you let one thing slide, you are going to go back to hoarding unnecessary items on your desk again and that will defeat the purpose of all of the hard work you just put in organizing it. 
Here's to tackling your workspace woes! May your creative juices flow stronger than ever, and may your desk be clean and organized from this day forward. 
x Alicia
BLOGLOVIN' / YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM

After a long, grueling quarter, I decided to treat myself to a few goodies at Ulta. Admittedly, the quarter isn't quite over just yet (it officially ends on Friday for me) but it is never too early to reward yourself for hard work! I picked up a mud mask, top coat, bronzer, highlighter, setting spray, and some face wash. I needed a bronzer refill, so I went with my tried and true, NYX Matte Bronzerin the shade Deep Tan. I wanted to give myself a few hours of R&R, so I bought Freeman's Charcoal & Black Sugar Mud Mask to use while I gave myself a a nice and much needed pedicure (that I topped off with my new Seche Vite top coat). I have been meaning to buy a setting spray since I haven't owned one since the beginning of the summer, and snagged the mini size of Urban Decay's De-Slick Setting Spray. It's been doing its job so far! My Dermalogica facial cleanser will soon be seeing its last days, so I picked up one of my staples: the Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash. This stuff is amazing for sensitive skin, and leaves your skin feeling super clean. Finally, I splurged and bought the full-size version of Benefit's Watt's Up Highlighter - my absolute favorite one ever! After using my mom's mini version for the past two years, it was time I bought my own. I think this product gives such a beautiful natural glow, and is great for that "new" trend, strobing. I honestly don't get why using a crazy amount of highlighter needs a name, but if that's the case I've been "strobing" ever since I started highlighting. Believe you me, I will definitely do a product spotlight on this highlighter in the near future.

That's all for now,

x Alicia

BLOGLOVIN' / YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM