I think it is safe to say that I have been doing these favourites posts for a long time now and I have always used the game type of format however, I think it is about time that things are changed up a little bit. From this month on these favourites posts are going to the things that are helping me with the journey I am on. The journey I m on is definitely changing however, we will chat about that another day as I get my head sorted and get a routine set that is going to help me settle into this journey. The categories in the favourites are now going to be:

Fashion

Footwear

Fitness

Lifestyle

Book

Podcast

Overall highlight

Thing learnt

Most of these categories are certainly going to help with the journey I am on and I am looking forward to being able to reflect on what has helped on my journey and those things I have learnt along the way. So here we go here are my October favourites in the new style. 

Fashion

Layering weather 

At long last the weather has changed and we are at my favourite stage of the year. The stage where I can finally start layering up my outfits without having to worry about overheating. This is the perfect time of the year for a nice t-shirt with an open shirt or a hoodie and jacket which I love to wear. I certainly can't wait to start piecing even more outfits together as the weather continues to change.

Checked shirts

I feel like October is the month where most of my outfits start to include a checked shirt, I just can't help myself I absolutely love them and they are super comfortable. I have got a wardrobe filled with different coloured checked shirts in different styles and I just can't get enough of them. They work perfectly as the weather starts to change and the layering comes into action as they can be dressed up or down.

Footwear

Jordan's

Throughout October I made the aim of not wearing my Air Force daily and to be honest it worked quite well and I started to rotate the footwear I was wearing for a change. I seemed to end up opting for my Jordan's a fair few times and I have to say I forgot just how comfortable they were. I luckily purchased them in some nice simple colourways too so I am finding they are going with a lot of different items in my wardrobe.

Chunky boots

As part of not wearing my Air Force everyday I have also venture away from sneakers and have actually worn some boots throughout October. My favourites have for sure been these bargain boots from Primark. These boots cost me under £10 and are totally different to anything else I would usually wear and I think that is why I love them so much. The colour works really well and the style is really nice, I can't wait to get wearing these even more.  

Fitness 

Learning what needs to change

The big thing for me throughout October has been reflection. I have been reflecting on my journey so far and how wrong 2023 has actually gone. This has given me the chance to sit down and look at what needs to change and where things can be different to really help me get back on track and progress towards my goals which have taken a bit of a beating and are totally off track.

Crisp morning walks as exercise

I will be honest exercise hasn't been the top of my list throughout October and I know it should have been. My favourite thing to do though has been doing a longer dog walk up to work on a morning. The nice crisp air has been great to get the morning started and the steps are really starting to add up. Even walking in the rain hasn't been bothering me.

Lifestyle 

WSL being back

October saw the return of the WSL and I am so glad it is back. It has meant plenty of trips to Manchester as we have our United season tickets once more. It has also meant plenty of weekends glued to the TV to watch as many games as I can. It is certainly a more competitive league this time around and month 1 has been great so let's see what the rest of the season has in store. 

Pumpkin picking with the dog

We started a new little tradition at the end of October, me & Liam took Odin pumpkin picking granted we were only there for a few hours however, it was a lot of fun and nice for the 3 of us to be out spending time together for a change without having to rush around. We will definitely be doing this yearly now.

Book

Alex Scott How not to be strong

It has been a while since I have sat and read a book but I am absolutely loving reading this one. Alex Scott has always been one of my favourite footballers so it has been nice to read about her life both on and off the pitch, it is certainly an eye opener. I am not sure what the last book that gripped me like this but it has certainly been nice to get back into reading with a book I haven't wanted to put down.

Podcast

What's Good Games

This has been one of my favourite podcasts for years now and throughout October I have really enjoyed just having it on during walks or in the background whilst I have been at home. This month has been particularly good as there has been Spider-Man content so I can have spoiler free updates on a game I am so tempted to buy. This is definitely one of my go to podcasts and my most listened to.

Overall highlight of the month

Shrek the Musical

We seem to have had tickets to Shrek the Musical forever and finally in October we got to go see it. This was my nephew first trip to a proper musical which made it that bit more special but after seeing Shrek before I knew it was going to be an afternoon I would love. The show definitely didn't disappoint and I can easily say that it is up there as one of my top musicals to go watch.

Thing learnt

Sometime you have to put other things off to catch up on what aligns with your goals

I have tried to do everything for far too long and it is starting to all get on top of me. Which led to me sitting down to evaluate areas where changes could be made and I soon came to the realization that sometimes other things can be forgotten about to make sure you are prioritizing working on your goals. From now on this is going to be my way forward and I can't wait to see how it plays out.

So there you go those are my October favourites, I am really looking forward to this new style of favourites post and let's see how things change as my journey progresses, I am sure there will be plenty of new discoveries to be made.

Here we go again I am slowly getting closer and closer to that burnout stage once more. I am starting to feel a little bit drained however, I am determined not to actually hit that burn out stage, I am going to catch it before it gets any worse. To make sure I catch it I have been taking time to reflect on what is pushing me in this direction and how I can get away from feeling like this. Funnily enough it is around this time last year when I also started to feel like this and unfortunately it ended up with me spending a night in hospital in December due to getting really bad tonsillitis which I am putting down to happening due to not listening to my body when it was running on empty. 

The back end of the year is always really busy for me as the year is coming to an end we have plenty of seasonal events coming up which take away most quiet evenings, we also have lots of football with both the women's and men's leagues in full swing add in the full time job and the 3 websites free time is more or less none existent.  After a bit of reflection time I have come to the conclusion that this year to help me avoid burnout if something doesn't align with my goals and where my priorities lie it can be put on the back burner, I don't need to attend everything, I don't need every night out and I don't need to do something that is pretty pointless when it could easily be an evening working towards my goal instead. 

My sleep isn't the best either currently as I am staying awake far too late working on content or I am laid in bed with my brain constantly switched on thinking of new ideas, why can you have a lack of ideas during the day but as soon as you try sleep they come flooding in?

The main way I am trying to fight against burn out this time around is by managing my time a whole lot better as I know that by doing this I will feel more relaxed and refreshed as plans are in place and I cope so much better with a routine. So here is how I plan to manage my time better...

Set nights for working on content

This is the biggest time saver as it means I can use 3 evenings to sit down and power through content for each site on 1 specific day of the week. So say Thursday evenings could be for this site and on 2 others nights we can work on gaming content and football content. This means my focus isn't constantly shifting and I can really focus on the tasks at hand. I can then use a few hours on a Sunday just to tie up any loose ends before starting the new week. I can even use those few hours on each Sunday to write out a plan for the week ahead, such as what posts I plan to work on each of the specific days.

Have a set bedtime & no social media before bed

This is going to change so much as if I have a bedtime in place I am going to say no to things that push me past that plus it means a set time for switching off on an evening, meaning laptop and phone away. There will be no more nights of endlessly scrolling through social media instead as it approaches bedtime I will be getting tucked in with my book and reading until it is time to get to sleep. This is definitely going to help me relax a whole lot more and I am determined to do this every night however, the only exception for not doing this is when Bradford City or Man Utd Women have late night games. 

Set aside 1 hour a day for workouts

I felt so much better when I was working out regularly so the plan is now to get back into having an hours workout daily. This means an hour away from the screen just moving more than I have been. This could be strength based, cardio based or even simply an hours walk with the dog and a podcast. Mentally this will do me the world of good and will help on my weight loss journey too.

Alongside all this I am also planning on having a lot less trips out just for the sake of. Like those shopping trips which take a huge chunk of time out of the day and cost you a fortune on items you don't actually need. By cutting back on these trips I can have more time to get things that align with my goals done and I can also save the money I am wanting to save rather than buying for the sake of it which I am still in the habit of doing for some reason. The questions I am going to ask myself are is this going to cost more than it should? Will it end up with a late night? Will it mean I fall behind on creating the content I am trying to work on?

Once each day is done before I get settled with my book I am going to sit and reflect on my day and document the good things, bad things and what I feel like I could have got done but didn't and why. This is just going to be nice to sit and reflect on if things get too much, I can see that one bad day can also lead to plenty of good ones after. Alongside all these things I will be adding my vitamins back into my routine, again when I was taking these daily I was doing really well so it is time that I got going with them again. I will also be adding 2 litres of water minimum a day back into my routine too as plenty of hydration means a happier, healthier and more productive version of me.

These are just a few ways that I will be adapting to avoid any future burnout and I am really determined to stick to all these things to have a very positive end to the year. Who knows it may also  mean the year ends with some personal growth and some website growth too but I guess we shall soon see.

Plans are already being put into place for 2024 which is going to be a year heavily focused on self growth so why not get a bit of a head start on this? Let's see how the remainder of the year goes.

I am in my final year of my 20's and I have decided that I want to mark the occassion of turning 30 by treating myself to a few presents that are more on the luxury side of things. I am going to be using the whole of year 29 to save up for these items and fingers crossed I can get them all if not just a few of them due to the costs. Nearly all the items on this list are items I have wanted for years too but I have put off saving for them this time though as they are gifts I will be making sure I use the year to build up the savings to treat myself at long last. As I say a lot of these items have been on my radar for a long time so I know I wont be getting them for the sake of it and I will be getting items I genuinely really want. It would be great if I was able to get these and also incorporate some of my goal shop into it too but I am not sure if I will be close to that stage or not by the time my 30th rolls around, fingers crossed we are though. So here are those presents I would love to purchase for myself for my 30th birthday...

Jordan 4 UNC's

These sneakers have been on my wish list for far too long now but I haven't been able to justify buying them as they are currently sitting at around £500 to purchase. I am determined that I am going to have these by the time I am 30 though as they really are the dream sneakers for me. This is definitely going to take a lot of saving up and no doubt the price will increase in the next 12 months but I am 100% that my dream sneakers will be owned for my 30th birthday.

A nice watch

Liam actually got me a really nice smarter looking watch for my birthday this year and I love it but one thing I wanted to do is build up a watch collection as they are something I have loved for a while. I would love to be able to put to one side some money each month so that by the time my 30th rolls around I can treat myself to a nice new watch to add to the collection. I really do need to get out of the habit of wearing my Apple watch daily too as there are a fair few watches I have my eye on.

A nice fragrance

I absolutely love a good fragrance and my collection of those is slowly rowing too however, some of the bottles I have my eye on have quite the price tag to go with them. I will be using my 30th birthday to really treat myself to a fragrance that could become a bit of a signature scent for me even if it would usually be way above the price I would usually pay. So far Creed Aventus or a bottle from Penhaligons which again is way above my usual price point.

Ralph Lauren Bear Sweatshirt

The Ralph Lauren bear sweatshirt is another item I have wanted for a long time but again I couldn't justify getting one so why not wait and pick it up for my 30th. Who knows by then there may be a new design I prefer or it may have come down in price but by waiting and picking this up as a 30th gift to myself I might actually be able to get it close to my goal size as fingers crossed in 12 months time I will be closer to my target weight, granted I am around 5 stone off this but who knows what will happen in 12 month time.

New football boots

Now granted I probably don't need these but they would definitely be a very nice 30th birthday treat especially as I am planning on playing again next season. My current boots are the elite model soI was definitely spoilt when my parents got me them and to be honest with how they are I don't think I would want others below the elite category so I will definitely have to start saving for these if I want them alongside other items on this list as they will certainly not be cheap.

Gymshark set

This one is by far the cheapest on the list so it is the one I am most likely to get myself I guess. It has been a long time since I last purchased something from Gymshark so it is definitely time to change that. I am thinking of maybe picking up a t-shirt, hoodie, pair of shorts and a pair of sweat pants, this would be a complete set that is suitable for all weathers and all types of training. No doubt it will take me 12 months to narrow down which items I actually want.

So there you go those are the items I am hoping to pick up for my 30th birthday, I have 12 months to save up for these items and those 12 months are definitely needed to get as much money put together as possible to purchase the items on this list. Let's hope by the time I am 30 I will have at least half of these items will be brought into my home.

October is here, one of my favourite months as it is when the weather gets colder, the dark Tuesday nights at football take place and the nights after work just become a lot cozier. October is going to be a very busy month with the football and lots of different events taking place however, I am determined to smash the month and complete more than half the goals I set for myself. The goals I have set are definitely a bit more realistic this time around to make the month a bit less hectic and here is what I am hoping to get out of the month...

Fashion

Get the wardrobe decluttered

How many times have we had this goal on the list? Well I am determined that October is the last time it will appear in 2023. Once the wash baskets are empty there is going to be nowhere for the clean clothes to go so I desperately need to make time to get this done. The aim is definitely the clothes section and if possible the storage section above too as that is well and truly out of control.

Only buy the items I really need to replace

Over the past few months I have slipped back into old habits and have started buying things for the sake of it so October's rule is I am only allowed to buy an item of clothing if the old item definitely needs replacing. There is an exception to this which you will see next but I am hoping this stops me wasting money on clothing and helps me keep the wardrobe under control for once and for all.

Buy a few plain hoodies

This is a bit contradictory to the previous goal however, I really want to pick up a plain black hoodie and a plain grey hoodie for my wardrobe. As it stands I only have printed hoodies which don't really align with the looks I am opting for these days so something plain would be a welcomed addition and help me create some great autumn looks that are layered.

Buy a new piece of jewellery

I wanted to add a lot of jewellery to my little collection this year but then one thing led to another and I haven't added anything. I am hoping that in October I can at least treat myself to a bracelet or maybe another nice necklace. No doubt these will come from River Island as that seems to be my go to for jewellery.

No wearing the same footwear 2 days running

This is a goal I have set myself in the hopes of getting into the habit of mixing up my footwear rather than wearing the same beat up Air Force day in day out. I have some many great pieces of footwear but I just tend to stick to the beaters 90% of the time but that is about to change and I am going to get the wear out of other pairs I own.

Life

10 no spend days

I tried this one last month and didn't quite manage it so I have decided it is going to be a goal once more and it is going to be a big focus for the month. I really don't need to be spending money everyday like I have been doing especially if I am trying to save for jobs doing. 10 days are definitely achievable and would be a good start to build up the savings and create a good money habit.

Launch my project and make 3 sales

I really wanted to have this little project up and running in September but time ran away and the launch never happened. I am determined that October is going to be the month things take shape and I launch the project. The aim is to have 3 sales from the project before the end of October too so fingers crossed that happens.

Create a skincare routine

This is another goal that has rolled over from September and is one I know is important especially as the cold weather approaches. My skin is terrible all year round however, it tends to get worse in the colder months so I am hoping in October I can create a skincare routine I can stick to all month and beyond in the hopes that I can keep my skin in better condition and much less damaged from the cold weather. I have all the products it is just a case of using them.

Get the bedroom decluttered

The bedroom is an absolute state at the moment and it is about time that changed. There are items just dotted around everywhere, things that can be binned and things that need a home, I am determined that in October I am going to have maybe half a day just totally gutting the bedroom and only putting back in items that are needed. There is no need for the bedroom to be like it is so it is time it got sorted once and for all.

Get the dining room decluttered

The bedroom is a dumping ground as I just mentioned but the dining room is worse. You can't even see the dining table due to the gathering of coats, bags and junk so its is time that got sorted plus the bookcases are full of junk so I really need to go through and sort out those too. This room is one you sit looking into from the living room and I absolutely hate how it looks and am sick of it stressing me out so this is going to change in October.

Fitness

Boxing 3 times

I have looked at my calendar and have decided realistically I could make it to 3 boxing sessions during October so that is why the goal is 3 times. There is no reason for me not to be making these sessions and I really need to start going back as it helps me so much on my physical journey and also my mental journey. It is amazing how much of a benefit just one hour a week can be.

Lose 5lb's

Last month I finished the month having lost 4lbs which was my goal for the month so I am going to push myself that little bit further now and aim to lose 5lbs across the course of October, I will have 4 weigh ins to achieve this and I know it is more than achievable if I don't fill my body with junk and stick to a plan.

Football training every Monday

There really is no need for me not to be at training sessions unless I am unwell. I know that these sessions help me with my fitness journey and also help me develop on the pitch so I need to be hitting as many as I can to make sure I am developing as much as possible. Plus training increases my chances of being picked for the league games and I am determined to play in more than I did last season.

Get the football box sorted

Once this box is sorted out life is going to be made much easier. The football box is where game day essentials and training essentials are going to be kept so kit, clothing, shin pads and medical bits, once everything is in this box it means on a game day I can go over and know everything is in there ready to be packed into my bag. I am so sick of losing a shin pad so getting this done is high on the priority list.

Limit to ordering 3 takeaways a month maximum

We have fallen into the lazy mode again of not cooking for ourselves and ordering in most nights which certainly is no good for our health and our bank accounts. I am hoping that we can limit to a maximum of 3 takeaways over the course of October as this will help us save some more money and also help me work toward the goal of losing 5lbs over the course of the month.

Content

Post on Instagram 20 times 

This is per account and I am hopeful that I am going to be able to do this across at least 3 of the 5 accounts as I set out to challenge myself. I really am hit and miss with posting but I know that I have the potential to really grow the accounts to how I want them to be. 20 times over the course of October should really help get me into the habit of posting a lot more often over the course of the year.

Post twice a week on gaming Facebook

I used to use my gaming Facebook a lot, posting memes etc, and I used to get so much engagement from it but since neglecting the gaming blog I have also neglected the Facebook which I am mad at myself for. I am determined to use October to get back into the routine of posting on Facebook a lot more often and hopeful also posting on the blog a lot more often too.

Post daily on the TNG Media Instagram

I know I said earlier my goal was to post 20 times on Instagram however, I have a slightly different goal for the media account as I want this to be the main focus as I want to push myself with this and push myself out of my comfort zone to create different content and grow my account and the ideas I have had.

Start using iMovie to edit or another editing platform

At the moment I don't tend to use any proper editing platform I usually throw clips together in app or in CapCut however, I want to change this so I become more confident in editing whilst also gaining experience in other editing programmes which will certainly become handy in the future. it is about time I started learning new skills and this is the perfect starting point.

Update the Macbook

Do you know those boring tasks that you just put off over and over again? Well this is one of them. I have put off updating the Macbook for so long now but it is getting to the stage where I really need to go ahead and click that update button. Updating it will definitely help out as I will no doubt gain new features and it will speed up once more but it is just a case of how long is the update going to take that puts me off.

So there you go I am really hoping that I have a good month and see a lot of these goals get ticked off even if life does get busy this is going to be where my priorities lie as it is about time I got my life together. Now let's pick one of the easier goals to start with hand set the ball rolling for a good month.

Well somehow that is September over and done with already, yet another month that has absolutely flown by in the blink of an eye. It has been a fun month though with the return of my football season, my birthday and plenty of other little bits happening however, it is also the calm before the storm really as it was a much more relaxed month than what I am expecting October to be, the new month is going to be chaos so I am pretty grateful for September being a bit calmer. Back at the start of September I set myself some goals and here is how they went...

 Fashion 

No buying new clothes

Well I guess I failed this one as I picked up a few new pieces however, I did manage to stick to only buying the items I had my eye on for a while rather than buying clothing for the sake of it like I used to. I have had a fair few shopping trips where I could have given into temptation with this one but I managed to reign myself in for a change which I am pretty proud of.

Buy new trainers to replace my Air Force

This one is kind of done but kind of not I guess. I did buy a new pair of sneakers but they aren't the all white pair I wanted to replace the Air Force with so I guess I am still on the look out for a replacement for those. It is just so hard at the moment to find a white pair that is going to go with the style I am aiming for without breaking the bank.

Declutter the wardrobe 

Oh look yet another month where this goal hasn't been ticked off. I just haven't had the chance to get around to doing this yet but I have started doing little bits as I put the washing away which I guess is better than nothing at all. There is still a long way to go until this is done though but I know it really needs sorting as I am sick of not being able to find items or items not fitting me properly.

Plan weekly outfits and stick to them

I had high hopes of doing this one and making it so much easier to get ready on a morning but the lack of time on a Sunday and the lack of time to get through the washing has meant that organising outfits hasn't been as straight forward as I hoped and I am still just throwing on any random combination. I am determined to get through all the washing ASAP though so fingers crossed I can start on this soon.

Plan my Autumn wardrobe

Oh look something I can actually say I have done in September. I have made a list of things I need to add to make my perfect autumn wardrobe and I am slowly but surely adding those pieces into my home. It is nice knowing I am only bringing in the items I am going to wear for a change.

Life

Save half of any birthday money I receive

I am proud of this one as I haven't spent a single penny from my birthday money. I have put the full £100 I received into my goal shop envelope so that when I finally hit my goal weight I can go out on a big shopping trip. I knew I didn't desperately need anything with this money so it is nice to know it is going towards items I am working hard towards.

Make 5 sales from my new project

Unfortunately things didn't go to plan with this one and I actually never got the project started. I am determined that October is going to be launch month though so let's see how things go with that this time around. I also need to pick up some envelopes and other packing bits before I can really get started.

Stick to a skincare routine

I had high hopes of doing this one but unfortunately things didn't go to plan and I never really stuck to looking after my skin and you can tell. Now the colder weather is rolling in I think it is really time I knuckled down on this one as my skin definitely needs some TLC.

Complete two jobs off my home to do list

Time just wasn't on my side with this one and neither was the weather so unfortunately I didn't get around to any of those jobs I really wanted to get done. The house is really starting to get me down now though so I am really hoping I can get on top of everything soon and start putting money to one side to get those big jobs complete once and for all.

10 no spend days

Oh look another goal that didn't happen. I spend a lot more than expected in September as I fell back into the habit of buying items for the sake of it. I am 100% determined to reign it in over October though as if I want those jobs around the house doing I need to get those savings increased so the wasteful spending needs to stop.

Fitness

Go boxing 4 times

I only managed to go to boxing once during September but in all honesty it is much better than I expected as I didn't think I was going to get there at all for various reasons. I did enjoy the session I went to so I really need to get back into the habit of going more often again.

Football training every Monday

I believe there was just the one session I missed in September and I only missed that because Liam's car was in the garage. I am enjoying being back kicking the ball around though and fingers crossed I can keep up with attending the session and see that fitness level increase due to it.

Lose 4lbs

On the final weigh in of the month I was exactly 4lbs down so I am happy to be able to report that I have finally managed to lose my goal weight for the month after a difficult few months of trying to shift the weight. I am really hoping that this is just the start of seeing the scales decrease again at long last.

Sort workout clothes

I will get around to finally sorting through all my workout clothes at some point but as for September it didn't happen. Time just seriously ran away from me in the month and I never got around to sorting out the workout clothes so fingers crossed I can finally get around to clearing the clothes out before the end of the year.

Sort out the football box

Again time got away from me with this one and my football box is half done. I need to restock it with my training wear and some new energy gels as I think my others are past their used by date. Once I get this set up it is going to make game day and training days so much easier.

Content

Post across all Instagram accounts 20 times

This one was a massive fail and I am a bit frustrated with that as I know I could have done so much better with it. I just kept forgetting to schedule posts or create the content in the first place however, I have a plan in place for a much better October in terms of posting.

Post more frequently on Facebook accounts

Again I didn't manage to get this one done however, I am much more organised to try increase the amount I use my websites Facebook pages in October. I know that with some things I am working on Facebook could be very beneficial to increase my profile so it is about time I got using it more often.

Sort the tech bag out

I am quite proud of myself as I actually managed to get this one done. I now have a home for all my little pieces of tech so fingers crossed it means no more missing wires or memory cards. Having this tech bag nice and tidy is making creating content much easier as for once I know where everything is.

Make 3 new template designs

Oh look two goals in row that I managed to complete and let's just say I shocked myself with this one but the motivation was there one day and I have flown through designing different templates for my various social media accounts. I have everything there ready to go now and don't need to crate anymore for a while.

Resign TNG Media

3 in a row now this must be a record. I have fully redesigned the TNG Media logo and even made plans for a website design when the time is right too. I am glad I managed to do this as I felt stuck with the brand and wanted to reignite my love for it before taking things to the next level which is the plan for October and beyond. I am in love with how the redesign looks.

So there you have it that is how September went goals wise. Check back tomorrow to see what Octobers goals are going to be, let's just say it will be a busy but productive month if all goes to plan.