How to: Find Time

I can take a decent guess that every one of my readers has felt at some point in their lives, whether it be constantly or now and again, like time puts on its flashy nikes and sprints away whilst we rush around in our less flashy black work shoes drowning in pieces of paper and clothes to iron. Well maybe not so literally but hopefully you get my point! 

I know I'm only 16 and I can't possibly be stressed as I do nothing compared to adults (like ironing or cooking and all that jazz) but in the last 3 months I have felt myself begin to drown and feel the strain of what I do. I don't want to seem like I'm complaining and bore you dear readers (although I undoubtedly have!) and I realise all the things I do, I have chosen to do and wouldn't undo them for the world (well it would be nice if school disappeared but let's be realistic here). I get asked frequently by my teachers, friends and family how I find time to fit everything in and so I decided why not share it with everyone and hopefully I'll be able to help some of you guys out! 

1. Write lists - there are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those who write list and those who don't. I am a full blown self confessed listoholic so it comes naturally to me, whereas for many of you it may seem pointless or a challenge and waste of your limited time. Trust me! It's scientifically proven (getting techy now!) writing lists helps you to organise your thoughts and be more efficient. Write out what you need to get done and even when it needs to get done, if you're feeling especially listy!
2. Make time- this may seem a stupid and self explanatory pointer and yeah it is. Often I find myself going 'no can't do that' - automatically assuming I don't have time. If you have work to get done, sort out a time to do it and that will consequently free up time later on and so on. Your schedule in places should be like an appointment list; have times and slots for things and do reading and talking to friends around them.
3. Use the time you have wisely- similarly to my last point... If you have some free time I know it's tempting to go mess about with some friends or go and see your boyfriend (ha ha *clicks back on tab featuring cats for sale nearby*) but if you use that 30 minutes to do your homework or cross something off your to do list you will not only feel ten times better but you will have time later freed up.
4. Cut back- *le gasp* yes I know half of you is going: 'how? what? Impossible? NO!' And the other half is sighing defeatedly and going: 'dammit you're right'. Sometimes the best way to tidy up a schedule is to just do less. Understandably this isn't always a viable option but sometimes we do extra things that maybe we should stop. Sometimes it's hard to give something up, especially if you particularly love it or feel committed to the cause, but frankly if it's something you could do without then un-commit yourself and put you and your sanity first. Once you've stopped that extra little activity you often feel amazing and it can free up loads of time. 
5. Getting a balance- having told you to give things up I'm now going to slightly contradict myself and say don't... Sorry! Well not literally but don't give up everything you love and enjoy for the sake of your work. You need to find a balance between doing the things you truly love and doing work. If you truly love many things then you have to prioritise, for example if you love mozerella pizza and peparami but you have to give one away *sob* then you keep the one you love most...hard choice in some cases but it'll make you appreciate the topping you choose all the more. 
6. Don't wave goodbye to your life- just because you're changing your lifestyle and focusing on things that you maybe don't want to as much, you don't have to be miserable and give up on having a good life! There will be a time when you're less busy and there's always a time for fun and relaxation, as long as you positively look at life then you'll get through the hard times.  

....So there you have it, my slightly contradictory and long winded way of finding time! Tadah! Of course time travel itself would speed up this whole process but sometimes life throws us lemons and not Tardises! I hope on some small way this helped someone out on the World Wide Web, maybe even you dear reader?

Happy Reading,

Hebe x

Book Review | Monster Squad: The Iron Golem

Title: The Iron Golem

Author: Christian page

Genre: sci-fi, children

Pages: 280

Series: Monster Squad

Publisher: New Generation publishing

Rating: 3.5 stars

Dark forces are converging on the sleepy town of Autumn’s Hallow. Monsters in the woods, mad scientists on the loose and sinister minions lurk. Four young friends must band together to uncover a secret plot that threatens them, the town they live in and the people they love. It’s up to Blaine Davis, Daschle Gaunt, Shelley Merry and Drake Harker, heirs to fantastic powers to stop an evil that threatens to consume the world. Can the Monster Squad thwart the evil Victor von Frankenstein in time? Find out in Book 1 of an exciting new series!

Honestly, upon first appearances the cover of this book isn't particularly enticing, well, not for a teenage girl anyhow... But I was not to be perturbed! 

And I'm glad as heck I wasn't!

At first I found it quite hard to get into as although there was action, it just didn't seem like my kind of book. However, once I got deeper into the story, it seemed to pick up pace and I found I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

I began to really like the characters, they were all different but each had admirable qualities, which I think is vital when writing a book addressed to a younger age group. Every character added to the plot in their own way, some more than others and this gave it a good balance between roles. I thought even the 'baddies' were reminiscent of melodrama, but this made it accessible to young readers and also made them seem somehow even more evil through a little cheesiness.

I thought the plot was fantastic and was my favourite aspect of the book. The plot jumps between 2 different time periods but not in a confusing way at all. They are always separated by a chapter so you know where you are and there is no confusion. The links made between the times was subtle yet poignant enough for the reader to pick up on. It started with a bang, which I think younger readers would find compelling (admittedly I didn't particularly) and accelerated, especially in the final half.

One thing that I would fault the book on would be the writing. I thought the style of writing was sound and suited for its audience: it was easy to read but not so easy that children would be bored, however, the constant spelling of 'through' as 'thru' threw me somewhat. (Reading back I can see the confusion that sentence may have caused but hopefully you understood me.) I have never seen or heard of 'thru' replacing 'through' in every context and so either a mistake was made or I'm lacking in education in this area of grammar, however it did make me wonder...

I think overall it was the perfect read for around 9-12 year olds (especially boys) but not so perfect for myself. But if you love action and a bit of sci-fi.... This is next on your tbr list!!

Happy Reading,

Hebe X