BETTERNOTSTOP BLOG
Cover all aspects of making the world a better place with a focus on work, travel, sustainability and wellbeing.
How to do a Zero Waste Shop wherever you are! Part One
For most of us, food packaging and waste are most of our weekly rubbish amount. Since deciding to focus on a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle, reducing my food packaging and waste has been a huge part of going Zero-waste. This article is to show you how easy it is to reduce your waste even if you don't have a zero-waste store or shop near you. The idea behind the zero waste movement...
Benefits of LinkedIn for Business : We ask an Expert
What are the benefits of LinkedIn for business? While it seems every few months a new social media site seems to take the attention of the masses, LinkedIn has been a long term lurker. In fact, in Q2 of 2020, LinkedIn grew it's revenue by 24% and with 675 Million monthly users its the perfect place to build an audience for your business or gain connections to grow your career. In this article,...
Going back to work after lockdown : What you need to know
Going back to work after lockdown in the UK is going to be the new reality for many people on 4th July. In the UK at least 600,000 people have been taken off HMRC payroll, with thousands more expected to be made redundant when the full support furlough scheme ends in the next few weeks. Many people are also worried about losing their job, how their business will survive with the new restrictions...
2020: Reviewing my mid year goals
Halfway through the year is the perfect time to review yearly goals. As I run an accountability group, I’ve already been working on my own goals since the beginning of 2020. My main focus since Covid-19 hit has been ensuring my group were supported fully in their goals. I decided to take my own advice and reset my goals for 2020. So they sit more in line with the way things have changed since...
Habits to help you through Lockdown
We are still dealing with a whole lot of uncertainty in the future about how we work, socialise, travel and live. So I want to write this week about focusing on the positive things that we can control within our own choices, thoughts and actions. Creating habits to help you through lockdown. The last few months of lockdown in the UK have been hard for everyone. I've been very lucky that I have...
Why you should stop using Amazon and shop elsewhere.
I'm based in the UK, and we have been stuck in lockdown for nearly two months. Without warning or choice, businesses have had to pivot to online or simply shut their doors until they are allowed or able to open again. Online shopping is big business and it's here to stay. But where do YOU buy things online? I'm going to explain to you why you should stop using Amazon and find alternative...
10 Podcasts to Improve your Day
Journalists, celebrities, academics, business owners and basically anyone with a smartphone or laptop can pull together their own podcast show within a matter of days. It's a great way to connect with an existing or new audience, but with thousands to choose from, how can you find a podcast that YOU will enjoy? I considered starting my own for a while and even got a few interviews under my belt....
How to gain financial independence through budgeting
How to gain financial independence through budgeting is one way to start to change our situation for the better. For many of us, it feels like we have hit the 'pause' button. It's now a great idea to look at our life and situation before everything was put on pause and think to ourselves... "When I press play again, was I really happy with what I was doing before I pressed pause?" In 2019 I took...
How much money I really have, make and need.
I've been blogging on and off for the last five years. And over that time I've signed up to many other bloggers, writers and adventurers mailing lists and read thousands of articles on travel, adventure and work. Why do so few people talk about money? How can we become Adventurers, or build a business and life we love? One way to explore this is the world of online income reports. For those of...
£10 Adventure: Bex Band London Bridge Challenge
So what is the London Bridge Challenge and why did I do it? Since arriving back in Manchester, I've had to work out how to make money to go on more Adventures. Last time I did a lot of work in the Event Industry - but the work is long hours, stressful and doesn't give me much time to do anything else. Instead, this time around I am focusing on building my own businesses - Stag & Raven and...
20 Quick & Easy Things to help you feel better
A few years ago Phil and I moved back to Manchester. Our first house fell through, so we decided to go with a place that we had only seen for around five minutes - since we were based 300 miles away in Suffolk with Phil's Parents. Anyone that has moved house will agree how stressful this can be (and we are just renting!). Unfortunately within two days of our move both the oven and boiler broke....
Treasure Trails : A Unique UK Adventure Idea
You probably won't have heard of Aldeburgh, a beautiful coastal town in Suffolk with a population of just a few thousand. It's so lovely to be by the sea, with a surprising amount of small pubs and cafes, and of course, great fish and chips. It's the town Phil grew up in, and we were there this year for his birthday. Trying to think of something new and original to do in such a small place,...
Everything you need to know about Patreon
I've been blogging on the internet for the last five years. So I have watched the industry grow from writing, into videos, podcasts, courses and more. Like many people I know who count themselves as internet 'Creators' I do it because I love it. However, it also takes a lot of money and a lot of time. Patreon may hold the answer. Are you someone who shares their experiences and knowledge online?...
In-depth Guide to Cleaning up & Minimising your Digital Clutter
I remember when I first started using the internet. Hours spent while at University talking on MSN Messenger, creating the perfect MySpace profile and trying to understand Facebook. Over a decade later I can't imagine a life in which I don't use the internet daily. I use it to keep in touch with friends, work and to be entertained. But recently, I been reading and thinking about articles...
Essential Books for Adventure Lovers
Travelling allows me to also indulge in my second favourite passion, reading. I managed to read over 200 books on my trusty Kindle Fire. when I was travelling for ten months in 2017! Fiction, non-fiction, business, self-development - you name it I'll read it. Whether it's a mountain climb, walk, cycle or swim reading other Adventurers stories continue to be a source of inspiration to me. I've...
10 Reasons to Quit your Job
A while ago I published an article I had been wanting to write for a long time. I opened up about something that is really close to my heart. After getting into £20,000 debt in my twenties, I talked about how I quit my job, dealt with my money issues and now travel full time. Now I want to tell you to quit your job. Part of my story began when I left/ quit my first 'proper' job after University...
How I got out of £20,000 Debt and Travelled the World Full Time.
Before I start: this is a long post, and a story of my personal finance Debt / journey / nightmare / plan. It's not professional advice, just things that worked for me. It's the story of how it took me ten years to sort my life out. For full disclosure, I also did some budget travel during this period, because it's the one thing that makes me feel alive. If I had stuck more rigidly to the rules...
How to Start a Successful Blog: A Guide for Beginners
Having a blog has changed my life so I wanted to share with you how easy it is to create your own. When I started blogging I was travelling S.E.Asia and used it as a way to communicate my travels with my friends and family. Five years later I now treat my blog as a business and have spent hours learning about what works best for me and my readers. Blogging has been amazing for me and is my way...
Five Travel Films that have changed my Life.
The question of why we travel is not just one answer, every person has different reasons for it. I love to see how different people live and what differences have shaped and moulded them. I have picked out Five Travel Films that have all impacted on the way I view travel. I think these films are important because they allow us to expand our understanding of new cultures and people. We...
Who Makes your Clothes?
I recently watched 'The true cost of Fashion' a documentary that shows the problems and issues with the fast fashion industry. To keep up with demand, keep costs low and maintain a for-profit company can't help but create a loss of human rights and large amounts of environmental damage. It explains what sustainable fashion is and how to support it. It's a fascinating documentary about the...
The Best Creative Advice I have ever heard.
What is the difference between taste and skill? Taste vs Skill, whats the difference? Despite the fact that I have been blogging for over three years I still don't consider myself a writer. The difference between knowing good writing and being a good writer of course are two different things. I love meeting people in person, pitching ideas in meetings and making things happen in the real world....
10 Free online learning resources
So why am I giving you a ton of free online learning tools?. Well, recently I met some friends at the weekend that I have known since I was 19. For those of you that don't know, I'm about to hit the big 33! Sitting at a cafe table in Scarborough with their partners and young kids I was struck with how different our live's are. Especially as we had met and all used to run the best student night...
Why I decided to go Zero Waste
Since discovering Minimalism, I focus on spending my money on experiences, not things. I was consuming less, but I still felt I could be doing more. There was part of the puzzle missing. Not consuming or buying things is one thing, but I still create so much mess. I did some digging and discovered that average Brit throws away their own body weight in rubbish every 7 weeks. How could I define...