Lilly & Lemons

Favorite Features of Viraltag

I used to be a huge fan of scheduling my social media posts through Hootsuite, but that all changed after I discovered Viraltag. Viraltag is an awesome social media scheduler that makes scheduling content convenient and easy! This is a super helpful tool for all bloggers to use; we all rely on social media in order to show off our blog posts, but we don't always have the time to post everything live. Being able to schedule social media content ahead of time has saved me a lot of time as a blogger, and it has definitely helped me even more now that I'm a business owner!

If you want to schedule the same image multiple times across the same account and/or multiple accounts, Viraltag has a bulk editor feature that seriously makes my life so much easier. All you have to do is upload the image, click "clone post," and then you can write whatever you want! I usually share the same image across all of my social media accounts, so I use this feature all the time. In the bottom left-hand corner of the post, there is an option called "evergreen." Evergreen is amazing. All you have to do is pick a certain time period, and then whenever you have no content scheduled or posted in that time period, one of your evergreen posts will post. This is a great way to make sure that you're always active on social media, and it's really helpful when it comes to sharing blog posts from your archives!

Viraltag also allows you to see all of your scheduled posts in a clear manner. On Hootsuite, I always felt like I had to scroll through a tiny sidebar and squint my eyes just to read the posts I had scheduled. However, on Viraltag, each scheduled post is large, clear, and easy to read. You can even choose to look at the scheduled posts for just one social media account instead of them all.

I absolutely love Viraltag's analytics feature. You can view the analytics for any of the accounts you have connected --including engagement, followers, and the best times to post. As a blogger and business owner, I'm constantly viewing my analytics section because knowing the right time to post and what kinds of posts get the most engagement is really relevant information. Instead of having to outsource your analytics, you can easily view it right on Viraltag itself -- another convenient feature!

I haven't used Hootsuite once since I've had Viraltag, and I know it will definitely stay that way. I've tried out other social media schedulers as well, but nothing compares to this one! If you're looking for a new social media scheduler to use, this one is the way to go. It'll save you a ton of time, and us bloggers can never get enough of that! Check out the free 14-day trial to see how you like it!

Do you use Viraltag? How do you schedule your social media content?

Benefits of A Planner

I've always been obsessed with planners and become so excited whenever September rolls around because that means it's time for a new planner! I love the feeling of being able to fill my planner with important dates, assignments, projects, and more. Being the type-A gal that I am, being organized has always been important to me.

I recently got the Good Day Planner from Plans+Things and I love it. It has a monthly calendar, weekly calendar, to-do list, list of goals, inspirational quotes, and more. Most planners that I've had before only have a weekly calendar and monthly calendar, so I love that this planner allows me to write in so much more. It's a great way to keep all of my ideas in one!

I love that my planner allows me to keep track of and be responsible for the birthdays of family and friends, assignment due dates, exam dates, work shifts, important meetings, goals, things to do, and more. All I can say is TGFP! (Thank God for planners ;))

What do you like to use your planner for?

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Plans+Things, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Summer Essentials

I'm always out and about in the summer, so there are a few items that I always make sure to keep in my bag or with me. I do tend to overpack (#SorryNotSorry), but it's also better to be safe than sorry! I can never leave my house without these essentials.

jimmyCASE // The jimmyCASE iPhone 6 Wallet Case is seriously the best thing ever to have in the summer. When you're running to the gym or to the beach and don't want to bring your whole wallet, this case is perfect for holding your money, credit cards, license, etc. It holds six cards and cash tight so that you never have to worry about losing them! I love using my case for when I'm running any quick errands.

S'well Water Bottle // It's so important to stay hydrated in the summer, and this S'well water bottle is a fashionable way to do so! It keeps cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours and keeps hot drinks hot for up to 12. This bottle is perfect for going to the gym or to the beach.

Book // I'm such a bookworm, and I never leave home without a book! I've been reading like crazy this summer, and I'm always running to the library to pick up more books. One of my new favorites is Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht!

Snack // I always keep a power bar in my bag in case I get hungry and need a little snack. This prevents me from buying unhealthy snacks when I'm out and hungry. My favorites are s'mores and peppermint stick Luna Bars.

Chapstick // My lips get chapped easily, especially when I'm out in the sun. Because of that, I always make sure I have three tubes of Burt's Bees: one in my makeup bag, one in my schoolbag, and one in my purse. Using a chapstick that has SPF in it is even better.

Sunscreen // I burn super easily, so I've learned from past experience that I should always keep sunscreen with me. I always apply sunscreen whenever I go out in the sun, and it makes it easy to just keep a small bottle in my bag.

What are your summer essentials?

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by jimmyCASE. All opinions are 100% my own.

June

I have officially been on summer break for a month, and I can't believe how fast it flew by! I have about two and a half months left of summer, but I know those will fly by, too.

I haven't blogged in a while, and to be honest, I've really missed it. With everything going on in my life, I just haven't had the time or motivation. I know that I won't be posting every day again, but I'm really going to be making an effort to post on here more often.

Here's a little blurb on what I've been up to this month!

reading // I'm in the middle of reading the Confessions of a Shopaholic series, and I'm halfway through Shopaholic & Sister. I loved the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic when I saw it in theaters like seven years ago, so I'm a little late on actually reading the series, but I can't put the books down because they're too good!

earning money // Getting out of school for the summer = basically selling my soul to my work. I pretty much doubled the amount of hours I had per week, so now I work 39-40 hours a week -- Monday-Saturday, 4:30AM - 11 AM. Waking up at 3:45 six out of seven days a week actually sucks, but the money is worth it, and working keeps me busy. Starting next week I'll be babysitting three days a week all day and working three days at my work. I'm a busy gal!

loving // I recently bought the Fitbit Charge HR a couple of weeks ago, and I am obsessed. Seriously. I love that I can see the time, the number of steps I've taken, my heart rate, the number of miles I've walked, and the number of stairs I've climbed all on the Fitbit itself. And I'm obsessed with checking my sleep tracker on the app when I wake up each morning! I've been trying really hard to stay in shape and eat healthy, and my Fitbit really helps with that.

working on // I got a virtual internship a couple of weeks out of school ended working for an amazing business coach, and I love it. I'm a social media + marketing intern for The Confused Millennial and Rachel Ritlop Coaching. Everything that I've been learning is so relevant to my dream job and the business that I've been wanting to own for pretty much the past two years. Speaking of my dream business, I've been working on a business plan for that and it's actually coming along really well. I can't wait to finish it!

What have you been up to this month?

Thank you to the fabulous Jenny of Breakfast at Lilly's for being the inspiration behind this post! XO

End of Freshman Year

It's absolutely crazy that yesterday was the last day of finals for my freshman year. The second half of this year has taught me that I actually can balance many things and still have time for myself: doing homework, working out, spending time with my boyfriend, going to work, hanging out with friends, taking care of my mom, and more.

Honestly, everything that's been going on with my mom made the past semester difficult. After all of the nights that I stayed up late worrying and all of the mental breakdowns I had, I'm really proud of myself for keeping everything on track and doing really well academically. These past couple of months have made me very thankful to not only have such supportive friends and family but professors as well -- they always made sure to check in with me, and for the few times that I needed to miss class, they were totally okay with it.

My first year of college was awesome, but I'm looking forward to spending the next four months doing whatever I want! I can't wait to read, work out, see my friends, work, spend time with my boyfriend, get my business ideas rolling, and slowly but surely get back to posting on this little blog.

Thanks for sticking along after this little hiatus! XO

Your Skin Is In

I've been pale my whole life. I used to be so jealous of every girl who tanned easily because I always thought tanned skin looked better. However, as I got older and realized just how important it is to protect your skin, I became thankful to have the skin tone that I have.

Unfortunately, melanoma is the second most common form of cancer for teens and young adults ages 15-29. However, it's preventable and 99% curable when caught in time. After realizing how common melanoma is to people my age, I was extra cautious when heading out in the sun; you'd totally find me smothering myself in sunscreen. And when every girl went in a tanning bed daily for prom season, you'd find me at a tanning salon two days before prom getting a spray tan instead.

This is where Your Skin Is In comes in. Your Skin Is In is a pledge program and contest that encourages teens and young adults to protect their skin and prevent themselves from getting melanoma. MFNE has traveled all over New England to raise awareness.

The best part about this program? You can get your whole school to pledge, and cash prizes are awarded to the highest percentage of pledgers in high schools and colleges! For all of your stereotypical broke college students, like me, this is such an easy, fun, and valuable way to earn extra cash.

Join me with this pledge!

This is a sponsored post in partnership with the Melanoma Foundation and Her Campus Media. All words and opinions are my own.

Organize for 2016

One of my favorite things to do in the beginning of a new year is organize. I hate the feeling of being unorganized, so I always do these simple tasks to make my life a little more simple.

C L E A N O U T Y O U R W A L L E T

My wallet is full of receipts that I just always seem to forget to throw out. It's usually receipts from clothes I buy (oops) that I keep just in case I want to return them ... but then I forget to throw them out when I decide to keep them. Go through your wallet and throw out any old receipts and expired coupons.

S O R T T H R O U G H Y O U R D E S K

I've mentioned before that I totally hoard office supplies. I have too many pens, notebooks, and paper to even count! I like to go through all of my pens and highlighters and test them to see which ones don't work anymore. I also think about which notebooks and notepads I don't really need and then give them to my mom for her to use. Having a clean, organized desk is definitely a way to make you feel motivated and ready to work!

C R E A T E T O - D O L I S T S

I have gotten into the habit of creating weekly to-do lists, which is probably my favorite way to organize. It's such a great way to see which tasks need to be completed each week. I seriously would be so lost without this notebook; it practically has my life in it!

I N V E S T I N A P L A N N E R

My Lilly Pulitzer agenda is a lifesaver. I use it to keep track of assignment due dates, plans with friends, shifts at work, appointments, and so much more. I have to admit that I do use my to-do list notebook more than my planner, but my planner still helps out a tremendous amount.

Looking to get organized? These items can help you!