It’s probably a little bit ridiculous how excited I get by a new planner and notebook, but there is no denying it: I am completely obsessed with adorable stationary! Thankfully, this love of mine can directly translate into a fresh organizational system that comes with endless productivity benefits! After lots of planner and notebook scouting, it is pretty safe to say, I am SO excited to get myself ready and organized for fall!
This year is the first year I can remember where I’m not heading back to school… and my knowledge-loving heart is so sad. I will miss it so much! One of my favorite parts of the back-to-school season was getting new school supplies and filling my planner with obsessively organized color-coded assignments. Who is with me?! I know there are some more of you crazy people out there! π
Even though I’m not heading back to school, I am starting a new part of my life this fall: MY CAREER! If you’re new around here, I just graduated from college in May and now I am now jumping into my PR career. So, what better way to celebrate new beginnings than with new stationary?
Whether you are heading back to school, starting a new job or your career like me, or just looking to freshen up your organizational system, I found so many cute options of planners, notebooks, and pads of paper for great prices this season!
In the past, I would spend SO much on getting the most perfect planner and cutest notebooks. However, my current self would laugh at my silly, splurging self for how much I would drop on a 100 pieces of paper bound together with a spiral. So many places are creating fantastic, budget-friendly choices. Seriously, have you checked out Target? Because I don’t think it gets a whole lot better than some of their cute options! π
I’ll cut myself short on pouring my heart out about how much I love Target (what’s new?) so I can jump into the (questionably) more important topic of HOW to use those cute organizational pieces. I scour the office and dollar sections year-round, always on the look out for a cute pad of paper, but once I have on, I struggle to find the most effective way to put it to use. Thankfully, I’ve acknowledged this problem and have explored effective ways to create to-do lists and I am here to show you some great planning strategies today!
My Organizational Tools
Planner
I always start with a planner that I love for two reasons:
- First, the design. If you’re carrying this thing around with you for a year, it is basically an accessory. People probably see my planner more than they see most of my handbags. So, make sure you love the design.
- But also, make sure you love the layout on the INSIDE! It’s what’s inside that counts, right? One time, I bought a planner than started on a Sunday, so my weekends were always split onto two pages. While that might work for some people, it drove me NUTS. Pay attention to the little things inside. I recently grabbed this Day Designer planner from Target for $25 and I immediately fell in love with it because every day, it challenges you to think of your top three goals. I am going to dive more into this below because I LOVE this idea. Other planners I found that I loved and are $25 are linked here, here and here.
Pads of Paper & Sticky Notes
I love having lots of different pads of paper so I can organize my lists by paper design (cuteness certainly does make organizing more fun!). To start off each week, I write a to-do list with all of my deadlines for that week. However, I also keep lists of ongoing tasks, future goals and ideas, etc. When it comes to daily lists, keep them small. I love using sticky notes in my planner to put emphasis on certain things due on specific days.
Notebooks
Having notebooks on hand is so great for writing down critical ideas when you think of them! I have a notebook for work, for my blog, and for other various ideas. Write it down when you think of it and review it later.
Folders
The older I get, the more I realize folders are ESSENTIAL. As you start getting loan statements, bills, etc., you realize how important an effective organizational system is to not only handle your finances, but also to organize any career papers, goals, etc. You can find lots of trendy file cabinets that are very functional but also a great addition to decorating you home office space.
Organizational Tips
- Priorize
- Understanding what is of greatest priority in your day helps you focus your energy in the right places. Use the tools above to put emphasize on priority items and to help you clarify with yourself what is most important.
- Be specific
- When you give yourself very vague goals or tasks, they rarely ever get done. I have read a lot about this and I find it so interesting! Give yourself specific, quantifiable (when possible) goals.
- Create attainable daily goals
- I can’t remember the last time I actually went to bed feeling like I had done everything I needed to. This is a problem. When you write huge, long to-do lists, you are constantly overwhelming yourself. You NEVER are going to complete everything you want to complete in a day, so you’re setting yourself up for failure. As I mentioned above, I love my new Day Designer planner because it challenges you to pick your top three goals for the day. It’s great to have a running to do list, but give yourself the opportunity to complete a more reasonable list in your day. That way, you will feel more accomplished, less overwhlemed, and MUCH more motivated.
- Challenge yourself with larger goals
- Each day, it is great to give yourself a list of tasks that aren’t too overwhelming. However, it is ALWAYS good to challenge yourself, too! Creating goals is such a beneficial way to push yourself in a positive way. Always remind yourself of your goals, and maybe it’ll spark that little extra bit of energy you need to knock out your to-do list.
What tips do you use to stay organized? I’d LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear them! Comment below! π Thanks for reading! XO
Best blogger around! β€οΈ
Hahahah thanks for the support! <3
Haha I am so with you there girl! The best part about august is picking out a new planner, improve my color coding system for assignments and classes, and choosing a color “theme” for my notebooks or binders to fit into! It’s quite crazy but I love it!
A tip I use and love for organization is getting into routines! As soon as my day starts I get up and check my planner to see what I have to do that day, and then at night I go back in, and put everything I have done today, as well as what I have to do tomorrow! It helps me so much!
I always keep my planner and notebooks in my “station”. This helps me so I don’t loose them, but it also establishes another routine where I’ll usually eat breakfast at my station, as well as tea that night when I go back to reorganize! It makes me feel so much calmer when I’m at my station!
Love this post! Thanks!
xx Jocelyn // lifeinaleotard.com
Hey Jocelyn! Thanks so much for stopping by! I couldn’t agree more with all of the color coding and theming hahah! SO true! I love your helpful tips for establishing a routine. That is definitely something I could improve in my own life so I am totally taking those suggestions to heart! You rock! Have a fabulous week! XO!
LOVE this!! I am so with you on the planner and notebook! I’ve been out of school for years, and still have to check out the school supplies every year! Great and inspiring tips for getting organized!!
LOVE to hear that! I will totally be the same way! Haha. Thanks for stopping by! π
Yass! I am SO with you on this one.
Any new season is a new reason for getting more planner supplies ?
I just posted about how I have set up my work planner – you should check it out! I would love to connect with fellow planner-bloggers (especially being new in blogging myself)
Totally can’t wait to check it out! That sounds like my kind of post π Thanks for sharing and for stopping by!
Love this! I’m all about my stationary, it somehow keeps me motivated throughout the year. also congrats on graduating and getting a PR job!! I’m currently awaiting entry into a post-grad pr program! good luck with the new job xx pinkmylk.com
Thanks so much! I totally agree! Pretty paper is the ultimate motivation! Thanks so much, you are too sweet!!! Have a wonderful rest of your week! XO
Yes! To all of this! Organization makes me ridiculously happy. Also, there’s nothing more exciting than all the possibilities of a brand new notebook. Or is that just me? β€οΈ
Couldn’t agree with you more, girlfriend! LOVE those fresh, clean pages! Thanks so much for reading and stopping by! XO
I have everything that you mentioned. I usually use a planner or notebook to keep me organized.
Love that! They are such great tools!
I love notebooks and office supplies too. I find that I don’t use planners even though I really want to, I guess I am too boring for one. ?
Oh interesting! Do you use something else instead or how do you find yourself organizing your calendar? XO
Every season I go through and FULLY organize a section of my apartment and also go through my wardrobe. I always do this because it makes me feel like I have less clutter and can easily access things I love. Ironically, my blogging tools and paper stash is up for fall! I’ll be using lots of tips for the upcoming clean. Thanks!
LOVE this idea! I am currently going through my whole room and decluttering, but I should totally do it every season! If you do any posts on decluttering, I’d love to read! π Thanks for stopping by!
Nice post! I definitely need to be more focused on organized, especially when it comes to my blog. Great ideas! I think a hard copy planner would help me out a lot, as opposed to the Google Drive calendar I have…just because it is so easy to have ‘out of sight out of mind.”
Yes, I totally agree with you! I have a calendar on my phone too, which is nice for reminders and being on-the-go, but having a physical planner is so great to see it all laid out! Thanks for stopping by, Keri!
I love planners too! Erin Condren is my favorite now. The beginning of a season is a great time to review your priorities and refocus. I just posted a blog on starting the Fall semester off right. Our next week posts will be about planners and other time management tools.
I have heard such great things about Erin Condren planners, as well! Can’t wait to check out your posts!! They sound fabulous!
Day Designer planners are by far the best I’ve ever owned. I’m on my third one! Thanks for sharing all your organizing tips. I’m definitely doing to implement some of them into my own organization.
Totally love to hear that!! I am SO excited about mine and I am loving it so far! π And so happy to hear that, Kaylyn! Thanks for reading!
So happy to hear that! I love it so much already! Thanks a ton, happy it helped! π
I’d like to get in the habit of making daily and long-term goals. This is the perfect time to do so because I always feel so inspired in the fall!
I totally agree!
Love organization! Etsy is the best place to find all sorts of cute stuff! I am obsessed with my Kikki-K A5 Planner. It has binder clips so I can use it for more than one year and just change out the inserts, and design it how I want (I bet you’d actually love that)
Oh my goodness, that sounds AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing! Going to check it out right now!! XO
YES, no problem. They are a tad expensive (I have the Large) but they are real leather, and you can just keep changing the inserts. I got mine monogrammed. <3
Sometimes planners are worth the splurge, especially if it is what you use every day! Can’t wait to check it out! Thanks so much for sharing, Stefanie! XO