Bullet Journal Setup

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I’ve started dabbling in bullet journaling again.

Reason why I say again is that I have in fact tried full-time bullet journaling before. However, I figured out that while bullet journaling isn’t for me full-time (I can’t scrap having a calendar to plan future events), I still really love the system and wanted to use it somewhere.

Quick intro before we go further: the Bullet Journal system was created by Ryder Carroll. It’s meant to simplify any lists, events, collections, whatever you want in one organized space. If you want more info on how the bullet journal system works and how it got started, check out the official website here.

Now, this is still in the very early stages, but I am so, so excited and happy with the way these pages and spreads are turning out, and I’m loving using this system already. I can definitely tell a difference in how productive I’ve been. Listing has worked really well for me in the past, so why not take it a step further?

Supplies

Before we get into how I use my bullet journal, I figured it would be a good idea to tell y’all what I actually use to bullet journal (yes, I consider bullet journal both a noun and a verb).

• Lime green Leuchtturm 1917 square grid notebook
• Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pens
• Sharpie Pens, Black
• Zebra Mildliners

So, how do I use my bullet journal?

Index

I use a Leuchtturm 1917 grid notebook. I’ve dabbled with the dotted notebooks before, and I think either that style or this one works just fine.

That being said, I love the way that the Leuchtturm is laid out. I take full advantage of the Contents page and have been using it to create, well, a table of contents. This is a traditional bullet journaling element that I’ve stuck to.

The one thing that I've changed slightly is that I have the months color-coded and highlighted so I can find them easier.

Key

One thing that I embellished a bit is the key page. I copied the key from the Bullet Journal app, and so far, it’s working well for me.

Trackers/Collections

Now, we’re getting into the fun stuff. I’ve created collections and trackers: one collection for blog posts (which I don’t have pictured because spoilers), and trackers for the books I’ve read this year and what movies I’ve watched on Netflix.

Other trackers/collections I have not pictured here: travel in 2017 (still working on that one, and it has future stuff that I'm waiting to share here) and Monthly Favorites (which I used to write my August Favorites last month!).

Daily Log

Finally, here’s my Daily Log…so far.

“Hey, Sav? Where’s your Monthly or Future Log?” you may be asking me. Here’s the thing about the way I’m bullet journaling right now: I am using this in tandem with my Erin Condren planner. As such, I really don’t need a future or monthly log right now. Now, that could change, but this is what’s working for me at the moment.

As far as functionality goes, I LOVE this. I transfer my to-do lists from my Erin Condren planner to my bullet journal as I see fit, and I've been finding that I've been accomplishing so much more with it. Here's hoping that this continues! If so, I'll update you guys.

Have you ever tried bullet journaling? Let’s talk in the comments! :)

The Art of the To-Do List

One of my very first posts in my first year of blogging was on to-do lists. I still adore the to-do list; while it’s definitely not a new idea to stay on top of life and stay organized, there’s something to be said about making (and keeping) a to-do list on a daily or weekly basis. Keeping lists, at least for me, is crucial since I work from home.

Now, I definitely feel like there are different methods to keeping lists. In today’s post, I want to share some methods I’ve discovered with you, and you can modify them for your needs as you see fit. I’m going to also rank them from simple to more elaborate.

Good ol’ Notepads

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? The notepad is a good way to keep daily lists running, especially since you normally toss a sheet of notepaper (and by notepaper, in this case, I mean tear-off pads and sticky notes) once it’s done.

Plus, there are some cute notepads out there.

Like this one.

So, in short, notepads are good for:

• Short-term, day-by-day tasks
• Grocery/shopping lists
• Quick reminders and notes (stick them to your mirror or nightstand)

A Dedicated To-Do List Notebook

I consider this a step up from the traditional notepad in that you wouldn’t tear out these pages. Instead, you would keep track of your lists in a dedicated space.

When I was in middle school, we were actually required to keep one of these for homework. I actually wound up keeping this method through my college years, just because it was awesome having a list specifically for these tasks. For college, what I would do is go to the library, outline what I would do, and then highlight each task as I got it done. It kept me productive during my dedicated study sessions.

This one I bought for my last year of college was from May Designs.

I guess the 2013 me never got around to Labs 5B and 7B that day, ha!

The to-do list notebook is good for:

• Student things (homework, tasks, meetings, etc.)
• Keeping track of what you did during a given week

Within Your Agenda or Planner

Like to keep everything condensed in one spot? The planner method is for you.

I currently keep to-do lists in my Erin Condren planner. I use the vertical layout and dedicate one box to to-do lists. And it’s been a wonderful thing to see what I’ve needed to do not only during a given day, but within the context of a week.

Also, you can use this method in weekly and hourly layouts, too. It’s all up to you.

So, use the planner method for:

• Keeping both calendar events and to-do list items in the same place
• Keeping track of items throughout a week
• Making lists of things to get done during your week without assigning them to a specific day (Erin Condren planners have a sidebar that’s great for this, but other planners have space for this, too…shop around and see what you like.)

Bullet Journal!

Do you like to get creative? Say hello to your new little friend: the Bullet Journal.

The Bullet Journal, a system created by Ryder Carroll, pretty much turns your calendar and to-do list items into a huge listing system, and it’s a phenomenal tool for tons of people. A quick search on Pinterest for bullet journaling has some of the most beautiful artwork and layouts I’ve ever seen.

I’ve dabbled in this system before, and while it’s not the best system for me to use as my only planner (since it’s tricky to plan ahead with it), I will say that it’s amazing for keeping lists and tracking habits, as well as itemizing collections and things you want to do. Plus, I recommend using the bullet journal system if you’re a writer (for more info, check out my post here).

Bullet journaling would be a great fit for you for:

• Simplifying your planning and list systems into one notebook
• Keeping track of habits and things you want to see and do (especially on a monthly basis)
• If you love being creative with your listing, planning, and tracking (especially if you love the idea of a blank canvas to do it all in)

How do you keep to-do lists? Let’s talk about it! :)

My Erin Condren Life Planner Setup | Summer 2017

I've been using planners for a long, long time. I get it from my mom. :)

I'm no stranger to Erin Condren, either. Literally. I've heard her speak twice now (once at Geaux Wild in New Orleans, the second time at GO Wild in Nashville), and I've used her planners before. I keep coming back to these planners because of the layout and how easily it fits in with my life (more on that in a minute).

So, how do I use it?

Tools I Use

These days, I'm using colorful Sharpie art pens to write in events and things. I use stickers from The Glam Planner (YouTube beauty guru followers will be familiar with shop owner Elle Fowler, AKA AllThatGlitters21), and I use a variety of washi tape to mark off longer spans of time (like a river trip I went on recently).

Color Key

I've been using this color key for years...at least since college.  I was inspired by this video by - surprise! - Elle Fowler/AllThatGlitters21.

• Pink - work
• Orange - social
• Green - travel
• Turquoise - blogging
• Royal blue - dates
• Purple - misc. items
• Black - to-do list items
• Red - appointments/urgent

The Layout

My actual planning is very simple. I use my color key to write events (often putting them in clouds, pictured above), and then punctuate them with whatever "icon" stickers I have. I love these from Glam Planner because I can't get over how cute the anime-style characters are, and it's not too overwhelming on the page whenever I consult my planner on a day-to-day basis.

I also categorize my days. The Erin Condren vertical layout is separated into three boxes per day. The top box is To-Do (or important holidays, like birthdays and anniversaries), the middle box is work, the bottom box is social.

And that's pretty much it! Like I said, simple, but I love it. It fits my life the way I need it to. Do you use a particular planner? Let's talk in the comments! :)

How to Choose Your Next Year's Planner

You may be looking at the title of this post, and you may be wondering, "Don't most planners start in January?"

Yes, a lot of them do...but some start as early as July or August. Such an early start can help people who are students or teachers looking to plan out their school year, or those who are ready to plunge into planning into the next year (since many of these early planners are 18-month planners, as opposed to 12 months), just to name a few. I'm also saying this because the new Erin Condren planners launched this week.

Now, before I get into this post, I want to say that I'm talking about layouts here. You can purchase any layout in nearly any format these days - ring-bound, coiled, inserts for a Filofax, etc - so it's become easier than ever to find the planner that's right for you. Because of this, keep in mind that your agenda needs may be suited for a smaller or larger-size planner. Just browse around and see what's right for you.

Also, these are just my opinions, so again, please check any planner out for yourself before you dive in financially.

So, with this in mind, what kind of planner should you choose? Let's talk about that.

You might want to consider a Horizontal/Academic style planner if:

• You are a student and only need one or two lines per subject or class
• You use to-do lists primarily
• You want room to decorate with stickers

Planners include: Erin Condren, Paper Source, Kate Spade, Rifle Paper Co., Filofax, Kikki K, May Books

You might want to consider a Vertical layout (days aligned in columns) if:

• You need to categorize your day into to-do's, work, housework, any of your children, etc.
• You need ample space to write everything you need to accomplish, but not necessarily on an hour-by-hour basis
• You want ample room to decorate with stickers

Planners include: Erin Condren, Plum Paper, Paper Source, Sew Much Crafting vertical inserts (found on Etsy), MAMBI Happy Planner

You might want to consider an Hourly/Daily layout if:

• Your work is very time-sensitive
• You work in a field where you book appointments well in advance by the hour (I can see this being great for teachers, some students, photographers, wedding/event planners, etc.)
• Your planning is primarily functional (but you can still add stickers if you so desire...I've seen hourly layouts decorated extremely well)

Planners include: Erin Condren, Day Designer

So, the bottom line is...purchase the planner and/or agenda that works best for your needs. There are SO many out there to choose from, but go with the one that will help you actually plan the best. After all, you can take on the world, one step at a time...or at least pen stroke by pen stroke. :)

What planner are you using this year? Let me know in the comments below! :)

New Orleans, Louisiana | Geaux Wild Planner Conference

I finally visited New Orleans, Louisiana for the first time with my family. It only took 24 years, but I'm SO glad I finally got the chance to go.

So, why wait any longer to talk about what I did there?

Cafe Du Monde

In a matter of hours after we got off the plane, we ventured out into the rainy New Orleans night and visited the original Cafe du Monde. The original location is open 24/7, so we were sitting under the covered porch at midnight. What a way to start our trip!

This place is a must-visit, no matter how long or short your stay in NOLA. Chickory coffee is out of this world, and the Beignets even more so.

World War II Museum | French Quarter | Garden District

In the preceding days (between our sessions at Geaux Wild; more on that later), we visited several places within New Orleans.

The first I want to mention is the World War II museum. When they say that it's the #3 best museum in the country, and #1 in the city, they're not kidding. Now, I wouldn't recommend that you bring little, little kids to this museum - simply because of the fact that they show every single thing that happened during WWII, and it can get very intense at times - but it is absolutely worth visiting.

Now, I want to mention the French Quarter. My favorite parts were Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral.

Finally, before we left for home, we made a quick stop through the Garden District. Mom knew of a house with wrought-iron fences that bore a cornstalk motif - aptly named the Cornstalk Mansion. This mansion was home to a former governor of New Orleans, and its tenants were also corn merchants.

Geaux Wild Planner Conference

The reason why we went to New Orleans was not only to sightsee, but also to attend the first ever GO Wild Planner Conference - aptly titled "Geaux Wild" for the location this year - where so much excitement awaited my mom and I.

SO much happened, so I'm just going to list the highlights here:

• We heard great speakers, including Day Designer founder Whitney English and keynote speaker Erin Condren!
• We received a lot of wonderful swag, and I'm so grateful for the generosity of all the Etsy sellers and the ladies who spoke at Geaux Wild, along with the convention's coordinators and staff. You guys rock!
• The decor was absolutely fantastic; they went all out on the purple, gold, and green throughout the convention center, no-holds-barred.
• The events were so fun! My favorite part (besides hearing Erin Condren's keynote speech) was the Planjama Party, where we got to decorate a whole blacklit wall and also preview the newest Erin Condren planners (which I am SO pumped about).

Overall, the trip was a BLAST. Not only can I not wait for GO Wild 2017, but also for the next time I get to visit New Orleans!

How I Use a Day Designer for Work

I'm a big proponent of lists, y'all. Ever since I was in school, when we were required to carry little tiny notebooks to write our homework in, I've used lists to keep track of major tasks I've had to do.

Now that I've been in the working world for some time now, I appreciate a good list. It's very easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of tasks I have to do during a work day, like editing, writing...stuff like that.

Enter the Day Designer.

How exactly do I use it? Well, for starters, I use it specifically on each day that I'm working. When I sit down and work from home or in the office, I crack open this bad boy and start making lists.

I don't make super-stringent, plan-by-the-minute lists, mind you, but I do like to organize what needs to be done and when I'm doing those things so I can keep track and make sure that those things actually get done.

So, that means that on the right side, where there are check-boxes for to-do's and other such things, I write down stuff that I can do today. The nice thing about the daily layout of the Day Designer is that I can focus specifically on today. That helps with lowering that overwhelming feeling of having so many tasks to do in a given week. Then, once I sit down to work, I can outline my day on the left side where the hours are noted.

Additional sections I use often are the "Top 3" section at the top-left corner of the page, the "Due" section at the top-right, and the "Daily Gratitude" section at the bottom-right (for praises and answered prayers and other little happy things).

Also, I color-code my tasks. (Pictured here: pink is for work, turquoise is for article-writing) The pens I use with my Day Designer that I've been capital-"O" OBSESSED with are the PaperMate InkJoy gel pens.

How do you like to manage your tasks? What works best for you? I'd love to know, so feel free to drop a line in the comments! :)

Quick disclaimer before I sign off: I am not sponsored by Day Designer or Paper Mate. I just wanted to share the things I've been loving with you. :)

A Guide to Planner Stickers

Planner by Ruskerville

Stickers by Scribble Prints Co. and Sweet Kawaii Design

As you guys may have seen on my Instagram (and my Pinterest), I've been interested in planner decorating over the past several months. I've always loved using planners, but ever since I got into planner decorating, I've had a lot more fun with the organization aspect of it, because I actually have a lot to organize now that I'm an adult in my mid-twenties working.

If you happened to be wondering why I use certain stickers, and what stickers I'd recommend that you use, you've come to the right post. I'm going to list certain stickers I'd recommend for certain functions, as well as where you can find the most adorable decorative stickers. Also, the majority of these will be Etsy shops, so they're handmade and extra-awesome.

Without further ado, let's get started! :)

Functional Stickers

Examples of functional stickers: Headers, Checklist boxes.
Part of a Ghostbusters kit by Keatown

If you're just stepping into the world of agenda/planner decorating, I definitely recommend that you start with more functional stickers first. They have a purpose, from labelling to listing, and they come in a variety of colors, so you can either create your own color scheme or use them as part of a larger decorating kit.

Here are the functional stickers I use. You can search for any of these on Etsy, plus adding the type of planner that you have if you want (like, checklist flag stickers for Erin Condren):

• Checklist flags/boxes - to write lists and such
• Headers - to establish those to-do lists or any other section you can think of.
• Appointment boxes - blank stickers that are typically smaller to write basic things such as appointments; it sets them apart in your planner.

Then, if you're looking for specifics, you can search for those, too, like movie theater ones to mark off your cinema visits, or tiny stethoscopes for your doctor's appointments. Hey, you can even find clouds with adorable faces on them to mark the weather.

Sticker Kits

Super Mario kit by KG Planner

To take the guesswork out of coordinating colors, I like purchasing kits. You can find these to match the colors of certain planners (like the Erin Condren or Plum Paper Planner), or you can search by theme (such as Doctor Who or ice cream).

I really like Scribble Prints Co., Planner Chick Designs, Keatown, and Sweet Kawaii Design's various kits.

Decorative Stickers

Palm trees and other beach-themed decorative goodness by Clicky Chick Creates
(the raccoon is to commemorate me passing by some tiny raccoons in the country)

This is where the fun stuff is. SO many Etsy places have themed stickers, from Pokemon to Unicorns, and it's so easy to find a theme if you want to venture into fun decorating to spice up your agenda. How you decorate is up to you.

Here are the shops I like to purchase from the most for decorative stickers, mainly because they have kits of my favorite things (like Guardians of the Galaxy, any Disney princess you can think of, and so much more!):

• Sweet Kawaii Design
• KG Planner
• Keatown
• One Orange Snowflake

If you're looking into sticker-ing your agenda/planner, I hope this was a quick and easy guide for you! Do you use stickers? Do you have favorite sticker stores? Please let me know in the comments! :)

How I Use My Agenda: Erin Condren, Stickers, & More

Last time I talked about agendas was back last year. I've made a few changes since then.

In today's post, I want to talk to y'all about what I've been using to plan out my work weeks, how I decorate/lay out a week, and where I purchase stickers to do said decorating. :)

What Do I Use These Days?

I was first introduced to the Erin Condren planner while I was at a wedding rehearsal dinner a year or so ago. A friend of mine had told me about the planners being used as bridesmaids' gifts (which is a really cool idea, now that I think about it). Years later, I heard about Erin Condren through a vlogger I've followed for years, Elle Fowler/AllThatGlitters21. Slowly, but surely, I watched her planner blog posts and planner videos, and I began to consider using functional stickers.

After I ordered some stickers (and LOVED using them to organize my Kate Spade agenda that I'd been using in '14/'15), and getting my mom hooked on planner decorating in the process, I eventually ordered a new Erin Condren planner to use through this and next year. After a looooooooooong wait (and a shipping delay), I finally received my personalized metallic Erin Condren Metallic life planner back in July. (As of the publication of this post, that particular planner is out of stock, but I imagine they'll add more soon. They add new covers all the time.)

The driving decision behind my agenda switch from a Kate Spade to an Erin Condren Life Planner was space. I only had a tiny block of space (made smaller after using functional stickers/any decorating) to write in work stuff, to-do's, and events. With the ECLP, I can use 3 blocks of space to compartmentalize everything into work, to-do's, and events, which - as busy as I am these days - is awesome.

How I Plan

This is what a typical week in my Erin Condren planner looks like before I load it up with things to do. I like to lay things out pretty far in advance, but then it'll get busier as the week goes on.

The supplies I use to create a week are:

• Erasable pens: Colored pens are and have always been my primary way of planning things out, so of course these transitioned to the ECLP. The only difference is that I don't highlight as much anymore, since the barrage of colors was too much. I use Pilot Frixion erasable pens, which are FANTASTIC, and they erase super well.
• Functional stickers: I used to collect stickers as a child, but planner stickers aren't all cutesy characters. There are flag stickers to create headings for to-do lists, reminder stickers with various icons, larger stickers to write to-do's or notes, checklist sticker flags with little hearts or boxes to denote each item, and so on.
• Decorative stickers: And then, of course, there are times when I'm in the mood to add some fun to my weekly spreads, whether that's in a full theme or with a few extra touches. It's these fun details that can add fun to each week, and it'll be fun to go back over the year to see what I was into at different times.

Sticker Shops

Here are some of my favorite sticker shops I like to purchase from. All of these are Etsy sellers, so they are homemade and custom specifically for Erin Condren planners.

• ScribblePrintsCo
• Sweet Kawaii Design
• Libbie & Co.
• KG Planner
• Paperbey
• Oh Hello Stationery Co.
• Lillie Henry
• Planner Chick Designs

So, what kind of planner/agenda do you like to use? How do you organize your schedule?