Day Planner & Planning Station

Y’all know how excited I am about my new day planner. It’s such a great way to encourage a fresh start for the fall of 2014 & all of 2015, which is my target time to reach many exciting goals in my life.

There are a couple of things I do to keep my planner organized:
1. I use a set of fine-tip markers (gentle enough not to bleed color onto the other side of pages- I was lucky and found a set that work GREAT at my local dollar store for $3.) to color code my planner.
2. I also use paper tape {AKA washi tape} to mark off long weekends / time off on my monthly calendars. I also use it on my weekly pages {not pictured} to mark the end of a pay period and beginning of a new one. Since I work at home independently, it is up to me to organize my work schedule etc.

I also have a planning station in my home office, where I keep all the supplies I might need to organize my planner, binder projects and other paperwork. This is a great catch-all area.

Here’s what I keep in my planning station:

labels, dividers, post its, loose note paper, card stock, calculator, scissors, stapler, paper tape, tape roll, glue roll, white out roll, tape dispenser, paper clips, binder clip, date stamp & ink pad, Sharpies, & fine-tipped markers.

The shagreen organizer is from the Martha Stewart Home Office collection at Staples {a favorite of mine}, the mini cake stand I use for paper tape is from Bath & Body Works {and was a gift from my best friend with a ‘bloom’ candle it in it}, and the silver tray is from Winners. My fine tipped markers fit quite nicely on it {although of course they don’t always look so tidy}.

These few simple things play a huge role in keeping me organized and on track.

Happy August!

For me, the month of August is going to be about getting motivated and setting the scene for many months of pursuing my life goals through personal development. Specifically, I have outlined the start of 2016 as a target date for many of my goals. Many of my plans are set in motion to begin at the start of September 2014 and run through the end of December 2015. In other words, I have 16 months’ worth of plans and goals that I will be working on.

I just recently bought a new day planner- Kate Spade New York. It is so pretty. I think a day planner is something to get really excited about and really invest in, because I use it all day every day for many, many months and it’s a great way to be excited about organizing my day, week, month, year and keeping on track with my goals. This particular planner starts August 01, 2014 and runs through December 2015- exactly the 16 target months and as a bonus it starts in August instead of September.

I read somewhere that September is the other January- as in, a good opportunity for a fresh start. I just LOVED that. I thrive on a fresh start! So, this planner starting in August is a great opportunity for me to say that August is the new September! I’m enjoying a fresh start a little early. If you’re looking for an excuse for a fresh start, this is it! It’s day two of a long, wonderful month with plenty of opportunity to shine!

My focus in August will simply be about getting back in the swing of things and preparing to pursue my goals in September. I’m not saying I’m going to wait to be successful and accomplished, but I’m leaving August open to enjoy summer and be more laid back. I’m using August as a refresher month in productivity and pursuing goals. I’m going to work on taking small steps that will help me progress.

My task for today is to clean up! I believe in the difference my home environment can make. I’m always striving to make it beautiful, make it a place I love to be. This morning, I cleaned out our vehicle, and today I’m going to give our a home a nice, good clean.

If you’re thinking cleaning your home is a good place for you to start bettering your life (and for me, it is!) and this task seems overwhelming to you, this is a good resource:
http://www.flylady.net/

Here’s to a great month of August!