Never a wrong time to get organized
Even though we are three months into 2015, I’ve just switched how I organize myself when it comes to my blog. I know, crazy right? It might be, but so far it has been well worth the effort. Now, before we go much further, I should share that when it comes to calendars and planners I am mostly a paper gal.
Up until now, I have had sheets of paper, usually 4 at any given time, taped up on my office wall. One sheet is the whole year calendar at a glance, one page is always the current month and the other two are for the next two months coming up.
Although they provided a great ‘at-a-glance’ visual, they were messy (washi tape can only do so much) and more importantly they were difficult to write on; remember they were on the wall. Not to mention my wall is only so big.
Simple, durable, clever design
Here’s where Kyla over at House of Hipsters came to my rescue. I recently bought myself the large monthly planner by Poketo that she had blogged about. I love it so much I thought I would share it with you because it is like no other planner that I have ever used. A few of the things I appreciate about my new planner:
- the size, lots of room to write in each square.
- love the left side column is blank. allows for customizing each week or for jotting down ideas.
- no date/year restrictions. you can jump in at any month, any year and get started.
- love the bold caps for days of week, plus the red on Sunday adds just a bit of jazz to the whole page.
- the thick kraft paper cover is simplistic, durable and a clever design all rolled into one.
Planning in pencil
And so, here I sit, trying to get organized doing my best to apply these ideas:
- Always work in pencil. Not only to erase mistakes, but to remove some activities when life gets too busy.
- Map out 12 month calendar seasonal events in advance. This can apply to blogging topics or family birthdays.
- Be flexible. After all it is your calendar. Change something if it doesn’t work.
- Look ahead. Consider what projects, goals you want to achieve 1 month from now and what you need to do this week to make it happen.
- Look back. When 2015 is over, don’t throw out the calendar until you have reviewed and done a ‘debrief’ with yourself on what you want to repeat for next year or what you wouldn’t touch again in a million years.
What tips do you use to keep your calendar organized?
Nina Jones
Oh my heavens, I NEED one of those books! love love love!
Ronnica, Striving Stewardess
My blog-mate (my SIL) and I recently changed our posting schedule at my request…I needed more breathing room. We plan on a Google Doc, though, so we both can see our calendar and make changes in real time.
Barb
Thanks for taking the time to comment Ronnica and to share your success with Google Doc. I can imagine the ability to change the calendar real time is hugely helpful when two of you are trying to coordinate posts. Very cool.
Maria
I love this! I’ve been searching high and low for a paper calendar that would be better suited for planning the content on my blog and this is just absolutely perfect! I’m perusing the site right now, and getting ready to order! So glad I found you through the SITS girls Sharefest!
Barb
Hello there Maria, I hope you like it as much as I do. I thought the price was reasonable and considering it had to be shipped to Canada, it arrived quite quickly. Thanks for stopping in for a visit, I will be sure to pop over and return the visit. Have a lovely weekend.