my favorite organizational tools
we’re well into the new year & it’s quite possible that your new years resolutions are starting to lose their glittery shine & appeal.
you’d really like to eat that chocolate bar.
or stay up just a bit longer.
or check your phone just one more time!
there’s all this talk about a new you! a new life! brand spankin’ new possibilities & endless ways to screw it all up.
my people. i’m here for you. i’m riding the emotional waves of the new year with you. i’m taking on my second round of whole30 & i swear to you, last night i imagined my arm was a baguette & i almost chowed down (where’s the gluten?! waaaah!).
moving on…
today on the blog, i don’t want to fix your life or give you unhealthy advice that will leave you feeling guilty or less than.
today i want to share some organizational tools that i use to make the hairy parts of my life not-so-hairy & the busy parts of my life a little more manageable. because let’s face it, life gets crazy & good tools make for lighter work. amen.
1. WALL CALENDARS: any ol’ wall calendar will work as long as it has space for you to write in events, goals, appointments & more. i snatched this katie daisy calendar up & i love it.
as recommended by my business guru friend, katy, i write my business-related tasks for the year on my wall calendar. this includes etsy shop openings, product launches, deadlines for ordering supplies & all of the nitty gritty details of running a small business. this is a way for me to prevent missed deadlines & overworking.
2. DAILY PLANNER: some prefer google calendars, but i am a pen & paper gal. i will not remember a task or scheduled event unless i write it down. i am fairly new to emily ley’s simplified planner, but i absolutely love it. every day has it’s own separate page so this layout allows plenty of room for my to-do lists & meal plan. it’s a bit bulky & somewhat pricey, but i love having everything in one place.
3. CALENDAR MEETINGS: luke & i meet for weekly & monthly calendar meetings. at those meetings, we share what we have scheduled for the week or month ahead. we usually jot down the other’s responsibilities & then i add our family activities to our giant dry erase board calendar in my office. it’s a nice place of reference when life feels a little chaotic. we use this white board calendar from hobby lobby.
4. BLOG CALENDAR: i use this fantastic free printable from emily ley for scheduling my blog posts. it’s simple, straight forward & easy to use. when i have an idea, i jot it down on my blog calendar & appoint a date to it based on my current blog schedule or the lengthiness of the post.
5. CASH SYSTEM WALLET: since he popped the question & i said yes, we’ve been using the cash system inspired by dave ramsey. for the longest time, i used battered paper white envelopes that looked like they had just come home from war. as soon as i found miss money bags’ cash system wallets, i jumped on the bandwagon & i’ll never go back. they’re cute, functional, sturdy & practical. i have a pouch for each cash category & it keeps me accountable to our budget. here’s a bit more about how we budget.
6. RECEIPT ORGANIZER: if you own a small business, pick up a receipt organizer. i picked this one up for a dollar at target & it’s perfect. each month has it’s own pocket. once i record the transaction in quickbooks, i file it away in the corresponding month.
7. SHOPPING LIST: peace out scratch paper, i’ve found a new love. i love amy’s meal planning kit. i especially love her shopping list, which gives me ample room to write what we need from the grocery store. it keeps my list organized & decreases the amount of time spent in the store.
8. WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER: i’ve used several meal planners in the past, but this free printable is my favorite. it’s simple, cute & leaves plenty of room for me to write in meals & events corresponding to our dinnertime hours.
so there you have it… my favorite organizational tools & tips.
& for even more organizational ideas, check out my simple & organized pinterest board!
i’d love to read how you stay organized! please share your tips & tools!
love,
natalie
Unknown | 16th Jan 15
Oh my goodness, that blog calendar is about to change my world. I keep losing the sticky notes I use to make blog schedules, and then I get frustrated, and then I don't post anything at all. Thanks!
Tara | 16th Jan 15
Love this post! I'm slightly obsessed with organizing and making lists…the struggle is real. Can't wait to try out the blog calender. I need this in my life.
oopsiemaizie | 16th Jan 15
so many great tips here, natalie! thank you for sharing… i'm usually feeling pretty scattered but you have so easy systems in place… love the idea of the receipt organizer… mine are usually floating all throughout my purse… haha… have a happy weekend! xx
Unknown | 16th Jan 15
I'm so glad you love your Simplified Planner! Thanks for including it in your wonderful post! xo Emily
Brooke | 16th Jan 15
I TRIED to order an Emily Ley planner and they sold out much to quick ; (
ali grace | cookies and grace | 18th Jan 15
We're just starting to try the cash system… love that wallet! I may have to get me one. 🙂
Lindsay Swoboda | 18th Jan 15
These are lovely ideas! I am still on the hunt for PERFECT paper planner and the first month of the year is almost over, I need to get on it! My other ways to stay organized: our crazy excel doc that tracks all our budgeting/spending. We started one last year and it was intimidating at first, but now I really, wildly, LOVE tracking where our hard earned pay is going!
Sarah Esh | 19th Jan 15
I am so excited to try out this menu planner. I've been stuck in such a cooking funk, mainly because I don't think about what to make until its 3pm. Maybe if I use this, I'll be a bit more creative with cooking.
Thank you!