Using Pinterest Responsibly

I don't know how many times I have been told "I wish I had Pinterest when I was planning my wedding! It would have made everything so much easier!"

Oh Really?

While I see what they are saying and I want to agree with them picture this:

It is about 12am
I should have gone to bed hours ago, but I... can't... stop... Pinning! I don't know how I ended up making a board about cats in bow ties, but I have managed to collect over 200 pins for it. Wasn't I doing something? What did I come on here to look up in the first place? OH! Wedding stuff!

(Goes back to pinning wedding related pins)

It is 2am
I am currently pinning chicken salad recipes... It's 2 AM?! I really need to go to bed!

Sound familiar? I have lost count of how many times this has happened to me. I go on Pinterest to try and figure out an awesome solution to some detail on my wedding and end up all over the place, hours wasted, and no real progress made. I knew I needed to make a change or Pinterest was going to end up as more of a distraction than the amazing tool it should be. So here is how I use Pinterest Responsibly.


Plan Before You Pin
Have something to pin about. Focus on only that item or theme. Don't just start pinning blindly and hope you end up with a good collection in the end.

Don't allow yourself to change the board you are pinning to
Since Pinterest automatically assumes you are going to pin from the board you last pinned to it makes focusing really easy if you set some rules. Don't let yourself change the board you are pinning to and it will force you to stay focused.
TIP: If you find something in your focused search that you ABSOLUTELY NEED on one of your other boards open the pin in a new tab and let it sit there until you are done pinning or have time for less focused pinning.

Schedule It
If you are not currently PINspired you are less likely to spend so much time pinning, so schedule a time to pin and while it will be less fun it will also be more efficient!

Variety Over Quantity 
You do not need 20 versions of the same necklace on your jewelry board. My goal is to usually pin a small variety so my boards don't get too big and confusing yet they have a lot of ideas and options. So use a lot of differing key words in your searches and try not to pin more than 3 of similar looking items.

Make a lot of boards!
When it comes to wedding pinning I have a lot of boards with not too many pins. I of course have my crazy big general board to take pins from when making more focused boards, but a majority of my boards only have 100 or less pins. This keeps every thing easy to find and forces me to use Pinterest as a planning tool and not a picture collection.

If you want to see how I organized my wedding planing pins check out my Pinterest Profile!

Good luck fellow pinners!

What's in my Wedding Bin?

Last month I purchased a big teal bin! The plans I had for this bin were huge! All my procrastination and stress for making my own wedding stuff could be gone because of this bin.

What is the deal with this bin?
This is my wedding craft bin! I was supposed to buy it back in April so when I started gathering the supplies May for the DIY work that was planned for June I would have a safe place to put everything. There really isn't a point in doing everything so far in advance if it is just going to get smooshed and you have to start over. I also had an easy way to transport everything.

It was a great plan. It was all outlined on my Planning Sheet I was going to have all the boutonnieres done by the end of this month and I would already have the bulk of the centerpiece stuff bought and ready to start assembling. I was going to be oh so very on top of things.

Here is what is currently in my wedding bin (that I ended up buying only a few weeks ago)

1. A few yards of messed up fabric - I found this a while ago with my mom and didn't want to get it because the low price at the time wasn't quite low enough to make up for the big black marks on it. It went on sale again and I couldn't help getting it this time since it was only $6.
2. Ribbon - This was going to be my test ribbon for making flowers for bouquets and decoration. I have yet to even attempt making a flower. 
3. Wire for ribbon flower making - Yeah, I really don't have a good excuse why I haven't tried them yet.
4. Random pipe cleaners - I don't know why these are in here. Maybe I thought I could use them for the flowers? 
5. Empty Space! 

Pretty pathetic... It WAS a great plan. Too bad I didn't stick to it! So now I am tweaking the plan and basically redoing everything for the next few months so that I can catch up. I will do another post like this in a few months with an update on the state of the wedding bin. Hopefully it will have a little more to it...

So what projects have you been putting on the back burner? I know I can't be the only one!

Making Your Day More Efficient

Hello Internet!

I have noticed that lazy procrastinators such as myself are excellent problem solvers! They also tend to be crazy efficient in certain aspects of their life to be able to sustain their poor time management habits.

Take me for example:
When I am sitting on the couch watching TV and the remote is just out of reach you won't catch me bending ever so slightly forward! NO! I will look around me until I find something to nudge it just within reach. A magazine, a sock, some random cat toy stick, a sock attached to a random cat toy? It doesn't matter as long as I don't have to get up. I usually end up exerting more energy flinging and aiming a cat toy at the remote than I would have if I just got up in the first place!

Now imagine if I put all that brain power to good use instead of laziness!
That is the plan and here is how you can do it!


1. Ask yourself what parts of your life are horrendously inefficient?

For me this was my morning routine. I always thought getting up earlier would solve this problem, but I was getting up 3 hours before I had to leave for work and consistently spazzing out for the 15 min before I had to leave because I would suddenly remember all the stuff I needed to do.

2. Create a schedule or checklist.
Order of events is important! Think about it room by room. There is no reason to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom 4 times because you keep forgetting things!
Example: I set my clothes in the bathroom every night for the next day before I go to bed so I don't have to leave the bathroom until I am completely ready! This 5 min fix saves me 15 in the morning because I tend to get indecisive about what to wear if I am rushing.




3. Post that schedule and stick to it!
Mine is in the pantry since that is where my morning prep begins, but putting it in a more noticeable place is a better plan if you are worried you might forget to do it.

Another fun thing I use for my morning tasks is HabitRPG

https://habitrpg.com/

It treats your life and habits like a game! You get experience and cool drops like potions and eggs to collect pets! This really works as motivation for me because of the pet collecting and competitiveness of leveling up! I go on in the morning before work and check off all my habits like making the bed or flossing the night before and if I forget one I do it really quick! There is something about missing one and having it cause the little virtual me harm that really makes me want to Dust on Mondays!

So how about you guys, what crazy things do you do in the name of laziness?

The Perfect Planner - Part 2

Hello Internet!

I have been using my planner I made for about a month now and while it hasn't changed too much I am using it a lot differently than I thought I would. It also has a more finished feel and I solved a lot of problems that came up while using it. The largest difference since the last post is color!

Click here to see Part 1

I started using shaded areas for weekends and other background areas similar to  the planner I had before. It made it very easy to see my month at a glance. I also have week sheets now that were INSANELY difficult to figure out how to print! I am using regular 8.5 x 11 paper cut in half, and to make my margins even the pages had to be printed with the inside margins on the outside. It was a nightmare and I am glad I don't have to deal with it again until March!

I also solved a problem I have always had with ALL of my previous planners. You have a whole section of used pages you will probably never look at again in the front and another whole section of yet to be used pages in the back. I don't want to carry around all those pages that I am not using! My solution!

Only print out the months ahead not the weeks. It is the same information twice so I printed out the rest of the months of the year. Every new month I will print out the following month's week pages. BAM! No extra future pages to lugg around!

As for the past, it gets stapled and filed away.

I am really happy with it because it has everything I want and if I find that something is missing, I can add it in!

Here are a few things I can't live without in my planner:

-A color key to decode my week at a glance!

-Blog Month Planning pages

-Various list pages

-Sticker and tab area

-"This Week" to do list

-Slacker List
This is basically a list of all the stuff I didn't get done the week before and don't want to forget about.

I draw a smiley face if I get everything done!


-A place to put my weekly and monthly goals


-Special dates


-Meal Planning pages


and LOTS of space for notes!


I am thinking of selling a customized PDF download version on an Etsy shop if there is any interest so let me know and I can see what I can do! I could easily do mini and full page with what I have so far!

See you next week!

Starting Fresh in 2014

Hello Internet!

My personal goal or theme for January is "Starting Fresh" I am basically using the new year (like most people) to start over and make new better habits for myself. I started back in December planning all my goals for the new year and buying myself a white board to add a big visual reminder to myself to stick to them! The white board idea was inspired by Sarah over at XO SARAH. Her escape story from her 9 to 5 job to the freedom of her own business really got me PUMPED to get my act together this year! So after my letter to myself for January I set up a whiteboard of my own as a BIG COLORFUL to do list for 2014! Here is is!

I tried to make it as eye catching as possible to try and force myself to look at it every day. I also put it right next to me on my desk! It is really hard to miss.

Under the polka dotted "2014" is my weekly challenge for 52 Week Organized House Challenge. I wanted to get more organized this year and this challenge made it easy to get a little something done every day. Usually I just try to tackle a huge project and then only half finish it or never keep it nice nearly as long as I would like.

Below that week's challenge I made a spot for my weekly and monthly goals and I cross them off as I get them done. There is something really satisfying about crossing tasks off on lists that motivates me to cross off more! Under my goals is my weekly meal plan. So far this year I have stuck to it and it has already saved me so much time and cash! Plus I get to try new recipes which I always think is fun. I really wish I would have started doing this sooner!!!

Also I fully intend to erase the whole board and draw new fun titles and change any layout problems I come across throughout this first month of using it.

WHAT!? WHY?

Well, normally I would just leave up the basic layout for the sake of time, but creating it was very calming and had a mandala like effect on my mind. I was thinking about the new year with every dot and line and all of the plans I had for it. It was soothing and crazy inspiring at the same time! I had to stop and write down ideas a few times. I think I might even set some time aside every month and get more ornate and intricate with the titles and separation lines.

So that is my super exciting white board and how I plan on getting everything done this new year! Well that and my planner, but that is the topic for next week! See you then!

A Letter To Myself, Getting stuff done in 2014

Hello Internet!

It has been a busy and stressful few months for me so sorry about not posting! Fortunately all the crazy of the holidays is over and I am gearing up for a productive new year! I am starting with my plan to get stuff done!

At the beginning of November I wrote a letter to myself with all of the things I wanted to get done in that month. This was a test to see how much of my ever growing To Do list actually gets done in a month since it never seems to get any smaller. After failing miserably, but learning a lot (I got 5 of the 13 goals done) I tried another letter for December.

Yesterday I read my December letter and made notes on it on what I got done from the list.

(The big red lines are some subtractions I made after realizing Christmas is in December and I would have a lot of holiday stuff to deal with. I needed to be a little more realistic with myself!)

My inspiration for making this letter came from planning my wedding. I made a month by month list of everything that needed to happen and when looking at the insanely organized page (I had it down to what week things were supposed to get done) I realized that I can get a ton of stuff done in a year!!! Why not try this out with other To Dos in my life? So I made a mini one for just one month.

Here is how to do your own letter to yourself to look back and (hopefully) feel awesome at how much you got done that month!

1. Grab your big fat To Do list or make a new one with all the things you want to get done. Choose enough from your list to have one or two things to check off each week for that month. Just don't overdo it! Maybe pick one big one and give yourself two weeks to do it, and then pick a few smaller tasks for the other weeks.
     Examples:
          -Save $200.
          -Fix that broken thing I still haven't got around to fixing.
          -Hang up that picture that has been sitting on the floor for a month.
          -Actually do a pin from Pinterest!


2. Add a habit or two to the list that you have been having a hard time mastering
     Examples:
          -Wash dishes as soon as you are done with them.
          -Start finishing blog posts a day early instead of last minute.
          -Make sure the dirty clothes make it into the hamper! (This means getting up when that rolled up sock just misses the toss from across the room)


3. Shoot for the Moon! Pick something you have been really wanting to do! Maybe you are like me and couldn't justify doing it because of all the other things you really should be doing first. This one is supposed to be fun and it helps you get started if you aren't feeling very motivated.
     Examples:
          -Start a new hobby like sewing, and be specific! Actually plan the first project you want to do.
          -Start Learning a new language!
          -Go Sky Diving

4. Now write your letter to you in a month. Date it and include your list. Then put it in a place you will be able to find it in a month, like in your planner or wall calendar stuck to the next month. If you want to go the more digital route set a reminder with where you put the list or with a link to the digital letter. Also make sure to make a copy of the list for yourself to check off this month.


5. Put the list somewhere you see it often or near the thing you need to do. Schedule the individual tasks in your planner. Plaster post it notes all over your house if that helps you. Just make them obvious so it is hard to forget to do them!


6. Have an awesome productive month!


7. Check back at the beginning of the next month and see all the stuff you accomplished!

I have noticed that setting up rewards for myself really helps too! If you get everything done that month treat yourself!

Now go out and be productive!

What tasks are you putting on your to do list this month? Any New Years Resolutions? Let me know in the comments!

The Perfect Planner - Part 1

Hello Internet! 

Ever since middle school when I was handed my mandatory planner I have been a planner fanatic! I love being able to look at a page and see everything I need to do or have accomplished in a given week or month. I love crossing things off and writing with a real pen! I have tried the digital route and it was never as satisfying as a physical planner and it was always annoying how limiting they are! (I like to doodle in my planner if I am excited about a given day) So I was always on the lookout for a good planner! Each year I would buy a new one hoping that it would be THE ONE, but while every new planner had some great part of it that made me buy it in the first place, none of them had EVERYTHING I wanted in a planner. 

This year after becoming a blog stalker I found a lot of bloggers making their own planners to fit their needs. I know how to design page layouts why didn't I just make mine before!? I did think of it before and it was the binding that always caused problems. (well that and the fact I procrastinate so much I never finished it before old planner ended) I looked into binders and having it bound, but binders are too bulky and having it bound was too permanent and didn't allow for the massive amount of paper collecting I tend to do. So I gave up, and once again I purchased a regular planner. 

Here is a page from my current planner! I have everything color coded to make things easier to read.

And just because I love it so much, here is my pen pouch and pens that I carry with it!

This planner was my switch to a big kid planner since I had always used academic planners. Making the switch mid-year when my old planner ended meant that the first half of this planner wasn't used at all. I loved the colors though, and the page layouts were perfect for me. So I gave up for a while on my dream of having the perfect planner since this one was okay for now.

Then I found this:

This is a disc bound notebook. You can take pages out and put them back in like a binder but it has the slim profile of a spiral bound notebook! Since this notebook is small it is really easy to take with me and even fits in my purse! 

Being eager to use this thing I printed out some test pages to use as a blog planner. Then using a hole punch and some scissors managed to get them working in the notebook! (I wasn't patient enough to wait a week for the disc bound punch I ordered online)

TA DA!
Boy was this tricky to figure out! Getting the margins to be even and have enough space for the holes. Good thing I only had to figure it out once! All that work and all I have to show is the bare bones of a month, BUT I STARTED! My dream planner is coming to life in front of me and I am so excited! 
Now for the hard part! Figuring out what I want...

Next week I will post part 2 where I will go through some of my must have features in a planner and my second round of layout testing! See you then!

Click Here to see part 2!

My Relationship With List Making

There is nothing wrong with making lists. It is a useful visual way to organize your thoughts so you do not forget anything. Well for most people...

Stage One:  Experimentation
My relationship with lists started like most people with the simple grocery and to do lists. I would jot down a few things that I wanted to remember or write the missing ingredient list of a recipe I planned on making that day. I found that I really liked not worrying about forgetting things and that I was more efficient since I spent less time remembering or looking things up for the fourth time.

Stage Two:  Regular Use
This list making things was really working for me and the thrill of crossing things off when I finished something felt so good. If I was at the store and saw a cute notepad I wouldn't hesitate buying it, after all I know I would use it eventually. I would make chore lists for myself and morning routine lists and up them on my bathroom mirror. This was a perfectly healthy relationship with lists and for most people this is how it stays.

Stage Three:  Risky Use
I had a notepad and pen in every room should the sudden need arise to make a list or jot down an idea. When genius or even an okay idea came to mind I would write it down. It was better than the horror or forgetting something! I started using list apps and made multiple lists for the same stuff because I would lose old ones in the piles of new lists. I knew the original was somewhere but couldn't risk forgetting this new tidbit while looking for the old list. I even started making lists for things that REALLY didn't require a list, but I was being organized by keeping track of my thoughts so this was a good thing! I didn't have a problem!

Stage Four:  Dependence
I caught myself making lists of my lists and lists on how to find my lost lists. I checked my lists multiple times in case I forgot something since I had so many versions and similar lists. I would carry my planner with me everywhere because it was the place a majority of my lists were shoved and the thought of being without the lists and forgetting something was just not okay! Every so often I would do a list purge trying to find all the lists I could and consolidate them, but never actually finish and just end up with more duplicate lists. 

Stage Five:  Addiction
Here is a picture of all the lists I currently have that I could actually find at the moment. There are 2 books in there too but it seemed relevant since they are books full of checklists about wedding stuff. 

I know it isn't pretty but just making this big spread out pile of everything made it a lot easier to come to terms with my list addiction. Here are some especially sad things to note:

1. All of my bookmarks and placeholders are lists.

2. Most of the notebooks in the photo are primarily used for list making.

3. Most of the lists I make are double sided so there is a lot more under all that.

4. I felt the need to make a list of the things to note so I would not forget.

So now on to the magic part! After a good amount of list consolidating and purging, and a whole lot of pile making and reorganizing, I managed to sort out my life in paper! TA DA!

I now have a notebook or binder for each major category and my planner doesn't have things fall out of it every I started this crazy task by choosing 5 main categories and making piles. My piles are Wedding, Blog, Christmas, Ideas, and Planner. My planner has all my shopping lists and is a temporary holding spot for anything that has yet to make it to it's proper notebook or binder. Next I went through each list and started a master list for each pile in a notebook or binder. Once I had a system it went by quick and before I knew it it was done! 

So that is my list addiction and how I managed to conquer it! Goodbye giant piles of paper! Hello to actually having a desk again!