Hello everyone and happy May! Let me tell you how excited I am about this month. It is finally bright and sunny on the North East Coast of the U.S. and I’ve been enjoying the sunshine very much! Starbuck and I have been going on walks, I’ve been hitting the gym in preparation for my trip to Aruba and I’ve been getting some serious work done around Strange & Charmed! So let me catch you up on what is going on at Charmed HQ!
Lately, I have felt like I am making some wonderful progress on so many projects. I have officially launched the third workbook for Empire Building, on the topic of Community Building! The workbook came out so great, I’m so impressed with it myself and I know my Empire Builders are going to love it! It feels so great to have only two remaining workbooks left to publish, and once they are all out, I can’t wait to start on stage two of my master plan for Empire Building! I’ve also been inspired to start a few new series on both my blog and my YouTube channel that focus on educating bloggers and business owners. One of them is going to be a Photoshop course over on YouTube, and another is going to be a business resource guide here on the blog! I’m so excited to get started creating some great content to help my fellow bloggers, YouTubers and social media fanatics learn and grow! I’m also hoping that this month I can finish working on a special passion project of mine that I actually started last year around May, but ended up having to put on the back burner. Obviously, I will explain more as work progresses on that, but never the less, get excited because I’m seriously pumped about May!
Now, speaking of May, did you download my FREE May Planner Insert? If not, I will link it here so you can check it out! It’s adorable, if I say so myself, and it’s actually a list of 31 awesome seasonal things to do in May! Definitely check it out if you are a planner addict like me! Speaking of being a planner addict, I recently posted a video to my YouTube channel all about my Filofax collection. So, if you have been curious as to my planners, you may want to check that video out and meet my 14 (yes, I said 14!) planners!
Finally, I’m sure you are curious to know what Lisamarie and I are up to for the summer! You may have heard that we are going on vacation together to Aruba in June, and we are super excited about that! We will be vlogging it, and we have some awesome things planned for you guys in June to help get you involved with out vacation and such, so make sure you are following both of us on Instagram! We also have one more fun thing to share! On Wednesday May 6th at 9pm EST, Lisamarie and I will be doing our second Glampire Chat over on her channel! If you missed our last chat, I will link it here, but this time around we are discussing branding, so we hope you will attend the live chat, but you can also watch the reply on my channel if you can’t make it!
So, I think that about wraps up my news for May! Remember, schedule May 6th at 9pm EST in your planner so you can hang out with me and Lisamarie! Come with your questions and make sure to join us in using the hashtag #GlampireChat to celebrate our second event and send us questions! Can’t wait to see you on Wednesday!
You know I love me some gorgeous office decor that is both functional and inspirational! So I decided to start this little series where I highlight 5 ways you can turn your office from drab to FAB without spending a ton of money! Seriously, how awesome is this series going to be?!? I’m so excited to share my favorite office trends from DIYs you can do on the cheap to beautiful and functional office supplies that will add personality to your desk!
1. Laptop Riser: Not only is a laptop riser an ergonomic way to reduce eye and neck strain while you are working, it also helps free up valuable space on your desk. I am frequently asked about where I purchased my laptop riser, it’s the Ghost Stand by Twelve South and you can get a great deal on yours here.
2. DIY Desk Blotter: I love the way my desk looks with this added element of color and interest in the form of a super easy and inexpensive desk blotter. I actually have a video about how to make one, along with a few other awesome DIY office products that you will definitely want to check out for some great office inspo!
3. Colorful storage boxes: I love this set of three nesting boxes from Kate Spade! They are an easy and inexpensive way to hide office clutter or organize and store files, paperwork, or your stationery collection! It’s funny how a simple thing like a pretty box can totally hide a complete mess of items, and actually look so polished and posh!
4. Smartphone Dock: I love having a dedicated spot to keep my iPhone, and this Jonathan Adler rotary style dock is my absolute fave! You can actually use this dock with a variety of phones because it has a nice wide area for your phone to sit in and an opening in the center where you can attach any charging cable. It’s like a totally functional piece of desk art!
5. Wall Art: I absolutely love the look of a gallery wall, especially on a blank wall of an office. It’s a great way to add special moments, images and inspirational quotes to your work space that keep you motivated and on task! You can check out my gallery wall here, and if you are looking for some inexpensive options for art, make sure to check out my shop for printable wall art that you can use all over your home!
I hope you enjoyed these ideas and this first installment of Office Oasis! Let me know in the comments if this is something you would like me to continue on a regular basis, because I don’t know about you, but I could write about office supplies all day every day! If you use any of these tips currently or get any inspiration from this post, I’d love to see a picture of what you come up with! Upload your pic to Instagram and use the hashtag #StrangeandCharmed and make sure to tag me, @MissTrenchcoat so I can like and comment on your pics!
Although there are many things that we Filofax lovers plan and track within our binders, there are few things that can have such a major impact in our quality of life as meal planning. For a few years now I have been dabbling with creating meal plans for myself and my husband. I have gone through periods of great meal organization, where I have had dinners planned out for the month ahead, cooked in bulk to save myself time and money and felt in total mental and physical control! I have also gone through times where I felt too busy to plan meals, wasted hundreds of dollars a month on groceries just to turn around and order take out for dinner, leaving me feeling stressed, bloated and out of control! Now, I’m not saying that meal planning is the key to all of life’s problems, but as a planner, it’s certainly an important part of our day-to-day lives that can easily be organized in such a way that we are saving money, eating better, and reducing stress on multiple levels.
Like I said, I’ve gone through the spectrum when it comes to meal planning, and I recently decided that I was going to light a fire under my butt and jump back in. Of course, now with the help of my trust Filofax, I needed a set of meal planning inserts that could help me get the job done quickly and efficiently. So, I made myself a set of meal planning inserts that I thought I would share with you now. If you are looking to get into meal planning, I hope these inserts help you get organized and on track, as they are available for sale in my Shop in both A5 and personal size. However, even if you don’t have any interest in my inserts, I hope that this post will give you some insight into meal planning using a Filofax, and inspires you to get started if that is something you believe would be helpful in your life as well!
Okay, so to start off, lets talk about the inserts that I made that are available in my Meal Planning Bundle! There are three inserts total, a Meal Master List, a Grocery List and a Weekly Meal Planner! The Meal Master List is what I consider the HQ for my meal planning process. It contains all the meals I like to make for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks/desserts all listed out so when I sit down to create my meal plan, I have a variety of options for meals sitting in front of me. To me, this is step one of the meal planning process because when it comes to creating a successful meal plan, having a variety of options available helps create diversity in your meal plan, so that you don’t get bored with your food options and resort to take out!
The Grocery List insert is pretty straight forward. It’s a simple checklist where you can write down all the groceries you will need for your meal plan and of course any extras you need to pick up at the store as well. Having a complete grocery list may seem like a no-brainer, but your grocery list can be a make or break for you while you are at the store. Having a complete, well thought out list helps you to prevent missing any key items you need for your meal plan, and having that list helps you to excercise your self-control, teaching you to stick to the items on your list and not stray! Although this may be tough at first, an important element to the success of any meal plan is the ability to control your groceries so that you are buying only what you need and avoiding any items that may sabotage your meal plan by creating diversions for your appetite throughout the week. Making a complete grocery list and sticking to it has helped to save me hundreds of dollars a month on my grocery bill. Why? Because when you feel confident that you have made a complete list and know that you only need to purchase the items on said list, your mind begins to turn to autopilot and you don’t get any wild and crazy last-minute ideas for extra meals or new recipes you want to try while perusing the aisles of your grocery store! So get into the habit of creating a complete and thorough list for yourself and you will see that in the end, you will save time, money and a lot of hassle!
My final meal planning insert is the Weekly Meal Planner itself, broken down into a grid format so that you can easily plan out your meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course snacks, for your week! Now, I think one of the great things about using print at home meal planning inserts like these, is really that you have an unlimited supply of these sheets on hand. Although the Weekly Meal Planner is roomy, even in the personal size, there are always situations where you may need to create more than one meal plan, especially if you have a large family to plan for or special dietary restrictions you need to keep in mind for separate meals. You could also use these inserts to actually track the food that you do end up eating, if for instance you don’t stick to your meal plan but want to track exactly what you consumed, in the form of a food journal. Again, just another reason why having a printable insert is so much more of a value than purchasing pre printed inserts or using separate journals or notebooks!
So now that you know about the meal planning inserts, let me give you a brief description of how I use them and my process for meal planning! Of course, you may use your inserts differently or have your own process, but this is what I do! First of all, when I am sitting down on Sunday to organize my grocery list and create my meal plan, the first thing I do is take stock of the items I already have in the house. I compare that with my Meal Master List and decide if there are any meals I want to make for the coming week that include those ingredients. If so, I make a note of the meals on some small sticky notes or page flags and then I add any missing ingredients to my grocery list. After I have decided on meals that are already stocked (or mostly stocked) at home, I check my master list to see what else I want to eat for the week. I consult with my husband and see what he has been craving and then we pick out the rest of the meals for the week and write them out on their own sticky notes. Again, I will add any items to my grocery list that I may not have in stock for those meals. Then, I will add any other miscellaneous items I know I need to buy before heading out to the grocery store! Finally, I will take the sticky notes with each meal listed on it and map out my meal plan for the week. I do this on sticky notes because often, my husband and I will change our minds about when we want to have a meal, and that’s absolutely fine, but I need to be able to switch around my meals so that I know what I have left to make if I bump up a meal that may have been scheduled for later in the week!
That, in a nut shell, is my meal planning process. Like I said, you could do it differently to suit your needs, but this is what works for me! I love having these inserts in my Filofax, in their own dedicated section, because it helps me to keep my meal plan at the top of my mind, making it harder for me to just ignore it and order take out! I was previously using a small Sugar Paper for Target bound notebook to house my meal planning/food diary, but I found that because it was separate from my planner (that houses everything important to me and current in my life) I found it easy to forget about it, forget I had a meal plan and forget I was prioritizing this process! Now, that leads me to the final little portion of this post, which is keeping inspired to continue on with your meal planning! The final goodie that comes in my Meal Planning Bundle is a set of journaling cards that you can use in your planner or around your home to keep this process on your mind. There are four designs of journaling cards in the kit, one is a great little portable recipe card that you can keep in your planner in case you hear of a great recipe while you are out and about and want to write it down (how often have you found an interesting recipe in a magazine in a waiting room but couldn’t rip it out and take it with you? Happens to me all the time)! The second card is a hydration tracker where you can track how many glasses of water you have drunk each day in a week! I know there are a lot of folks out there who track their water or want to do a better job of tracking their water, and this little journaling card is the perfect thing to get the job done- and it fits nicely into a planner pocket or can be punched and inserted into your calendar pages so you see it frequently! Finally, the last two designs are two inspirational quotes that I think sum up meal planning perfectly! I absolutely love these cards, having punched them and inserted them into my planner as a daily reminder of my meal planning process!
Well, this was a very comprehensive blog post and I hope it gave you some good inspiration for beginning your own meal planning process with your Filofax or planner system! In case you found this post too long to read, I also filmed a video on the topic that I will go ahead and link for your convenience! If you are currently meal planning in your planner, please let me know about your system in the comments or if you would like to start, feel free to ask me any additional questions and if I can help, I certainly will!
On my iPhone is a monthly feature on Strange & Charmed where I give you a peak into what I have been loving on my iPhone for the month! Covering topics like apps, games, podcasts, music, websites, books and more, I hope this series helps you all discover new and exciting content out there that can be enjoyed from your iPhone! To stay up to date with this series, make sure to follow the On My iPhone tag!
In case you hadn’t noticed, I actually didn’t post an On My iPhone for December of 2014, so I am very excited to finally be catching you all up on my digital monthly favorites! I feel like I have been on a productivity roll this January with all the great new projects and ideas I have been working on for my business! It should come as no surprise to you then, that many of these awesome favorites may have played a role in that increased productivity!
Currently Playing, Mind Genius: Since I have been trying to get off on a productive foot for 2015, I have been doing a lot of brainstorming and project planning for my blog, YouTube channel and of course my shop! Although I do love brainstorming on paper, I found that the number of projects I was working on was just becoming a little too much for my post its to handle and thought it would be best if I had an electronic system to help aid me in this process so that I could see all my ideas and order them into a logical flow. Enter the app Mind Genius! I have actually had this free app downloaded on my iPad for quite a while now, but I never used it much until now. It’s basically mind mapping software that helps you to arrange your thoughts and brainstorm through projects or problems you are working on. I highly suggest it if you are craving some sort of digital organization for your projects and thoughts and notepads or sticky notes just aren’t working that well for you!
Currently Reading, May Cause Miracles:I really enjoyed Gabrielle Bernstein’s book, Miracles Now, so much that I recently decided that I wanted to familiarize myself with more of her work. So, I decided to give May Cause Miracles a try and I haven’t been disappointed! I really love how Gabby is such a down to earth, straight shooting spiritual guru of sorts. I know she’s a life coach, but when she communicates, it feels more like a friend chatting with you than a professional. If you are looking for spiritual guidance or just want to get in tune with the universe around you, definitely try May Cause Miracles!
Currently Watching, Paper & Glam: Back in December I came across the Paper & Glam Youtube channel as I was searching for new planner videos to watch. The channel is hosted and run by Lisamarie Landreth, a 20 something professional gal much like myself with a penchant for organization and planners and I was instantly hooked! Lisamarie and I have since become besties because we share an alarming number of similar values and ideals, so if you like my content and my youtube channel, I know you will connect with Lisamarie as well. Her home decor and Erin Condren Life Planner videos are on point and she also runs her own blog and shop with much more interesting and fun content, so be sure to check her out there as well! If you do, make sure to drop her a line and let her know Alexis sent you!
Currently Surfing, Elle & Co Design: One of my goals for 2015 is to really dive deep and discover new sites and blogs filled with interesting and informative content, and I have totally started the year off with a strong start ever since I discovered Elle & Co Design, the personal blog of graphic designer Lauren Hooker! I think you’re going to see a pattern emerging with my latest and greatest faves, but Lauren is not only an A+ blogger, but she also runs her own design company and has a digital shop with awesome printables as well! I love that Lauren blogs not only about her design business, but she also gives really great branding and blogging advice as well! Again, if you like my blog, I bet you will love her, so make sure to add her to your bloglovin feed as well!
Currently Listening, Elise Gets Crafty: One of the things I have also been trying to do more of is find and listen to more podcasts! Since I work from home alone all day (well, not totally alone thanks to this lil guy) I feel like I need to keep my mind engaged while I’m working with more than just music. Because I love business and non fiction books so much, I thought it would be fun to find more business related podcasts and guess what?!? I found a podcast geared towards creative business owners called Elise Gets Crafty! It’s hosted by craft blogger Elise Blaha Cripe (who I also went ahead and added to my regular reads as well once I discovered her) and in each episode of her podcast, Elise interviews and engages in great conversation with another creative entrepreneur to help answer some of the big and little questions and issues that all creative business owners face. Definitely check it out if you have been thinking about starting your own creative business or if you already run one!
Well those have been my monthly favorites, but of course, there is always one final thing I know you all look forward to hearing about and that is which iPhone case I am currently rocking! For the majority of January I have been using my favorite black and white striped case from Kate Spade! I have been on such a black and white kick lately, as you can tell from the picture above, everything from my planner to my coffee mug is black and white! Love it!
So, now it’s your turn to tell me what you have been loving for the month of January! Any new YouTube channels or apps I need to check out? I am always on the hunt for new blogs to read as well, especially if they are centered around creative female entrepreneurs! Let me know your favorites and suggestions in the comments below!
Since we are now in the very beginning of January and I know many of you are probably pondering resolutions for the year as well as any projects and other goals you want to accomplish throughout 2015, I thought now would be the perfect time to share with you all my project planning and goal tracking process. As you may already know, I do use my personal sized Filofax planner to house and organize all my projects and goals for the year. You may even be familiar already with my printable project planning bundle that I sell in my shop and designed specifically to help myself (and others!) outline and monitor their projects in a productive way. If you haven’t seen my project planning bundle yet, feel free to check it out for yourself.
Now, when it comes to projects and goals, I think people tend to approach each of these items differently because they do tend to be different in nature. When it comes to projects, I view them as a collection or series of tasks necessary to complete in order to come to a desired outcome. In my opinion, projects usually arise as a result of external factors in our lives that prompt us to undertake these tasks. For example, you may find that the majority of your projects come from places like work, your household or even community needs. Since projects are often externally driven, I believe that we often feel a lot of pressure or stress to complete these tasks because usually someone other than ourselves is counting on the completion of the project. Goals on the other hand are things we as individuals work towards with the hopes of accomplishing. I find that goals are usually internally driven and very personal in nature and because of this, I believe we often put our own goals aside or on the back burner to other projects because the completion of our goals only affect us on a personal level. Therefore, I find that goals are usually the first thing to fall to the wayside when life gets busy because they can sometimes feel like something of a selfish pursuit. The truth of the matter is, that both projects and goals should be approached with the same system of organization in order to identify, plan and execute them to completion. No matter whether you are working on a project for work or trying to reach the goal of running a marathon, the same basic planning structure applies and neither a project nor a goal is any less valid no matter the factors surrounding it’s existence!
Okay, so let’s move on to the nuts & bolts of my project planning system. This isn’t any sort of revolutionary system by any means, and I certainly can’t take credit for doing anything other than developing it to fit my own needs, but it does work very well for me, and I thought if it works for me, it could work for you!
Step 1: Brainstorming
The first part of my project planning system is brainstorming. This shouldn’t be confused with brain dumping, because in a brain dump you are simply moving information stored in your mind onto paper (or another trusted input system) in order to store the information, reflect and review later. Brainstorming is like the opposite of a brain dump, because with a brainstorm you start with an empty mind and actively populate ideas. In order to do so, it can often help to first complete a brain dump so that your mind isn’t focused on holding on to any other ideas or plans already stored there, and you can focus simply on the act of creating ideas.
Tip 1: Define your problem
When you begin a brainstorm it is important to ask yourself what you are trying to achieve or what problem you are trying to solve. You need to be specific here and think about the who, what, where, when, why and how of your problem so that you can approach it from every direction.
Tip 2: Envision the ideal outcome
When brainstorming, it is important to know what the ideal outcome is for your problem. We are talking best case scenarios only! Don’t negotiate your ideal down to something diluted, but focus on exactly what it is that you want to happen. Don’t be afraid to dream big. As one of my favorite quotes says “Reach for the Stars, for even if you fail, you’ll land amongst the Heavens.” When you are brainstorming it’s a great idea to think like an overachiever! I follow this rule of thumb myself and I never fail to produce great things even if I don’t quite make it as far as I dared.
Tip 3: Track all thoughts
Start writing down any idea that comes to mind, no matter how small, how right or how wrong it sounds. I suggest doing this with sticky notes or index cards, because these will help you to organize all your thoughts later.
Tip 4: Brainstorm early & often
It’s never too early to brainstorm solutions to a problem that may have just arisen or even to brainstorm solutions to problems that you are anticipating. The more time you spend brainstorming and the more sessions you undertake, the better your ideas will get and the more prepared you will be to undertake the project!
Step 2: Organizing plans and ideas
Once you have spent a sufficient time brainstorming, it’s time to organize your ideas! If you used sticky notes or note cards as I suggested, this process will be easier for you, but make sure to keep a few extra supplies around because you may still have some more though processing to do!
Tip 1: Lay it all out in front of you
Literally, lay all your cards with ideas and plans and information in front of you and take a good hard look at everything.
Tip 2: Discover the Hierarchy of Ideas
Once you have spent time reviewing your ideas, you will start to notice a natural hierarchy of ideas emerge from your notes. You will see ideas you like, ideas you don’t like and you can begin the organization process by grouping these items into a logical order. Ask yourself as you do this if you see any gaps in information, if so, pull out another sticky note or index card and fill in the blank!
Tip 3: Do not discard any ideas
It is very important that during this process you do not discard any ideas, no matter how bad they may seem. Why? Sometimes good ideas can spring forth from bad ideas. Often time I find that by looking at the wrong answer, your mind naturally comes to understand what the right answer is, almost like a process of elimination. When you know what doesn’t work, you have eliminated a possibility and can therefore focus on what does work! Another reason to keep around those seemingly bad ideas is because although an idea may be bad for one project, it may actually work for another or give you a great idea for a totally different project. While you’re brainstorming, you seriously have no clue what is going to pop up but your brain gave you the idea for a reason, so give it some time before you decide that it’s not worth pursuing.
Tip 4: Give your ideas time to process
Project planning and organizing ideas isn’t something that should be rushed. I say to brainstorm early and often for a reason, because thoughts need time to process and stew in your mind. Even after your ideas have been organized into their proper hierarchy and gaps have been filled, you still never know what inspiration is going to pop up once you give your ideas time to grow. So, how do you know when you have given enough time to your ideas so you can begin to project plan? Well, I find that there are two things that happen to me when I am ready to move on to the next phase in this process. First off, I find that I begin to feel confidence in my ideas. It’s like a gut check with me, if I feel uneasy with my ideas, they need more time, but if I start feeling confident and excited, I know it’s time to move forward. Finally, when I begin to see that my ideas are following a very logical order, I know it’s time to move on because my ideas make sense, and that is really what you want from this process.
Step 3: Planning
Once your ideas are in order, you can proceed with the actually planning portion of the project planning system. Novel, ain’t it?
Tip 1: Process your ideas into actions
Once you have all your good ideas in front of you, you need to process them into actual actionable items. After all, a project plan is nothing if you don’t have actions associated with your ideas.
Tip 2: Fill out a project planning page
I like to keep track of my projects with a project planning page because it provides a nice overview of your project at a glance. The project planning pages I use come from a set on my shop that are sized for a Filofax, either personal or A5! The project planning page houses all the important information regarding the project.
Tip 3: Note deadlines and timeframes
On the action list of the project planning page, I make sure to note deadlines for tasks as well as provide a general time frame for their completion. This helps me when it comes time to undertake a task to understand the time commitment required.
Tip 4: Keep track of resources
When it comes to project planning, we often need outside resources or other materials to reference in order to complete tasks. The project planning pages I use have a special section for this so I can list out everything I need to reference or anyone I need to contact or work with to complete tasks.
Tip 5: Move projects to the Yearly tracker
My project planning bundle also includes a yearly tracker broken down by month of the year as well as spaces for short-term, mid-term and long-term goals. I consider a short-term goal to be something that can be completed in 1 month, a mid-term goal to be something I can complete in 1-3 months and a long-term goal to be something I need 6 months or more to complete. Once my projects are outlined in the project planning pages, I move them into my yearly tracker in their appropriate time frame so I can see everything I have going on in my life, project wise, throughout the course of the year.
Step 4: Implementation
Once your project or goal is planned out and organized, the most important part is still ahead of you and that is actually getting things done!
Tip 1: Schedule action steps into your calendar
I use a specific month at a glance insert to track my project tasks. This page (which is available alone in my shop or as part of the project planning bundle) is broken down into two parts. On one side of the page are the days of the month listed out one per line, and on the alternate side is a column of task boxes. I use the dated side to track tasks that have a specific due date or deadline and the side with the check boxes to list out all other tasks that belong to that month. That way when it is time for me to work on a project, I have a list of my next actions ready to go and I don’t have to spend any extra time looking up what I have to do! When an item is completed from this list, I check it off on the monthly page as well as on the project planning page.
Tip 2: Transfer tasks to a weekly or daily spread as needed
Sometimes tasks are very important and I need to make sure I don’t miss them, so I will move them onto my weekly pages to ensure completion. This is just an additional step I take that helps me to plan my workload for the week. Normally I will either add these items to a specific day that they need to be done on or leave them as a general task to be completed at some point during the week. Either way, having it front in center on my weekly view keeps it on the top of my list!
So that is my project planning and goal tracking system in a nutshell. This is quite a long post, so I won’t keep you any longer. If you didn’t happen to make it through the whole post, don’t worry, I did make a YouTube video on the subject as well to go along with this post in case you preferred to watch me in action instead of read a long form article!
Of course, if you did make it through the post, let me know what you thought of my process. Is this something that you may find helpful to you as you begin to plan your projects for the year? Do you use a similar method or another system all together? I would love to hear about how you plan out your projects especially if you use a Filofax based system as well!
Hello Everyone and Welcome to 2015! I have to admit, I have been anxious for 2015 to arrive for quite some time now, as I’ve been craving the fresh start that the New Year brings. For what feels like the first time in a long time, I feel like my internal clock is finally in time with the real world because we both hit the reset button at midnight! In reality of course, there is nothing new or special about January 1st that wasn’t already there December 31st— it’s just another day— but the new year gives us reason to pause and evaluate our situations and mental baggage and decide what is going with us into 2015 and what is staying behind in 2014. If you had a rough year for one reason or another and have been feeling weighed down by pressure, stress or negativity that resided in 2014, now is the time to let it go (queue the ice queen)! Get a piece of paper out and a pen and write down whatever it was that happened (or didn’t happen) in 2014, all the negative emotions you have associated with the year and describe them on paper. Spill your guts as they say onto the paper in whichever style you prefer (journal, bullet point, sonnet, etc) and as you write feel yourself unpacking those events and feelings onto the paper like a mental inventory. When you’re done fold up your piece of paper into a nice little square and write 2014 on the outside. Now, I want you to dispose of this paper square in whichever means you find most convenient or cathartic. Burn it (safety), flush it down the toilet, rip it up into little pieces, send it through the shredder, take it outside and step on it, roll over it with your car, whatever will make you feel like you are destroying that paper and disposing of it along with all the mental and emotion baggage that was unpacked onto it!
Now, if you had a great year in 2014, or if you had some great moments and happy positive feelings, memories, etc that are associated with the year, I want you to perform the same example of writing it down, but this time in a more positive and permanent place. A page in your planner, a document on your phone, a notepad in your office, wherever you can write these good feelings down that is more permanent, do it! Why? Because I want you to be able to look at this list and reference it as you enter into 2015. Do you need to keep it all year? If you’d like, but really I just want you to have a record of all the good things from the previous year that you want to migrate with you into the new one. This list is going to be filled with all the emotions and memories you want to continue to manifest and live on in 2015! Okay, so what if you feel like you didn’t have any good moments in 2014 or any happy memories or positive feelings associated with the year? Well, if you feel that way, what I want you to do is write a wish list of events, emotions, positive moments you would love to achieve in 2015. Try to go into detail as much as possible and include a short brainstorm of things you can do or actions you can take in the new year that you believe will help you to achieve these happy thoughts. Use these as part of your resolutions or think of them as a blueprint for an action plan for 2015 and work them into your planner for the year. Like actually schedule out things to do on specific days to help you reach those happy feelings you want to manifest in 2015. If need be, get friends and family involved by sharing part of your wish list with them and explaining how they can help you achieve these goals by their support or cooperation. Remember, this is your list, so ultimately you are responsible for it, however, sharing with those close to you that can lend support and encouragement is a great way to help motivate and keep yourself in check!
I hope this little exercise is helpful for you as we move into 2015. Remember, I’m all about this year being the best year of your life (and mine!) and if you want to keep that message at the forefront of your mind as well, make sure to grab a set of my tech wallpapers for your gadgets! In case you were also unaware, I just recently added a new printable product to my Shop, a set of 2015 Monthly Journaling Cards. They are an elegant month at a glance design that you can keep in your planner to help with no-spend months, photo challenges, health or life tracking, etc, or use in a scrapbook or project life spread! Since they are printable, you can go ahead and print as many as you need each month for various projects! Of course, if you’re still in need of a new calendar system for your Filofax or equivalent planner system, make sure to also check out my offerings for Monthly, weekly, and daily planner pages, as well as my selection of task trackers and project planning inserts that will help make your life more organized and your goals more achievable in 2015! Oh and don’t forget to download my January free insert, a Resolution a Day to test out a variety of popular resolutions in January to narrow down your own!
Well, like I said earlier, I have been anxious for this year to begin and perhaps you have been too, so I will let us go now so we can go ahead and make out our lists and action plans and get to work making 2015 the best year yet!
With 2015 right around the corner, I thought it was about time that I shared with you all my planner setup for the upcoming year. Ever since the beginning of 2014 when I purchased my first filofax style planner, the large Mint Kikki K Time Planner, I have been searching for the ever elusive concept of Planner Peace. If you are not familiar, planner peace is essentially a state of organizational bliss where you have found the planner system that works best for you and are regularly using it to keep yourself organized! Well, it has been a long year, but I found peace at last with my pair of Fluoro Pink Originals; one in personal and the other A5. To go along with my two planners, I also have a supplementary third planner from Sugar Paper for Target, this lovely gold python number pictured above, that basically completes my planner needs for 2015! So, without further ado, let’s jump into my setup!
Let’s start smallest first, shall we? Although the Sugar Paper for Target pocket sized planner is the littlest member of the group, she certainly isn’t the least! This planner has a very specific purpose for me in 2015 as my only bound planner. This is going to be my food journal for the year!
As someone who tries to make sure they are keeping a food journal, I have found that I tend to keep my food journal entries all over the place, but now I have one dedicated spot with space enough for the details of my meals that is bound together in one compact little planner!
Next, moving on into my personal Fluoro pink, which is my every day carry planner! As I have explained in previous setups, my personal sized is my main planner, housing all the information for my in progress projects as well as keeping track of my tasks and calendar schedule! If you are familiar with my previous setups, you will know that not much as changed, but I would like to point out a few new additions! First of all is this custom personal information page I made for myself! I think it’s much cuter than the run of the mill info page I was using before.
The next major change to my personal sized is my calendar pages! I am currently using a month on two pages of my own design that you can purchase in my shop, as well as my custom week on one page insert. These two calendars contain my daily schedules with important information I need to keep track of.
After my calendar section, comes my yearly overview. For 2015, I made this lovely little printable filled with quotes and reminders to keep me on track and focused on what is most important to me throughout the year. If you would like this printable, click here to download your copy now!
The next major element of my yearly overview section is this year at a glance calendar that I downloaded from Philofaxy.com! Philofaxy is a great resource for planner lovers and they keep a library of free inserts that I love to use whenever I am interested in trying out a new layout or style! This yearly page is something I use to keep track of health related items like my workouts and weight.
The final element in my yearly overview section is my project planning and tracking inserts. They start off with a month on one page insert of my own design (available on my shop alone or as part of my project planning bundle). This insert keeps track of date specific as well as month specific tasks that relate to projects I have on my plate!
The next insert which is also part of my project planning bundle is my yearly goal tracker. This insert is another trifold like the year at a glance page, and is a place for me to keep track of my short-term, mid-term and long-term goals for the year!
Once my yearly goals are tracked in my yearly page, I break them down into manageable action steps within my project planning pages which round out my project planning bundle of inserts! If you like these inserts, feel free to check them out in my shop, they are available in both personal and A5 sizes.
After my yearly overview section comes my work section. The main focus of this section is my Blog & YouTube tracker pages that help keep me organized and focused on content for my blog and youtube channel. These inserts are also my own design and available on my shop as well! Other than these trackers, I also keep pages with lists of blog post and youtube video ideas within this section, as well as other work related items such as inserts and designs I want to create for my shop.
The next section of my planner is filled with miscellaneous and personal information and inspiration! Not much as changed in this section in comparison to previous set ups, however, one notable addition is my Pen Scratch Testing sheet, which is essential a piece of personal sized paper that I use to test pens when they stop writing. I have that problem a lot with my pens for some reason, so it is good to have a dedicated page in my planner where I don’t feel guilty scribbling to get my pens to start again!
The final section of my planner is a lists section where I keep, you guessed it, lists! Anything I need to write a list for is here in this section, and so I keep this divider stocked with a variety of notepaper and inserts. This To Do list above comes from a Garance Dore for Rifle Paper Company notepad that I absolutely adore!
Now, at the very end of my planner, I also like to keep a custom file folder in case I have any loose items that I need to store quickly! I used to use a two-pocket folder that I have a DIY File Folder video on, however, when I moved into my personal original, I found that it took up too much space so I made a slimmer pocket instead.
Well, now we have made it to the final element in my 2015 Planner System, my A5 Original! If you have seen my video on How to GTD with a Filofax & 43 Folders, you already know that I use this planner as a storage and organization system using the 43 Folders method.
Of course, technically, this is a 45 folders system because, as you can see in the image above, I actually have added two more folders to the mix; one as an inbox, and one as an outbox! The inbox is just a place for me to quickly stash away papers that I will later file into my 43 folders system when I am in a rush, and the outbox is a place where I keep things that need delegating or mailing.
So, after those first two folders, I actually have 12 file folders that I made using standard paper files, one for each month of the year. These folders act as catch alls for any paperwork or items that need to be processed in the month before I schedule the tasks to be completed on a specific day.
Following each monthly folder is also a custom made month on one page calendar where I can keep track of important events and information. On the flip side of this calendar I also have a master monthly checklist that helps me to keep track of items I have processed like bills and items that I need to remember!
In addition to the 12 monthly folders, I also have 31 tabbed pages, one for each of the maximum number of days in a month. Although these would also be files in the 43 Folders system, to save space in my planner, I just use a single sheet of A5 sized paper to represent each day of the month. Here I will stick notes or insert important paperwork that may be date sensitive. I will also distribute any items from the monthly folder to days of the month in order to manage and organize my workload! As you may be able to tell, this planner is less about tracking, and more about storing and organizing information that is not yet actionable, or is simply too large to be kept in my personal sized planner.
The final little touch in my A5 is one of my favorite notepads, this iPad tablet style notepad that I purchased from Walmart! I use this as extra notepaper if I need it, its a great size for this planner as it is about A5 size!
Now, of course I made a complete setup video on all of my planners! Here is the video linked above, and if you are interested in seeing a page by page flip through of these planners, feel free to check it out! I go into much more detail about elements in the system within the video, so definitely give it a watch when you have the time! Just a warning, it is a longer video because I am covering three planners within my system, so keep that in mind!
Well, that is it for my 2015 Planner System! Like I said, this is the system that has brought me to Planner Nirvana and I am so excited that I have a great system set up for 2015! If you have found planner peace, please let me know down in the comments what your setup is like or feel free to tag me in Instagram photos and even send me the link to your own setup video! I can’t wait to see what your planners and setups look like!
I know I say this every month, but WOW, I can’t believe it’s December already! Where has the time gone? I feel like I have officially entered that stage in life when you begin to notice that the days, weeks, months and years are passing quicker and quicker! This is exactly why I think it’s important to stay on top of your plans and goals and to celebrate the little things throughout the month and December is just another wonderful month filled with exciting opportunities for memory making!
First off, if you didn’t see it, I do have a December FREE Filofax printable up on my shop, 31 Days of Merriment & Cheer is your monthly checklist of festive and seasonal to-dos and prompts for special moments to create and share in your own life! You all seem to really be enjoying these printables, so I am glad to create them for you, but please make sure to share pictures of your inserts at home in your own planners via Instagram (make sure to tag me, @misstrenchcoat)!
Second item on the agenda for this month is VLOGMAS! In case you aren’t aware, Vlogmas is a daily vlogging challenge for the month of December, where you put up a vlog (video blog) everyday in the month leading up to Christmas. I did it last year and I am doing it again this year. It’s one of my favorite daily vlogging challenges and I hope I am successful this year in my endeavor. I won’t necessarily be posting my videos here on the blog everyday (one or two key vlogs may make it into a post) so make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube Channel to follow along with my daily adventures. I will also be kicking off a really fun little event for Vlogmas this year starting in my first video which will be up today, so make sure you check that out to see what I have planned!
Next order of business for the month is my vacation! Yes, Mike and I will be going on vacation this month to Las Vegas. We have never been, so we would really appreciate your suggestions for things to do, great places to eat and all that jazz. Please leave me a comment below with your suggestions- I would really appreciate it.
Well, that was a lot to update you all on! Other than that, it should be business as usual around here. I will be posting during my vacation and of course I will be putting up some lovely photos on my Instagram account, so if you would like to follow along on my adventure to Las Vegas, please feel free to follow me on Instagram! I have a lot of great content planned for the blog this month as well. I’ll be writing about why YouTube is better than TV (and even movies), providing a guide to taking great photos of friends and loved one’s during the holiday season (and year round!), and even sharing my fashion necessities for winter!
So, go make yourself a cup a hot cocoa, snuggle up with your favorite blanket and your tablet or laptop and enjoy the content I have for you this month! Happy Holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving Internet Friends!! If you celebrate the holiday, I hope you are having a wonderful day with your friends and family! If you do not celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday none the less! Now, usually my editor’s faves post would be all about my favorite things for the month, but because today is Thanksgiving and for those of you who are in the US, this is also the start of a nice long weekend (!), I have decided that I am going to make this post a little extra special! First and foremost, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all my readers, viewers and customers! 2014 has been such a wonderful year for me and you have been such a major part of that happiness for me! Your love and support for my endeavors has really helped me to push myself through and make my dreams come true for myself and you have no idea how much I care about and love each and every one of you! So Thank You so much for being here along with me on this journey! XOXO
Well, now that I have gotten the most important item done, here is my Monthly Favorites Video for you if that is what you are waiting for! I actually started something new in this video by doing my Favorites & my “I’m over it’s”! I hope you guys like hearing about the trends I am over for November as well as my favorites. I thought adding that in may help add to the discussion in the comments section which I always love because I get to chat with you all one on one! So check it out when you have a moment and let me know what you think! If you missed my digital monthly favorites, feel free to check that out as well!
Next, for everyone who is heading out shopping for Black Friday, I thought I would also go ahead and leave you my Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for 2014 as well! You may have seen this already, but now is the time to bookmark the items you want or want to purchase for others! This guide has literally all the hottest, most popular items this holiday season for the Strange & Charmed lady in your life so if you’re stuck and need a gift idea, feel free to refer to this list for a variety of gifts at a variety of prices!
Since you may also be enjoying a nice long weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday, now is the perfect time to get my new FREE filofax printable 31 Days of Merriment & Cheer to print out and put into your planner before December begins! After all, December is MONDAY!!! While you are in my shop downloading this printable, you mine as well do a little shopping around for yourself and your filofax and pick up your printable calendar inserts for 2015!
Speaking of Filofax, have you seen my latest Filofax DIY video where I show you How to GTD with a Filofax and 43 Folders? This would make a wonderful weekend project in between the shopping and leftover turkey sandwiches!
Don’t forget to add some great personalizations to your planner while you are at it with my 10 Ways to Personalize your Planner video or my DIY on How to Repurpose Sugar Paper Planner tabs into your Filofax calendar pages linked below!
So, I think I have left you with enough entertainment for one weekend! Again, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday if you are in the U.S. or celebrating abroad and I will see you in December!
On my iPhone is a monthly feature on Strange & Charmed where I give you a peak into what I have been loving on my iPhone for the month! Covering topics like apps, games, podcasts, music, websites, books and more, I hope this series helps you all discover new and exciting content out there that can be enjoyed from your iPhone! To stay up to date with this series, make sure to follow the On My iPhone tag!
As I write this, I am in a whirlwind of Thanksgiving prep! The end of November has come, and I would just like to take a moment to thank my lucky stars and all of my readers, viewers and community members for making November a wonderful month for me. As I think I already mentioned, November is an important month for me because of my Wedding Anniversary, my Husbands Birthday and of course, Thanksgiving! But seriously, this month has been awesome for me. The support you have all shown me for my new Shop has been overwhelming and because of you, I am finding myself motivated and inspired everyday to create amazing new content! Of course, with all the work I have been doing, there have been some key apps and digital favorites that have kept me on track for the month, so let me share those with you now!
Currently Playing, Afterlight: I know I have talked about my favorite iOS photo editing apps in the past, but seriously, Afterlight takes the cake for them all! It really is a powerhouse of mobile photography editors, helping me to brighten, crop, and saturate my images, creating perfect Instagram ready images! Definitely worth the money if you love to edit photos on your phone!
Currently Reading, 365 Style by Nicky Hilton:I heard about this book over the summer and loved the concept of designing and refining your wardrobe to fit your day-to-day needs! As you may have already heard, I am currently in the process of reorganizing and pairing down my wardrobe, and 365 Style has been a major influence and inspiration for managing this rather large life project! Nicky Hilton lays out a very unique plan for organizing your wardrobe by the major events in your life that you dress for, and then breaks those events down by the key pieces you have in your wardrobe for those events! It’s absolutely genius and a must read for any style maven who needs to take control of their wardrobe!
Currently Watching, Peaky Blinders: In October, my husband and I discovered the Netflix Original Series Peaky Blinders. A turn of the century tale of a gang-family in Birmingham England fighting for control of the mean streets where they reside! We finished the first season in record time and absolutely loved it! Then, earlier this month, we were very pleasantly surprised when we discovered that Netflix had also released a second season of the drama as well! I consider this a turn of the century Law and Order meets the Soprano’s, and it is very reminiscent of the BBC series Copper that my husband and I also very much enjoyed!
Currently Surfing, Miss Poppy Design: Since the launch of my Shop, I have been preoccupied with discovering new design inspiration for creating new content and printables! I stumbled upon Miss Poppy Design after following their Instagram account and falling in love with their style! Think ultra feminine, peonies, hot pink, sprinkles of gold and glitter, and a dash of high fashion editorial! I have been loving surfing their site, finding new bits of inspiration with every scroll of my mouse! Definitely check them out if you love design as well, their shop is also lovely!
Currently Listening, Coffitivity: I have been using Coffitivity for a while now, it’s basically an app/site that provides a sound machine that recreates the white noise you would hear if you were working from a coffee shop! I find that since I have been spending a lot of time working at the computer doing my design work, that this app has really helped me to get that feeling that I am working outside of my home, which really helps increase my productivity and concentration. Definitely check out the site and download the app for your computer or phone if you like what you hear!
Of course, I also like to keep you guys informed of the iPhone case I am currently sporting! This month I have still been loving that Festive Flowers case from Kate Spade that I purchased last month from the outlet! It’s it just lovely?
Last but not least! I filmed a video on my monthly favorites if you also care to give that a watch! I have some good close ups of the digital favorites and the apps in case you are curious as well!
Now, its time for you to let me know what you thought about my favorites. Are you familiar with any of the items I included this month? What do you think about them? And of course, what were your digital favorites this month? I would love to know, so please feel free to leave me a comment below!
