With 2019 just around the corner and my super busy life, I have to take time to ensure I have my personal, work, and travel in order. Planning, tracking, and managing day-to-day means calendars, stationary, plans, and a few other things all need to be in place. And when it comes to all of this activity, I am a true paper person. I need for everything to be laid out and organized. It just helps me get it all done.
So, with 2018 zooming by, I’m sharing my Fabulous Finds for planning 2019.
A Great Calendar Planner
While there are lots of different types of calendar planners out there, finding the perfect one for you can take years. Some years I have had to change several planners, because they just did not work for me. I have even tried using multiple planners for the various parts of my life. Thankfully, after years and years of planners not being what I needed, I finally found the one I love…the Leuchttum 1917 Weekly Planner.
Why I love it…On one side, I have my weekly calendar and on the other, just a blank page. I use the page for all my lists and I have a lot of lists! The planner also has all the other pages I need, like a yearly calendar, address book, and project planner. The best part is that it fits in all of my bags, purses, and backpacks…It literally goes everywhere with me.
Stationary
Before the year starts, I fill my desk with lots of great finds from all over to write notes and letters to friends and family. Yes, I am still a paper and pen lover. I tend to collect stationary and notecards during my travels and in stores I love. But there’s always something I do each year…
I first head to Target and stock up on the basics. There are so many options at Target and I love that many are green-inspired. I pick up a variety, including blank notes, thank you notes, and a few birthday ones as well.
Journal
New Year…New Journal!
If you have never used a journal, now is the year to start. Journaling is not just about having a place to jot down thought, something to do, a goal, or a doodle. This whole dreams and inspiration things does little for me – but having a place for thoughts, ideas and getting it done is a must. I love having paper and pen for the simple fact of having the flexibility to add what I want – not just a note in my phone.
The journal must be small enough that it can always be with me and often, I start a new journal every couple of weeks. I tend to stick to the basic ones as I never really know what I am going to add to it. When traveling, I often pick up a journal just for that trip and record places I visit and restaurants I eat at. It serves as a great resource to share with friends and family visiting the same place.
Travel Folder
The year for me, when it comes to my travel binder, always starts with December. We tend to travel several weeks right around Christmas, so that is when we kick off our yearly travel.
I always have one binder dedicated just to travel with pull-out sections to take on each trip. You cannot rely on mobile devices, especially without knowing if you will have service, if you need wifi and it is down, or the scanners are not working.
Our travel folder is updated each December, first with a checklist that includes a passport check (number of pages left, renewal date, and damage). We then make sure all of our memberships and services we use like Mobil Passport and Priority Pass are up to date. Finally, we add a calendar and sections for all the travel we know about and that we want to plan. Did I say it also gives me something to literally look forward to for the new year?!
How do you make sure everything is in order when preparing for the new year?
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I am a home cook that does things my way. In my kitchen, I make breakfast, pack lunches, prepare snacks, and cook dinner. During the week, we eat real food that is homemade, organic, and local. On the weekends we do explore more of our local restaurants. I bake my own bread, juice fresh oranges every other day, and make my own kombucha and other weekly favorites.
