We are just mere days away from heading to San Francisco for PlannerCon and I’m in full-blown packing mode. It feels like ages since I’ve flown anywhere so I’m taking the entire process very seriously. Plus I’ve never packed so many planner supplies before and I must say I’m pretty jazzed about it. So whether or not you have a planner conference to attend soon or just want a nosy look at what I’m bringing, here are the dets.
Honestly I’m not bringing much. From my experience hosting a planner meetup, people bring too many supplies that they never will use. I’m keeping things simple and to the basics of what I use most. I won’t be bringing my entire washi tape collection or a dozen different pens. Chances are I won’t find myself doing that much planning at the conference anyway.
I’m of course bringing my current Erin Condren Life Planner with relevant cover. Although I doubt I’ll be making a lot of to do lists during the trip, I figured my Rifle Paper Co Agenda should come too just in case inspiration strikes during one of the workshops and I want to plan out my next big project (hint: I want to create note page sticker options). I also am bringing a small notebook to jot down any ideas or notes from speakers.
I’ll also be bringing two pairs of each of my favorite pens, just in case. Nothing would be worse than having a pen die at a planner conference. The shame.
Although I won’t be bringing my entire stash of washi, I will be bringing some samples of my favorites to swap with fellow washi lovers. No need to tote twenty pounds of tape across America when a few feet of each style will do!
I must admit I do plan on bringing my entire sticker stash in my accordion file though. It’s small enough to easily tuck into a suitcase and it’ll be nice to have my favorite type of supplies around if I do find some time to plan. I keep my sticker collection a reasonable size for this very occasion!
I’m so nervously excited for PlannerCon that I’m sure I’m forgetting something. If you can think of anything, pop it into the comments.
If you’re anything like me, then you have quite a lot of planning supplies. I swear some days I have stickers popping out of places I didn’t even know I shoved them. So I’ve been making it my mission to clean up my act and organize my planning supplies in a style that works for me. My best system so far includes a variety of different storage solutions rolled into one.
For washi tape I’ve found nothing better than using an
acrylic sunglasses case. There are dividers in each drawer that are the perfect width to hold rolls of washi tape up so you can see your entire selection. I also use this drawer to hold paper clips and magnetic bookmarks. The little sections in the drawers work great to separate different, smaller supplies.
The easiest way to store your supplies it to get a drawer unit like one of the famous IKEA Alex drawers. I have two units in my filming office that hold the majority of my supplies. I recently
posted a video walking through my stationery organization in one of them if you’re curious. It’s by far the easiest solution if you have piles of things laying around that you just want to get out of sight and in some sort of organization. Separate each drawer into categories and gather like items together.
The thing is, you can make any storage you have work for you if you’re creative. I have this small apothecary looking drawer unit that would be great to store sticky notes, washi tape, planner clips, and other, smaller supplies in each drawer. Instead of buying new storage solutions, look at what you may have that isn’t in use and try to figure out how to re-purpose it.
One storage solution that’s absolutely free is to use the clear packaging that your sticker orders come in to store weekly sticker kits. Rather than throwing them all away, divide out your coordinating stickers, put them each in a clear bag, and keep them all in a neat stack in your sticker storage. That way you won’t lose any pieces to a weekly kit and will have it all together for when you’re ready to use it.
What simple ways do you use to store your planning supplies?
Although it’s great to have a pretty planner full of gorgeous stickers, it’s also much more important to have said planner working in your favor. Your planner needs to be a helpful companion that encourages you to tick things of the to do list, rather than be a distraction from tasks. Lately I’ve been working on how to set realistic cleaning and chore goals in my planner. Here are a few of my tips and tricks.
The most obvious tip, plan ahead. Sure it may seem like it would go hand and hand with planning, but that’s not always the case when it comes to scheduling chores. This is very helpful with tasks that may slip your mind or aren’t as frequent as other chores. Things like cleaning underneath the refrigerator or changing out filters. Mark them ahead of time in your planner based on cleaning recommendations. So when every six months roll around you’re already prepared.
Spread out the tasks that occur weekly so they don’t all pile up on one day during the week. That way if something happens to come up on a particular day, things seem a lot more manageable than having to move an entire laundry list of things you have to clean and do.
Set a routine so you know what to expect every week. Maybe on Mondays you do laundry and on Fridays you vacuum the house. Figure out a weekly chore schedule that fits well around the other tasks in your life so you’re actually able to accomplish some of them.
Once you have your routine and have planned ahead for less frequent activities use stickers to create a clear, uniform system. Use the same sticker type every week so when you flip open your planner you’re able to see that same symbol week after week. If you’re constantly changing up how your chore list looks or where it’s located, you’re more likely to forget something.
Give yourself a catch up day every few months. Pick one day every three months or so that you keep clear of any responsibilities. Use this day to catch up on all those things you put off. Hang the gallery wall you’ve had all the supplies for, file the mountain of paperwork, or wash the windows. Any time you think of something you want to do but don’t feel like you have time for, add it to the catch up day list. When that day rolls around on your calendar free of any other activities, you have the perfect opportunity to finally get them done.
So pull out your planner, start planning ahead, and get back on top of your chores and cleaning schedule. Now I’m off to do the dishes!
What are some of your tips and tricks for setting realistic cleaning and chore goals?
