Staying organised at the best of times can be challenging, and to be honest it's not something I've always been that good at. However with my growing love for stationery I decided that I should actually organise myself, not only as an excuse to buy lots of pretty notebooks and pens, but also to help me balance uni, blogging, free time and a social life.







First of all I have a blogging book. This is just a black soft covered notebook from Tiger with rainbow colour edges to the paper. I got this at the beginning of the summer and haven't seen it since, but Tiger have loads of really nice notebooks. This is where I write down all of my blog post ideas, lists of blogging related things, when I'm going to be scheduling posts for, planning new blog posts, and also some useful blogging related websites. Having everything all in one place like this is so helpful, and I love being able to add to it all the time - I've even written posts out when I'm on the train. Having a book specifically for blogging has really helped me to focus more, and know what I want to post and when.

To keep my uni life organised I have an academic planner. The one I have is just from my local stationery shop, not a pattern I necessarily wouldn't chosen but I love the layout of the week to week view. This is where I keep track of assignments, lectures and seminars, exams, any events related to societies I belong to and working out what time I have to study and what time I have to do whatever I like. An academic diary has been so useful for me, and I highly recommend it if you're just starting out at university. It made me so much more organised and I always knew what work had to be done for when because of it. Plus there are so many different designs to chose from at a wide variety of costs, some affordable and some a little out of my price range. Mine was £8 which seems quite a lot but there are lots of different pages of information that's actually helpful, a movable bookmark so I never lose my place and it doesn't fall out, plus a little notebook which I use for food shopping lists!

To organise the rest of my life I use a bullet journal. This is a form of journaling which uses different symbols and words to plan out your day in lists. There's more information about it here if you're at all interested. I first heard of it on tumblr looking at the all too addictive and inspiring studyblrs. They all looked so amazing and users were commenting on how much this system has improved their organisation and productivity. I use mine to write out monthly goals, daily to do lists, reminders, little quotes and notes, and anything else that I like really. I tend to use a more personal version of bullet journaling, and just stick to the general guidance that's recommended. I've loved planning my days the night before and feeling super organised when I wake up, and I must say I've been so much more productive for it because I can see exactly what I've got to achieve in a day and want to get everything done so I can cross it off the list. For mine I brought an oversized A5 journal from Paperchase, it's so lovely because it has a little elastic to keep everything together, cream pages some of which are grid, some plain and some lined, and also little pockets to keep things in and some clear picture pockets too. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in any type of journaling.

Often carrying all those around is a little impractical, so I make sure I always have a little notebook in my handbag where I can jot down any notes I like and just transfer them into the relevant place when I'm home again.

Using a combination of these really has pushed me to be more organised, and I actually love having productive days nearly everyday now!


What do you do to stay organised?

Em x