My New Blog Planner

I have recently joined the "planner culture" and have become quite obsessed with everything I am seeing on Instagram and such.  I want it all - but of course I don't NEED it all.  Since I am a very busy person and aside from working at my 40 hour/week day job, I am also juggling 3 other jobs as well as my own business, I was looking for a way to get more organized.  I have lots to talk about but not a lot of time to devote to writing about it. I would like to change that and I thought if I have everything written down in one place rather then scratched on several scraps of paper I would be better at sharing what I want before it's become old news.   This is a desk in our upstairs hallway beside my studio which used to be a place for me to put things instead of putting them away.  It has now become my new spot for writing in my journal and planner related activities.

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I was searching online to find a nice layout for a blog planner that would suit my business.  I found a really awesome one on the Living Well Spending Less website that is good for a whole year!  I found this 5.5" X 8.5" binder at staples for $6 (gorgeous purple colour) and I printed off the blog planner to go inside.  It's no Filofax but its great for my budget and if you aren't sure on what size planner binder to get this makes it easy to try before spending more money.  I used some paper I got in one of my Planner Society kits (awesome subscription!!) for the front cover.

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I got some dividers with the binder ($4) and organized the sections.  The first portion is for my long term goals and my year at a glance.  The second divider is for my monthly blogging goals, my weekly post planner and my monthly brainstorming.  Breaking the work down like this helps the process feel less daunting and helps me schedule my time better.  This blog planner gives lots of room for post ideas and a lists to make sure I am sharing to social media and making sure I check my spelling and write everything I wanted to include as well as adding the correct pictures etc.  The third section is my monthly stat tracker.  This is important to me because I like to see how people are finding me and what they are interested in reading.  I can use this info to make my content better.  For instance I see that lots of people find my webpage by searching "spindles" and this tells me I need to get back on board with my spindle reviews!
I also have a handy password keeper and connections section so I can write down the contact info of important people in my business projects.  

Inside my cover looks a little jumbled but I only have one pocket.  I've decorated it with washi tape (badly) and the obligatory inspirational quote "Bloom Where You Are Planted".  I wrapped some extra washi tape around some old cards so I can add some colour and decoration to the pages as I see fit.  I've also included a couple paper clips from previous Planner Society kits - you know, just because.  (Click on the pictures for bigger versions).  I also made a pocket by re-purposing a card I received from my amazing friend Kat that goes nicely with the colour scheme.  I used stickers to add some pizzazz and added a note pad that I found at Michaels to the back for making lists.  I also made a bookmark with some Planner Society goodies.

I am all set to get down to it and share some cool things with you!  I hope you will join me more regularly and we can discuss all the fibre-y things we love.