Hello fellow journal lovers! 

I think my obsession with blank notebooks has only gotten worse as I've grown older. Keeping up with the notebooks that I have is like a hobby for me, and a relaxing one at that. I operate better in my day-to-day life when I have plans, goals and lists all written down for me to look back on later. And it helps if I have some pretty notebooks to do it in. 

Since I'm always curious about how other bloggers use theirs, I thought it would be fun to show you what journals I use and how it helps me with my blog and everyday life. Most of these travel in my backpack with me wherever I go, just in case I get a wave of inspiration. What can I say, I'd be lost without my notebooks!

Bullet Journal

Before I get your hopes up, I don't have a super-creative BuJo with cute writing and colors. This is my interpretation that works best for me. This journal is my go-to for almost anything I want to write down. From blog post ideas to packing lists for trips away. I just flick to the next empty page and start writing! I think it's one of those controlled messes that only I know makes sense. This is where I write out my 365 Days of Happy posts and brainstorm other ideas. I would be so lost without this journal! I've actually almost filled it up, so I'll be popping out to get a shiny new one soon.

• Budget plans for my pay
• Meal ideas
• Wishlists
• Lists of cafes to try
• Travel ideas
• Hashtags to use on Instagram 
• Goals for the future
• Blog post drafts

Home-Planning

When it comes to projects or goals, both Steve and I can't operate well without writing down a list first. It was months ago now when we started talking about us moving in together. It seemed like a natural progression in our relationship and we were both so happy and excited to start thinking about it. I still remember the cloudy Sunday afternoon we grabbed this Jetsons notebook I got from Typo, and made a master list of all the items we would need before we made the move. In here I also have:

• Moving plans and tips for when the time comes. 
• Inventory of what we already have
• Questions to ask our landlords 
• Chores I'll need to do and when
• Layout plans for kitchen storage and furniture 
• Notes from when we stayed while house-sitting
• Grocery master list (so I never forget to buy milk!) 
• Budget tips for saving money while flatting

Blogging

Not gonna lie, I mostly bought this journal because it has pizza on it and The Girl Gang is one of the best things about the blogging world. This is the newest edition to my journal collection and I've dedicated it to anything blog related: goals, drafts, blogmas planning etc.

I've been trying to get back into the habit of writing out 2 blog posts per week for each of the coming months. I like making sure I have back up ideas if I get stuck or just need to remember what plan I had for my blog. This time of year is the best for being creative, with Halloween and Christmas right around the corner. Half the fun for me is planning what themed posts I want to put up, so I'm gonna be using this one A LOT very soon.


Meal Plans

I think it's safe to say that I work best with a plan. Lately I've been spending ten minutes or so writing out what meal prep I want to make for Steve, and what we will have for lunch/dinner on the weekends I stay over. It makes me happy knowing I have a plan in place and I know exactly what I need to buy at the grocery store. So it saves me money too! I write out a week ahead and leave a blank page for a grocery list. I love having this in a small notebook, so I can take it with me anywhere.


Calendar Diary

I found this beauty at Paperchase last year and it's still one of the most beautiful journals I own. I think the use for this one is pretty obvious. I don't always stick by it day-to-day, but more use it as a reassurance should I need to know any events coming up. I've been using it lately to plan out our big move into our first home. Just so I know when to pack up certain things in my room. I will definitely keep my calendar handy for when we do move in so I can keep track of when to pay bills etc.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I stay organized, as well as a little a look into my journal obsession. Let me know if there's any other planning posts you wanna see in the future. 

What notebooks do you use? 

Steph x. 

How I Organize My Weekly Planner

Hello Everyone!

One of my absolute favorite things about starting the New Year is getting to organize my new planner. I get a real kick out of writing everything down and it makes me so excited to start new projects. Since leaving university the year before last, I haven't had much of a reason to have a planner (adult life is boring!) But since I started blogging, I need to have everything super-organized to keep afloat, which means more fun for me!

Since I enjoy this kind of thing, I thought I would share how I organize my weeks and any tips I have for staying on top of things. 

My Planner

So I picked this one up at Typo, which is one of my absolute favorite places to shop because they always have really cool stationary. I loved it because each day has a lot of space and there's a monthly calendar before the beginning of each month. It also has a blank page for notes at the start of each month too, which is great for writing out your goals for that particular month. Always choose your planner carefully! It will make organizing so much easier. 

Monthly Planner  

So, this is where I plan out my month of blog posts, which helps me visualize what the month is going to be like. Since doing blogmas, my goal for 2016 is to get four posts up every week instead of three. This way I can plan out my whole month in advance and make sure I have enough ideas organized. I make sure to leave a bit of room in case I have to change ideas or I get a better one. You could also write in any big events here too.

Notes

Since this section is blank, you could use it for anything you want. I'm going to use it for key things coming up in the month or financial things to prepare for. You could also write your monthly goals here, which could be for your blog, exercising regularly, or anything personal. If it's going to be a busy month, then don't forget to remind yourself to take some time to relax and chill out. 

Notes to write in the week

We all know that every day will be different, and with blogging there's always so much to do! Daily tasks and reminders will take up most of the room and it's a good idea to write these in at the start of the week. 

Things I will be writing in each week: 

Blog posts to go up

Twitter chats 

Tasks to complete that day

Days I'm working

Pay day

Payments coming out

 Reminders e.g put money in savings  

Appointments 

Birthdays 

Key things that happen to remember later

Year Planner

This is the boring part, but it's one of those necessary adult things to do. In this section I am going to write my income throughout the year, as well as the balance of my savings. I think it's a really good idea to keep track of this, even though it can be a bit depressing! I have an exciting trip planned for September that I have to save hard for, so I need to be smart about finances this year. I guess we have to pretend to be adults some times, right?

It is my aim to be glued to my diary this year, it just helps me to have everything written down.
I hope this helps anyone looking to be more organized in 2016.

What's your favorite way to stay organized?
Steph x. 

Behind The Scenes of Hello, Steph

 Hello Everyone!

 I thought it would be fun to take you on a behind the scenes look of my blog. I know I'm still relatively new to the blogging world, but I've managed to come up with a system that works really well for me. I always plan for 3 posts per week, so I have to have a bit of help staying organized. Y'all know how it is.

Notebooks, Notebooks, Notebooks.

Probably the most important part of how I stay organized with my blogging. I'm someone who loves to have everything written down, especially because I'm super-forgetful. I have one main journal where I write everything from blog posts, my weekly planner, or blog updates that I need to do. It's one of those organized messes that only makes sense to me! I approach each post quite differently; sometimes I write it all out by hand with bulletpoints, sometimes I just type it on to Blogger over a week, or sometimes I just go by the pictures I've taken.

Since it's necessary for me to record all of my ideas, I have a list journal which I keep beside me at all times. I have multiples lists of blog post ideas ready in case I get writers block or just want to save one for later. I usually write out any blogging/brand tips in here too.

I also keep digital notes on my phone for whenever an idea hits me when I'm not at home, which happens quite often! Or I usually carry a small notebook in my bag somewhere if I need it.

I did warn you there would be lots of notebooks!

To-do List

 

I don't think I would survive a busy week without my to-do list! I got this one from kikki-k which is one of my favorite places to shop for stationary. I find it really reassuring to see all my tasks ahead of me and to cross them off throughout the day. It definitely helps me be more productive!

A Big-Ol' White Board

Visualization at it's best! I keep this directly behind my laptop, so when I'm writing I can look up and see what I need to do. It keeps me productive and organized without me even realizing. It does tend to get a bit messy after a week, so I make it a habit to wipe it all off and start again each week.

Here's what I write:

• This week's posts
• Next week's posts
• Daily Goal
• Weekly Goals
• Brand Ideas
• Blog Updates to do

Photography: Digital SLR Camera

This is by far the best investment I could have made for my blog. I got the Canon 700D, which is great for someone like me who has never used one before. The difference in quality with my old camera is astounding, plus I've been able to take it on holiday and get some great shots. I edit all of my photos on the Afterlight app since it's so easy to use and my pictures can come out great. 

 Mini Flay-lay Studio

I absolutely love flat-lays! I love creating them or seeing them on other blogs. My awesome Dad built this little studio for me, which has made my blog photography a lot easier and more fun to play around with. I saw some DIY posts on Pinterest and thought it would be pretty easy to put together (It's just a cardboard box, folks!) It's not quite big enough for me to do fashion flat-lay photos, but one day when I have my own office I can build a bigger one.

Sometimes I just use a big piece of white card, which is so cheap and you can move it to the spot in your house with the best light. I've also started buying gift wrap to use a backgrounds in my photos, which is another affordable way to get better photos. I think the visuals on your blog are really important and I've learned never to put up a picture I'm not happy with. 

And that's how I stay organized and work on my blog posts!
I hope that was helpful =)

How do you stay organized with your blog or everyday life?
Until tomorrow, Steph x. 

Bloglovin' - MarvelSteph

Twitter - @MarvelSteph91

Instagram - @marvelsteph
 Pinterest - marvelsteph

How I'm getting ready for Blogmas!

 Hello Everyone!

Since this is my first year of serious blogging, it also means that this is my first year taking part in Blogmas! I'm quite excited about it, despite the pressure of getting a post up everyday. I'm quite notorious among my friends for being super organized when it comes to certain things, so this is my kind of fun. I'm also quite excited for Christmas this year and just being in the festive mood so that should come across on my posts too. Here's how I'm getting organized:

Write out 25 (or more) blog post ideas
I started out by just making a long list of possible posts to put up. I feel like it's a great idea to have a few backups just in case one doesn't come out the way you want it. I also made sure to make the most of any events I have coming up in December (several birthdays) as prompts for posts. If you're stuck for ideas, I'm going to be uploading a list of 50+ suggestions for you next week!

Assign a date for each post
You can use a calendar for this, or I just wrote out each day in my blog journal. It's so satisfying to see it all so organized! It's going to be great to be able to just look at the upcoming week and know what editing I have to do and what posts will be going up.


Start writing drafts 
This still feels like cheating, but I don't know how anyone would survive the month without doing it. And my life isn't exciting enough to just do a diary entry of each day. I've just started writing drafts for the posts that I can, since there will be times where I have to complete it all that day. I've written a D (for draft) by each listed post in my journal to keep track of which ones are in progress.

Take photos. Lots of them.
I'm talking bulk photo time! I have to restrain myself on a few while I wait for it to be appropriate to have Christmas decorations out. But since I don't want Blogmas on Hello, Steph to be a Christmas overload, I'm trying to take as many in November that I can. Having them at least edited will save you lots of time later.

Stay organized.
One thing I've been doing is going back to my post list and seeing which ones I still need to complete and which one's just need photos. With so many drafts floating around it's easy to lose track of everything. This is where list making skills come in handy. The more lists the better!

Are you guys doing Blogmas this year? Any tips for a newbie?

Leave your links in the comments for me to follow along!

Until next time x.

Bloglovin' - MarvelSteph

Twitter - @MarvelSteph91

Instagram - @marvelsteph
 Pinterest - marvelsteph

A List of Lists: Stay Organized and Rememer Everything

I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who feels the need to keep lists at all times. I even have a list journal with a specific list on each page (I won't mention how many journals I own and write in) However, as someone who considers themselves to be organized this is a very helpful thing!

I'm also incredibly forgetful so lists are often my only hope of remembering both the big and little things.

A while ago I set out on an online search for a list of lists, if you will, to help me stay organized and have a bit of fun with it. While I didn't find that one source with a masterlist, I did manage to find ideas here and there to create my own.

So, to help you stay organized here is a list of lists that I keep in my journal:

Wishlist

 For that ever-annoying "What do you want for your birthday?" question we can't ever think of an answer for. Or rewarding yourself after a challenge of course.

Gift Ideas

Save yourself from getting stuck on what to buy for birthdays. Keep updated year round and take notes when you get home from shopping with a loved one. Remember what they pointed out or said they would love to buy for themselves but won't. 

Got a Minute? 

For small chores we all forget to do, but don't take a lot of time. I skip this page more often than I should

Watch, Read, Listen

Recommendations to explore at a later time. So much music...

Things I Will Do This Year 

Because it's important to make exciting plans. Life's all about making memories, right? Go skiing, spend more time at the beach or make your own ice cream. 

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

A list of your biggest dreams to help keep them in mind. When you write them down on paper they don't seem so scary!

Don't Forget 

Important reminders; just don't forget to check it regularly!

Blog Post Ideas

A pretty important one for me. I always jot ideas down as soon as they hit me so I don't forget and I can look back on them when I get stuck for ideas

Bucket list

Probably the most important list to keep updated. Best feeling ever when you can cross them off!

Great Ideas

I think we've all lost some great ideas over the years, so always right them down. You never know where they might lead!

Apps to Try 

For those online recommendations to try later

Things to Do When You Are Sad

Because we all have those down days and need to be reminded of what makes us happy. It's important to keep this one updated too

Websites

Online shopping is very important to all of us

Sayings to remember 

Little quotes or things people have said that were too lovely to forget

Lessons Learnt

Great to look back on over the year and be reminded of what you've been through

Beauty 

There's always new products to try; great for trips overseas where they don't charge an arm and a leg for lipstick. I love you America!

Things to Google

To satisfy my curiosity on a bored Saturday evening (What is quorn even made of?)

Packing  

I'm lucky enough to be visiting Hawaii very soon and I like to slowly add items so I don't forget anything.

I hope this helps! What lists do you keep? x.

Twitter - @MarvelSteph91

Instagram - @marvelsteph

Pinterest - marvelsteph