5 Tips for Getting Organized

It's no secret that as the new year is upon us, everyone is wanting to get more organized. Just today in fact, I was in line at Target to get a few things, and I saw at least three other people in line with a planner or calendar in hand. Ready to take on the world, one page at a time.

I myself have gone through phases of using a planner, using a calendar, using my phone, going by my memory, having a million post its and to do lists crammed in my purse, and any number of other "methods" I tried to use to stay organized.

But over this past year especially, I have found that I am actually a pen and paper gal, through and through. Writing things down concretely on paper helps me to gather my thoughts, lay out a plan, manage my time, and most importantly, stay organized.

So I became one of those people, planner and three other notebooks in hand, and began to plan and write. I actually had my goals written out, in several places. But I wanted all of my plans, to dos and ideas in one place (or between a notebook and a planner), in an effort to keep life simple.

From all of my experiments, I have a few tips to share with you if you are looking to get your calendar and life organized this year and are determined to stick to it. I could write a whole series of blogs on how to stick with things, but we will start with some organizing tips for now.

1. KISS. Keep It Super Simple!! Whether you are tech savvy and love your apps, or you need a pen and paper, remember above all to keep it simple! The fewer amount of places you have all of your information stored, the better. Try and keep everything in one or two locations to keep you sane. This will also aid in consistency!

2. Write it down. Over the course of your year, you are going to have parties, appointments, to dos, gatherings, meetings, and an endless gamut of things with a deadline. Write it down. Again, whether on your phone or in a planner, write it down. It may seem simple, but sometimes the simple things are easily overlooked.

3. Take one day a week to plan. This may take some time to get in the habit of if you are not used to it. But truly I am telling you, if you take even just 20 minutes one time a week to look ahead at your week and plan out what you need to do, spread it across your week, I promise it's going to take some stress out of your life.

4. Use your planner! Okay, I'm going to break the mold and encourage you to do something that might make you a little uncomfortable. Put the phone down, get your planner (or calendar, or go get one) and a pen, and WRITE. The art of keeping a planner and a hand written calendar has been lost on our culture for a few years. Some people help keep it alive, but the benefits are much overlooked. I'm going to challenge you to try using an actual physical planner for at least one month to see what you think!

5. Prioritize. When you are looking at your calendar and planner, and comparing them to your goals for the year, take each day and each week and see what you need to prioritize to make your goals and "to do's" happen. Breaking your goals down over the entire year makes them much more manageable. So take some time to prioritize your schedule!

There you have it, a few simple tips to get organized in your calendar and life this year as we start off 2015 strong. Stay tuned on my blog and keep following me on Facebook  and on Instagram as I share more tips on how I keep my planner up to date and how I'm working smart to stay organized!

Let me hear YOU weigh in, do you prefer technology to keep your schedule, or are you old fashioned pen and paper like me?

Gifts that Mean Something

“We’ve got something for everyone on your list!”

“Fifty percent off, this weekend only! Find that perfect gift!”

“Don’t get them the same old, same old, get them this!”

During the Christmas season we are bombarded with advertisements, marketing and societal pressure and stress to get this whole gift buying and giving thing right. You must find the absolutely perfect gift no matter what, and if you don’t, well, you’re screwed.

Honestly, I really dislike the commercialism of Christmas. I adore this season, but it can be discouraging to hear about yet another kid screaming because he couldn’t have an iPad at three years old (um, I don’t even have one, and I’m 26? Where’s MINE??).

Okay, maybe it’s not that bad (but sometimes it is). But in all seriousness, the whole present thing can create a lot of stress for people around the holidays. You have to buy something, make sure they will maybe use it, like it, and keep it. (Because everyone wants a Chia Pet, right?)

Over the last few years I’ve come to realize something. I love making people presents and giving it to them more than I like just buying something. Unless I know it will absolutely make this person’s day because I thought of them and bought them this one specific thing, I usually end up making presents for people.

And let me start off with saying that I know not everyone can make everything, we all have different skills and talents, and sometimes that doesn’t include being creative. But, I’ve found what works for me and I want to share it with you in case you feel overwhelmed and you’re looking for a fresh idea on this whole Christmas present thing!

To me, being able to make a gift for someone has so much meaning. I put my heart and love into every present that I make, and I know it means the world to people when they get something home made. Think back to the last time someone gave you something home made…isn’t it a treasure to know they spent time making something for you with their own hands?

It’s unique, it’s special, and it has so much more value than just a dollar sign.

I wrote a blog earlier last month with my favorite ideas of gifts to give, which you can check out here. Pictures are always a great present, you can find a nice frame and write a special note to go with it. Even baking cookies and finding some pretty packaging to put it in can mean the world to someone (and who doesn’t like to eat cookies at Christmas??)

My whole point is- think outside the box this year. What can you give of yourself to others? What can you make that would be meaningful to the people in your lives? To the person who has everything, what can you make them that they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else in the world because you made it?

No matter if you are giving store bought presents, gift cards, cash, making your own presents, or giving no presents at all, I challenge you to put meaning into your gifts this year. Give of yourself, give of your heart, and share yourself this holiday season!

Do you have a favorite gift to make for others? Or do you have something traditionally that you give away during this special season? I would love to hear about it!

Tips From a Recent Bride

About this time last year, I was neck deep in wedding planning. Actually, it was just around the first week in October last year that Zach and I decided to change our wedding date…to five months sooner.

Our original plan was to be married on May 17, 2014. A year long engagement. While we both love Christmas, and had wanted a Christmas wedding, we didn’t know if we could plan the wedding in seven months and save what we wanted, and we didn’t want over a year long engagement.

By the time October of last year rolled around, we had almost all of our details in place for the wedding, and things were rolling along. But we both kept talking about “oh wouldn’t it be nice to have a Christmas wedding though?” “Our venue would look so pretty at Christmas.” And then of course I can’t count how many times Zach suggested we just go to the courthouse and get married and start our lives together. I have to admit, I was tempted.

But, one fateful day in October, we decided that yes, we were going to have a Christmas wedding after all, and we were going to be married on December 15, 2013. Just over two months away.

Most people would be sent into a spiral of stress, but I actually thrive under that sort of pressure, and my mind was swirling with great DIY ideas. We re-ordered our invitations and I got to work on all our favors, bouquets, signs, boutonnieres, centerpieces, and addressing the envelopes. We did all the planning ourselves, and I definitely learned some great tricks along the way.

There are quite a few people that are newly engaged or about to be married, or will be engaged and married soon, so I thought I would pass on some of these tips to you!

DON’T STRESS. That is my biggest piece of life. Keep perspective. Yes, a wedding is a wonderful day and joyous event. But it is one day of your life. Don’t stress the little things, because you are about to start your life together with your best friend! Don’t sweat the small stuff!

Have a budget. Absolutely have a budget. Have it in your mind, and have it written on paper. When you tack the word “wedding” onto anything, the price tends to go sky high.

Shop around!  With that being said on specific “wedding” items, don’t be afraid to shop around! Get outside of the specific wedding aisles at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and look around the store! Want a basket for your flower girl? You can probably find one just as cute in the kid section of the store….for a fraction of the price. Anything that is specifically marked as wedding is going to be a higher priced item. But the good news is you can find those items elsewhere, and for cheaper!

Don’t try to do it all. With Pinteest you can find yourself lost in a thousand great ideas and want them all incorporated at your wedding. Realistically, that’s just not possible. I’m sure someone could do it, but it might be disastrous and would probably cause you more of a headache than you need.

Ask your venue what they have! We saved a ton of money on centerpieces and decoration because the venue we used had a bunch of stuff they let us use for free! It never hurts to ask!

Take time off of wedding planning and talking about the wedding. Set aside a “wedding planning free zone” in your week. Whether it’s an hour, or a whole day, for your sanity and your future spouses, take the time to just be together and enjoy each other without talking about the guest list, the flowers, the cake, etc. etc. etc.

DIY projects. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend DIYing everything in your wedding, unless you really want to. We did a lot, but I love doing that kind of stuff and it doesn’t stress me out. Pick one or two things to “Do It Yourself.” You could do your own favors, or place cards or signs. Get your wedding party in on the fun and have them help you!

Do keep a folder with all of your important documents and information in it, and keep it in one place! Get your tuxedo confirmations in there, your important receipts and contracts, guest list, etc. in an accordion folder or a binder. This will help you know where everything is, and ensure that you have all you need in one go.

Prepare for MARRIAGE- you know, the whole reason for the wedding? So many people go into marriage without every really doing anything to prepare for it. We prepare so much for one day- for the wedding day. But it is just that- a day. Marriage is for the rest of your life. Invest some time into pre-marital counseling, or reading a book together, or learning something new together. You’re about to spend the rest of your life with this person, and it’s important to prepare for that life.

There you have just a few of the tips that I have from wedding planning. I could go on for a while I am sure. But I think really the biggest thing is to not stress.

Something will probably go wrong your wedding day most likely. My heel broke right before I left the room to walk down the aisle. The poor coordinator was more upset about it than I was. Honestly, at that point, I didn’t care what was on my feet, as long as I got to walk down that aisle and see Zach and marry that precious man, I was just fine.

Take a deep breath, enjoy the season of engagement, and remember that a wedding is just a decorated doorway into your whole life together.