Getting Organized: Erin Condren Planner

So I bought an Erin Condren planner for my birthday last year and somehow I never posted on it. I finally took some pictures of it to show you guys. Every year my goal is to be more organized.I definitely think I"m getting better. For instance, I was looking for my fitness certifications and workshops I've taken and I couldn't think of where I would put them. I looked through my bookcase and found a HFA folder so I checked there. Would you believe every single one was in there, with the receipts? I was shocked. I must be getting more smart in the organizational department.

When it comes to my work, there's no one else to tell me what to do or how to do it, so I needed a place to write down everything I needed to do. I also keep track of bill payments, workouts, my to do list, my client appointments, social events, blog posts and pretty much everything else in here. I also use it to break up projects. Say I have something I'm working on that's looming over me, I will write down "Work on Project ___ for 30 minutes in the morning column. It works pretty well, solely because I deeply enjoy crossing things off my list. It helps me have a sense of accomplishment, because when you are self employed you just want to do more and more, and it never feels like you've done enough!

I took some pictures of my planner so you can see what they're like. I will warn you ahead of time, these babies are pricey. They start at 50 dollars. That being said they sometimes have coupon codes and things like that. I will admit, I was a bit of a sucker for the personalized cover. My name is TAREN, you guys. Do you know how many things I had growing up with my name on them? No cute pens/barrettes/cute things you can buy at the dollarstore when your name is Jessica or Karen. I did have a few things, but I'm sure someone made them or ordered them that way. So having things with my name on them is such a novelty. Behold, I give you, my name in print:

I have some tips for you just in case you ever decide to order one of these:

• Don't get a black cover, you can see scratches too easily.
• Don't try to ship it to Canada directly, it's ridiculously expensive. Either ship it to a post office box in the US, or get it from Tiny Prints.
• Use a referral link for me or someone else you know that has bought one: Mine is here. It means if you order one, we both get a $10 coupon code. Then you can invite friends, and you'll both get $10.