As I move through my life and more responsibilities get dumped placed on my shoulders I feel that my poor iPhone calendar is about to explode and tasks look so overwhelming and dare I say boring. No matter how excited I am when I add that extra thing to do on my calendar by the time I get to the “doing” part of it, I am just mehhh…

I noticed a while back at my old job, my manager use to write actual “To Do” lists. Every Monday she would grab a piece of paper and wrote a to do list. I never understood why she kept the same paper the entire week and why she was so happy to toss it out by the time it was completely covered by pen scratches. Now that I run my life, business and all other fun things in my life I understand why She kept that paper. It was her motivation. A visual reminder that no matter how many things is on the list, she got it done!

Now, years later following her footsteps in the art of owning that To Do list, I keep a journal and a visual aid of what needs to get done. I love the feeling of accomplishment it creates in my no matter how short or tall the list is. I like to use pretty journals and note books with a good soft paper that just calls out for me to write my list on for everyday stuff and I love a big wall calendar to keep everyone on the same page. Here are some my favourite items that keep me organized.

Acrylic Calendars:

How amazing is this idea! Art and function. I found this one on Etsy from Siisti’s shop but there are many other versions and suppliers available. Reach out to the suppliers and see how much customization they allow. Ask for different fonts, colors and number of months you are able to have in a board or anything else.

For everyday and fun:

The weekly desk planner by NOI is great to keep everything moving if you don’t want to dig into your phone calendar or go through your bigger journal for things coming up in a few days. I use something similar to the NOI design (it’s on the main picture for this post) and I find it super helpful. This is my version of my old boss’s scratched our to do list. When the week is over I rip the top page and toss it out!

Portico specializes in offbeat and independent stationery designs. This bumble bee note pad is great since it comes with watercolored sticky notes. I love this in the kitchen for recipes and marking cooking books! Checkout some more designs from other suppliers < here >

For the Office and beyond:

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Russel + Hazel have some great work appropriate sets to keep you on top of the game. When I say work appropriate, you all know what I mean. No one wants to see your calendar that says “Boss Bitch” at the board room unless you ARE the boss and even then is a bit too much. The already know you are the boss! The Notebook bundle has a tape that has weekday indicators on it so you can alter the pages as you go. Great for people who enjoy keeping bullet journals. The binder set is great as it can hold some money, pen and little things in the side zipper area for those unscheduled lunch meetings.

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WANT Les Essentiels ‘Kansai’ 15 computer folio is the case you get to have forever. Remember your dad’s favourite briefcase from when you were a kid? This folio is our generation’s briefcase. Carry your iPad and calendar everywhere in this awesome leather case and if you’re gentle enough and take care of your stuff, like I do, it would last you for a very long time.

Now that I shared some of my tricks and stories its your turn to tell me how you keep yourself organized. How do not let that giant list crush you down and keep motivated? Love to hear your tactics!