#3 Hello October: 5 Best Organization Tips

Welcome to the third post in the Createyou86 Hello October Blog Series.  Here in the Northeast the leaves are finally starting to change, the nighttime chill is in the air, and we even had our first frost earlier this week.  With all of the change happening with the season i thought that this would be a great time to discuss five great organizational tips that I use for planning all of the time no matter what the season is, and hopefully you will find useful as well.

1. Try A System for About 10 Weeks
Most people think that it takes about 21 days to form a habit, and when trying a new system for planning it can be a long, and arduous process especially if immediately after purchasing a planner or planner system you aren't IN LOVE with it.  I find this extremely hard to do, but i always try to stick with it because i know that in the end i could end up loving the syatem or planner itself.  However, the 21 day theory has become outdated, and the new magic number is 66.  Yes, the number is even larger now to create a habit (sorry for all of you 21 Day Fixers!)  You can find out more information about forming personal habits (the good ones) HERE, or just google it, and this link is the first page that pops up. 

​2. Plan How You Would Plan (Not How Someone Else Would)
I am guilty!  That's right....I have modeled my planner off of other people's planners, especially when i first started planning, and guess what?  Those setups didn't work. Using other peoples ideas, and setups didn't work because i am not them.  My life is different than your life is, and your life is different than mine.  By no means am i saying not to borrow ideas, but make sure that they fit your lifestyle, and planning style in order to optimize your planning experience.

3. Experiment  
If you do not have a planning system yet do not be scared to try different systems.  There are so many systems available which might fit your style, and you might even decide that you need a few different planners for different reasons.  Just to name a few: Filofax, Erin Condren, Plum Paper Planner, Travelers Notebooks, MAMBI 365 Happy Planner, Sugar Paper LA, Big Sky, A Dollar Tree planner, Day Designer, and The Passion Planner.  This may seem overwhelming, but you will learn from trying, and making mistakes.

4. Let Your Planner Do The Work
Planners are just that....planners, let them do the work for you.  Planners are a place that you can write everything down, and get it out of your head so that you can move on.  Move on to something that you have been meaning to do for a long time, or move on to another planning adventure.  It is so easy in the planner community to get caught up in the hype of decorating with washi tape, stickers, and embellishments that the planning can get lost.  Focus on what planning is to you.

​5. Have A Daily Plan
So you finally picked a planner, and a system, and that is great, but make sure that your planner IS your daily plan.  Planners are only useful if they are used, and keeping your planner close to you or with you on the go, or somewhere that you will see it throughout the day such as your desk is the easiest way to make sure of this.  The more you use your planner, the more it becomes yours, and your planning system will become defined.  

We hope that you have enjoyed these Createyou86 planning organizational tips, and that you find the system that is right for you.

Let me know in the comments below what planning system do you use?