Staying Organised with Ban.Do Stationery
I’ve never been massively into buying new stationery, as I tend to do all of my obsessive organising charts on my computer. But I came across an amazing stationery brand called Ban.Do ages ago when I was on my travels. I came back but couldn’t find it anywhere in the UK. Luckily it turns out you can get the brand in the UK, and it’s available at www.rooi.com
Rooi is a lovely online shop that sells stationery, luxury homewares and lifestyle and pet items which are all amazing for presents.
Blog organisation seems to have fallen by the wayside this year and I realised that I need to step it up for 2017. So I picked out the Ban.do 17 Month Large Agenda – Lady of Leisure £29.95. to keep me on track with blog posts and help me plan out what to write and when.
17 Month Agenda
I liked that I could start using it in 2016 as soon as it arrived and then I could keep my busy 2017 organised in advance. So far next year I will have 1 work trip overseas around September or October time but I’m not too sure on other travels apart from that right now. I want to ensure that when I go away I have scheduled posts that can go live when I’m away. That way I don’t have to worry about blogging whilst travelling.
The agenda includes stickers, 2 page to a month pages, notes pages, laminated tabs, a pocket and tons of art inside and out. It’s quite large with a hard cover and elastic band closure. This is an agenda for me to leave at home on my desk and check on and work through every weekend when I write my blog posts and plan the ones for the coming fortnight. So fingers crossed, I am hoping this will keep my blog posts far more organised going forward.
My Organisation Plans
1. Writing Post Ideas Down. I need to try to write my post ideas down, as half the time someone suggests one or I think of one and by the time I get to my laptop to write I have forgotten. So I’m going to use the notes page each month to jot ideas down.
2. Plan Ahead. I want to start planning what I am going to post about 2 weeks in advance. Right now I just try and write 3 or 4 posts at the weekend or whenever I have time. Of whatever I think of on the day to write about, or posts I have agreed with brands to post about. This will allow me to be more productive and ensure there are varied posts over the weeks.
3. Write in Advance. I never used to be someone who could write multiple posts on one day. However with my job these days I am so busy that I have no other choice but to usually spend all Sunday each week writing, editing and taking photos. If I plan in advance the posts I need to write and photos I need to take that day, I can get everything ready in advance and save myself time. This will also help me sort other things out as Sunday is also my housework day and ‘me day’. When I do my nails, tan etc. Trying to do all of these things with no schedule always means only half of what needs doing actually gets done. Which is a nightmare!
4. Blog Props. Planning in advance will help me realise when I need to purchase specific blog props for certain posts. Sometimes I’m ready to write a post, have the lighting and products sorted, then realise I don’t have any props to photograph the items with that make sense to the post. So annoying! If I plan the posts 2 weeks in advance I will have plenty of time to order or shop for blog props before I try and photograph anything.
5. Flexibility. Flexibility to work around my full-time job is so important. Sometimes I will have to move posts or delay posting things as I won’t have time. With listing posts out and having draft posts scheduled if I know I have some posts already done but can’t write any more until a certain date I can work that out with the agenda and ensure that I spread the ones I do have out so posts come out on a consistent basis until I have time to write more.
Pretty Stationery Picks
For those who love tracking down pretty stationery, check out Rooi as they don’t just sell Ban.Do, they sell Kate Spade, Christian Lacroix, Liberty of London and a few other brands too.
I’d Love To Know – How Do You Stay Organised?