I’ve been using my task card system to keep myself organized and efficient in my planning the last few months. You’ve probably heard me talk about this system on my instagram, but I wanted to go into detail explaining why and how I use them.

I was using labeled page flags for my most repetitive tasks. After a while, I accumulated a ton of flags and they became cluttered, distracting, and difficult to use between my multiple planners.

This is where the cards come in. 

I use the cards to organize my most important tasks by category. They are the same size as a credit card, so I move them between my planners by tucking them in various card slots in which ever planner I happen to be using. This way they are out of the way, but accessible when I need to grab a flag.

This year I am EXTREMELY busy with school and work tasks, and writing “clean kitchen” or “take out trash” is not at the top of my priority list BUT I still need to remind myself to get these simple everyday tasks done. Instead of wasting time and space on my inserts writing in these repetitive tasks, I use the flags.

Here’s how.

I plan out my work and school schedules in the beginning of the week, and I also assess what chores need to be completed. I grab which ever categories I know I will need to use, for example “cleaning, social media, and reminders”. From there, I take the tasks that I would like accomplished, and place them in various places around my planner, or right on the front dashboard.

When I’ve completed a task, I peel it off, put it back on the card, and tuck it away for next week.

It’s helped me prioritize my time, planning space, and keeps me on top of ALL my tasks!!

I adore my pocket size planner, but it doesn’t allow me the writing space I need to plan out big picture goals. I purchased the MM (equivalent to personal size Filofax) with intentions to set up a life planner. My main focuses in this agenda are to be minimal, functional, and productive.

This will not be an everyday planner, I will continue to use my pocket size as an every day task management system. My LV will focus on academics, career, personal goals, and anything else I should need to plan out future endeavors.

A quick overview of what I expect to keep inside includes a full yearly calendar and future yearly views for long term dates, a goal section for mapping out yearly, quarterly, and monthly goals, a career section for job hunting notes and/or plans, finance for yearly and monthly expense records, and notes for brainstorming.

I tend to take a lot of notes while researching certain career and academic related topics, and I am hoping this size will be the perfect medium between my 1/2 letter size TUL disc bound that I use for intense note taking sessions, and my pocket planner that keeps me focused on everyday tasks.

I can honestly say I have cracked the planner code (for myself anyways). Planning is such a personal thing, but I feel like these 2 agendas can work well for anyone.

What I love about pocket size is that it’s the perfect on-the-go carry. The compact size fits in ANY bag, which is a must for me now! I bring my pocket planner with me everywhere. It carries my schedule, to-do’s, shopping lists, grocery lists, recipes, appointments, cash, on the go passwords, EVERYTHING!

It suits all of my needs as far as daily planning goes. I open up to my little home page which is labeled with a top tab “to-do” and this is where I have immediate to-do items that need to be completed, usually in the form of a page flag.

The yellow transparent flag is specific to a project I am working on in my project section, and I know that because each page flag means something, either with the color or style of flag. On the page directly next to my to-do’s I see my shopping list on a pink sticky note. If I need to remember to buy something the next time I’m out, it goes there.

“Home Page” with my tasks and shopping list.

Minimal Daily Inserts for daily planning – Peanuts Planner Co

Includes timed schedule and tasks.

This size is perfect for getting my daily tasks down. I use a timed schedule to plan my day chronologically, and the task section to get all my to-do’s down.

The pocket is extremely small which I love, but that is also the reason I need a second agenda which is my 1/2 letter size disc bound. Although pocket size is PERFECT for my everyday needs, I still need a place to brain dump, work on projects, take notes, and have my school info written down.

Martha Stewart in Gray, TUL in Black Leather

These are both 1/2 letter size disc bound notebooks (from staples or office depot) which I have customized by adding dividers, inserts, etc. I need to be able to customize my agendas AND be able to switch covers, so these are perfect because the inserts can be moved in and out easily.

I use a month on 2 page to fill in ALL school assignments for the semester and I use lined paper for brain dumping or planning projects.

TUL brand paper for lists / brain dumping.

And sometimes I use a million sticky notes.

These two work PERFECTLY together in my opinion. I am able to have my minimal and very functional everyday on the go carry that I can throw in my bag and take shopping with me, and then I have my spacious, chic desk agenda for checking school dates and staying on top of personal projects and goals.

I recommend both of these, since you are able to do so many customizations, and generally, these do not have to cost you too much money, although I prefer to spend money on a nice agenda so I feel more inclined to keep it looking clean and new.

The whole New Years Resolution thing can be so overwhelming. I’ve found that my goal setting process has changed A TON since last year. Here are some helpful tips to get you started and help you reach your 2018 goals!

1. Pick 1 to 5 focus words that you want your New Year to reflect meaning, when you look back, how do you want to describe your year to your friends and family – and most importantly -to yourself ? Was it productive? Was it focused? Was it meaningful? These words (or phrases) can mean anything to you, but it’s important to focus on a few key words, and build your goals around them.

If one of your words is “purposeful” and you find yourself doing things that have absolutely no purpose …. stop, reassess your goals, and get back on track!

2. Write out your goals and include why they are important to you. Whether you jot things down in your agenda, in a notebook, sticky note, in a Word Doc, on your phone, list out your goals and make sure to go into detail. Add ‘why’s’ into your goal setting process, this way you make a meaningful connection to your goals right away. Even imagine what your life will be like once all your goals are accomplished, and I promise, you will be that much more motivated!

This is for YOU, so don’t skip any steps or cut corners. Take the time to sit down and make a plan towards each of your goals and keep this list somewhere you can reflect on it thoughout your journey.

3. Tell someone about your plan . You don’t need to go into detail but it’s important to share some of your goals with friends and family. If you have to start out by only telling your dog- do it! Say what you want out of life, out loud, for someone else to hear.

If you tell your person what your goals are, odds are they will support you and help you stay on track, and if they are judgey, shake it off, stay focused, and prove them wrong.

4. Measure your success. Take your list of goals, and break those down into smaller goals that you can measure and accomplish within a designated period of time. This is where a planner comes in handy.

If your goal is to “get healthy” in 2018, unpack what that means, and set mini goals that are realistic and attainable. Make sure you are able to track and measure the process, whether that be reaching a goal weight, fitting into a pair of jeans you own, or seeing muscle definition.

You might plan a one week cleanse, and then schedule 10 short workouts into your first month of the New Year. Track your progress so you know when you have reached your goal, and from there, keep setting small goals that will keep you moving in the right direction.

5. Celebrate your victories! There is nothing more important than recognizing your success. Any accomplishment you make deserves celebration, no matter how small.

 Treat yoself- Get your nails done, pamper yourself with an at home spa day, buy yourself a little gift, anything you want that shows appreciation for yourself and for your hard work! Ideally your reward won’t conflict with any of your other goals (such as your budget) but allow yourself some wiggle room, and celebrate those tiny victories!

I have been loving the Pocket Size and decided to purchase a  more expensive planner. The Croco style is my absolute favorite look for an agenda. It’s chic, luxurious, and gives total #GirlBoss Vibes! I had being eyeing the Black Gillio Croco, the Van Der Spek custom Black Croco, and the Filofax Croc. After looking at the pros and cons of each brand, I decided on Filofax and I’m super happy, so I wanted to share some of my decision making criteria!

Ring Size: I was previously using the Filofax Holborn with 16 mm rings, and knew I needed larger rings in my next pocket planner. After researching ring sizes this is what I had to compare.

Gillio- 15 x 12 mm

Van Der Spek- 20 mm

Filofax- 19 mm

Gillio definitely lost a point for the rings size, but VDS and Filofax would both work fine for me.

Wait Time: Gillio did not have a pocket black croco in stock, or in production, so who knows how long I would have to wait. VDS has about a 4 week wait time for custom items, and about a week or 2 of shipping time. Filofax was in stock and ready to ship right away! That was for sure a plus!

Leather: Gillio has AMAZING, buttery soft, leather. I own the grey croco and it feels like suede, and each agenda has a unique piece of leather, so you have that one of a kind, custom feel.

The VDS is of course custom if you purchase the croco, so again you will have that one of a kind item, but I have never ordered from them before and I have no personal knowledge on the leather, which made me hesitant.

Filofax leather has more of a practical feel than a luxurious feel, and what I mean by that is, to me, the leather feels treated and not as supple and smooth. All of the croco’s I have seen from Filofax look very similar (mass produced look) so you don’t have that custom luxury feeling to your agenda, but on the bright side, your leather is less likely to be damaged with everyday use

Features: The Pocket Gillio Compagna has a really nice pocket configuration. In the front cover there is a secretarial pocket and 3 card slots. The inside of the back cover has a secretarial pocket and a zipper pocket. It also has the large, full length back pocket which is a MUST for me!

The VDS has nice pockets as well, and options for customization. There’s 4 card slots in the front cover, and it looks to have 3 larger pockets as well, and the back cover has maybe 2 large pockets and one smaller pocket (it’s hard to tell from the picture) and you can add the large back pocket for an extra charge.

The Filofax has a small zipper pocket in the front as well as a large vertical pocket. In the back over there is another vertical pocket and 4 card slots, and has the full length back pocket I need.

Price: So far there were a lot of pros and cons to each, so it really came down to price, and if it was worth the cons to me.

The Gillio Pocket Compagna in Black Croco retails at 168.80 euros which is $200.83 With the rings being small and not knowing the wait time at all, I gave up on that one.

The custom VDS with Black Croco leather on the outside and inside, black stitching, and the large back pocket came out to 194. 21 euros or $231.06 (not including shipping). I loved this planner and was just about set on it. I love custom things and will always pay more for a “custom” piece because I love the feeling of having a special one of a kind item just for me.

The Filofax Pocket Croc in Ebony is $165 with free shipping. I have plenty of Filofaxes. None of them have ever given me that special feeling like I have with my Gillio, knowing that there is no other identical planner out there. But taking into account the all the pros, I was leaning towards the Filofax brand.

I finally made my decision on a whim, one day I was looking at the Filofax website, added it into my cart, and bought it. One I received it I knew I made the right choice. It was delivered so fast, didn’t cost me an arm and a leg, and I LOVE the look of it. The fact that is is the croc style leather automatically gives me the luxurious feel that I was looking for, and I don’t regret not ordering a custom VDS at all.

Overall I am IN LOVE with it and I have a feeling this is one of those planners I will always keep with me!