Productivity Archives - Page 25 of 38

Office Oasis {August 2015}

Last month in this series I gave you all the original concept I had for my new home office! Now that we have moved and we are in the space, I have been piecing together my office bit by bit and I wanted to share with you all the new direction I’m going in with my office decor. Although not much has really changed stylistically with the new pieces I’ve chosen, now that I am in the new place I have a better sense of the types of furniture would work best in the room. I do already have my desk and credenza, and this weekend I’m heading back over to IKEA to check out options for pendant lighting and simple shelving. Here’s where I’m at so far with my office concept!

1. Spacious Credenza: I knew I was going to need a lot of storage in my office and when I found this lovely credenza from IKEA, I knew it was meant for me! It was a complicated piece of furniture to put together (thanks dad for the help!) but now that it’s in place, I love it and it really does give me most of the storage I need for my office plus additional counter space for photography and displaying my favorite office knick knacks!

2. Tufted Swivel Office Chair: I am still on the hunt for the perfect office chair! I really love the idea of a tufted swivel office chair, but this gorgeous choice from PB Teen may not be my winner. Unfortunately, the back support isn’t exactly what I’d like it to be, so I may have to find one elsewhere or go back to my original concept of a more traditional and modern looking office chair!

3. Flowery Pendant Lamp: Unforuntaly, the office in my new apartment doesn’t have a built in light in the ceiling so I am going to use a pendant light to brighten up my space! I love this lotus inspired Knappa light from IKEA. It’s been a favorite of mine for years and I’m actually very excited that I finally have a need for one in my life!

4. High Gloss X Leg Desk: The last desk I was eyeing was a similar style as this Pangea modern office desk that I eventually settled on. Once I saw the high gloss finish and the chrome legs, I knew I found the desk for me and I’m currently loving and using this beauty!

5. Metal Frame Shelves: Like I said, I need a little bit more storage for my new office, so I am on the hunt for some simple metal frame shelves to store just a few other bits and pieces from my office!. I think this IKEA option may be the right style for the right price!

Well, what you do think of how my new office space is coming together? I can’t wait to show you the final result once I have the room in order and can film a room tour! Let me know in the comments what your favorite piece of office furniture is, because I would love to know your thoughts on how to style my room!

xoxo,

organization

How to Personalize Your Planner On a Budget!

Let’s be honest, loving and playing with planners isn’t always the most affordable hobby! Luckily, there are a number of free or low cost planner supplies that you can DIY or print yourself at home to help keep your planner organized and beautiful at the same time. I love planner printables because once you have a file, you can use it over and over again, saving you tons of money on repeat purchases, which are especially helpful if you love to decorate with stickers or washi!

Suggested Supplies

Printable PDF files
Access to a printer
A laminator (I love this one!)
A paper trimmer (here’s mine!)
Full sheet sticker labels (I use clear and Trueblock)

Step 1: Customize your planner cover and dividers

Making a custom cover or dividers for your planner are super easy. I recently released a set of free planner covers that you can use for your own planner or you can follow this tutorial and design your own. If you’re not sure how to make your own dividers, this should help you get started!

Step 2: Find a printable planner dashboard and calendar inserts

I release a monthly dashboard in my shop for free that you can use to organize your month at a glance and while you’re there check out my many printable planner inserts. You can pick and choose the inserts that work for you or purchase my Charmed Life Planner, a continuous planner that includes month at a glance, week at a glance, monthly master task lists and monthly expense sheets all bundled together!

Step 3: DIY some planner accessories

I love a good planner DIY! Two of my favorite things to make for my planner are custom paper clips, including these beautiful bow clips and extra file folders to store away my stickers and extra planner goodies.

Step 4: Keep inspired with printable stickers

So now we’re getting to some serious money saving techniques! Stickers are one of those simple planner decoration items that seem innocuous but end up costing us hundreds of dollars on repeat purchases! If you love using stickers to decorate for their simplicity, but hate waiting for Etsy orders to arrive and stress out over running out of a cute set, I have a solution for you: print your own! I have a whole DIY on how to make your own printable stickers! I love stickers because they can be decoration, inspiration or add extra organization. Check out this free printable sticker set I made if you want to give printable stickers a try or feel free to browse my collection of printable designs that you buy once and can print hundreds of times over! It’s like having a never ending supply of stickers!

Step 5: Wrangle your tasks with printable PDFs

At the end of the day, using your planner isn’t just a hobby, but also a method of organizing your life, tasks and priorities! Never forget that when you strip away the stickers, washi and colorful inks, your planner is just a simple tool that you can choose to use however you see fit. If task management is a priority in your planner, you have plenty of options for organizing the information that matters to you. Plan your projects, build a meal plan and manage your social media all with printable inserts and yes, stickers! Of course, I have another great freebie for you to break down and organize your planner that is an editable PDF that you can use to create custom labels and task items for your planner! Enjoy!

Which of these steps to personalization do you enjoy most? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,

organization

Planner Resource Guide: Pick Your Planner

Are you currently looking for a new planner system but aren’t sure where to begin? Perhaps you are overwhelmed with all the options or are looking for a planner that is discontinued and have no clue how to begin tracking it down? If this sounds like you, then you are in luck because I have assembled this planner resource guide to give you one place to review the most popular planner systems so that you can choose what works best for you!

6 Ring Binder Systems

I happen to be a big fan of 6 ring binder systems because of the beautiful variety of binders available and the fact that these planner systems are reusable year after year. These aren’t cheap planners that you buy for a year or 17 months and then toss out, these are durable planners that often last years when well maintained. Here are the top brands that I see most often, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but these brands are pretty popular and I have experience with many of them.

Filofax
Kikki K
Franklin Covey
Kate Spade (Kate Spade may no longer be making binder style planners, however, you can find them used online.)
Webster’s Pages
Louis Vuitton
Gillio
Paper Chase

Discbound Systems

Currently, the discbound system is my preferred planning method. I like that it combines the personalization of a reusable binder system with the physical flexibility of a spiral or coil bound planner system. Unfortunately, there are only currently a few manufacturers that I know of for this system, but as I have seen them grow in popularity, I have hopes that more will crop up eventually!

Arc
Levenger
Martha Stewart Discbound (This system is discontinued but you may be able to find pieces of it on clearance at Staples or online via Amazon or Ebay)
MAMBI Happy Planner

Coil Bound Systems

Coil bound planner systems are also a very popular option in the planner world. They are one of the spiral bound options, however, they are distinctly known for their heavy metal coil that is extremely strong and durable. Now, these planners are not reusable, which is important to keep in mind, and many coil bound systems can run you the same price as a reusable binder, but many folks rely on this style of planner and find it worth the money!

Wire Bound Planners

Like coil bound planners, wire bound planner systems are also not a reusable option because they are spiral bound, however, these planners are slightly different from coil bound planners because their binding is a cinch style wire, instead of the heavy duty coil. Generally speaking, these planners are less expensive because of the lower cost binding method used, but that isn’t the rule!

Book Bound Planners

As the name suggests, these planner systems are bound like books! Again, they are another non-reusable option, but generally speaking these planner systems are much more compact, which gives them a certain advantage! For years I actually used a Moleskine squared notebook with a modified bullet journal system as my planner, and that is actually the system my husband uses to organize himself at work as well. So this is a serious option for those of us who prefer simplicity.

Travelers Notebooks

Traveler’s notebooks are a planner system type that I have very little experience with, however, they are incredibly popular in the planning and crafting world! These notebook based systems are based on a unique binding of a reusable cover with a string band system that holds a variety of small cahier style bound notebooks together within the cover. In part this is a reusable system because you can use one cover over and over again, and in part this is a non-reusable system because the bound notebooks inside tend to be smaller notebooks and are easily filled up and need to be replaced depending on the frequency of their use.

Midori
Fauxdori ( Fauxdori is a term used to describe the many non official Midori notebook covers available. Many small businesses online manufacture the covers and even the refill notebooks for this type of system, and because of this, the range of colors, materials and sizes for these systems vary greatly. Because of the simplicity of this style of planner, many people also enjoy creating their own covers by following easy DIYs like this one!)

Planner Accessories and Refills

If you purchase a reusable style planner from a manufacturer, for the most part your planner will either come with a selection of inserts to get you started or you will have the option to select your inserts from the manufacturer. However, there are a number of resources and shops online that sell an even greater variety of refills and other accessories comparable with many planner systems. Here are the online sites I recommend to look for refills and accessories for your planner!

Where to find discontinued planners

Unfortunately, when it comes to finding and buying your perfect planner online, it’s not always as simple as going to the manufacturers website and selecting your model! Many binder style planners are actually out of production and a little tricker to find. If you have your heart set on a planner and it’s discontinued, don’t worry, because there are places you can go to search for used planners for sale!

EBay
Facebook Groups (Many planner related groups on Facebook allow for the swap and sale of planners. In addition, you can search for dedicated Planner For Sale groups if you are looking for a specific planner.)
Philofaxy Adspot

So tell me, which of these planner systems is most interesting to you? Leave me a comment down below and tell me your favorite and why!

xoxo,

Productivity

Productivity & Planning Master Class!

Most of us within the planner community are searching for one thing. A productivity solution that will help us spend less time doing the things we don’t enjoy so we can spend more time on what truly matters. For me, this never-ending quest has brought to my attention a number of amazing philosophies on productivity, as well as planning solutions that have given me the flexibility to achieve some amazing things for myself and my business. I love being a self-proclaimed productivity guru and I have made it my mission to research, review and even create the best productivity resources available and share them with you, my community! Today, I’m pleased to announce that I have another awesome resource to share with you all, and this time, it’s not just a product, it’s an experience!

I have officially announced my first Productivity & Planning Master Class Event and tickets are on sale now! On Saturday August 15^th from 2-4pm eastern I will be hosting a LIVE webinar event where I cover two of my favorite topics; planning and productivity. During this event, I will teaching you my best tips and tricks for optimizing your planning system, whether you use a Filofax, an Erin Condren Life Planner, a Day Designer or even a digital app on your computer or phone. I will also educate you on the best productivity methods and philosophies I have found and explain how you can implement these methods in your own life immediately to begin achieving your important goals and plans.

Why a live webinar?

Over the years, I have taught and delivered content to my community over a number of different mediums, but there is just something special about a live event that brings teaching and learning to a whole new level. I want to teach to an active audience, not just to my camera. I want to take your questions, hear your stories and give you solutions to your productivity conundrums in real time. Most of all, I want you to engage, actively take notes and let your ideas and plans run wild in your mind from the stimulation of a live master class! There really is just something special about a live event that makes it that much more powerful!

What do we get with the price of admission?

As this is a live event and I want to keep the audience to a level where I can remain engaged with all my attendees, I am only selling a limited number of “tickets” to this event. When you purchase your admission, you get access to the live event, the event replay, and an exclusive set of downloadable worksheets and printables that will only be available to those who sign up for the master class. And of course, since this is one of my events, you can expect a few other surprises that won’t be announced ahead of time!

How long will admission be open?

Again, because I am trying to limit the number of people in this event, I have decided to close admission to the event at 11:59 pm on Sunday August 2^nd. This will ensure that I have the final number of attendees well in advance so I know who’s coming and have time to interact with you before the class begins!

So, if you are as excited as I am for this Productivity & Planning Master Class, make sure to purchase your admission as soon as possible over on my Shop and then let’s get this party started in social media! Use the hashtag #plannermasterclass to connect with fellow attendees and make sure to tag me @MissTrenchcoat in your tweets and Instagram pics as you prepare for the event!

xoxo,

Productivity

The Charmed Life Planner & Vertical Planning Supplies!

Hey dolls! How is your July going? In case you didn’t know, I just moved this past weekend to a new apartment and I am slowly but surely trying to get my life unpacked and reorganized from the mess of boxes I am currently living out of. Thank goodness I have my new Charmed Life Planner inserts to keep me organized through this process! In case you didn’t hear, last week I launched a totally new set of inserts in my shop that I have dubbed “The Charmed Life Planner.” The planner is a printable PDF like all my other productivity inserts, however, this is my first continuous planner, meaning that you get one file with a rolling Month on 2 pages, week on 2 pages, master monthly task lists and monthly expense sheets dated from August 2015-December 2016! That is a whole 17-Months of planner inserts in one printable! The fun new thing about this planner insert is that I’ve designed a whole new vertical layout.

Vertical layouts have been all over the planner world lately and I have been personally obsessed with them. It’s a completely new way for me to visualize and plan my week, and one that I am enjoying immensely! Because this planner is a half letter or A5 equivalent size, you can use these inserts in a variety of planners. Mine is pictured inside my Martha Stewart A5 disc bound planner, however, these inserts will also work with A5 Filofax, large Kikki K, Franklin Covey Classic, and standard 3-Ring A5 binders! How cool is that? And of course, because this is a printable planner insert, you can print and reprint the pages of this planner as much as you need. Have more than one planner? Great, buy the file once and you can use it in as many planners as you’d like! Mess up a week in your schedule and no amount of white out will fix it? No problem, reprint the pages you need and you’re back in business! Or worse, make a mistake with your decorating and want to fix it? My printable planner inserts have you covered at every turn!

One of the best parts of this new planner is that I have a whole collection of new vertical planning supplies that I have also launched along side it that integrate perfectly with the planner to help you maximize and personalize your planning experience! I have a total of five new printable sticker sets that you can use in this, or any other planner. The stickers are what I like to call “vertical squares” and are 1.5″ wide, by 1.9″ tall. Yes, they will fit in the Erin Condren Life Planner, if that’s the planner of your choice, but you can also use them in a variety of different vertical or horizontal planner layouts or just decorate your favorite notebook or scrapbook with them. Included in this collection are the following sticker sets!

Vertical Square Planner Lists: a 2 page PDF with 6 unique planner list designs to help you organize your vertical planner.

#BLOGBOSS Set: 5 unique designs created by a #blogboss for a #blogboss. Get your blog and social media organized in your planner with this awesome set of printable stickers!

Everyday Hustle Set: Inspired by my Girl of All Trades journaling cards, this set of 5 designs will help keep you inspired, no matter which planner system you use.

Empire Building Inspiration Set: For all my online business babes, this set of designs inspired by my Empire Building program will help keep you motivated and inspired to build your business and hustle like an entrepreneur!

Charmed Words of Wisdom Set: This freebie set of 5 unique quote designs is inspired by my popular blog post 5 Things I Learned in my First Year in Business. Keep these words of wisdom close so you can persevere in all that you do in life!

Now, if you are feeling curious about all my new printable planner goodies, I have one more surprise in store for you! To give you all a taste of what my new vertical weekly layout feels like, I have created a one page sample week for you to download, print and test in your own planner! This free insert is dated for this week only so make sure to download yours now, take the layout for a test drive and of course, visit my shop before the week is out to download the full Charmed Life 17 Month Planner to keep your plans rolling through into August and beyond!

I hope you all enjoy these new planner supplies I have created for you! I’d love to hear what you think about them and, of course, see your pictures of how you are using these great productivity supplies in your own system! Make sure to tag me @MissTrenchcoat and use the hashtag #strangeandcharmed for any images on Twitter or Instagram!

xoxo,

My Productivity Playlist

My Productivity Playlist #11 {Baby, Let’s Cruise!}

Hello my Strange & Charmed Ones! I’m reporting in again today from Charmed HQ which looks like it was hit with a cardboard tornado! If you didn’t hear, I’m in the middle of a move right now and things are a little crazy over in my camp. One good thing about moving, however, is that I have plenty of time to listen to some great summer tunes while packing boxes. So I have another installment of my productivity playlist for you to enjoy. Last month I got a suggestion or two for songs to add to this month’s list, so of course I made sure to include those. If you love this series as much as I do and want to leave your mark, make sure to give me your suggestions for music to include in the comments section below!

Here are the tracks for July’s Productivity Playlist, which you can listen to for free via Spotify!

The Boys of Summer | Don Henley
Heat Wave | Martha Reeves & The Vandelas
Cruisin’ | Smokey Robinson
We Come Running | Youngblood Hawke
Unchained Melody | The Righteous Brothers
Summer Wind | Frank Sinatra
Got to Give it Up | Marvin Gaye
Low Rider | War
Volare | Dean Martin
Champagne Supernova | Oasis

See you next month and of course, don’t forget to leave me your suggestions for inclusion next month! In the meantime, feel free to share the link to this post or playlist with your friends and social media feeds!

xoxo,

organization

Office Oasis {July 2015}

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this to you yet, but in the next week or so, my husband and I will be moving into a new apartment! With the new move comes some exciting changes, namely centered around my office. I decided that with this move, I wanted to upgrade all of my office furniture! Luckily for me, I don’t have a huge office to refurnish, but since I am in the process of designing and shopping around for items, I thought I would share with you all the concept I am working on. Hopefully this gives you a little behind the scenes peek into my process (which I may very well document further) and provide some inspiration in case you too are in the middle of an office redesign!

1. Modular bookcase: I happen to be a big fan of modular bookcases. I currently have a large one in my office, but I think I would like to downsize to something a bit lighter and perhaps more feminine. I like the look of this bookcase, but I am seriously thinking of turning it on its side and making it a consul so I can put my printer on top and use the surface as extra desk space.

2. Campaign desk: I really love the look of a campaign desk, I think they are clean, yet classic! I have been searching around for a great, inexpensive option and was pleased to see they sell these at Target. I’m not sure I am 100% in love with the black, I was hoping to get a white desk with this move, but this is the generally direction I am going in with my desk look.

3. Modern swivel office chair: I love the chair I currently have in my office, but it’s old, the seat is broken and it doesn’t have casters or a swivel. I’ve been thinking that with my new office I may want to upgrade to a more formal office chair, but of course one with a chic vibe!

4. Tufted settee: For a while now, I have had a small convertible sofa bed in my office that doubled as sleeping space for guests, however, I think I want to get rid of the basic sofa and replace it with a lovelier option. I am always enamored with tufted settees and I really think having one in my office would be a better use of space than the hardly used sofa bed!

5. Antique style bust: I actually already own a few antique style busts for my apartment, but I want to find a way to use the one in my office more prominently. Perhaps I’ll display it on the cabinet, or perhaps I’ll get a stand to keep it on, but I do love classical decor like this and I think making a bust the focal point of the artwork in my office may bring a whole new mood to the room!

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a behind the scenes peek into the style and design of my new office. I’d love to know what you thought of this post and of course, if you have any suggestions for furniture that you think I’d love, please let me know! I could use all the help I can get!

xoxo,

Solutions

5 Free Design Tools for Bloggers & Business Owners

There is no doubt that having a uniform brand and visual experience online is crucial for every blogger and online business owner, however, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on professional software to create great images and design elements for your brand especially if you are just starting out. Here are a few free design tools that I love to use and would recommend to any blogger or business owner just getting started!

1. Color Hex: Using uniform colors throughout your website and graphics is a critical part of achieving brand uniformity for your blog or online business. When working with color online, I always rely on a hex code, which is a digital formula for web based colors. Websites and various online design resources use hex codes to determine color, and so having a site like Color Hex bookmarked will help you pinpoint your specific brand colors and ensure you are always using the same colors over and over again!

2. Colour Lovers: Need to find a specific color palette to use for a project or post online? Colour Lovers is an awesome free website that helps you determine color palettes. Browse the site for one of their pre-designed palettes, design your own using the suite of tools available on the site or create a color palette from your favorite photo with their Photocopa tool that analyses images for their color palettes!

3. Death to the Stock Photo: If you are in need of some awesome stock photography for your website, don’t waste your time with standard stock photography sites with their obviously staged images. Death to the Stock Photo is a modern approach to stock photography that offers an awesome and affordable monthly premium service, or a free monthly pack of images for you to use in accordance with their image licensing terms. These are some awesome pictures that can be used in a variety of ways to liven up your site, so check them out for an awesome alternative to bland stock photography.

4. Canva: Need some powerful software for creating awesome graphics and images, but don’t have Photoshop? A free account with Canva will give you access to all the tools you need to design your own eye-catching graphics, promotional images or any other images or design elements you may need for your website.

5. Flat Icon: Looking for some custom icons for your website or design elements? Flaticon.com gives you access to a large library of vector icon images that you can use for your blog or business. With both free and paid icon options, you are sure to find the right icon set to fit the needs of any project.

I hope these 5 Free Design Tools help you make the most of your blog or business online! Let me know how you like them or if you use any other awesome free tools that I need to know about!

xoxo,

Productivity

Mind Over Matter, Social Media Marketing Trends & Productivity Hacks You Need to Know!

Last month, the community reaction to my link roundup was so positive and supportive. Many of you really connected with the fact that I too struggle with my own productivity on a regular basis, as shocking and unbelievable as it may seem. I love talking about productivity and really consider myself a student of it, not because I believe I’m naturally inclined towards it, but rather because my instinct is the complete opposite. I tend to be very lazy, so over the years, in order to not only survive, but to flourish, I have built up a repertoire of life hacks, organization methods and productivity shortcuts to help me get more done in less time. If there is a quicker way to do something, I am all over it. Have a method to cut down on your number of tasks while still remaining a high performer, yes please, I’d love to know! To be honest, most of my knowledge of these sorts of things doesn’t really come from me, but rather, from books, magazines and articles I have read over the years, which is why I love sharing these sorts of link roundups with my community. On one hand, this gives you some insight into the sorts of articles I read on a regular basis, but on the other, it helps you to develop the positive habit of reading, self-improvement and continuing education. So, in an effort to share and help inspire my community, here is a selection of articles I read and think you may also find enlightening!

Self-Improvement

Business

Productivity

Have any other articles you read recently that you think I would love? Please tweet me the links @MissTrenchcoat or go ahead and leave them down below!

xoxo,

printables

A Parisian Holiday for Your Office & Planner!

Summer is such a wonderful time to travel and I personally can’t think of a place I would rather travel to right now than Paris! As they say, “Paris is always a good idea!” So, to bring you a little “What’s In My Bag” style travel inspiration, I have designed an entire collection of planner and office decor printables with a little Parisian flare. My Parisian Holiday Collection consists of 4 Printable Wall Art designs, a printable sticker set with 8 unique designs and a set of four journaling cards! All designs are original vector artwork you won’t find anywhere else, including some highly requested makeup and planner favorites.

For my Parisian inspired wall art, I decided to do things a little differently with this collection. My 4 wall art designs are really meant to be used together, so instead of selling them individually for $12 each, I decided to bundle the 4 designs for $26! Print them in their full size of 8” x 10” or at half or quarter sizes through Adobe reader and hang them together as a full set in your home or office for some beautiful seasonal travel inspiration! Hint: these home decor prints would also look amazing in a walk in closet, bedroom or even your bathroom!

Looking to liven up your scrapbook or planner for summer with some awesome printable decoration items? You will love my sticker and coordinating journaling card designs. As I said, this Parisian Holiday Collection is inspired by “What’s In My Bag” style photos and videos and includes my favorite seasonal items from makeup to purses, and perfume to planners, as though I am packing up for my own Parisian getaway! You are going to love decorating your planner for summer with these awesome printables! Hint: these designs aren’t just for Francophiles, but fashionista’s and beauty gurus alike!

If you’d love a Parisian Holiday as much as me, I’d love it if you checked out the collection and let me know your thoughts! Click here to hop on over to my Shop to view the collection! I can’t wait to see your Instagram pictures featuring these awesome printable planner and office goodies so make sure to snap a pic and to use the hashtag #strangeandcharmed so I can like and comment on your photos!