Those of you who know me or have followed my blog for some time know that I’m planning-obsessed. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved writing my schedule and to-do’s out in my planner or agenda. I’ve tried electronic planning and it’s just not for me. I’ve had my phone and computer change appointments due to changing time zones and cancel meetings for no reason. Even while working at a traditional job, I would print out my Google calendar and tuck it into my agenda on work trips. There’s nothing more satisfying than crossing off my to-do’s one by one on paper.
Erin Condren LifePlanner
It seems as if I’ve tried nearly every planner on the market. I found many sold in office supply stores to be too boring and dull. The entire binder portion of my Louis Vuitton agenda fell out in class one day, sending my papers and notes scattering across the floor. But one that has never disappointed me thus far is the Erin Condren LifePlanner. With its bright colors and well-designed format, it makes the perfect agenda for any student or working woman.
The Day Designer
In the video above, I explained how the LifePlanner stopped working for me when I had a more flexible schedule with more responsibilities, errands, and to-do’s. I recently found a planner that offers more space for to-do’s, prioritizes work needs, and organizes evening time. The Day Designer is from Target and is at a great $9.99 price point. I would suggest it for someone who often juggles multiple projects at once or has to transition seamlessly from working to home life and back again.
Lilly Pulitzer Agendas
I also like the bright colors and playful layouts of the Lilly Pulitzer agendas. You can find a selection of different sizes and shapes here. For a limited time, Lilly is offering free shipping on all agenda orders.
Be sure to sign up for my back-to-school giveaway below. I packed this sleek little tote with everything you need to get organized… A planner, highlighters, bright pens, post-its, and a gift card for caffeine. You can begin to enter and gain extra entries by sharing this post starting Thursday, August 20th. I will draw the winner on Sunday, August 30th and ship out your goodies!
Giveaway Includes: BP Black Tote Bag (Sold Out – I’m currently loving this one), Day Designer Planner, Sharpie Highlighters, Bright Fine-Point Pens, $15 Starbucks Gift Card, Hedgehog Post-Its
Favorite Planner Stickers: AlexStudio, KarolinasKrafts, MadeByElissa, PlannerHeaven, ThePrettyPlanner, ItsPlanningTime, InkyDinkPrinting, PlannerPress, SweetKawaiiDesign, VintageGypsyRoad
Best of luck on the giveaway. Down below, let me know how you plan… Is there an incredible app I’m missing that beats paper planning? Do you have a favorite planner or agenda that works best for you?
I love your channel, I know starting a YouTube channel is rough but as long as you keep making awesome videos you’ll get the best subscribers in the world! I love your back to school give a way and I’m headed back to college and could use that stuff! I love everything in it and need a new planner soon! Thanks for making videos 🙂 even if I don’t win I still love you Britt!
Also I’ve been using the lily agenda for about two years now but have been wanting to try the Erin Condren one for some time! I like to map out my day so I feel like it would be better than what I’ve been doing so far! I haven’t found an app and I actually prefer to write out my plans! Sorry I forgot to include this in my first post. But hey the more the merrier right?!
Thank you so much for participating, Melinda!! I like to write out my plans too… I find that any app or electronic calendar I’ve tried is too easy for me to ignore!! 🙂
I use a planner similar to the Erin Condren, but I run into the same problem of work time taking up most of the section. So I have been frustrated because I haven’t been writing things down. I will have to check out the Day Desinger! I love, love the gratitude section!!!
Thank you so much for entering, Beth!! I love having the gratitude section as part of the planner. I’ve tried a separate gratitude journal but having it right there with the rest of my plans makes it so much easier to use. xo
Having a planner is how I stay organized! I also use color coding, like using the same colored pen for bills and things like that. And I also make sure to keep things like appointments and to do lists synced with my phone.
I use color coding too… I think it helps so much!! Thank you for entering!! xo
Do it now is my main tip to stay organised as by doing it at the time I will not give my self excuses later on and I also like to treat myself when I do something 😀
I love your “do it now” tip!! I always use that when setting things down or picking up the house… I know if I just set the mail down on our counter it might sit there for days, but if I go through it and file it away at that moment it will look much neater!! And I like treating myself to little incentives as well. Even just allowing myself to watch a show on my DVR after accomplishing a lot of laundry or a hard workout!! xo
I just love reading your blog posts and watching your youtube videos. As a student about to begin my freshman year of college, this planning video and blog post is just PERFECT! Thank you!! 🙂
Thank you so much for being a reader and for participating!! Good luck in your freshman year!! xo
Trello. It’s a project management app and is absolutely life changing. I’m obsessed!
Definitely going to check Trello out!! Thank you for participating!! xo
I love organizing my weeks for school and would really love to win this giveaway!!
Thank you so much for being a reader and for participating in this giveaway!! xo
I love organizing my weeks for school and would really love to win this giveaway!! Would love to get the winning email soon
I love everything you post on Instagram,Facebook and Pintrest!
What a fun giveaway!!! <3
Whoops! My fave tip for staying organized is sharing a calendar with your family. We use iCal, and each person has a color and schedules are shared with everyone!!
Using iCal is a great idea for a family!! Thanks for participating!! xo
In law school I was obsessed with the TeuxDeux app! It was wonderful for having easy access to reading assignments wherever!
I always go back to paper! Right now I’ve been looking into the Uncalendar. I love how flexible it is, but I’m not sure if I can figure out a good system for all the boxes.
PS love your blog! I went to law school the same years you did and somehow stumbled upon your blog 1L year. It was so great to read about someone else who “got” it!
Thank you for being a longtime reader!! 🙂 I love that we were kind of going through law school together!! It’s definitely something you can only understand if you’re going through it or have gone through it. I wish I had known about TeuxDeux in law school – I totally would have tried it out. And… I have to look into Uncalendar as I’ve never heard of it before. Thank you for participating in this giveaway!! (And for giving me new things to look into!!) xo
I think the best way stay organized is to write down a to do list on topics that your thinking about or everything together.
I divide my to-do lists into topics sometimes too. Thank you so much for entering!! xo
Honestly, the best way I stay organized is to write things down, and colour-code them. I am using a thin paper (and flimsy) planner from Target. But keeping everything in ONE notebook/planner is key. For my entire life, leading up to this year I had multiple notebooks for everything. But colour coding + one notebook is where it’s at… keeps me sane! 🙂
YES!! I think your points about color coding and ONE planner/notebook are key. When I would have one personal planner and one academic planner I would mix everything up and miss important due dates. Thank you so much for participating!! xo
I keep a running tally of my goals for each week, then I refine them as the week goes on. It is so satisfying to cross something off! Or check a box. It helps me progress and do more. I love your tips and tricks. I am really ready to add color and better content to my agenda! 🙂
We are so alike… I always do that with my to-do lists!! I start with everything I would love to get done, then keep revising and crossing off as the days go by. What is it about crossing things off that feels so wonderful?! 🙂 Thank you so much for participating!! xo
I plan mostly by using post-its and writing things down on a calendar. I tried to use apps but they are not as good as doing it the old fashion way of jotting it down especially for school.
I agree… Nothing beats an old fashioned notebook/planner!! Thank you so much for entering. xo
Comment below and share your best tip or trick for staying organized:
I love to colourcode thing so its very organized in terms of grouping them together and easy on my eyes (dont have to search for anything!)
And A PLANNER! I cant tell you how much a planner saved my life and kept me on track and organize with all my school events and school work!
YES!! Color coding is key. Thank you so much for participating!! xo
My tip would be, don’t leave things for later.
Love this tip. I always keep that in mind when I’m picking up the house or putting things away. Thank you so much for participating!! xo
Hi! I’m really very motivated to participate because I want to leave my country because here everything is very bad (Venezuela) and this is my senior year, so I’m learning another language, I do theater, I prepare for the test of the university and I to study for high school so a planner I could use anything wrong, all these years I wanted one but do not exist in my country so I’d love to lead a more organized life, thank you!
Thank you so much for being a reader and for entering this giveaway!! I hope you keep reading for more posts and giveaways. Wishing you the best senior year… And good luck with your university entrance exam!! xoxo
Having a planner is how I stay organized!!!!
Thank you for entering the giveaway!! xo
I’ve been an Erin Condren girl since you published the post about the Life Planner a while back : ) Everyone at my work makes fun of me because I’m the one carrying around a bright, colorful organizer while they all have small, black books that fit in their pockets. 🙂
Hahah I have been there, girl!! 🙂 I always think the bright colors are so fun and exciting though. Thank you for participating!! xoxo
My most helpful planning and organizational tool has and always will be a planner, but I’m also a stickler for keeping my purse and daughters’ diaper bags with everything put in a certain place to conserve space and so everything easily found and accessible. 🙂
I’m the same way with my handbags. Everything has a place or a pouch!! 🙂 Thank you so much for entering. xo
Planners are essential 🙂
Thank you for participating!! xo
Thank you so much for the opportunity! 🙂
You’re so welcome!! Thank you for entering!! xo
To-do lists are key for me to be organized… And I always get so much more done if I wake up early when there aren’t many distractions
I agree… I love getting things done when I’m not distracted, either early or late at night. But I find that if I wake up early and get so much done before breakfast I feel even more productive. Thank you so much for entering!! xo
Yes girl! A planning blog is what I needed! 🙂
I thought of you when I did this!! Thank you so much for participating!! xo
You are so pretty and so amazing for doing this giveaway
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for your kind compliment!! And thank you for participating in this giveaway!! xo
i absolutely love your blog posts and instagram updates! i am an old school girl as well. i have to have everything written down in a planner! i do use my iphone calendar for reminders though. great giveaway! 🙂
Thank you so much for being a reader. And thank you for entering this giveaway!! 🙂 xoxo
I currently use the Filofax fluoro pink, I cut my Mambi 365 create planner to fit inside. It’s okay but I am a hair stylist and it doesn’t give me enough space to write my appointments. The day designer seems to be a great planner and I would love to try it out.
I’ve seen a lot of people cutting other inserts to fit the Filofax and they look so cute!! I think you would really like the extra space in the Day Designer for all your appointments and the separate section for to-do’s. Thank you so much for participating!! xoxo
I try to stay organised by using a planner and alarms on my phone. I use the alarms as a method of staying on task and completing various activities.
I love your alarms idea!! Definitely going to try that out. Thank you so much for entering the giveaway!! xo
I’ve seen the Erin Condren life planners before and always wondered if they were as wonderful as everyone describes! I’ve tried Kate Spade, Lilly, May Books, and a few other random ones to find out that they were never as organized as I’d like, or they didn’t have the month views that were as user-friendly! I am planning my wedding and I definitely would be able to use this to organize seeing vendors and everyone else!
This would be a great one for wedding planning because of the huge to-do section!! Thank you so much for entering. xo
I use a planner similar to yours! Keeping a planner helps me stay organized, but I like to keep a To-Do list on a white board on my wall/locker. It’s something I could always keep, and it helps me stay focused!
I love to-do lists too!! Thank you so much for participating!! xo
I like to write everything that I need to do in a day down on paper. As I complete the tasks I cross them off and it makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something. I also think it’s really important to have a home for every single thing you own and when you’re finished it putting it back in its place really helps keep things organized.
Definitely agree with you on the “place for everything” tactic. When we moved in together much of my things were in chaos because I suddenly didn’t have a place for anything!! It’s so important for organization. Thank you so much for participating in the giveaway!! xo
I currently use a giant calendar and write out things in different colors but I often miss things. I also use my phone but I still seem to prefer to write on something! I am still trying to figure a balance with everything!
I like the idea of a big calendar too… It makes it nice and easy to see everything. Thank you so much for entering the giveaway!! xo
I love reading your blog and watching your videos! Great job !
Thank you so much for being a reader. And thank you for entering the giveaway!! xo
I stay orginised by buying boxes and writing on stick pads and sticking it on my locker and all the time I look in it it tells me what subject I do and I have an agenda. And I keep planner with stickers that explain what I have to do
I love planning with stickers too!! Thank you so much for participating in the giveaway. xo
I love having a planner especially during school. It really does help me manage time and not miss important dates. I can color code with highlighters and post-its are my life savers. I like the Lily Pulitzer planners because they are so adorable and girly.
I love post-its too!! They help me organize so much. Thank you so much for entering the giveaway!! xo
Love the tote and thr planner. Thanks for the giveaway
You’re so welcome. Thank you so much for being a reader!! xo
I love using planners instead of an app. I’m that person who uses paper and pencil instead of an app… so old school. But I love having a planner and write down notes and color-coding. The tote and the planner are so cute 🙂