DESK/HW ORGANIZATION

Today I will share with you my basic desk, schoolwork organization and homework routine. First: LOTS of pics.

^ I use a monthly desk pad calendar just to give myself an overview of what's to come. I also use a daily planner (that I keep in my school bag) to record more appointments/specifics of assignments. I found a daily planner from Mixed Role Productions  at The Chalkboard in Lombard that I LOVE. Rather than a traditional January- January calendar, this one begins in August (beginning of my school year) and ends the following August. It's really designed for teachers but I love it. 

^ Every Sunday I make a short "To Do" list, usually bullet points. Anything I don't get done I just move to later in the week. My friends often make fun of me for some of the things I write down, "breath today! eat breakfast! sleep 7 hrs!" ha.

^ I color code both of my calendars. RED= important due dates, test, quizzes, etc. BLACK= general HW assignments. PURPLE= personal appointments/parties/work/ etc. (I have yet to fill in most of the month of February...)

^ Shelf above my desk... just to make things prettier. I feel like fresh flowers make any room more inviting!

^ Gotta keep all wedding things somewhere. My dad bought me 'Real Simple Weddings' and a subscription to Real Simple Mag. for Christmas! I'm sure they're be LOTS of organizational tips in those issues.

^ Because I have a laptop I don't use the pull-out keyboard shelf for a keyboard so I keep monthly receipts, bills, bank statements and checkbook here. I think it's VERY easy to let mail and papers pile up so I try to clean it out every month and put the important things in my file cabinet and shred the junk....this is definitely the most boring part of my desk. 

^ Second shelf down in my bookcase holds all school related textbooks and novels.

^ And a few fun things, too!

^ On the second to last shelf I keep my cookbooks and literary magazines and on the last, records.

Organization is KEY for me when doing homework and keeping track of due dates. Because most papers are turned in online nowadays it's so important to keep track of what time assignments need to be turned in, etc. I do some HW during the week, typically in the morning in the library before school. I have about an hour commute with traffic so I try to leave as early as possible to cut that down and use the extra time before class for HW or study time. But, for the most part I spend HOURS (11-4 or 5) on Sunday reading materials for the week, doing research, completing assignments because it makes the week much less stressful.

Next up this week: How I organize my closet.

WEDDING BINDER

I have begun the wedding binder! I am a binder girl without a doubt... I use them for everything! For me, keeping track of everything here will be exciting; for Kenny, keeping track of budget info/ financial planning is exciting and fun for him AND definitely one of his strengths.

Here is what I have done:

- I purchased a binder, card stock and stickers at Michael's craft supply store to make a fun cover.
- I tried to categorize the 15 most important aspects for our wedding... this included combining a few (hair/make-up, photo/video, master checklist/budget sheets).
- Because the Index is the first page and will get referenced/flipped the most I put it in a sheet protector.
- Printed out the most AMAZING and comprehensive wedding checklist/budget sheets out there from Russell and Hazel. *Warning: if pages and pages of to-do lists stress you out then I suggest browsing Pinterest for other checklists out there. PLENTY to chose from!*
- I included "Guest List" because in that tab I will insert a print out of the final count to help with making a seating chart; however, I am using Excel to keep track of everyones addresses/if invites have been sent/menu selections, etc. For me, doing that  part on paper would be entirely too messy.
- While the last tab is "Honeymoon" I will probably have a much smaller folder to bring with us containing airline reservations, hotel info., transportation, etc.

Just like each and every wedding and marriage is unique, I'm sure your planning process will be as well! This is what works for me and that is what's key....to find what WORKS for YOU! Hopefully this will give some insight to bride-to-bes! Single ladies you can bookmark this as it may be of help to you in the future! ;)

EDIT Jan 22nd: Another resource you can use... friends and family! Think about weddings you've been to recently and if you feel comfortable asking them for tips and pointers, questions regarding a specific venue, suggestions for different vendors and so on. I've been to five weddings in the past year and a half - ish and only two of them were in the Chicago area so I'd be more inclined to ask those newlyweds any questions. I also am one of THREE in one of my Education classes engaged- to -be- married this year. So sometimes the three of us will share tips. Be VERY careful when talking budget... some people might be open with it or say something like, "We loved our photographer, his prices were reasonable and fit our price range, here is a link to his website" but never ask how much they spent. Someone I don't know too well asked me what our total budget was but I think it's because we are younger than most people who get married in the area and they were surprised we had any money at all, nonetheless a pretty uncomfortable conversation.

BINDER + NOTE TAKING ORGANIZATION

New school supplies...hooray! I don't know if I'll ever get tired of shopping for school supplies. Today I will share with you how I have been organizing my binders since my freshman year of high school! 

In high school I had two binders: one for morning classes, and one for my afternoon classes. I would go to my locker after lunch and switch them out. In college, I now have one for my MWF classes and another for my TTR classes. I printed some covers out and used our label maker to make the tabs for each class I have. The first document in each tab is always our class syllabus with important due dates and important reference sheets. In my school bag I always carry a small three- hole punch to hole punch papers distributed that may not have been punched in the copier. This way I can just pack each binder the night before class! I love not carrying around a bulky plastic file folder or having to remember each individual folder. 

When doing homework I keep my laptop open to Word and take notes using the 'Notebook Layout View' and then print my notes and stick them in my binder to bring to class the next day. When taking notes in class however, I use a 5 subject notebook because most of my professors prefer us not to have a laptop in class.  Above is a photo of my notebook and below, a screenshot of what my Notebook Layout View looks like. 

Depending on your class schedule or teachers preferences you may need to tweak this a little bit. I also have a 1/2 inch binder for my education class because we are observing and this involves PAGES of notes. It may not be binders but find a method of organization that works for you in the beginning of the school year and stick with it! When essays and finals come around it's so much easier to write/study if your notes are already organized by unit. Good luck!

JEWELRY STORAGE

OK, first topic...bedroom/jewelry storage. I don't have a large dresser so I keep my jewelry on and in my bedside table drawers and I keep some in my armoire as well. Any nice jewelry I keep in the original bag inside the box. ^

I keep the earrings and necklaces I wear most often on top of my bedside table so they are easily accessible when getting ready in the morning. In the old jelly glass (gold lid) I keep the two rings I wear daily. I rotate perfumes each season and keep those on top as well. And, I think they are kind of pretty and can add a pop of COLOR! Journaling has been a hobby of mine since first grade... I keep all the old ones in a memory box but keep my most current journals by my bedside because I tend to write at night.

I usually line my drawers with some kind of liner or paper, this first drawer happens to be lined with scrapbooking paper. The tan organizer is from the Container Store that I purchased several years ago. Here I keep more delicate necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets I only wear occasionally. 

A few years ago I spray painted a white plastic storage container gold. It was super easy and you could paint it any color to match your space! I also keep things I might use at night or in bed in this drawer because I don't like the way they look sitting on top of my table (Kleenex, Vaseline, Vick's). 

Finally, my armoire. I purchased two white key rails from Target ($5.99 my freshman year of college...so 4 years ago) and keep one on the inside of each door for additional necklace storage... these are the more junky bulky ones. 

...

When deciding where to store your jewelry think about where you get ready in the morning (as it's usually the last thing you put on). Old jars and plates work great as storage options and look cute, too. You can hang these key rails anywhere or even store necklaces on nails hammered in your closet or behind bedroom doors. Have fun with it!!!