Room Organization

I am the kind of person who at the start of the school year must ALWAYS have everything and organized in their place.  If things aren't in their place when it comes to school, I feel like I'm losing my mind.  I have changed a few things that I am doing this year, which is starting by ALWAYS making sure that my desk is clean and my bed is made. Last year, my bed was in this weird position where it was hard to make it everyday.  This year, I'm able to make it very easily and it also helps knowing that when people walk into my room, it's one of the first things that they see.

I also added curtains right above my windows, just because the blinds don't do a very good job at blocking out the sunlight if I am sleeping in on the weekends. It also helps when it is hot and it keeps our room much cooler.  I keep my "regular" bags hanging right on my bedpost and keep my laundry under my bed where I store my suitcases and things.  My dresser as well as one of my roommates is also under my bed as well.

Next to my bed, I have my desk area.  My roommate found this great little bookshelf that we share. The top shelf is mine, and it houses all of my textbooks and library books that I am using for my senior thesis paper (Ethics & Education: Music in the Elementary Schools).  I also have one of our 4 lamps on the bookshelf and a photo of my family, a clock, and other random things that I just happen to use all the time.  I also have my wall calendar, class schedule, and other things up on the wall.  I'll go into detail more later on how I stay organized more specifically!

What are some ways that you keep your areas neat and organized? I always love hearing different tips that other people have!

Tote Bag Organization

I love purses. I was that girl who always had many purses that matched every outfit. Whenever I clean my purses out, I always find the most random things in them.  I've come to the realization that since I'm always switching out purses, totes, and backpacks, I always forget to transfer things that I end up needing. This week, I somehow ended up finding 2 old chapsticks in one backpack!

So, to help out with my organizational skills (my goal for this year is to become more organized!), I've figured out the best way to organize my purse.

Typically, I always use a backpack or tote bag for school.  Occasionally, if I'm just running out to dinner or I can manage using one of my small purses, I usually just take my phone, keys, and wallet.  But, in my tote bag (I'll just use tote bag, because that is what I am currently using today) I have a list of specific things that I always need to have with me.

1. Notebook: I always have little notes that needed to be written down or my list of things to do or important things to remember. I love being able to have a medium sized notebook so I can pull it out of my bag easily. This notebook, I got at the end of the school year last year after my Bel Canto Tour. It is actually a gift from Bel Canto!

2. MayBook: Like I've mentioned in a previous post, I have a MayBook, and I love it! It's the perfect sized planner and I can even jot down things I need to accomplish that week, errands I need to run, and just little notes to remember.

3. Pencil Case: I got this pencil case at Barnes & Nobles. I love it because it's the perfect size and I also love the colors. Typically I usually stop using a pencil case, but somehow I've managed to really use it. It's nice because it stops me from having all my pens, pencils, and highlighters floating around in my bag.

4. Wallet and keys: I feel as if your wallet and keys are something that no one should ever forget, but somehow this year, I feel as if everyone I know has lost their wallet or keys for a few days at a time.  Luckily, my wallet and keys are all bright so they aren't too hard to loose.

5. Gift Card Pouch: Somehow, I have managed to get a collection of gift cards. And somehow, I've managed to NEVER have them with me when I really could use them. I think this is the hardest thing for me to remember to keep in my purse because it's something that I don't use on a regular basis.  However, I have found that by keeping all my gift cards in one place, it has really helped me to not loose them for a few months, and find them floating around in my desk drawers.

6. Binder: Lastly, this semester for school, instead of using a bunch of different notebooks, I've only been using a binder. So far, I really like it. All of my syllabus' are in their correct section of my binder, I don't have lose papers shoved into a notebook, and I can move my notes around or if someone needs to copy them, I can easily take it out and give it to them, instead of handing over my whole notebook.

So those are just a few things that I have come to be handy for me and my organizational skills. If any of you have any suggestions for me on how to be more organized, I would really love to hear them! I can always use all the organizational tips I can get!

Planning

I know in one of my previous posts, I posted about how I am a planner. I seriously have 5 different planners. I love knowing what is going on and I like being able to see what is coming up. Well for this post, I decided to share about how I plan out everything going on in my life.  Who knows, maybe you could get a few tips and incorporate/modify for your own life.

iCal: I love iCal because it syncs up to my phone so if I'm out and about and I need to see if I am busy on a certain day, I can just pull it up on my phone.  In iCal, I also have the times of every class as well as major events, such as flights home, choir concerts, and things like that.  Each section is color coded, as you can see.  That way, I know if it's light blue, it's just a class, but if it is something important, it is in a different color.

Wall Calendar: I also have a wall calendar, which I made on Shutterfly.  I love how I can add my own photos to my calendar, and it adds some nice decoration to my walls in my room.  I am also able to add my friends and families birthday on my calendar.  (If I wanted, I could even put their picture on their birthday!) On this calendar, I mainly just have all my major projects and papers written out on here.  Everything class is color coded and if it is just a reminder such as days off of school, it's in black.

May Book: I seriously love my May Book! On the left side, I have birthdays, and again, major things that are coming up.  That way, when I'm in class, I can see what is coming up.  On the right side, I have my "Things to Do" list, which I put down major homework assignments, as well as little things that I just need to do, such as sending an email to someone.  Under it, is my "Errands to Run".  This past week, there were no errands that I needed to run, however occasionally there are a few written down under that section.  Lastly, is my "Oh, and Can't Forget!"section.  This section is just for my little reminders that I can jot down when I think of them during class or something like that.

Homework List: This homework list is a place where I can not only decorate and doodle on every week when I make it, but it's also a place where I can see which class I need to focus on the most.   I used to use a planner, but I liked writing everything out and just having to carry one sheet of paper in my notebook.  This homework list has all of the details for everything, such as materials I need to study for a test or quiz.  

To Do List: Lastly, is my very detailed to do list.  I can't remember when or where I got it, I actually think my mom may have gotten it for me, but it's a notepad.  I love it because I use it for my mouse pad as well.  This one has the break down of everything I am going to do for that day for every class, from starting papers to reminding myself to send an email, this notepad has it all. 

So yes, many people may think I'm crazy for having this many planners, but it's the only way I can be focused and on top of what needs to be done.  I'm always interested to hear how other people stay organized, so if you have any tips, ideas, or suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them! 

Saying No

For some reason, I have the hardest time saying the word "no".  Because of this, I somehow find myself overcommitting and loosing sleep. However, this year, I've slowly started saying "no" more often.  For the first time in college, I've been getting about 7-8 hours of sleep a night during the week!  Of course I am sad sometimes because I do miss out on hanging out with friends late at night, but I'm able to manage my time better because I wake up earlier.  For school, I'm waking up between 7 and 7:20 AM.  On the weekends, I usually sleep until 9 or 9:30 AM.  Usually I would say that waking up at 9 is just horrible, but because I have been getting up so early during the week, 9 AM is officially sleeping in.  However, when there is a choir concert in the morning, I do sometimes have to wake up earlier than I normally would on a school day.

Does anyone have any other strategies to control yourself from overcommitting?? I'd love to hear them!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Something that I've come to realize the past year or so is that I am a lot like my mom.  I never thought that this could be true because growing up, I would always hate cleaning my room and planning things out.  I always thought that it was a little crazy to be 5-10+ minutes early for something.

However, being away at college, and more so now that I've been living in an apartment for over a year, I've come to realize that I am a lot like my mom.  I love the feeling after the apartment is nice and clean and clutter isn't all over the place.  I love when my space in the apartment (desk and bed) are clean and organized.  I love knowing that everything has a place.

If people know me, they know that I'm obsessed with having cute school supplies. I've always loved going to the office supply section of Target. I love bright colored pens and having cute notebooks and folders, and planners.  I've noticed that I am definitely more of a planner, more so than I already was.  I have now moved to having about 3 different calendars! I have my wall calendar, which has major events. I have my planner, as well as my calendar on my phone. I don't use the one on my phone as much though. Call me old fashioned, but I like things written out and printed out.  I found out about these planners called May Books and I just absolutely LOVE mine. They are customizable planners and they are also just super cute.

This is what my May Book looks like!

If you choose to get your own May Book, use this promo code "MONOFAB" and get your free monogram on it!

Productive Saturday

Today has been a very productive Saturday. I've done all my laundry and I even washed my sheets and made my bed! I cleaned up a lot of things and organized everything as well.  I thought that I would share a few pictures of what my part of the apartment looks like.  Currently, the rest of the apartment is a huge mess, but once it all gets cleaned up (hopefully soon!) I will post pictures! I must say though, I love being able to do laundry in my apartment as well as not having to do dishes by hand.

That's my bed, with of course, all my pillows and friends.
It looks like I don't have a lot of leg room, but I probably have a good
2 feet from my bed to the bed above mine. We've tripled our beds. It looks really cool.
 I'll post a pictures once my roommates make their beds. 

I finally figured out how to keep all of my purses and totes organized!
They are now in a bin right next to the dresser and it goes under my bed, a little bit.
You can also see that my hamper is finally empty!

I put all my clothes away and they are now organized.
And yes, that is a giant storage bin of shoes.
Shoes are my weakness...

You can actually see my desk! And it is being used too.
I have photos from the past couple years at APU as well as photos of my family
and my girls that have been in my cabin at Mt. Hermon the past two years. 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can continue to keep my bed, desk, and closet organized and clean?

Packing Up

I've come to the realization that packing is just so hard for me. And I guess it doesn't help that I have a lot of stuff too.  However, I've come to realize that while packing up to go back to Southern California for college, there are some things that I just can't live without.  Of course, I'm a girl, and I've got to have my clothes and shoes and purses. But office supplies is something that I just can't live without.  I've always been that girl that loves back-to-school shopping, just for the school supply shopping. I've always loved just wandering down that section of Target or going into some office supply store with my parents.  So, I've decided that I would make a little list of some things that I see as 'back-to-school essentials'.

1. A Planner
All the time, I am trying to become more and more organized.  But let's face it, it's not easy.  I always have to have a planner. One that I physically can write things in, and yes, people have told me that it's 'old fashioned' to actually use a planner that you write in. But I like to see all my assignments written out.  I also tend to use my calendar on my phone, but I know that I need to start just using one. I love going to Barnes & Nobles or Target to get my planner. This year, I got mine at Barnes & Nobles. It's not too big and it's not too small. It's big enough to write out my assignments, but it isn't as big as a notebook. Which I love, because I know that I can fit it in my purse (Yes, I do carry a large purse. I call it my 'mom bag'.) but it will also fit with all my school things.

2. Bright, Colorful, Fun Pens
What is more boring, than looking through your notes as you're studying for a test, than seeing your notebook full of just black/blue pen and pencil. Don't get me wrong, I love using black pens, but sometimes it is just nice to add some color to my notes. I love boxing important things my professor says or writing the title of the lesson with colorful pens in different handwriting than I normally would use.  I love using the Pilot Gel G2 (05) pens. I used to use the (07) ones, but somehow I would always end up smearing the ink and it would just get all over.  Plus, I like how it makes my notes look all clean because it is thinner.

3. My North Face Backpack

I am not a backpack person. I love being able to have different totes that match my outfit, but I have come to just LOVE my backpack. Yes, North Face backpacks can be fairly pricey. Well, North Face is pricey in general. However, this backpack is the perfect size. It has pockets for everything I need, and it manages to do the job by carrying my books, binders, notebooks, and anything else that I might possibly have to carry around with me.  Plus, it even has a buckle that goes around your waist which I love to play with as I am walking to classes or just standing and talking to friends. Yes, it does start to drive my friends crazy, but playing with that buckle is just so much fun!  So although North Face backpacks can get fairly expensive, depending on the one that you get, you have to remember that North Face backpacks have a LIFE TIME GUARANTEE!  Now, I'm the kind of person that had always gotten a bright colorful backpack, but this time I got black. And I love that it does match with everything. And plus, by having a back backpack, it made me feel just a tad bit older. It was like I didn't need that bright colorfulness. But, I do have a little color on there still, anyway. Now, I've had my backpack for a few years now, but as I was looking online for a photo, I noticed that they have all these different colors! Now I kind of wish that I had a colored one... But hey, now I match with all my friends who have black North Face backpacks.

So I've narrowed my list down to 3 things. But believe me, there are so many other things that I can't live without for school. But for now, those are my top 3 things. Oh well, and of course my phone, which is attached to my hand at all times.

For style advice, and to know if your closet is "Trendy or Not" for this upcoming school year, check out my friends blog, called "Trendy or Not".  Believe me, she knows what she's talking about when she talks fashion.