One Notebook to Rule Them All

I like my lists. I also like taking note of things. My planner has been extremely useful for me but I feel so limited by the amount of space I have to just simply write things down. I have found a system with my planner that works for me (I might write about it soon) but I still need 1 place to write down the things that come to me in the middle of the day. I also struggle with having to bring my planner all the time because it can be bulky, plus its extremely colorful exterior (which I love)on top of all the color coded post-its make my clients look at me funny when I pull it out...so I decided to have a more discreet notebook. Something I can easily carry around with me to help me corral all the thoughts, ideas, goals, to-do lists inside my brain down into one place.

After several trips to several bookstores (I've had my eye set on this for literally a year before finally taking the plunge) I gave in and purchased this:

What I love about it is that you can put in any notebook inside. This way, when I run out of space, I can just replace the notebook with a new one.  I chose this particular model because I like the snakeskin pattern and also because I like the garter straps around the edge...or so I thought. While I love the straps and the fact that I can put in as many things inside the notebook as I want. When the straps are open they cause the back of the notebook not to lay flat which makes writing a bit more difficult than it should be. It's only a slight discomfort though and it still works for me. 

Let me walk you through the inside of the notebook as well as an explanation of how I use it for my needs. 

The top photo shows how it normally looks like. See how the notebook is just inserted into the leather cover while it is perfectly secure it is also very easy to take it out and replace. The bottom photo shows the objects I chose to keep inside the vertical slot. ( I covered the front page with a post-it to hide my private information)

I have a legend of my color coding. I use pretty much the same codes as I have in my Google Calendar, planner, and iPhone (which is basically just a copy of my google calendar) but I added 2 new colors: green for dreams/goals/ideas and purple for inspiration. 

TRIVIA: The legend is an idea Andrea gave me when we were making study cards for her homeschooling =) 

I also store these sticky flags to help me identify where I have to-do lists.

At the top of the page I write the date. Then I just write whatever comes to mind or whatever I feel like writing. The yellow mark indicates something Andrea said that I found funny and would like to remember. The green mark is an insight I had on reaching for your dreams and then followed by things I have to do in relation to a goal I am currently pursuing. I put boxes similar to those used in bullet journaling and check the boxes off when I've accomplished them. I then put a sticky flag with a tiny bit protruding at the edge of the page to mark my to-do lists. That way it will be easy for me to find my to-do lists at any point. So if at the moment I want to work on my personal goals...I will find the pink flag and turn to that page. The flags will be removed or transferred when all bullets have been completed. Here are more pages for you to see how I am using this notebook.

This has worked so wonderfully for me and I love it very much. It does not in any way take the place of my planner but the planner is something that I generally use at night to plan out the day before or my general schedule. This notebook goes down to the nitty-gritty of my daily grind.