I love to write things down: lists, thoughts, quotes, brainstorms, flow charts, phone numbers; you name it, I have probably written it down at some point.

We have all had those moments where we are scratching our brain for an idea or thoughts that we in the not so distant past. For myself, I have to write things down to remember them. Not only does writing things down help store things in your mind in two different formats, but it gives me a place to go back to when I am trying to remember something. I use 3 main sources for my writing outlets, which keep all my thoughts nice, organized and easy to find.

1. Large Notebook or Journal

Before a post is ever typed out on my laptop or iPad, there is always a rough draft penned down on paper. At first I would use whichever scrap I could find laying around but then I started to misplace them and would just end up incredibly frustrated. I then found some adorable Kate Spade notebooks at Chapters months ago that I scooped up for just this purpose. I have since used up these notebooks and purchased some new ones at HomeSense that are a similar style. I much prefer coil notebooks for this function as I can easy flip to and hold the page that I am working on. A typical glue bound book just does not stay open with such ease.

  
2. Small Pocket Notebook

small notebooks are great for jotting down impromptu thoughts when you are not in the most convenient of places. I have two of them; one for my bedside table and the other for my purse. These are for shopping lists, blog ideas, phone numbers, to-do lists, addresses or anything else that I want to remember.

3. Scheduler/Planner

It is a must for me to keep myself organized – and in detail. With a blog to maintain, personal appointments to keep and somewhat of a social life, I need somewhere to keep this all sorted out. I have tried apps and calendars on my computer but they just don’t work that great for me. I will probably always use my Outlook calendar at work for work purposes, but there is a lack of creativity and ability to doodle when it comes to scheduling technologies. I like to have that pen in my hand, writing down what I have to do or what has happened that day.

  
A great thing about notebooks is that there are so many out there to chose from. Because it is back to school season, I am sure that Staples has a wide selection of items on sale. Home decor stores, calligraphy specialty stores, gift shops, even drug stores… Notebooks can be found in a lot of different places. If you like to write things down too, go find yourself some notebooks that appeal to your eye and that will make you want to keep them in sight. I find my notebooks simple but beautiful on the covers. They fit in with my decor and I am proud to have them out on display, making them easy to find and more apt to being used regularly.

Now that you know my 3 ways that I keep my thoughts organized, let me know in the comments what you do to keep yourself organized. If you have your own blog post on something similar or have read one that you’d like to share, please leave a link with your comment.