How To Really Use Your Stationery Productively To Get Shit Done

Besides beauty products and cosy loungewear, my biggest materialistic love will always be stationery. But the good thing about having such a deep love for paper products is that they can be used to make your day super productive and I know that I rely on a few to get me through the day without forgetting the majority of important tasks. So here is a little guide to using your most loved notepads, pens, to-do lists pads in a super productive way.

MY FAVOURITE STATIONERY BRANDS

I've always been obsessed with stationery, ever since I was a child. The highlight of my childhood years was getting a fresh pack of Crayola crayons and picking up fresh stationery pieces for the start of the new school year. And my tastes have definitely got a lot more expensive but that also means the products are better in quality too [not the case for everything in life but nearly always the case for stationery]. Some of my all time favourite brands that always deliver great quality products are;

WHAT I USE ON A DAILY BASIS

There isn't a day goes by that I don't use my stationery to help me have a really productive day. And I always say this but I don't believe that to-do lists are for everybody and it totally depends not only on what type of person you are but also what type of job you have. If you work for yourself apart from maybe if you're a builder than having a good solid work system is a must. Some people prefer to do this digitally but I've never had that much success from doing that so I've always preferred doing things the old fashioned way. As of right now, I use a plain lined notepad from Ohh Deer where I write my daily to-do lists and plans for posts and then I've also started a new diary from Inspired Life Diary for my general life. I don't like to have multiple notepads on the go as otherwise, I find my brain is a little scattered so I like to keep it all in one place.

MAKE IT COLOURFUL

Some people are definitely more into their monochrome paper products and hey if that is what works for then that's great. But over the years I've definitely noticed the nicer and cuter the stationery I use is the more I tend to use it meaning I'm way more productive as I look forward to reaching for my notepad. So I'm pretty picky about the journals that I pick up but I find the easiest way to make your notepads really fun is with colour coding and labels. If you're a seriously organised person it's pretty heavenly to see your to-do lists so neatly organised. Taking 5 minutes or so the evening before to make my to-do list looking awesome has a really positive effect on my work day and I also try and avoid any scribbles if possible because I can't stand a messy list.

HOW TO WRITE A REALLY GOOD TO-DO LIST

I could probably dedicate an entire post to writing a really good productive to-do list because it's not as simple as just writing everything you need to do down. Oh no, it's far more complex than that [well, maybe not for some people but my to-do list writing process is complex].

Don't make the list too long, there are only so many hours in a day that you can work and preferably don't work every single second you're awake.
Split your lists up. I have one for work, personal and then household chores that need doing.
Put your least favourite tasks at the top. Getting them out the way first is the easiest way to get on with the rest of your day without worry.
Dedicate general time brackets to your day. They don't have to be super strict but having a little bit of structure really helps.
Factor in breaks to your list, working relentlessly all day is never as productive as you think it might be.
Allow wiggle room, you can never plan for everything.
Have your non negotiable tasks and then the tasks that you want to get done but if you don't they can be done another day.
Write a little bit of detail next to your tasks, don't leave things too vague. So for example when I write 'draft blog post' I then put along side it write, add links, proof read, schedule.
As a general rule I never write a list longer than an a5 page, that's more than enough tasks.
Be realistic with what you can actually achieve in day.