• Postcards or other project board (I liked the idea of finally using postcards I’ve been keeping)
• Blank or lined paper
• Elastic band (I happened to have coloured ones so I co-ordinated the colours with the postcards

• Fold the postcard in half
• Choose about 5 – 10 sheets of paper per book. Fold in half and make sure the paper will fit neatly inside the postcard.
• Use your fingers (I don’t have fancy “tools”) to make firm folds in the paper.
• Place inside the folded postcard.
• Stretch an elastic band along the spine and fold close.
• Ta da – as easy as that you are done.

Very green of me, don’t you think?

Who else loves paper?

Do you keep a notebook in the car?

It’s no secret that I love notebooks and paper

I’m not a scrapbooker but ever since I bought my first pad of scrapbook paper, I’ve been hooked.

The colours, the sturdiness, the ease of using it…

I decided to make some scrapbook notebooks after I saw a tutorial for something similar on a blog (in the days before pinterest) otherwise I’d link to it.

What you need:
scrapbook paper
hole punch
twine
gift tag (if gift)

How

1. Take 4-5 sheets of scrapbook paper
2. Fold them in half and tear down the middle. This is a great craft for recovering perfectionists. You will twitch at first at the thought of not cutting neatly but when you put it together and see how cute it looks and how the torn edges add to the cuteness, you’ll smile.
3. Fold all the paper in half again.
4. Punch along the folds (spine of the book) as far in as your punch will reach.
5. Thread the twine through the holes (I’m afraid I was experimenting mostly and I still don’t have the exact method…) – keep going until your book feels secure. I don’t like flimsy so once I think it’s okay, I thread one more loop through.
6. Make sure the twine is on the outside.
7. Tie a lovely big bow and call it a day.
8. I tie a gift tag to the twine with a “made for you by Marcia” note.

Quick, easy and very, very pretty.

What to use it for:

1. A standard notebook
2. A book of lists
3. a year in review book (I’m keeping one this year and it’s been fabulous – I will blog at the end of December)
4. Little scrapbook
5. Journal

(all of these for you or a friend, of course)

Do you love notebooks and scrap paper too?

What do you use scrap paper for besides scrapbooking?

I saw these cute notebooks somewhere on the internet.

Most people make them with paint sample cards.

We have a bookshop in South Africa, Exclusive Books, that always has lovely bookmarks at the cash desk.

The bookmarks usually promote something or other and are made of nice, thick card and so I decided to use these to make a couple of matchbook notebooks to keep in my car.

As you can see, these ones promoted Corinne Bailey Rae.

Get some paper ready for the inside. Scrap paper works perfectly.

Two folds of the card, a staple and you’re done.

It really is as easy as that.

I’m a bit of a fanatic about re-using both sides of paper til completely used up. I also use the 2 – 3 cm bits of scrapbook paper for fancy notepads

I also make bigger notebooks, all with scrap paper, for the babies to scribble on.

Do you use up all your scrap paper?

While I was reading through all the comments on the Clutter Rehab giveaway post, I noticed an interesting trend.

A lot of us favour the good old notebook and pen (or pencil) as our organising tool of choice.

I love it.

That is all.

No, not quite

I brought home my work notebook and a new notebook this weekend to sort out so that I’m all set for 1 August next week.

Do you know why?

Because even after ALL these years, I still constantly flirt with different organising systems within the notebook and pen system.

It’s not that they don’t work for me; they do. It’s just that I know myself and when something starts being a bit annoying, I’m less likely to use it and then the overwhelm starts.

Which is exactly what happened.

The smaller size blue notebook I had been using, while exceptionally cute, is just not big enough for my daily notes. The lines on the page are also not spacious enough for my medium-size handwriting.

All this to say, don’t beat yourself up about having one system and sticking to it consistently.

I’ve said many times on the blog that part of organising is tweaking.

This weekend, consider your planning tool.

Is it working for you? If not, what needs to change?

And now, onto the winner.

I used random.org…

and the winner is Jacinta who said this:

Jacinta, please email me with your postal address by no later by Tuesday 2nd otherwise I’ll have to choose another winner.

Thanks, everyone, for playing along.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

I read somewhere that taking notes is like taking photos.

It helps you to remember the experience better.

I like to take notes because it helps me to focus better and pay attention.

I’ve shared before that I’m a visual-tactile person so I love the feeling of writing and putting pen to paper. The old-fashioned way.

Especially these gorgeous pens.

Are you a note taker?

If yes, what are your methods?

The question of the week is…

When you go to a bookstore, what’s the first section you go to?

I go to the journals and notebooks section first and then self-development (the goals/ time management part).

Over to you!

It’s hard to be productive when your space is not only a mess, but also disorganised.

60% of people are visual (I am too!) so clutter and “stuff” strewn all over the place will just drive you up the wall!

Before we start, let’s get ready:

(a)       put on some upbeat music (not slow love songs – fast music!)

(b)       make sure you have a BIG wastepaper basket

(c)        get another plastic basket for items that belong in another room

So what do you need to do?

1. Back up your files

Do NOT open your email programme before you start or you’ll get sidetracked!

DO put a recurring reminder in Outlook to do this on a monthly basis, or more frequently than that.

Remember last year when I lost EVERYTHING on my flash drive? It only translated to about 2 hours’ work because I’d backed up my computer a few weeks before that.

Now, while your computer is backing up…

2. Clean off your desk

You can do this in 30 seconds (that’s why you have the upbeat music) – yes, really. Play a game with yourself and say, “by the end of this song, my desk is going to be clean”. Works for me

Put all items belonging in another room in the plastic basket. Don’t go to the actual room to put them away – you don’t want to get sidetracked!

Throw any cooldrink cans, sweet papers, etc. in the wastepaper basket. Put all the little notes inside your desk notebook (you do have ONE desk notebook, don’t you?) and set to one side.

If you don’t use the item on a DAILY basis, it shouldn’t be on your desk. By the same token, if you use something every day, make a place for it within arm’s reach.

E.g. My headset for Skype calls is on a hook on the wall above my desk – near enough that I can just reach for it, but not taking up valuable real estate on the desk.

See? 30 seconds and you’re done!

I *do* know this is the Quick & Easy way – if you want ALL the detail, check out 7 easy steps to organise your office at http://takechargesolutions.org/?page_id=17

3. Sort out the paper

Take out the desk notebook with all the little notes. I use a spiral-bound notebook with a lovely, bright yellow and lime-green cover because it makes me happy to write my notes in a beautiful notebook

Write down all those bits and pieces – your internet provider’s helpline, website addresses, people to look up on Facebook, etc.

Throw away all the junk mail and paper you don’t need (and take it to your recycling bag later).

Put all the filing in ONE pile – you can do this in front of the TV later!

Now doesn’t that feel better? A lovely, neat and organised office!

Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You’ll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

I spied this notebook at our offices and had to take a quick pic because it is SUPER cute!

look at the bookmark – isn’t it too darling with all the cars?

This is not my perfect notebook although it has a few things going for it – cuteness and that bookmark.

These are the things I love in a notebook

A5
something that feels good to touch (am very tactile)
beautiful colour
lined paper (canNOT write in a straight line)
the lines must accommodate my medium to large handwriting
pocket on inside to keep bits of paper (otherwise I make my own pocket)
satin bookmark to mark my place
elastic to close – this is not a biggie but I do like things all neat and in their place
spiral-bound for the one that lives on my desk so it stays flat and I can rip out paper if need be. normal for the one that lives in my handbag.

What does your perfect notebook look like?

This is my colleague’s notebook that I’ve been threatening to blog about for months.

I love the way she organises her notes – hopefully this will work for some of you too.

• She uses yellow post-it flags to highlight pages where there are still outstanding actions. This means she doesn’t have to page through the whole notebook to find her place.
• She also writes the client/ product name on those flags to help keep her place.
• When she has a list of personal to-dos, she folds the page in half to help categorise those tasks separately. Can you see the page on the left is folded over?

I like to start a new page for each client meeting and for each day’s work.

Of course I always use a spiral-bound notebook!

I write down my action items either in the meeting, or at my desk as I take calls or think of things to do. When I’ve done them, I highlight them in pink so I can still read them but they don’t “bother” me anymore.

I don’t use my work notebook for personal things unless they have to be done on that particular day, e.g. paying the doctor before I go to my appointments

How do you organise your notebook?