How to Stay Organized + Printable Editorial Calendar

I feel like life has really been picking up speed lately, and it's becoming more of a challenge to keep up. Are you feeling it too? I think that being busy can be a really good thing, but just between work, freelance projects, and events, there's been a lot to keep track of! I've recently found that post-it notes and reminders in my phone just aren't enough anymore. I've also really been needing a place to organize my blog ideas & inspiration. I've come up with a couple of solutions to keep myself organized and on top of everything, and since then, things have been running smoothly. I know we all different ways of keeping order, but I thought I'd share what works for me in case it works for you too. Plus I've got a colorful freebie for you at the end of this post!

I've been in the market for a good planner for quite some time now. Carrying around a notebook has been super helpful for jotting down ideas, but I've needed something to organize those thoughts into a realistic plan and schedule. Enter my new 2013 Weekly / Monthly planner from Paper Source... 

With both monthly and weekly planning options, as well as designated spots for contact information, notes, and doodles, I'm feeling more organized than ever. I also love the fun "Colorscope", and lists of wedding anniversaries, birthstones, and Chinese New Year animals in the back of the planner. 

Having the planner with me at all times has really been working out and I feel like I'm really on top of things. Any time something comes up, I have the planner right there to make a note of it. However, as a visual person, I knew I was also going to need reminders that I could see without having to open a notebook or planner. Usually post-it notes do the trick for me because I stick them right where I'll see them every day. But, when you're working with more than a handful of them, they become significantly less effective. I realized that what I needed was an editorial calendar to hang on my wall that was completely separate from my regular calendar; a place where I could plan out future blog posts, as well as keep track of current freelance projects.

Letter Size (8.5 x 11) and Tabloid Size (11 x 17) 

When designing my editorial calendar, I considered what would be most helpful to have on it. I came up with 4 section that I thought would be most beneficial for blogging and freelance projects:

1. a standard monthly calendar   2. space for future blog post ideas   3. a place to note upcoming holidays and themes that might influence posts   4. a place to keep track of current freelance projects

I've been finding equal success with my editorial calendar as I have my planner, and I've actually found that they compliment each other. Anything that I add to my planner during the day goes right on my editorial calendar when I get home. This way, I don't have to worry about missing anything or forgetting any ideas!

I have a feeling that you might find organizational success with this editorial calendar too, so I've made it available to download! The colorful calendar starts with February 2013 and ends with December 2013 and comes in both Letter Size (8.5 x 11) and Tabloid Size (11 x 17) so you can choose whichever works best for you!

How do you stay organized? I'd love to hear some of your tips!

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