New Erin Condren Home Organization Tools

Posted on August 9, 2023August 11, 2023 by Jenna

Get Your Life Together!

You can send your kids back to school and finally get your house (and life) in order with the new Erin Condren organizational products!

Large Cord Storage Box $24.50

Hide your unsightly cords at your desk or under the tv with the cord storage box. Comes in pink (dusty rose) with the asterisk design on the top. Too bad there aren’t other colors because this pink doesn’t go in my house. Also, no other real use for it other than cord storage.

Adjustable Bookend Organizer $26.50

How I wish this came in other colors! I love this product, but the color doesn’t work for me. It’s flexible in what you can store in it. I can work on your desk, your bookshelf, in your kitchen. If you don’t need it to hold your books for a bit, slide the end in, and you have a desk organizer!

Large Stand Up Folio $38.50

Available in many different designs with black, gray, or pink accents, the stand up folio is great for going from home to the office or coffee shop. It stores a laptop or planner, keeps your notepad and pens handy, and looks great! There are eight total elastic loops to hold pens or cordes, while the mesh pocket can hold your washi or laptop charger. I love this so much that I ordered the colorblends version!

Ultimate Pencil Case $20.50

Match your stand up folio! The ultimate pencil case has a nice hard top, holds six pens, and can double as a phone stand when out and about. *Note I have a Samsung 21 Ultra and fits well without a case. With a Spigen case, it is a little harder to use but still fits!

New EttaVee designs! Stay Golden on the list pad and Hopeful on Family Organizer Planner. I really love the Hopeful design. I like the design and more muted colors.

Monthly Calendar Sticky Notes $10.50

I am not a fan of this one. I don’t know what I would use it for. It’s too big (6×10) to fit in a 7×9 notebook. The boxes for each day are small. Overall this feels like a fail to me. What do you think?

Family Organizer starts at $40.50

A few of the features on the family organizer would not be useful. I feel the recurring schedule would be hard for anyone. Even when I was in school, my schedule would change from week to week. The habit and task tracking allow for one of each as there are only six lines for each section (and it’s Monday – Sunday for the dots, so six weeks?). I think this would be better served with the new monthly planner dashboard tracker. I do think the rest of the sections and pages would be useful for families!

Small Organizer Caddy $36.50

A smaller, more portable version of the previous organizational caddy. Great for taking your planner supplies on the go or toting your supplies around the house. This would also be great for carrying your kid’s stuff in the car. Or maybe items for a picnic? There are probably a million ways to use the small caddy!

Want to grab any of these items? Shop here: https://shrsl.com/38mu5 (affiliate link I will receive a commission if you buy).

What are your favorite and least favorite items in this release? Let me know in the comments!

Watch the video review:

Arteza versus Tombow

Posted on July 20, 2023August 19, 2023 by Jenna

If you’ve been around the bullet journal for any amount of time, you have probably heard of the Tombow dual brush pens. They are the gold standard for creators in the bujo community but can be a bit pricey. Are there any alternatives out there that might be a bit more affordable?

Yes, you can find alternatives to Tombow dual brush pens!

They may not be quite as nice but they make a decent alternative. I compared the Arteza dual-tip brush pens to Tombow. Both are water-based markers with a brush tip and a bullet point tip.

I chose colors from both that closely matched to compare. Tombows have a much larger selection of colors than Arteza, which is excellent if you want all the slight nuances in colors. Arteza has the basic colors you need and most people could get by with only the Arteza colors.

For the test, I used Arteza A501 and A102. From Tombow, I chose 452 and 055. The blue Arteza is a bit lighter in color but very similar to Tombow. The yellows appear to be an almost exact match.

The Tombow brush is a little bit longer than the Arteza. You can kind of tell when you write because it is a little smoother. In comparison, the bullet tip on the Arteza looks to be slightly more fine than Tombow.

My biggest issue with the Arteza markers is when I go to erase pencil marks it can start to pill or pull the paper up. You need to use a plastic eraser and very lightly remove the pencil marks. If you go with the Arteza use a soft pencil and make very light marks.

Overall, the Arteza is a decent alternative to the Tombow if you are following a budget.

What are your favorite budget planning supplies? What else would you like to see compared? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Watch the video version here.

How To Make a Gaming Notebook

Posted on July 13, 2023August 19, 2023 by Jenna

What do you do if you have a surplus of notebooks and start a new hobby? You start a journal dedicated to your new hobby! Keep reading for how to make a gaming journal!

I had wanted to start gaming again (I mean, can I really say again when the last time I “gamed” was when Gameboy was still a thing??), and then I watched The Last of Us. I knew I had to play this game. I ordered the game and the first time I played, I knew I wanted a notebook to keep track of everything.

I grabbed a journal I got from Cricket Paper Co and got to work!

Of course, I had to make the opening page a dedication to Gameboy. I had to have one when it came and saved up my babysitting money until I was able to afford it. And Tetris. Because who doesn’t love Tetris? I sketched out the Gameboy and then used Tombows to color it in. I also attempted a pixelated font.

Next, I made a simple cover page for The Last of Us, using HBO posters as inspiration for the font and virus. I drew out a PS4 remote and did a key for what each button does for this specific game. I don’t always remember what everything does and this has been a great help! I can review it before I start and keep it open next to me.

My first section is for tips. There are tons of in-game tips and more on the internet. After tips, I made a chapter and checklist tracker. I can keep track of what I’ve completed and if I found all the items and pendants. Because I missed the first few pendants, didn’t even know I should be looking for them!

I made a spread for artifact locations. I thought it might be easier to reference in my notebook than trying to google at the moment to make sure I didn’t miss something. I did the same for the walkthrough info. I can make quick notes from the websites to reference while playing.

Lastly, I made a play log to track the dates I play and what I accomplished that time. I thought it would be fun to look back at and compare if/when I playthrough again!

What would you track in a gaming journal? Do you keep notebooks for your hobbies? If so, what do you track?

Watch the video walkthrough of my notebook here.

ADHD Planner Round-Up

Posted on July 1, 2023July 1, 2023 by Jenna

Over the past year, I’ve reviewed 10 different ADHD planners.

These planners are often recommended for those of us with ADHD. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some I couldn’t even use while others I could see the potential if they changed a few things.

So, how do they stack up against each other?

Here are the 10 planners ranked from unusable to would (or did!) incorporate into my planner stack. YMMV.

CanPlan Mental Health – this is definitely made for someone with more than just ADHD
The ADHD Planner – so much potential but execution is lacking
Essential Daily Planner – great if you have zero weekend plans or to-dos
Mudra Life Planner – ugh, the size is the worst and there’s no monthly view between weeks
Tied with #6 Living Well Planner – the planning part is fantastic but the goal setting and budget need work
Tied with #5 Wilkii Planner – great idea but a tad overwhelming, poorly designed monthly view
The Planner Pad – high learning curve but it makes sense once you figure it out. Undated has no monthly view
Tied with #9 Hero’s Journal – great for projects or goals. Daily, undated (no monthly) but it one you can use as needed for those busier days
Tied with #8 Clever Fox Premium Edition – loved the weekly view with dashboard! But all the months are together at the front of planner, not between weeks
Live Rich Planner – it has a lot of space to track everything but you need to remember to go back to the monthly and weekly dashboards

Linked to the original review in case you are curious.

No planner will ever be perfect. Some will get pretty close and if you can make some adjustments (with whiteout or stickers) could be just right for you!

What planner do you use? What do you like/dislike about it? What planners would you like to see next in the ADHD planner review series? Lemme know in the comments!

Want the video version of this top ten? Check it out!

How to do a Mid-Year Goal Review

Posted on June 15, 2023June 16, 2023 by Jenna

When was the last time you sat down, did a goal review, and thought about what you wanted to accomplish?

Many of us set goals at the start of the year and plug away at them each month and week. But do we ever take the time to really check in with ourselves and our goals to see if they are working for us? Or if we even care about them anymore?

We may think we check in consistently but lately, it has felt like I have just been going through the motions and feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am sure I am not the only one feeling this way. June feels like the perfect time to do a goal review. It will be ideal timing to kick off the last half of the year!

It may be time to simplify.

First, we want to think about our current gaol system. Is it still working? Are we still excited to sit down and do our goals each week? Can I use it in a different way to make it work better for me?

For me, I feel I don’t need the MakseLife planner. It is a lot and I think the companion notebooks or even a bullet journal would be a better fit. But since I already have the planner, I am going to make it work for me. Looking forward to 2024, I will skip the planner.

Next, we need to evaluate our goals.

I am going to simplify my goal categories. MakseLife has eight categories and many seem to overlap. I’ve been moving a couple of goals between categories trying to figure out the best fit and decided to change from eight categories to four. My categories will be personal (encompassing personal, fun & recreation, family, and spiritual & personal growth), fitness, finance, and home.

I moved work & learning to the HB90 system for the last quarter and it has been working amazingly well. I am going to carry that forward.

Now is the time to look at our goals.

Are those goals you set back in January still working for you? If you want to keep them, do you need to make any adjustments? For example, I want to keep my goal to read 52 books this year. I have 35 to go. Instead of a book per week, I am going to focus on finishing five per month (from June – December).

Lastly, how are you going to plan and track everything? Since one of my goals is to shop my stash, I set up my new goals in MakseLife using stickers I already have. I also used some stickers to create trackers to mark off. I will continue to use my planner and stickers to plan and track my goals.

Besides the annual trackers, I can use stickers to make monthly or weekly trackers to help keep me break down, plan, and tackle my goals.

Are you updating your goals? What’s working, or not, for you? What tips do you have for planning, tracking, and doing your goals? Drop them in the comments to help others!

How to Setup Your New Planner

Posted on June 8, 2023June 3, 2023 by Jenna

Setting up a new planner can be both exciting and stressful.

Exciting because a new, shiny object to covet! But stressful because there is so much to think about and try to figure out.

How do you go about setting up and moving into your new planner?

Think about why you got a planner. What do you want to track? What do you need to track? Grab a piece of paper and write down those items.
If you have a current planner, take a few moments to flip through it. Write down what worked and what didn’t.
Grab your perpetual or Google calendar, any post-its, appointment cards, invites, or other notes you have about recurring and future dates.
Review your new planner and look at all of the sections – dashboards, notes pages, contact list, etc and brainstorm how you could use them. Note any new or different sections from your current planner.
Gather all your supplies. What do you need to set up your planner? Here are a few ideas:
- Sticky Notes
- Writing Tools – pens, highlighters, pencil
- Stickers, washi
- Stencil(s), ruler
- Page Markers
- Inserts
Start filling in those important dates and known events. I prefer sticky notes in case things change and it works with my functional/decorative system. You may want to pencil things in. For birthdays you may want to put down stickers right away. It’s all about what works for you.
For all those other sections, like the dashboards or note pages, you can also plot out how you’d like to use them with sticky notes. The nice thing about sticky notes is you can move them around and visualize how the page will look! Plus they are great if you change your mind on how you want to use different pages.
Determine when you will use your planner. What day will you sit down and set your weekly plans? How often and when will you review your planner each day? Make a plan and stick to it. This will help you get into the routine of using a planner and make sure it doesn’t go to waste.

When I get a new planner, I gather everything above and put down sticky notes for everything I know. I will set up the first month (July/January) how I think I want to plan. If after that month I find things that don’t work I change them. I also set up a week at a time because things change. Plans change, styles change, and life changes. And I don’t like having to remove stickers or white out a bunch of stuff if I don’t have to. I know others will put down some stickers for the entire year. If that works better for you, go for it!

Planning is all about what works for you. You can always try something for a week or month and if it doesn’t work, go back to your old way.

Are you setting up a new planner this month? Leave your best tips in the comments!

Want to see my setup video? Head over to YouTube and check it out!

How to Setup a Reading Notes Notebook

Posted on June 1, 2023July 12, 2023 by Jenna

Do you do reading notes or annotate your books?

I’ve never done it consistently in the past but have tried a few times to make notes. I have never been successful. I usually take too many notes and I hate writing in books. Recently I got curious and fell down the Google rabbit hole of book annotation. I love seeing other people annotate books but as I read and researched it, I realized 1. I still won’t write or highlight in books and 2. I read a lot of ebooks and audiobooks (many from the library). I thought a book notebook would be a great compromise!

Why should you annotate or make notes about what you’re reading?

For me, I partly wanted to start for book club, to feel more prepared. I also want to be more connected to the books and be present when I read. Lastly, I want to remember the things I read and specifically things I learn when reading non-fiction books, especially photography-related ones.

As I googled and mulled it over, I thought the new Erin Condren Priorities and Notes layout would be perfect for taking notes. I also went through my stash of accessories and built a reading kit which I put in an Erin Condren planny pack to easily carry with my notebook! I also grabbed my new snap-in pocket dashboards. I can stick notes on and in them. They also section out my notebook and I can easily flip to whichever book I am reading at the moment!

Shop Erin Condren (affiliate link I will receive a commission but it will not affect your shopping!)

What do I have in my kit?

Transparent sticky notes
Reusable sticky notes
Small notepad
Highlight strips
Pens
Highlighter
Sharpie (for those transparent sticky notes)

I have been picking pens and highlighters that coordinate with the colors on the book cover. I will have a fun, colorful notebook when I’m done!

The Priorities and Notes layout has six boxes on the left-hand side and lined notes pages on the right. I had hoped to fit a book into one set of boxes/lined page but I realized that will never work for me. I ended up using three pages for my first book and decided that will be my limit for each book.

My first book, The Great Alone, was a little trial and error. Of course, I will make adjustments as needed but I’ve got a good setup now for fiction and non-fiction books. The first page will be the same for all books. The six boxes will be:

About the Book – Title, Author, Fiction/Non-Fiction, Genre, format, and where I got it
Other Books by the Author
What Others are Saying – I like to google after I read and see if there is anything interesting
My Summary
Final Thoughts
My Rating – How many coffees, if I’d recommend it

For fiction books, the next set of six boxes are:

Characters (two boxes)
Relationships – between characters
Setting
Main Theme
Connections – what does it remind me of, does the book mention other media

The final six boxes are:

Quotes (two boxes)
Questions – either that come up as I read or after
What stood out to me
Likes
Dislikes

For non-fiction, the second set of six boxes will be (two each):

Key Ideas
References to review
Questions

The last six will be (two each):

What resonated with me
What did I find Interesting
My Ideas – what can I do with this new knowledge or how can I incorporate what I’ve learned

Each book will have three lined pages. Before starting I will review the chapters and/or sections and divide my three-lined pages evenly. I hope this will help keep me from writing down EVERYTHING. I will use transparent sticky notes to highlight or pop out key moments or ideas. I would like to be more succinct with what I write down. I’ve always taken too many notes, not knowing what is important (maybe because of ADHD?). I do want to have a set number of pages because I often have more than one book going at once and want to be able to set up each book in my notebook.

As this is my first time doing something like this I’m sure I will make more adjustments.

Do you annotate books or take notes while you read? I’d love your tips and tricks! Leave your best advice in the comments.

Want to see a video version of this? Head over to YouTube to watch!

Let’s Review: Alohaster Highlighters

Posted on May 28, 2023May 27, 2023 by Jenna

Do you ever wonder about the items Amazon keeps recommending for you?

Amazon kept showing me the Alohaster highlighters and I saw them “marked down” and decided to grab both packs to test so you don’t have to waste your money! Or maybe so you can find your next favorite item!

The Alohaster claim to be mild highlighters that will not bleed. They come in two color packs: Happiness and Youth, with six highlighters per pack. These are softer colors than most Zebra Mild Liners but only have the chisel tip. There is no bullet tip.

The colors are more pastel and soft than many of the Zebra Mild Liners. The colors are very nice. I would recommend these if that is the aesthetic you are looking for. They seem to highlight smoothly and there is no real bleed-through or ghosting with Erin Condren paper. I didn’t test them on thinner paper but they claim to not bleed or ghost. The lines do not have an inky start or end point as some highlighters have.

These sound great! Is there a drawback?

For me, the shape was awkward and hard to hold. They are an odd rectangle shape. I am sure after a few uses you would probably get used to it. It was hard to get a nice grip to test these out. I also know I do not like oddly shaped pens/markers. YMMV.

Overall, I think these would be a nice set of highlighters if you want something mild and pastel. They are definitely not IN YOUR FACE like some highlighters. They will take some getting used to just for the shape.

They are currently listed as $7.99 per pack which is a great price for these! Or bundled for $14.99. I am an Amazon Associate and I may earn a commission if you purchase through my links.

Have you tried the Alohaster highlighters? What do you think?? What other stationery finds on Amazon are you curious about? Let me know in the comments and I will check them out for a future review!

Want the video version of this? Head over to YouTube!

Erin Condren Launch Season

Posted on May 18, 2023May 18, 2023 by Jenna

The excitement of launch season is here! What did the Erin Condren Launch hold?

I wanted to order my new planner since I am currently on a July start. I also switched from the Daily Duo to the Compact Vertical. I love the Daily Duo but I only have a few appointments and mostly use it as a to-do list. The compact vertical made more sense for my needs.

I thought I would for sure get the Canvas. I love a plain, neutral usually. But I fell in love with the Wildflower! I totally surprised myself because I am not a pastel or floral person but Wildflower was so beautiful I had to have it.

I know not everyone needs a planner now or they don’t use Erin Condren planners but there are many other items that launched you may not want to miss!

What are the top five popular accessories you should grab from the Erin Condren Launch?

Sticky Notes (Snap-in or Agenda) $10.50
- Available in Inspire and Wildflower
Sticker Books $16.50
- Available in Inspire and Wildflower
Washi $8.50
- Available in Inspire, Wildflower, and Focus
Snap-in Pocket Dashboard (currently out of stock) $10.50
Writing Tools Variety Pack $22.50
- Available in Inspire and Wildflower

And don’t forget… you save 15% when you purchase four or more accessories! Shop now (affiliate link – I will receive a commission and it won’t affect your shopping experience!)

What items did you or would you grab from the launch?

Watch my video review over on youtube!

Archer & Olive Creativity Case Review

Posted on May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 by Jenna

Curious about the new Archer & Olive Creativity Case? If yes, this blog is for you!

I ordered the emerald version, with a tan interior (currently unavailable), and is also available in charcoal with a black interior or mint with an off-white interior. All three options have a herringbone pattern on the outside. The Creativity Case is $45 ( you can get it for $40.50 with my affiliate link and code Runsonespresso at checkout. I will receive a commission with no effect on your shopping experience). I found this price to be fairly in line with similar cases.

What is the Creativity Case?

The creativity case is made for on-the-go planning! Even if you only travel from room to room in your house. Archer & Olive states it will hold up to four pounds of planning supplies including 28 pens, 10 rolls of washi, and notebooks up to size B5!

But does it really hold all that stuff?!?

I decided to see what the Creativity Case would really hold. I am happy to report that I stuffed many different products in this bad boy and it could handle all of it!

And more.

Looking at the outside you have that subtle herringbone pattern in the fabric, which gives it a slightly elevated look and feel. The zipper and other hardware are a nice antique bronze and appear to be heavy-duty and ready to work. The zippers open and close easily. The pull tabs on the zipper are a round Archer & Olive logo. The handle will lay flat for storage but easily slides when you need to grab and go.

When you first open the case you have several pockets on one side and a snap-in pen holder on the other. Starting with the pocket side, you get three mesh pockets of various sizes (8.5″x6″, 6″x6″, and 3.25″x6″). These can hold stickers, although you need to be careful sliding them because the paper will get caught on the mesh. You can also put in tweezers, stamp sets, stencils, post-its, washi cutters or cards, and other small tools. Behind the mesh pockets is another large, non-mesh pocket (11.5″x6.5″) perfect for a notebook, stickers, or stamp sets.

The pen holder has space for 28 pens. The elastic isn’t too loose or tight and will safely hole a variety of writing tools securely. Of course, I tested Acrylographs and Calliographs but also Tombows, Ohuhu Dot Markers, Zebra Pens (Sarasa Clip) and Mildliners, EC Dual Tips, and a drawing pencil. Once loaded I shook the pen holder (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start), and everything except the drawing pencil stayed put.

Behind the snap-in pen holder is the final section. It has two ribbons with snaps across the top and another mesh pocket (5.5″x8″). You can load the ribbons up with washi but if you do more than five per ribbon it becomes harder to close with the snap-in pen holder and you limit the notebook size you can store under the washi.

I was able to fit two notebooks in the space but then it becomes difficult to close with pens on both sides of the snap-in holder.

Overall, the Creativity Case is great for moving around the supplies you need for your current bullet journal. You won’t be able to fit everything you own in it but can fit what you need to the week or maybe month. You can fit three notebooks in there, maybe more if you leave out the snap-in pen holder.

The case seems incredibly sturdy and well-made. Plus it looks gorgeous! I would recommend this if you are looking for a pretty and convenient way to take your journal and supplies on the go!

Want to see a video version of this review? You can watch it here.