This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of the Paper + Packaging Board.
Ahh it’s here … Derby Week is here! But before it’s all hats, dresses and race prep, I’ve got to get some work done. I’m hoping to knock out a week’s worth of work knocked out in a couple days so I can spend the rest of the week celebrating the best time to be in Kentucky!
As much as I love everything digital, there’s something about paper that I can’t live without. Seriously, I’ve made it to the office, only to turn around and go back when I realized that I forgot my planner. There’s no chance I will be productive for even a minute unless I’ve had a chance to write out my to-do list. There’s something about putting the list on paper that helps me focus and hone in on what really needs to be done.
I like to mix in big to-do’s and smaller, easy items to knock out and tackle them one by one. And even if I don’t get to the end, there’s something so satisfying about checking things off one after the other.
Some Sundays, I even try to find time to make my Monday to-do list so I can focus in without distractions (well, obviously I wait until the kids are asleep because they are a swarm of distractions). Today I’m trying to get mine together so I don’t lose track of t
I’m kind of a crazy person in that I’ve kept almost every planner I’ve had since starting work. For a while I kept them because I had to reference old meetings or keep track of notes, but now I keep them as a kind of journal. I can open up old ones and remember what I was working on, what I was doing and even some of the fun stuff that was sprinkled in-between.
One reason I write everything down on paper, instead of taking notes digitally, is because the act of writing things down helps me remember them. With appointments, I’ll enter them into my calendar on my phone or computer and almost immediately forget the details. But when I take the time to write them in my planner, I’m WAY more likely to remember… I mean, I definitely still forget sometimes but it’s WAY less likely.
I’m also just a sucker for good paper products. There’s something that makes me feel like I’m getting ready for a new school year whenever I get a new planner. That and new notebooks. I can’t get enough.
Another paper trend I hope never dies is the thank you note. Or really just the note card to say hi even when you don’t have anything to say thanks for. Not sure about you but my mail is normally just full of credit card offers, mail offers and bills. So when I spot a hand addressed envelope in the mix, I get so excited. I’ve been slacking in recent months but I try my best to stay on top of thank you notes because surely I’m not the only one who gets jazzed when they pop up in your mail box.
As a blogger, I feel like some of my best relationships have been formed around a simple thank you. I feel like seeing someone’s handwriting gives you a more personal relationship with them. That could be totally off, but it just feels like a more personal connection than just emailing back and forth. Most of my longest collaborations and brand relationships have been because of a simple thank you note.
It’s crazy that something as simple as a few sentences on a piece of paper can lead to strong business relationships in a world that’s so digitally focused but they do.
Anyone else still fully committed to the paper planner? This Panda Planner that Paper & Board sent over is a really nice one (and I consider myself a planner connoisseur) because it’s undated, so you can start up anytime. It’s also got plenty of room for notes and your daily agenda plus it’s small enough to fit in a regular purse.
They also sent over Seth Godin’s book Rework which is full of tips and insights on how to improve productivity. You’re encouraged to resd it 15 days at a time which is something I can totally manage… if I just add it to my to-do list.
If you want to learn more about their campaign #15pagesaday, head over here.
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