staying organized with erin condren

c/o erin condren life planner and accessories | c/o baublebar ring | c/o kendra scott nail laquer | photography by heidi geldhauser

Confession. I hit an organizational LOW this summer. I found myself forgetting to-dos and feeling scattered and anxious most of the time, simply because I was lacking a system for staying on top of it all.

I’ve always considered myself an organized person when it comes to being on top of my to-do list and schedule but the hustle and bustle of life, working and raising my twins has taken it’s toll over the past few years…my attempts at staying on the ball just were not working! I had tried SO many methods but nothing felt like the ideal fit.

I was at a breaking point at the end of summer, realizing that my twins were starting kindergarden at a private school requiring high-parental involvement {ie. lots of dates to volunteer and parent meetings}, the kids have an increasing number of outside activities and my styling/blogging responsibilities are {thankfully!} at an all time high. I knew I had to find a method that worked for me! I am a pen and paper girl and resistant to keeping my schedule on iCal or technology, so an effective paper planner is what I was on the hunt for!

I solicited the opinion of my Facebook friends by typing up a post asking what my fellow busy-Mamas and working friends used and loved to keep their lives organized. I was shocked by how many savvy friends replied quickly…and the overwhelming response was ERIN CONDREN!

I didn’t know much about the Erin Condren LifePlanner but was eager to give it a try, after hearing so many great things from friends and reading positive reviews online. And I am happy to report that three weeks into using this LifePlanner System, I LOVE it! I feel like I have a single place to keep my family, kids and my work schedules, my to dos, notes, special dates and events, meal planning and even capture my goals and things I am thankful for on an ongoing basis. The planner is super cute and it actually works!!

Erin Condren kindly sent me my planner with a mix of fabulous accessories to review and it has been so fun to try it out. I felt like a giddy child playing with her colorful markers and stickers getting my LifePlanner set up!

Erin Condren LifePlanner’s are highly personalizable. I choose the 18 month, Vertical Layout in Neutral with the Gold Woodgrain Metallic Cover, which I adore. I like how the Vertical Layout allows me to envision and schedule the flow of my day {morning, afternoon and evening} at a glance.

As far as accessories go, I have loved using the Party Pops Markers for writing in my LifePlanner, and can’t get enough of the Designer Dots stickers. They are fun and help events and appointments stand out on your LifePlanner. I’m also enjoying these stickers to add some inspiration to my monthly/weekly calendars. If you purchase an Erin Condren LifePlanner, you have to take the time to shop all of the fun accessories. There are SO many useful tools!

Two tips that have helped me stay organized with this planner are :: 1. I carry it with me everywhere…which means it is usually in my car! Carpool line is a great time to review the schedule and make some notes! 2. I write down scheduled dates and to-dos down right away…as soon as they come up or cross my mind. It has helped my feelings of being scattered and anxious tremendously by jotting things down the moment they come to my attention…getting them out of my head on onto paper is therapeutic! {I write my daily to-do’s on the lines under each day’s scheduling blocks on the vertical planner and love that it’s visually all in one place to view.} 

I’m excited to team up with Erin Condren to GIVEAWAY a LifePlanner and to offer $10 off your first order! To save $10 on your order, simply click here. To enter to win a LifePlanner, head over to my Instagram account at @laurenlefevre. For an extra bonus entry, you can comment on this post with why you need one of these life changing planners! I will be announcing the winner one week from today, here on the blog and over on Instagram.

Stylishly yours,