Setting Up a Ring-Bound Planner

Greetings humans!

Today I thought I'd share with you a few tips as to how to set up a ring-bound organiser. I don't really remember when I did this, since I've had a ring bound organiser of some kind for over ten years now and I've only recently discovered the online planning community. Anyway...

Lists!

I'd really recommend listing what you need in a planner before doing anything else. Diary? Diaries? Lots of notes pages or to-do lists? Thinking about what you need is especially important with a ring-bound planner since you want to fit as much useful stuff in there as you can without making it bulky with all the things you don't really need or use. 

The Diary

Definitely give this special consideration. How will you use the diary? Just for appointments or for your to-do lists or as a journal as well? I use four diaries: Month on Two Pages, Week on One Page, Week on Two Pages and a Day per Page. It may seem like overkill, but it all works for me. 

The Pen

This may seem like a little detail, but honestly, the right pen can be make or break for a planner. I prefer Muji 0.5mm gel pens (both normal and erasable), but it's up to you. I use erasable pens for plans so if they change then I can just rub the entry out. 

Accessories

Welcome to the internet, where everyone else has all the pretty stickers which you think would look SO GREAT in your planner. And they probably would. But the thing is, do they work for you? I'm thankfully emerging from the "I Need Everything" phase now, but similarly to diary inserts, think about what's actually useful. I've used a WO2P insert for what seems like forever for my day-to-day planning, just because firstly my family, and then the internet, was full of people using that system. But now I'm using a Day per Page and that's working out for the best. Similarly, massive(ly cute) post-it notes and other such frivolities began to hinder, not help, my planning. Here are some of the products that I use now, and enjoy using:

So, there are a few tips as to how to set up a ring-bound planner. Has anyone else got any more tips? Please post in the comments!

UCAS (in my Filofax)

Greetings humans!

Sorry for not posting in a while; I've been swamped with work and have been putting the final touches to my UCAS application. Today I want to share with you how I've organised the latter.

It's got its own little sub-section, which I've tabbed with a Martha Stewart x Avery tab and a cute owl sticker from Paperchase. On the front page I just placed some washi tape and wrote over it with permanent marker.

When it's opened up, the first page is a (very messy, so I won't show you) to-do list page, and then my login and a timeline. Of course, I've hidden the details, but I've written my username, Personal ID (it's amazing how quickly one can learn that off by heart when Track's being checked every other second) and the answers to my security questions, since I always forget them. Then, I have the school's timeline for our applications (I haven't applied to Oxbridge/for medicine or veterinary science, but our school ask for them to be in super early because although it's not meant to, the chances are it'll give you an advantage).

On the back of that page I'm keeping a log of my application, so the date it was processed, the date I received my welcome pack (which is hardly a pack, more a piece of paper telling you where you've applied and for which course), and a record of any offers I've received (I got my first one yesterday lunchtime - yay!). Not only does this put my mind at ease, but I can also then compare the offer(s) and consider where I wish to put as my firm/insurance choice nearer the time.

I also have this checklist for what to include in the personal statement. Obviously some of these are paraphrased (eg. "Why I'm so bloody brilliant") but I found it really handy to have a structure to follow when writing it. Of course, there is no one set formula for a good personal statement; these are just tips I have picked up from various open days/humans who have done this before/school.

So there you have it, the UCAS section of my Filofax. I can't believe it's ten and a half months until I should be leaving home for uni!