Walkthrough My Work Traveler's Notebook

I've recently gotten aboard the Traveler's Notebook train and let me tell you - this is a planner trend that I think I'm going to stick with for a long time. You might remember from my review of both of my Traveler's Notebooks that I use the B6 size from Oh, Hello Co. for both of my notebooks. Today, I'm going to walk you through my work TN!

One of my favorite things about these TNs is the front pocket. I tuck whatever weekly kit I am using to decorate my planner there in case I need to use more stickers. Plus, the slots for business cards really come in handy!

First, I use the Daily Hourly insert from Oh, Hello Co. It really helps me to plan out each day and to make sure I am staying on track of tasks and not wasting time. These inserts go from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., which is perfect for me since I have been trying to wake up earlier!

Next, I use Oh, Hello Co.'s Horizontal Weekly insert. There's plenty of space for me to decorate a weekly spread and fit everything! Check out Wednesday's post here if you want to see what it looks like decorated!

Lastly, I have two jobs, so I keep track of meetings and tasks for each in a different notebook. I got the pink one from a friend of mine and it always motivates me to try harder at work!

Have you tried a TN? What do you use yours for? Do you love it?

Let me know in the comments!

In My Horizontal Weekly Planner: Week of Aug. 20 to Aug. 26

Last week was an interesting one to say the least. It was full of sick days, busy days, a camping trip, and more. But it was also the first time I decorated in my Horizontal Weekly Traveler's Notebook insert from Oh, Hello Co.! I have to say, I love how it turned out even though I wasn't the best at filling it in. I used the Let's Go on an Adventure Weekly Kit from Oh, Hello Co. 

I found that I had to use way less stickers out of the weekly kit and I loved that. Now, I had some left over to use in my other insert, so the week's corresponded to each other.  

I kept it pretty simple for the most part. Since I just recently switched over from using my Erin Condren Vertical Life Planner to using my Oh, Hello Co. Traveler's Notebook as my full-time planner, I didn't want to bite off more I could chew. 

By far my favorite was the end of the week, though. I got to use some of their full boxes to make a little camping scene which was perfect for the weekend. Plus, I was happy that there was still space on the bottom portion to use my habit trackers and a little bit of washi!

Have you recently switched up your planner system? Let me know why you made the switch in the comments!

Review: Oh, Hello Co. B6 Traveler's Notebook and Inserts

It's official. I am hooked on the Traveler's Notebook trend. It's such a fun way to plan and I love that you can make it totally unique to you by using different inserts and notebooks. Out of all that I have seen, though, Oh, Hello Co.'s have got to be my favorite hands down.

First, they have such a huge range of cover designs to choose from. Some are from beloved sticker kits and they even offer a line of Executive designs if you plan to use your Traveler's Notebook for work! Second, they have a variety of sizes available. Right now, they have the A5 and the B6, but soon they will be adding two new sizes: A6 and Pocket!

Both of my TNs are B6 and they are in two of my favorite patterns: Palm Tree and Row of Books. I use one for work and the other for writing/blogging (I'll do a walk through post soon!)!

The best part about the Oh, Hello Co. TNs? They also have their own inserts, designed by Kayla and Alex! There are inserts that you would expect like a monthly calendar insert or a daily hourly planner.  Then, they have some more unique inserts that I love love love, like the meeting manager and their project tracker!

If you are looking for a way to change up your planning game, Traveler's Notebooks are definitely a place to start! So far, I have not been disappointed! 

Have you tried a Traveler's Notebook already? What's your favorite part?

I remember the very first planner I ever received. I was still in elementary school and at the beginning of the school year, our teachers would give us these assignment books and at the end of each school day, we would fill them in as a class, so the teacher could make sure we didn't forget to write down any homework for the next day. Of course when I was eight, I didn't put a lot of thought into it. I just filled it out because we were supposed to, but it wouldn't be until years later that I would actually start to enjoy planning. 

In the fall of my sophomore year of college, I made the decision to add another activity to my already full school and work schedule. I decided to join a sorority. Push any and all Hollywood images you have of Greek Life from your mind. I'm here to tell you it's all (mostly) crap. I wasn't hazed or anything like that and I definitely didn't pay for my friends. What I did get was an amazing group of women who would all teach me different things about womanhood, good and bad.

But where Hollywood gets it right is showing how big of a time commitment it can actually be. Here I was adding a weekly chapter meeting, social events, fundraisers, and more to my already packed schedule. I was going to have to become way better at organizing my life, but how to start? I went to the Walmart in my hometown and looked at planners. I found a $10 Blue Sky planner and a pack of five colored BIC pens. It seemed as good a place to start as any. At first I would just write in different colors, but I slowly branched out to decorating my planner with washi and a few stickers. 

Since then, I've upgraded to a vertical Erin Condren Life Planner and my Oh, Hello Co. Traveler's Notebook, and I mostly stick to weekly kits when it comes to decorating, but the reasons why I plan are mostly still the same. I currently juggle two jobs and as active of a social life as my boyfriend and I can manage. It seems like I've still got just as much, if not more, on my plate.

Sometimes that can get a little overwhelming, and that's when the other reason why I plan kicks in. I've been consciously aware of my anxiety for about four years now. I'm not sure if you or anyone you know has anxiety, so let me tell you this: it sucks. It can make you feel like everything in your life is scary, overwhelming, and out of your control. So for me, that's where planning comes in. When I start to have anxious thoughts about an upcoming project at work or if I will be able to see my friends on the weekend, I can go to my planner and find the answer. Plus, decorating my planner and making sure I am placing all of the stickers just so is a great way to distract my mind.

Why did you start planning?

In My Planner: July Monthly Page and Week of July 2 - 8

Good morning, Planner Nerds! Thanks for checking out our blog today! I've finally gotten back into the groove of things planning-wise and this month I decided to try some new things!

I wanted to actually give this whole monthly page thing a try. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty obsessed with it now. I used some discontinued bullet journal stickers from Oh, Hello Co. to keep track of monthly memories and goals. Under that, in the left-hand column, I am tracking my monthly bills and birthdays (July has lots of birthdays, as you can see!). In the right, I am going to track the books I read!

In the box below that I've decided to do a quote each month. July's quote comes from the ABC show Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. The quote is said by SHIELD Agent Jemma Simmons at a time when she needs to motivate the people around her into action, even though the problem seems too big.

She says:

"The steps you take don't need to be big; they just need to take you in the right direction."

Don't you feel inspired now?

I decided to break my goals down into two different categories: tangible and emotional. I've found that it is important to make sure that we are setting healthy goals in all aspects of our lives. My tangible goals for July are to read at least three books, to blog more here and on my personal blog, and to start writing a story! My emotional goals are to be more loving, to be more forgiving, and to be grateful for what I have in life!

For my spread this week, I used the Mermaid Weekly Kit from Oh, Hello Co. Even though it is the week of the Fourth of July, I didn't want to just do a red, white, and blue spread. This kit had the perfect color combination for summertime and it's adorable, too!

Before the pen:

After the pen (with some added stickers):

What was your favorite thing about this week?

In My Planner: Week of May 14 - 20

Good morning, Planner Nerds! Thanks for checking out our blog! Today, I'm going to share my planner with you and my spread from last week! 

My main planner is my vertical Erin Condren Life Planner! This one is the 18-month, but now that I am out of school, I have been considering just switching to the regular 12-month! 

I absolutely fell in love with this cover. It reminded me of a tapestry and I just had to have it!

Last week was super busy! I used our Houseplants Weekly Kit since we had some yard work planned for the weekend! It felt like my to-do lists at work were never-ending last week, but it helped to have fun things to look forward to!

Outside of work, this week kicked off a summer full of adventures with my boyfriend! We went to a Sum 41 concert on Thursday with a friend, which was incredible! I had never been to an alternative rock show before and I loved it!

And we had a wedding to go to on Saturday! A friend and coworker of my boyfriend got married and the ceremony was beautiful. It was held in a nearby nature preserve under an archway of trees. I don't typically like outdoor weddings, but this one was magical. 

What fun things did you get up to this past week? 

Welcome to The Novel Coffee

Hi there! Welcome to the blog for The Novel Coffee, a decorative and functional sticker shop on Etsy. The shop has been open for a little over a year now and I couldn't be happier to start sharing this adventure here.

But first, let me introduce myself:

My name is Meghan and I am 24 years old! I'm a graduate from the University of Michigan-Flint with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a specialization in writing. I have always loved to write stories with my friends and lots of fan fiction. Now, I take that love of writing and apply it as the managing editor for a local news-magazine.

I started getting into planning when I was in my sophomore year of college. I had just joined a sorority and my life got a lot busier. Now on top of five classes and work, I had to keep track of fundraisers, social events, and chapter meetings! So I went out and bought my first planner; a teal Blue Sky planner. 

Since then, I've become hooked. Now I use a vertical Erin Condren Life Planner and instead of just writing things down, I have started using stickers and washi tape to really make my planner my own. I find that the more effort I put in to making my planner look nice, the more I want to use it! 

I am really looking forward to using this space to keep track of the new things I try in terms of planning and to keep updates on my shop as it grows! I hope that you guys are looking forward to the journey as well! 

Happy Planning! 

Meghan