In order to keep things straight in my head about various blog related items I keep a blog notebook right beside my laptop to help me stay focused. In other words it’s a brain dump. I use a simple composition notebook that I dressed up a bit to make it a little bit more inspiring for me. I don’t scrapbook into albums any longer but I’m still a huge fan of all the beautiful papers and embellishments so this is an excellent way for me to use those types of things AND I get to enjoy it everyday.
The cover:
Inside first pages:
Really it just doesn’t get anymore creative than that does it…lol. I got so into it that I couldn’t stop at just one, oh no, I even used the same method to make prayer journals for all my girlfriends. Lord have mercy. Have I mentioned I’m an all or nothing kind of girl? It’s a sickness, you should pray for me.
Each month I tape in a calendar on the left hand side and then on the right I have four sections to track ideas, to do’s, reviews and notes.
That picture is of next month, I like it when it’s empty like that. Ahhh so sweet but by the end of the month it looks a little scary and sometimes it takes a couple of pages. Brain dumps are like that but it sure beats trying to remember it all in this little ol head of mine (which really isn’t so little, in fact I have a ginormous head, just the brains are small). My notebook also becomes a diary of sorts and I love to go back and read where I was at in order to help me figure out where I am going.
For a much more informative post about organizing your blogging visit Blogging Basics 101 where Melanie explains how an editorial calendar will keep you sane. Sane is good.
So now tell me, do you keep a blogging notebook and/or calendar? Do you find it helps?
46 Comments
I’ve been using yahoo calendar, but I am going to start using a notebook that I can take everywhere with me and jot down notes to self, ideas, as well as keeping up with giveaways, my own to-do’s for other people’s blog (such as your monthly roundup) and so on.
I have a small fun notebook (it’s black with little sparkly silver stars on the front) but I also will post a draft in WordPress to remind me if I have an idea for either of my blogs. Sometimes if I’m at work and I have an idea? I’ll e-mail myself. ;)
What a cool idea! Yours is so cute too!
Isn’t it amazing how as soon as you write something down your brain feels lighter lol. It’s like it knows it doesn’t have to work at remembering it any more. Love it.
Blessings,
Kim
Sure beats my method of bits of scrap paper in my purse, car, and by the phone.
And it’s soooo cute too!
I do my best writing just before dawn in that half-awake state before my editor has come in and I too keep a journal by the bed to jot these thoughts down — I have my circa planner that I carry EVERYWHERE else for ideas that come when I’m not home. And I have a writing project notebook for keeping track of monthly newsletter topics and book projects. Seems we writers do a lot of writing, doesn’t it?
Great post and very helpful. I have just started focusing more on my weight loss/fitness blog and this will really help my thoughts stay organized. I have sticky notes and other papers all over my desk it’s a bit overwhelming. LOL
Anyway, I just Twittered about this post. Do you Twitter.com? My twitter is @angienewton
Thanks for all the great tips here.
To be honest, one of the problems I’m having right now is coming up with ideas AT ALL…can’t organize what I don’t have.
I love the idea, I’m just not sure it would be worth it.
I am SO SO SO stealing this idea! And I will pray for your “sickness’ LOL and you pray for mine…stealing ideas. Cause, I do it ALL the time. My creative cells….they are fried. :)
Laura-
I’m so loving your notebook! Great idea! I really need to get organized with all this blogging before I go back to work! I’m already having blog withdrawal thinking about it! Any tips for working moms? I’ll be setting up my classroom in about 3 weeks and school starts in a month! Blogs are blocked at my school so forget doing it at lunch! Yikes! Thanks for sharing!
Cute Notebook! I love to do stuff like that. I can relate to the all or nothing- I have that too!
A little notebook is a great idea. I carry a little notebook around to jot ideas because I never seem to get ideas at the computer. It’s always when I’m out and about. And I think I’ll remember it, but, sadly, I never do.
I have one of these too. Recently all of my draft posts on my system were wiped out. AFter a good cry and rant I realized good ol’ fashioned paper is a great way to go. We get too dependant on our computers and sometimes they let us down.
Now THAT is what I need!!! Thanks so much.:)
What a great idea! Thanks!
I love it! I keep a few notebooks but have contemplated combining them. One for shopping lists and comparing prices (thanks to Trent from the Simple Dollar) and one for creative ideas and then of course my journal. Oh and the datebook would count as one. I’d never thought of a blog ideas notebook but that would SO help keep me from doing those “this and that” and “random thoughts” posts!! LOL
I don’t keep a blog only notebook but I do keep a few notebooks besides my Prayer Journal. I keep one that is divided into sections where I write notes on books I’m reading. I also keep another divided one where I ‘brain dump’ Things to do, ideas to blog about, etc.
BTW – LOVE your notebook! I collect scrapbook supplies, at one time owned a scrapping business, but now just make gifts from my collections. I still try to scrap but not nearly as often as I would like to.
Great idea! I need to do this! :) Love your notebook…very creative.
I have to write everything down too! Here’s my composition book:
http://paperjewels.blogspot.com/2008/04/miss-moxie-composition-book-with-clever.html
I made a cute little pen holder for it with a hair band. Thanks for all your great ideas!
Jewels
I LOVE the idea!! Thanks so much for sharing it!
I really love that calendar template! Is it something you made yourself, or found somewhere? If the latter, where can I get it?? :)
Thanks for the heads up on Blogging Basics 101. I just bookmarked it and I am excited to read it and improve my blog.
I am a list maker, but I have tons of pieces of paper all over my desk. Hopefully making a TODO notebook will stop that!
This is a nice notebook. I use an ugly one for general data dump-something to carry in my purse with a Bible. I wish I had some of your great ideas.
I started an editorial calendar when I read about it on Blogging Basics 101, but I LOOOOOOVE yours. I’m going to have to redo it. Thanks for the inspiration.
I love this idea and plan to use it. Where’d you get the calendars and do you have more than 1 blog, if so do you need more than 1 notebook?
Nice notebook. I keep notes on post its and then once a week write them all into a notebook.
Great notebook Laura, that is an awesome idea :)
I really had no idea I was supposed to organize my blog. I feel like a failure, now. My whole BLOG is a brain dump. That is what I thought it was for! LOL
Cute idea–I did a covered comp. book for ideas, but not for my blog, particularly, more for my cards, and stuff like that.
TM
No notebook needed, here. My blog doesn’t really serve a “purpose” other than to share about my kids or give my friends and readers tips about simplifying, parenting, cooking, stuff that interests me. Whatever I’m thinking about, I end up posting about. It’s a good thing I only think about once a day or my blog would be overloaded! :)
This is such a great idea.
I don’t have a blogging diary but I do have a notebook which I write down all ideas for bloggin so that if there is a time when I don’t know what to write about I consult my notebook and find a topic there that I have thought of previously.
Love Alison x
Great Idea…thanks
The calendar pages are just pages ripped out of an extra calendar I had lying around, most likely from the dollar store. That’s where I got the composition notebooks as well for $1.00 each.
Yes I do have more than one notebook. I use one for my inspiration book and another for my weight loss journey.
Oooh that is a good idea…I have just been using a little lame flip style notebook…I love to scapbook, never would have thought to do up a compostion book–this could make a great christmas gift for someone!
I use paper to jot down ideas for posts but not a notebook. Somtimes I’ll draft posts first on blogger. I like your idea of the different sections though. So far I’ve pretty much been able to keep up with posting as I get the ideas but I need to organize somehow exactly how to juggle my time so I get to all the sites I want. I haven’t been on pogo.com lately at all and I really miss playing those games!
Link Referral, Entrecard and SezWho have been occupying most of my computer time lately. This has got to stop! I have other sites I like as well besides blogging and have really been ignoring them all.
What a great idea. I don’t have a blog per say notebook but I do have a digital CT notebook where I keep track of the layouts I do for my creative teams that I am on. It’s sort of a check list book. I also keep a planner with a calendar that I write down to-dos in. I need to set up ones of those books because post it notes are starting to collect all over my desk again.
What a fun and pretty notebook! I should SO get myself a fun and pretty notebook to organize my blogging. I sort of organize my blog in microsoft word, where I have a few folders for making notes to myself and planning for new ebooks and such. It doesn’t have any cute stickers on it like yours does though. (I doubt my husband would appreciate my cute pink stickers all over the computer screen. He’s usually very understanding about my girly ways, but I’m pretty sure this would cross the line.)
I don’t keep a notebook, but I brainstorm ideas and keep several drafts in progress. It’s often easier to refine a draft than it is to come up with a new post from scratch.
I love your cute notebook. I have 3 ring binders for each hobby and activity, but not one on blogging. I started blogs everytime I got a link to one from a friend. Now I have blogs all over the internet (msn spaces, MySpace, CafeMom, etc.). Now I am trying to figure out how to focus my blogs so I don’t have to write the same things, but still keep people updated. I still develop new interests and then don’t know where to post my ideas. My dream is to be organized everywhere. Thanks for your ideas, they make me focus on organizing at least once a week. Karen
Great notebook. I have a notebook but it is disorganzied just like me. I think I really need your blog!
I’ve found it works best for me if I save drafts of blog entries when I think of an idea. then I can publish then or work on them whenever I feel like it!
Great idea, and a lot more do-able for me that trying to use a spread sheet or some other complicated/technical method.
Off to find one of my many pretty notebooks, or maybe I could justify buying another one!!!!
Very cool idea! I always jot things on sticky notes and then lose them. I’m definately going to try this as I too love all the embelishments etc..
I just use my planner, and I jot down post ideas in my weekly Notes section. When I get a chance, I try to plug the ideas into actual dates on my day to day calendar. Occasionally, I sit down with my blog binder (which is terribly unorganized) and write out a proper list of all that needs to be done and when I will do it.
Sigh… I need to get it more together than this. It sort of works, but a better system would definitely serve me. I like the idea of how you’ve set up your notebook, but my only worry is little unorganized me having one more notebook to take care of. I suppose that’s why I use my planner- keeps it all together. It’s just that it’s often not enough space.
Hmmm, I might give your idea a try. And I will check out that link to Blogging 101. Thanks for this!
oh my gosh, laura woman! i was going to email you and suggest a post on this subject. are you cool or what?
i HEart YOUR BLOGGy book (oops capitals got stuck)….
BUT i’d like to see your blog on this: how to keep track of all the posts to link back to within the posts. that’s my biggest issue write now – is keeping track of ALL that i blog and what it’s about so i can link back. any suggestions, oh fair queen of organizing? :-)
i just can’t wait to meet you one day….
You inspired me sooo much I have created my own Blogging Journal. You can see it here> http://sheof3angels.blogspot.com/2008/08/blogging-journal.html
Thanks for inspiring me on a daily basis Laura!! I know if I ever need ideas I can count on you to get me in the right direction.
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