Getting Organized - The Look-Ahead Pink Poppin Planner

Last week was a stressful one, and toward the end of it I felt like I needed a little pick-me-up. Naturally this translated to walking to Staples on my lunch break and browsing through the back-to-school displays. I don't know what it is about brightly colored office supplies, but they make me happy. I then realized that the perfect thing to get me back into a motivated mood would be a new planner. As much as my phone does an awesome job at helping me keep track of my life, I've always been a sucker for the paper kind.

That being said, at the end of 2013 I couldn't find one that I really liked, and I couldn't bring myself to buy an Erin Condren Life Planner (although they are flippin beautiful). It is surprisingly difficult to find a planner that is reasonably priced, utilizes space well, and is also pretty. I've perused the isles of Target, Wal-Mart, Staples and the like many a time without success. This time, I also thought I was going to leave empty handed, but the stars finally aligned. I noticed this guy on one of the island displays. It's The Look-Ahead Pink Poppin Planner and it is everything that I was looking for.

It's Affordable - At only $15 this was definitely one of the less expensive options.

It's Effective - It's broken down into monthly and weekly sections with plenty of space to write what I need. Each week also has a corresponding blank ruled page that you can use to jot down your to-dos, grocery list, or in my case, blog post ideas.

It's Stylish - It's got a very simple design with clean lines and not a lot of fuss, while still managing to be pretty. In the pink version the text transitions from pink to blue over the course of the year. It also comes with super adorable stickers (who doesn't love that?).

It's Functional - With an elastic strap to keep it from flying open, a ribbon bookmark, and a pocket inside the back cover to keep notes, receipts and the like, it's got those little extra touches I like to see. It also is about the size of a paperback book, which fits perfectly into my purse.

The last thing I'm super excited about? It's a 2014 - 2015 planner with all of the months from July of this year through December of next year, so I can start using it now! At this time of year almost everything is made for the academic year, which, seeing as I haven't been in school for 6 years (oye…), isn't as appealing to me.

After perusing the Poppin website it looks like they also offer an array of color-coordinated office supplies, which may be worth checking out if you're looking to spruce up your dorm room or office.

Does anyone else out there get as excited as I do about polka dotted binder clips and beautifully patterned journals? I guess it's just nice to infuse a little pretty into the routine and often boring parts of daily life. If you have a favorite brand or website that you like to buy these kinds of things from, I'd love to hear suggestions!