Free Printable: To Do List

I love to do lists. I create one pretty much everyday. I often have so much I need to do and say I want to do that I tend to leave some things out, oops. So having a go-to place to put those things is amazing. And doing it in style? Even better. So I decided to make a little printable. It has two to a page, so you will have to cut each paper. I figured a whole 8.5 x 11 sheet would be too big (and if not, you're one busy person!).

Here is a close up of the sheet

And the best part is that it fits perfectly in the pocket of my new Kate Spade Agenda.

And the best part is that it fits perfectly in the pocket of my new Kate Spade Agenda.

So here it is to download, just go to the link, right click, save and print! Simple as that

Click here to get it!

xoxo Lauren

Agenda Smackdown: Lilly Pulitzer vs. Kate Spade

The other day I got a comment asking the pros and cons of the Lilly Pulitzer and Kate Spade agendas, and decided to write a whole post about it!

However when I got down to it, the agendas function pretty similarly so I do not have a whole lot of pros and cons for each, but I will explain my though process in my choice of agenda this year!

Last year I had a Lilly agenda and loved it! It was colorful and cute and I truly adored it. So this year I pre-ordered another (a jumbo this time, the pocket just wasn't cutting it). When it came however, the back of the agenda completely fell off and I was a little upset. I also noticed that the overall quality just wasn't as great as my last one, which made me seriously reconsider my choice. So I returned the Lilly and got a Kate Spade one instead. Here's why I love my Kate Spade agenda.

Unlike the Lilly Pulitzer agenda, the Kate Spade agenda's spiral binding is covered on the outside, so the back of the agenda falling off will never be a problem! This is really the thing that stood out to me the most. Also I realized I like the look more anyway. While I still love Lilly, I noticed that the Kate Spade agenda would match my other school supplies more, and I love matching. It also just seemed to be classier, I feel a little more sophisticated going into my meetings with the simple design.

So here are my final thoughts and advice:

If you love Lilly and color go for it! I am sure my experience with the quality is not normal, I probably just got a bad one. But I would advise you to see it in person before buying, rather than order online as I did.

If you like simple designs go with Kate! It's classic design is very versatile and so chic. The outside cover is handy and will protect your agenda from wear and tear.

The choice really comes down to aesthetic and what you prefer, because when I thought about it they function very similarly! They pretty much have some of the same features, just a different look.

So what will you choose, a colorful design or a simple look?

xoxo Lauren

ps: here is my post about my Kate Spad Agenda and the one of how I organized my Lilly Pulitzer Agenda

Favorite Finds: Kate Spade Agenda

If there is one thing I love, it's agendas. It's my favorite part of the new school year. Sometimes picking one out can be kind of tough. Last year I chose a Lilly Pulitzer agenda (here is the post on how I organized it), but this year I decided to go with Kate Spade. Initially I chose Lilly, but I realized that I liked the simplicity of the Kate Spade ones more. Here is a closer look inside!

This is what it looks like before every month

Here is the monthly view

And this is the weekly view

Overall, I love this agenda! It looks great and has enough space for me to write. Cute and functional, is all I can ask for. I bought mine online from Lifeguard Press

xoxo Lauren 

*all pictures and edits are mine

How I Organize My Agenda

To me, agendas are the core of studying and working effectively. After all it's hard to do well in school if you're always forgetting to do your work. Throughout the school year I have figured out how I can most effectively use my agenda. So here are some tips for you!

Well first you need an agenda. This one is pretty easy, but at the same time extremely difficult because of the choices. Here are some of my top favorite but ultimately I chose a Lilly Pulitzer one.

Lilly Pulitzer // Kate Spade // Moleskine

I like color coding my planner. There is more to this then the fact that it is pretty (although that is true as well). I like color coding because it makes things stand out. When wondering what chapter you had to read for your Economics class your eyes can easily search for that color (in my case green) and find the information you needed. I use Le Pens because of how smooth and colorful they are. Also, this can get sort of confusing so I make a legend (like the one above) of all the colors and what class they represent on a post it note. After a week or two the colors become second nature and you won't even have to worry about it.

I also like to highlight the things that I've have done already. Not only is it easier to see what you've done it is also pretty satisfying to mark something off your list!

Another helpful thing is to use these big, lined post it notes (mentioned in this post) to write down to do lists. I put them on the inside cover of my planner, and they are the perfect size. Of course I write all of my assignments on the day they are due in the weekly view but I also like being able to see a list of all the things I need to get done. It really helps me visualize all I need to do and put it into perspective. Also I have this inspirational quote given to me by my sorority advisor to keep me positive!

I also use the monthly view of my agenda. This way I can quickly see what I am doing each day. Here I only write important events or meetings. This view is really important when you are trying to see when you are busy or free. You can just glance at the month and know!

And the final quick tip is using these little tabs. I use them to keep track of what week I'm on and easily find it.

As always I hope this was helpful and maybe you at least learned one new tip or trick to try! Feel free to leave any comments and questions below.

xoxo Lauren

Favorite Finds: Le Pens

Well it's been a while since I've done one but today's post is about a new favorite find of mine. Favorite finds are things that I've bought and really love and want to share with you! If you would like to see some of my other favorite finds then click the page at the top of my blog called favorite finds or you can just click here. So now let's get onto todays favorite find, Le Pens!

I like colored pens. I am definitely one who color codes my planner and so I need a good assortment of colors for different classes/organizations. These pens not only look pretty but write smooth as well. They write pretty similar to Sharpie pens but a little better in my opinion. They also are skinnier and more sleek in my opinion. Also I like it when the packaging of the pen is the color of the ink so I don't get confused and you can easily find the color you want. Here is the actual colors in the same order as pictured above.

I love these colors. I got them all from Amazon for around $15. The only pen that is not included in this set is orchid. I bought that one separately form my university bookstore. The pens can get a little pricey, individually they usually sell for about $2. However I have found many different sets that are cheaper to buy together than individually. I must admit these pens can be a little hard to come by. I have seen them at some Targets and online. My bookstore has a few as well as mentioned before but they only sell them individually and that gets pricey. However, I still believe they are worth the price. I haven't had them for too long so I can't speak to how long they last but since I only really use the colored pens for writing in my planner I believe they will last me a while. Black is a different story, because I use those for taking notes so we'll see. 

Well I hope you liked this post and maybe found some new pens to try! If you have any questions or comments leave them down below. I love hearing from my readers!

xoxo Lauren

*all pictures and graphics are mine

Study Tips: The Entire Semester

It's a new semester, and I'm sure just about all of us had "study more" on our new years resolution. When you think of studying you probably don't think about doing it until a few days before the test. While you definitely should study before the test, there are also a few things that you can do throughout the entire semester as well that would make studying before the test a piece of cake. Here are some of my best tips.

Writing things by hand helps you remember. Then if you want them to look more neat as well as drill the information into your head even more, you can type your notes later. I do this for every class and it really does help because you are re-reading all the information again and really committing it to memory. I put the if possible part because I know that there are some professors that you have to use a computer to type up their notes because you couldn't keep up otherwise. If this is not the case though I highly suggest hand writing and then typing them up later. Trust me you would see a difference.

You know that time you spend on Facebook and Pinterest while you are waiting for your next class to start? Yeah that could be probably be put to better use. First thing you need to do is find a quiet spot on campus that you can see yourself being productive in. It might be the library but it doesn't have to be! In fact that is where everyone else goes so it might be distracting. Explore your campus and find that one place you feel comfortable. If you stay there between classes and actually do something (example: type up your notes from the class you just went to), you are more likely to get it done then if you were to wait until that night when you know you're going to want to watch TV instead. Treat college like high school; that entire time you are on campus you should be working on something so that when you leave you are free and can do what you want! Also you can make a to do list, here is a link for a free printable. That way you can see what all you need to get done and you are more likely to do it!

Seems obvious (especially with Lilly Pulitzer agendas around) but there is a difference between owning a planner and actually using it efficiently. Write down all your assignments. You are more likely to do something when you physically see that you have something coming up. It puts things into perspective. Also to be more efficient make a to do list in order of importance.

Here are some great posts about picking out an agenda and how to organize it!
Lily Pulitzer vs. Kate Spade
How I Organize My Agenda
A Look Inside My Kate Spade Agenda

Well I don't have many tips but these three are important and will help. Also another quick tip, go to class! If you go to every class it is almost impossible to fail. Hope these were helpful!

Here are the rest of posts in the Study Tips series:

In Class
Before a Test

xoxo Lauren

*all pictures are mine

Desk Accessories: Pretty In Pink

I just love a neat, organized desk. When everything else in my life my be a little chaotic, I can always count on a clean desk. If I ever decided to do it in pink, I'm sure it would look a lot like this.

Gentle Reminders Pencils- Pink, Set of 6 / Keep Calm and Eat a Donut 13x19 Poster (Featured in Pink Lemonade) Buy... / Bai Pick-Me-Up Alarm Clock / 2014 kate spade new york 17-month agenda / kate spade new york Things We Love Eat Cake For Breakfast Mug / Xhileration Paisley Lace Basket - Set of 4 / Desktop Accessories

xoxo Lauren