6 of the Best Stationary Staples All Bloggers Need

If there’s something that’s always guaranteed to get me excited, it’s new stationery. Nothing feels better than opening up the first page of a fresh new notebook or using a beautiful pen for the first time. I know you know what I’m talking about. I’ve got a pile of unused notebooks at home, but let me loose in a shop with gorgeous stationery and you won’t be able to find me again.

I’ve always been a paper and pen kind of girl. Even though I use digital tools for some things like my blog editorial calendar, I use paper for everything else. Plans, lists, thoughts, dreams and anything else. So if you’re a stationery lover too, today I wanted to share my favourite everyday staples that will be useful for bloggers everywhere.

#1 To-Do Lists

I used to be the type of person who’s to-do list was written on sticky notes all around the room. Now I do it differently. To-do list pads are an absolute life saver. You can see everything you’ve got to do in one place and they’re usually compact enough to take with you everywhere.

I recently reached out on Instagram to ask for advice about to-do lists, because I was feeling overwhelmed with my own. I was given some great tips that I’m going to start implementing:

Prioritise tasks in order of urgency (based on deadlines)
Eat the frog (do the task you’re dreading the most first to get it done)
Number them - ask yourself what needs to be done today and what can wait till tomorrow
Break your tasks up into smaller ones.

I’m still trying to find the perfect method - but a pretty pad makes it even easier to start.

#2 Diary

If you’re a person that can’t live without a diary, then welcome to the club! I’ve had diaries since I was a teenager and I even remember using a homework planner at school, which is were my love for organisation started. For 2016, I have two diaries - one I bought from Muji and the other is my blog diary, which I store in a notebook but customise myself. My Muji diary is great because on the left hand page, it’s got all the dates in one week, and on the other side is a blank sheet ready for notes. It’s exactly what I need in a diary.

I always prefer to keep my blog and life separate when it comes to lists and planners. My Muji diary doesn't contain any blog info - it’s got freelance deadlines and the rest is personal. This really keeps me more organised and is great for helping me set and keep to boundaries too.

#3 Notebooks

Whether they’re A4 or A5, you just can’t beat a good notebook. That’s exactly what I bought for my Blogger Secret Santa and she absolutely loved them. I’ve got notebooks for various things. At the moment, I use a notebook for my blog to-do list, one for planning the outline of each post, one for ideas, and one for writing down my wishlist for clothes and homeware.

I couldn't cope with one notebook. Having a few on the go keeps things exciting, because I’m writing in a different one all the time.

#4 Desk Planner

I’d never had a desk planner before, but when I got one for Christmas, everything changed. It’s a notepad that you keep on your desk with your to-do list on. For me, it’s been amazing. I’ve been able to keep better control of my tasks and my productivity has improved. I Instagrammed mine a while back - you can find it in Sainsburys!

#5 Pens

Pens have always been tricky for me. Depending on what type I use, my handwriting can either look really lovely or really scruffy. Gone are the days when I used cheap biros. I recently bough some Gel Ink Pens from Muji and they’re some of the best I’ve ever written with.

#6 Page Corner Bookmarks

I don’t know about you, but I’m always getting ideas for my blog from magazines. Instead of folding all the pages down, I’ve started using these little page corner bookmarks. They’re magnet, so you just put them on the page that you want to remind yourself about and they’ll stay there. Plus, they’re great for easy access too.

And to finish off, here are some stationery staples I’ve been eyeing up…