Organizing with Emily Ley

As the year creeps closer to an end, I begin to think about how I can make 2014 a little bit better than 2013. I've never been particularly good with New Years Resolutions, but goal setting in general is something I can and want to to work on. I feel like I've been flying by the seat of my pants for a while and I'd like to firmly ground myself a bit more. One way, I've been working on this is by organizing. I am addicted to my planner (current planner). Days when I forget my planner are an absolute waste. I write down EVERYTHING in my planner so I don't have to run through my to-do list over and over again in my head. Lord knows my head is already full enough with silly law school things. 

I recently stumbled upon Emily Ley. She just might make the prettiest organizational products EVER. Her online boutique features colorful clipboards, monogram-able desk trays, personalized stationery, and inspirational folders which all make me swoon. I'm always on the lookout for ways to make a more colorful office. My favorite picks are her Simplified Life Binder, Simplified Life Planner, Free Printables, and Lara Casey's coordinating Power Sheets. Who couldn't use a simplified life?

The Simplified Life Binder

I love the idea of having a binder as a companion piece to my planner. My current mode of stuffing receipts, shopping lists, and mail in the front cover of my planner isn't exactly admirable. This planner can be stocked with the free printables and Power Sheets mentioned below. Dividers can be used to separate work, personal, and home related documents and notes. Emily Ley also has a wedding organization planner and dividers. What a perfect gift for your newly engaged friends!

The Simplified Planner

This bad boy just might be my next planner purchase. I love that each weekday is broken down into four sections: hourly schedule, to-do list, notes, and what's for dinner. The weekends include a checklist to get yourself ready for the next week. I particularly love the meal planner. I waste so much money of food that just doesn't get eating. Planning my meals is one my top priorities for 2014! 

Free Printables

I love that Emily Ley provides a bank of free printables to stock your binder. I have my eye on the Blog planner, Fitness Tracker, and Username + Password keeper. I think I'm the absolute worst at remembering all my passwords. I also love the idea of a daily devotional. I'm am by no means religious, but just writing down things I'm thankful for or made me happy sounds like a wonderfully positive way to end my day.

Lara Casey's Power Sheets

Frankly, goal setting isn't easy to do. It's even harder when you don't write your goals down. I remember getting instructed in college to make S.M.A.R.T. goals (for the uninitiated "S.M.A.R.T." stands for "Specific," "Measurable," "Attainable," "Relevant," and "Time Bound.") I LOVE LOVE LOVE these goal setting sheets because they are a gorgeous way to make S.M.A.R.T. goals. The seventy "Power Sheets" include pages ranging from short term Monthly Goals to a page on "What Fires Me Up" to hone in on where you should be directing your goals. Best of all, they are designed to fit into the Emily Ley binder!

xo

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Monday Motivation

If there is one thing I've learned from law school, it is that hard work trumps all. Entering law school is daunting. Overwhelmingly daunting. You walk in with a set of skills. Studying skills you gained (didn't) in undergrad. Perseverance you gained by studying for the LSAT, playing sports, or working a job. Drive, which pushed to you to go to law school to begin with. And maybe a little craziness. Ok... in this economy, a LOT of craziness.

However, although we enter law school with all these incredible traits, law school hits us like a wall... at least it did for me. I remember my 1L year thinking, everyone is at least as smart as me, how could I possibly be any better? What makes me any better? What sets me a part from the pack? Ladies and gentlemen, it's nothing ground breaking. Opportunity and success in law school is gained by work... both in and out of the classroom. I can't tell you how many times I stayed in on a Friday and/or Saturday night to finish up a brief or spiffy up my outlines. Staying late after 8 hours of classes to go to a networking event with the local bar association may be social, but often times I just wished I could go home and put on some sweatpants.

Even though I pushed myself beyond anything I've ever done before, I still look at some of my classmates with six-figure salaries waiting for them when they graduate. I think what I could have differently... would I even want to be in their position? I think not. I put on my overalls, and worked for the opportunities I wanted... Not the opportunities, which look great on paper or have the highest starting salaries. Realizing that, for once in my life, I didn't HAVE to do "the smart thing to do" was nerve-wracking yet liberating. I've put myself in a position to be exactly where I want to be when I graduate by following just a few goal-setting techniques:

1. Identify the goal: The may require testing out multiple paths to find the one that is truly your calling.
2. Identify a community: You have a goal? Great! Now surround yourself with peers and superiors who are like-minded. They are the greatest source of knowledge on how to enter and grow in your career
3. Build a network: Establish a foundation, however small, of people who are invested in you. Be persistent with pursuing your goals, but be open to helping others along the way. Your network is strongest when it's based upon a give-and-take system

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