Moleskine Hack for Scrappers

OK... A couple days ago I was getting my daily dose of Jessica (if you want to become a great social marketer you should read her) and saw her Moleskine Hack for Moms post.

While I may be a tech geek I prefer to keep my schedule, notes and ideas on paper. I still love "back to school" time because stores are filled with paper, pens, pencils and great organizational items. And since I've not found a planner that I am completely happy with (though my FC planner has been wonderful) I thought I would give her hack a try.

So Monday night we headed out to the bookstore (yeah, a big hardship for my book-loving family) because I was too impatient to order online. I got a large Moleskine Squared Notebook. And I followed Jessica's plan... and implemented ideas from AK's Research Blog.

But I am also a scrapbooker and, well, when I was looking at the front of my plain black book I thought it could use a little something. Since I had some sticky vinyl left over from the bathroom decorating and the Power Wheels restoration I dug out my trusty Wishblade and made these cut-outs for the cover (clicking on any photo will take you to a larger image):


Nice, huh? Directly inside is a 2009 calendar (printed on pretty paper) from Time & Date.com. I'm not one to waste things, so the 2009 that was cut from the vinyl is stuck in here.



As I turn the page the scrapper in me becomes evident. I had gotten an 8x8 scrap pack a few months ago at Archivers for $1.99 and hadn't used it yet. It had great tags and die cuts so, instead of just writing in dull black I decided to "pretty it up" a bit. Everything is attached with scrapping adhesive- no visible tape for me. This is where I lost control and the scrapper in me came out in full force...

Here we go...

As I turn the page to my "Mission Statement" page I also added my true loves and inspiration: my family in Ireland. Along with an inspirational statement that I thought was relevant.

Wait... The scrapper comes out more... Look back at that photo. See the top right corner? Those are my separators, making it easier to find my calendar, task list, brainstorming and contacts pages.

Here's the "entry" to my calendar. On the left you see my weekly schedule. I try to stick to it as closely as I can... I fail quite often but it (mostly) all gets done. See my pretty flower page corner? It's not so big as to cause a problem and I can find sections easily.

Next come my calendar pages, themselves. I added a little inspiration to these as well. The far left column will be my current projects and deadlines. I am going to put my accomplishments along the bottom in a nice, bright color.

After my calendar comes my task list, clearly marked by that flower page corner, which is headed by "A Will Finds A Way". The preceding page shows Polnabrone Dolmon in the Burren with another inspirational quote below it.

I'm using a big purple paperclip to direct me to the first non-completed task. It's easy to move and it matches (I already had it from a previous visit to Staples).

The next group of pages, marked by yet another flower page corner, is "my vision": brainstorming, ideas, notes... Opposite you see a photo we took at the Rock of Cashel. Get it... Vision?

Another purple paperclip to mark the next open spot for easy jotting.

And, at the end of my book, are important contacts. I prefer them at the end; no particular reason.

My notebook also has a pocket in the back. I'm not sure what, exactly, I will use it for, but I'm sure it will serve as a collection point for something.

So there you have my personalized Moleskine hack. Now I have to do transfers and fill it all out.