5 reasons why I'll always have a paper diary

As much as I love technology and my smartphone, I could never live without my paper diary.

I buy a new diary every June as I'm still in the academic diary cycle, and it's genuinely one of the highlights of my year. As soon as I buy my new diary, I set aside an hour or so to transfer everyone's birthdays from the old diary to the new one, write down any holidays I've got planned, make a note of any upcoming Welsh rugby games and note any annual leave days I've booked. For me, that is an extremely exciting hour of organisation bliss.

So why do I love my paper diary so much?


1. I get to choose a new pretty pattern every year. I usually spend half an hour agonising over which pattern to choose, but it's totally worth it when I get to take a pretty diary like this home with me (after I've paid for it, of course).

2. Calendars on phones/computers are actually a bit too complicated and advanced in some ways when you want to find something quickly as you can choose from day, week or month format. It's never in the right format when I want to find a specific entry, and it's generally easier to flick through a few pages and find the exact day I'm looking for.

3. I love crossing off the days on the calendar at the front of the diary. It makes me excited about things I've got planned for the future... I must stop wishing all my days away.

4. I get such a sense of organised delight when I confirm a date and put it in my diary. I actually get very annoyed if plans get changed or cancelled and I have to edit an entry! I don't even cross out entries any more as it grates on me too much... I just write 'cancelled' neatly by the side of it. I'm well aware that this blog post is making me sound like a crazy person.

5. My diary is perfectly pocket sized so it fits into my many bags and I don't go anywhere without it. I can always whip it out when I need to check if I'm free on a certain date, and I can also use the 'Notes' section at the back to jot down important details, financial transactions and so on while I'm on the go.

I love my paper diary! Does anyone else even still use a paper diary or am I a dinosaur? Let me know!

Q&A every day, for the next 5 years...

Don't worry, I haven't agreed to some crazy challenge where I set myself a question every day for the next five years. This post is actually a raving review of the brilliant Q&A Five Year Journal. I first heard about the journal on Cat's blog, and went straight on Amazon to order one as it sounded perfect for me. It was actually out of stock so I had to wait a month before it was delivered, but it was well worth the wait.

The journal starts on 1 January (logically), and each date has its own page. On each page, there are five blank sections so that you can fill in the journal every day for the next five years. This means that you don't actually have to start writing in the journal on 1 January, as you'll fill up all the spaces eventually whenever you begin. Each day has a different question, ranging from simple queries about the day's events to more philosophical questions. I'm really looking forward to looking back at my answers over the next few years to see how my attitudes, habits, tastes and thoughts develop over the next few years.

The book is beautifully presented and is conveniently small too.

You can buy the journal from Amazon here. It's well worth £7.46, believe me!

What's in my bag?

I've read lots of 'What's in my bag?' posts lately and thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. First of all, one thing you need to realise is that I love bags, so I always use a different one depending on what I'm wearing, how much I need to carry, or which mood I'm in. This means I have some essential items which I transfer from bag to bag on a regular basis. The contents of my bag aren't particularly girly if I'm honest, the items are more geared towards organisation than beauty. This won't surprise you too much, as I LOVE ORGANISATION. 

My essentials

Purse: I never leave the house without my purse, whether it's got money in it or not (it usually hasn't). I bought this purse from a Guess outlet in Florida at a very reasonable price, and I absolutely adore it.

Phone: My phone is one of my favourite things in the world, ever. Whenever I forget it or the battery dies while I'm out, I genuinely feel as if part of me is missing. Got to love the digital age.

Keys: Obviously I never leave the house without these, or I wouldn't be able to get back in. I love my little pink Converse keying!

Diary: I'd be totally lost without my diary. I write all my work meetings, appointments, college sessions, social occasions, holidays, birthdays and addresses in it, and genuinely enjoy keeping it up to date.

Book of lists: Yes, I have a notebook specifically for lists which goes everywhere with me. This book contains my monthly budgets, to do lists, shopping lists, lists of what to pack when I go away, and any other lists you can think of.

iPod: My boyfriend bought me an iPod Nano for Christmas, and it's definitely a handbag essential. I can plug it in to the tape deck in my car while I'm driving (yes, my car is old enough to have a tape deck), I listen to it in the gym, and also when I go for walks. And it's pink!

Soap and Glory Hand Food: The best hand cream ever. No really, it is. It's essential for keeping my hands moisturised when I'm out and about, and it smells amazing too!

Mirror: I always carry my little pink mirror around just to make sure my hair hasn't done a wobbly and to make sure I haven't got food on my face. Usually, people won't actually tell you if your hair is messy or you've got food on your face, then you feel like an idiot when you see yourself in the mirror after talking to them for an hour.

Paracetamol: You just never know when you might get a headache.

Pens: An obvious essential... My diary and book of lists wouldn't be very useful without one of these. And it doesn't hurt to carry a few spares!


What's in your bag?