A Splendid Messy Life: Building My Empire with Pipsticks+Workman

September means many things: cozy scarfs, pumpkin spice lattes, and, of course, new school supplies. My son begins Grade 1 next week, and we recently went shopping for his school supplies. He's still pretty little, but I think he had fun picking out the new markers and pencil crayons he's bringing to his class.

As a teacher, I also love fresh school supplies in the fall. Even if I always feel a bit nervous and frazzled about the upcoming school year, it's amazing how something small like a new notepad can make you feel like an organized rockstar! Thomas Allen & Son sent me a gorgeous set from the Pipsticks + Workman gift line, and the timing is perfect!

Pipsticks and Workman collaborated to create the funnest planners, notekeepers, and sticker books in three different themes:

1. "for the Daring...." This set is fun and bright, with energetic designs - perfect for the list-keeper.
2. "for the Dreamer..." This set is colourful and inspirational - perfect for the creative spirit.
3. "for the Driven...." This set features a more pastel colour theme and fun motivation - perfect for the goal-tracker.

When the Driven set arrived at my doorstep, I immediately felt that excited, butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling we all loved when we were back to school shopping.

The planners are designed encourage creativity, goal-setting, and fun! I still use a physical planner every year. The calendar app on my phone is perfect for checking my availability when I'm out and about, but I still find that there is a lot of power in keeping a physical planner. Not only for my family's scheduled "things" but also for making my to-do lists each day, and this planner definitely has enough space for that!

Here are a few of the characteristics in the BUILDING MY EMPIRE planner that I love most:

The horizontal spread - I personally prefer this to vertical ones.
The YAY circle each day is a place for you to give yourself a sticker if you meet your goal that day. I use it for exercise. 💪
The weekly quiz question - A throwback to those magazine quizzes we used to do!
The addtional mini weekly calendar at the bottom of each spread - This week I used it to plan out my social media posts, and I also think it is a great space for meal planning or a gratitude journal.
It begins now! - This planner runs from Aug 2018 - Dec 2019 so you can use it right away!
The monthly "CURRENTLY" page - I love this page! Each month you write down what you're currently watching, reading, planning, etc. I think these pages will be so fun to reread at the end of the year.
The stickers - 6 full pages of stickers are included that will take you through all of the different seasons and holidays.

While I will keep my planner at home, this GREAT THINGS INSIDE notekeeper is coming to work with me right away. I just posted on Instagram that I have a weakness for beautiful notepads and journals, and this one is no exception. It's a nice size (5 x 7), hardcover, and comes with two pages of stickers, so you can reward yourself when you finish something from your list 😍. What makes the Driven notekeeper unique is that the pages are all colourful grids which are perfect for list-making and goal-tracking. As you can see below, mine is already getting broken in with my massive back to work to-do list for the next week....no reward stickers yet! lol

Last, but certainly not least, is the THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT sticker book. I used to collect stickers in albums when I was younger, and it's so exciting to have another whole book of stickers just for me (and not my six-year-old!) The sticker book comes with 20 pages of stickers and a handful of postcards. I use cards like these whenever I see a co-worker could use a little note, just to brighten their day :)

The whole Pipsticks+Workman line allows you to be organized like a grown-up, but tap into your creative energy and feel like a kid again at the same time. Adulting is hard enough; we absolutely deserve to have some fun while we do it! And if you'd like to get ideas and see how others are using their planners, you can do a quick #pipsticksplanners search on Instagram!

To check out the whole Pipsticks+Workman gift line of planners, notekeepers, and stickerbooks, and peek inside each, you can visit their website.

Each item is sold separately from Amazon (and shipping is free!)

For the Driven