Despite being a long-time planner, I putmy beloved Filofaxaside in favor of a quick-fix when I forgot to order daily page refills for 2014 (oops!). I felt like I needed a break from the world of planners and accessories, which can become overwhelming in a few swipes of Instagram (have your ever checked out the#filofaxlovetag? It’s a black hole of stationery!). But with a horde of inspiration and some encouragement from friends, I’ve decided to plunge back into my Filofax full force this year!Some planner is better than no planner, but I find that I’m more willing to keep my Filofax up-to-date if it’s organized to suit just what I need — room for daily events, to dos and tasks, and even a place to jot down my lunches (decorating helps, too!) keep my brain free of  clutter. The decorating is the easy part. But aside from a cohesive color scheme and pretty papers, what should you include in your planner to make it functional and yours?

Setting Up Your Planner

1. Dashboard – Probably the most fun part.  How great is it to open up your planner to a colorful home base! Using vellum or some other sheer texture lets you stick sticky notes and other reminders in a place they’ll be noticed and not forgotten. I keep some spare washi tape on there too since it peels off easily while retaining its stickiness.
2. Dividers – Making dividers is actually quite simple! Stock up on some patterned scrapbooking paper, use your current dividers as a template, and start cutting! Tabs are great for keeping your actual calendar separate from notes and other lists in your planner, with everything neatly in its place.
3. Calendar pages – Maybe you’re a month-at-a-glance person, or perhaps you prefer viewing a week at a time. Personally, I like both (though a daily view usually is too much for me). While brands like Filofax offer their own calendar pages, you can also customize your own or find a more suitable layout on Etsy. The good news? Most Etsy templates are downloadable so you can print them at home and have your planner ready to go in no time.
4. Page marker – Losing your place can be just as disorienting as not having a planner at all. While most planners come with some bookmark-like insert to clip into that day’s page as a placeholder, you can certainly find some alternatives to fit in with your planner’s color scheme and decorations.
5. Lists/printables – Why stop at daily calendars? I like to include paper and templates in the other sections of my planner to keep track of things like blog posts, library books, and general to-do lists. You can find pre-made templates online — both free and paid — or customize your planner to suit how you use it!
6. Pens – I’m picky about my pens and solely use a Pilot Precise V5* to do my main writing. For color-coding and decoration I keep a pencil case full of Paper Mate Flair* colored pens on hand, but otherwise, no other pens come near my Filofax (because I’m an organizational freak, apparently).
7. Bling – Once you’ve got the basics down, go ahead and decorate! For me, that means stickers, fancy page markers (hello-o Target $1-bin!), purikura, fun sticky notes, and the exclusive Studio Calico‘s Agenda class stamps to make my week more colorful. You can find a plethora of charms and stickers on Etsy, too!

Click play to see my own Filofax and how I plan to make the most of my planner in 2015!

A lot of you have spied the custom calendar pages that Alexis ofStrange & Charmedmade me and loved all of the room for planning and lists. If you’ve been on the hunt for a balanced calendar page to plan your 2015, you’re in luck — Alexis is offering Teacup readers an exclusive 20% all items in theStrange & Charmed shopfor the duration of January. Just use the code Teacup to get planning!

*These are affiliate links that will help out the Teacup if you decide to purchase any of these products!

What are your must-haves for organizing your planner?