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[seesawstar]

I've been thinking about this for a while now, but I thought I'd get some input from everyone.

Do you have a blog binder?  Or some other thing where you keep track of your ideas, affiliates, posting schedule...etc.?  Have you found that it really helped you get organized, or was it just more work?

So far, I've been trying to keep track of things in my head/on my computer, but I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed, especially with the different events/giveaways that I have going on/planned.  I'm thinking that it might help to see all the stuff I've got going on in the week on a page, and maybe have a list of all my affiliate programs and logins and stuff...

[northerncheapskate]

YES!  I have a blog binder and I LOVE it!  I put it together a couple of months ago, using some lists from ListPlanit and a collection of my own spreadsheets/word docs.

Here's what is in my binder:
1) Weekly planner... I schedule posts for each day of the week... and also plan in advance to work around giveaways, holidays, etc. 

2) Blog ideas:  These are for ideas I have in my head that I can put together at anytime. I list potential post titles, points I want to make, and sites I want to link to.

3) Affiliate Info:  All the affiliates I belong to, as well as logins and passwords (too many for me to remember these days!)

4) Income - It helps to realize those few dollars add up!

5) Expenses  _ I think I'm just going to merge these two tabs together at some point. We'll see.

6) Goals - these are a collection of short term and long term goals for my blog and steps for how I plan to reach those goals.

7) Social Networking - ideas for social networking, logins, campaigns, etc.

Publicity - all print, radio, and television media that has mentioned Northern Cheapskate.  (this is more of a confidence boost for me than anything else!)

9) Books to Read - Frugal living books I want to read... I periodically review books for my blog, but when I get to the library, I forget what book I was looking for. :-)

I LOVE MY BINDER because it allows me to work on my blog even when I don't have access to the internet.  With three little boys, it's hard for me to get online during the day, but I still get ideas during the day.  With the binder, I can write down an idea for my blog right away so I don't forget.

I'm a planning junkie, so what I do may not work for everyone. But it works for me!

[Angie]

I have to admit that I rely on my memory way too much, but I do use a variety of online tools to help me stay organized.

1. GMail. Couldn't live without it. The colored tags are my virtual filing system.
2. Google Calendar: Where I note what I plan to post when, when giveaways are ending, etc. I'm excited because I can now access my calendar straight from gmail.
3. GDocs Spreadsheet. Where I keep track of my receipts and expenses.
4. Blogger dashboard: When I have an idea for a future post I go ahead and create a post for it, even if all I do is title and and save as draft. That way I'll be reminded every time I go to blog that I wanted to work on the topic.

I guess it's a good thing Google's free!

[mandiedq]

I use a lot of the same tools as Angie does. I have terribly organized (aka disorganized) bookmarks of things I find that I may want to link to later. I need a better system for that.

[Angie]

I use delicious.com for my bookmarks. It's great.

[mandiedq]

I keep hearing about delicious, but haven't been smart enough to check it out for myself...until now. *wink, wink*

To do list for the morning: check out delicious!

[theclevermom]

I just started a blog binder, inspired by those discussed here, and love it. Right now it is just in its infancy, but it is a nice way to keep all of my handwritten notes together and work through ideas at night in bed.

Thanks for the tip!

[Tonya]

Oooohhhh...I like the blog binder idea!!!

[itsfrugalbeinggreen]

i use google docs. a physical binder wouldn't work too well for me since i work on my blog from multiple locations

[minnemom]

I have a spreadsheet that I used for keeping track of money stuff, but for my blogging schedule, I use good-old-fashioned pencil on a paper calendar.  For me, it's easier to visualize and make changes on paper than on the computer (even though the rest of my life is run by Outlook).

Linda