Cover detail of Happy Planning by Charlotte Plain

Happy Planning by Charlotte Plain

Like many people, I have a guilty obsession. I LOVE following blogs and Instagram accounts based on cleaning and organisation. I swear there is nothing more satisfying then watching Mrs Hinch clean her kitchen worktops or seeing Charlotte Plain's perfectly organised Princess Planning shelves or even admiring The Pioneer Woman's perfect kitchen shelves. And there is nothing better than having a pristine white notebook and planning out my next projects usually with 20 different coloured highlighters, a ruler and a batch of gel pens. I'm weird I know and I accept this side of myself.

Spotting an article in my latest Woman and Home about how planning can actually make you happy, I was intrigued to find that the author of the article had an instagram account, dutifully followed and then discovered her book 'Happy Planning'. by Charlotte Plain

Charlotte Plain is the owner of Princess Planning, a company dedicated to getting people organised and achieving their goals. She organised her own wedding, lost several stone in the process and chose to create a successful business. Happy Planning is her first book

This is a lovely little book set out conveniently into everyday planning, planning for special occasions such as birthday parties and weddings and planning for bigger changes such as moving house or starting a new business. It is jam-packed with countdown checklists guaranteed to get you sorted.

I like to think I am a very organised person, but this book certainly gave me some pointers. On reflection I am great at planning for small jobs, but not the big stuff, so I have already implemented a number of top tips and finally completed a blog calendar. Something I have been meaning to do for months now. In this I have a list of key dates and blocked out days to do a bit more strategising. I also started running again this morning in the pouring rain no less. Again something I was keen to do, but not making time for. The book is a handy little guide of how to start achieving those goals, and I loved the principles of using A,B,C,D and E.

Read my Post about running books

Charlotte comes across as extremely likeable. She is a busy mum and there are lots of tips with coping with school holidays, children's activities and even the simple things such as making the school run less frantic and as easy as possible.

I really enjoyed reading this and I always feel better when I am in control of my life, rather than feeling like the wheels have come off and I'm heading towards certain death.

So if you can feel like you could do with a little organisation in your busy life, I'd definitely recommend this sweet book to you. It's a quick read, clearly laid out and will get you sorted.