And I can’t hide it…I’m about to show you my new planner…….

I think I have found the perfect planner.

What?

Don’t you get excited and jump up and down about the thoughts of a new planner?

Did you think I actually had something different to be excited about?

Seriously- I’m boring.

Some people have fitness goals, some have relationship goals, there are all sorts of goals.  Me- I have planner goals.

I have always toyed around with spending a gazillion dollars on a certain “name” planner system (those of you in the planner world  know to whom I speak of), but then, lo and behold, on a recent trip to Target with my daughter (Mom- they have the best cheap, graphic tee’s)  I spotted it- the planner of my dreams- and it was 20$.  (to the non-planner people out there, this is a bargain)

Now, you know I don’t often wax poetic about purchases- I’m always on the declutter path.  But this was my best purchase of the year.

What is so good about this planner?

  1. it has a month view, with enough space to actually write something
  2. it has a page for every week day, and a combined page for Saturday/Sunday
  3. the daily pages feature hourly time slots, a to do list, a tonight section, notes and gratitude
  4. It has about 10 pages in the back for notes
  5. It has tabs separating the months

cons of planner

  1. It spans July to July.  My only problem with this is that I didn’t discover it until September.  I thought about asking for money off, to compensate for the months I had lost, but I didn’t want to offend the employees of target and risk them deciding I wasn’t worthy of this sacred object
  2. I would like individual pages for Saturday and Sunday.  I have a life on those two days that require at least a page each (No- not really, but I like to think that I do)
  3. I would like a blank page in each month section- sort of formalize goals and such
  4. would love a pocket to put papers in- I oddly end up with paper that has to be dealt with

Here’s the topic you’ve all been waiting for:  How I use my planner!!  Trust me, I feel your excitement as you’re reading this!!

Full disclosure- I use Google calendar.  Every appointment I make is visible on my computer, phone and ipad.  I find this indispensable, because I often run around with just my phone and very small wallet.  I like being able to add an event at any time, and know that I have not double booked.

But- back to the planner…..

Month View

  1. I mark in pen the events that I am definitely attending
  2. in pencil I mark down things that I may want to do
  3. birthdays and holidays
  4. vacations and off days of school

Day view

  1. As I am a volunteer, free lancer and aspiring author, my days can be arranged differently than most.  I mark down hourly how much time I am assigning to each activity.  I include time to run errands and exercise.
  2. Whenever I have something “to do” I determine how important the thing is, and write it on the date that seems logical.
  3. If something must be done on that day, I highlight it
  4. I plan meals in advance and write them in- and I clip the recipe on the cover of the book (love magnetic book marks)
  5. I schedule what I’m going to blog about  ( obviously this is done in pencil as I change my topic a lot)
  6. I list out steps to my eventual goal- eg- I am working on a book- I write down each day what I plan on accomplishing-  write chapter 3, edit 2, rewrite section that doesn’t make sense, etc…..
  7. Keep track of water intake
  8. I write down something I am grateful for .  Sometimes I take my life for granted- this is a reminder
  9. I write down anything that I may want to do.  If I put something on paper, I can begin to visualize it.  If I can visualize it, I can decide if it’s worth doing.  if it’s worth doing, I can plan it.  If I plan it- I can do it……
  10. I also use it to plan for future things- if I know people are coming to my house on the 23rd, I jot down appetizer ideas, music that I might want to play, etc- it’s a great way for me to logically put down my thoughts
  11. on the notes pages I jot down activities that seem interesting- movies, restaurants, outings.  When I am planning leisure time, I go to this section and I pick out something.

Now wasn’t that fun?

No?

Now you just think I’m a wee bit crazy?

Well, you aren’t the only one……

FYI- My dream planner is Day Designer for Blue Sky- I have received no compensation from them, or Target- I just love this planner and wanted to share.

 

 

82 thoughts on “I’m so Excited!!”

  3. Yay! I never understood why they always give you a single square for the whole weekend. Do they assume people do less on their days off?

    I spent weeks last year debating the merits of various blank notebooks, and then another few weeks figuring out the layout I would use for a bullet journal in said notebook. It was worth it, though! The layout has been just right for the whole year.

    And by the number of journals and planners I’ve seen on Instagram, we are far from being the only planner fanatics out there. 🙂

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  5. I don’t think you’re crazy. I wish I could be as organized as you. Half the time, I’m flying by the seat of my pants, and as I get older, I tend to forget things. I’m going to look into getting a planner. Maybe, it will force me to be more organized.

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    1. I would not be able to function without a planner. I need to see everything in front of me. And I like it in paper. Electronic versions don’t work as well for me because I hate the typing in of things, and I don’t see the big picture. Good luck! I firmly believe the world would be a better place if we all had planners

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  8. People who aren’t ardent and devoted planners probably won’t understand, but I definitely do. I tried different planners year after year and they were never quite right, so I finally devised my own system, which has served me perfectly for 20 years (and evolved impeccably as I went from full-time to semi-retirement and consulting). I haven’t stepped foot in a shoe store for at least five years, but even the thought of an office supply or stationery store fills me with joy and anticipation.

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  9. Someone may have already said this, but have you looked into a bullet journal? I know you found your dream planner and I 100% understand the excitement! But I found out about bullet journals and they’re also a beautiful thing! 😁

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      2. There are just so many great ideas and options! I could get lost on Pinterest boards for hours! My daughter was watching u tube videos about planners. I get inspiration from all the different sites. I’m happy I found something close to perfection!

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  10. Congrats on achieving planner nirvana. I like my small Franklin planner monthly pages that I’ve used for decades. The system is so small that when I’m in a meeting and someone wants me to do something, I tell them to make their request succinct– I only have limited space to write in. You’d be shocked by how many people accommodate me– and get to their stinking point, instead of rambling on. 🙄

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    1. Oh that’s brilliant,!! I wish I had thought of that! I was a Filofax girl in the 80s and 90s. Then I went palm pilot for awhile. When I went back to paper I just couldn’t find something that accommodated by lifestyle, especially as I had to keep track of family. This is close to perfect! Thanks!!

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  12. I’m now going to target this weekend. Thank you! My husband will roll his eyes. Planners are hard to find that check all of the boxes. The July to July thing is weird, maybe it’s more for business fiscal year? I’m excited you found a great planner! And hope my target has them too as it sounds like what ve been searching for for years.

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  17. I used to love great planners too, back when I had a life that needed planning. 🙂 Now, everyday is Saturday and no planner has that in there. 🙂 I just wing it these days. Wait till you get on the wrong side of 60. It’s more fun.

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  18. That is, indeed, a steal on a planner. I used to geek out over day planners. Now I’m just like “whatever, I think the car insurance bill is due sometime every month, hopefully they’ll email me a reminder because I’ve got better things to worry about, like this navel on my abdomen that I’m gazing at today” (that actually isn’t far from the actual truth)

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  21. Google is my reminder service, my calendar is my planner. I do have a little ‘thing’ for color coding events, pay days, bills due, etc. During my divorce process I actually carried a planner and it was invaluable. I decided, after that life event was over, that a quick check of the calendar was enough. So far so good.

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  25. I love planners but I feel that if I spend too much time writing in it, then I could be doing something more constructive. I have read a lot about bullet journals, too much work, after all my job is not spending hours writing and doodling in a color coded frenzy. I have a blank journal that I write in with a space for to-dos and then a space for notes. Maybe I am just not organized enough. I would feel guilty about not writing in it everyday. I will say that I always look at them longingly and maybe just wishing my life would work that way.

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    1. I spend twenty minutes ate the end of the day planning, ten minutes in the morning, and an hour on Sunday nights. But I’m kind of a schedule freak. I totally understand both sides. My husband us not a planner guy. When he was at target with me and my daughter he was dumbfounded about how much time we spent in that section

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    1. With the amount if people who love planners you could write something great….someone who finds a planner and likes that persons lige better, or tries to find owner, or there are a bunch of cool ideas actually. Or you could just use it as a notebook….it would be good for tracking ideas……or you could chuck it. All ideas reasonable.😉

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  29. Looks great! How do you feel about setting time frames for eacj and every task? I tried it a while ago and felt frustrated, but keep thinking about that

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