When I started blogging, I knew that I wanted to incorporate one of my favorite hobbies into my content. I don’t know if you’re a person who enjoys things like organization and using a planner, but I sure am. I haven’t always been this way, though. It sort of developed out of necessity. When you have 3 kids with special needs, you have to become organized or you WILL drown. Oh, and fair warning: This is going to be a long post. So buckle up, buttercup!
Why you need a planner
Ok, to me, why a planner is imperative seems really obvious, but I meet enough people who think planners just aren’t necessary that I feel it bears discussion.
- Better time management. I’ve found that I use my time more efficiently if I know exactly what is going on over the course of a week. That way I don’t try to do everything all in one day. Also, you can avoid blocking out a day to clean out the linen closet, and then you find out you’ve got 3 doctor’s appointments that same day.
- More responsible. By “responsible” I mean that you won’t be missing appointments or coffee with your friend because you got your dates mixed up in your head. And if you’ve got doctors anything like mine, there’s probably a penalty for not canceling your appointment at least 24 hours in advance. Keeping your appointments straight is much easier when you get it out of your brain and onto a planner.
- Proactive vs. Reactive. I have found that if my life feels like it’s spiraling, it’s generally because I’m reacting to what’s going on around me instead of being proactive. For instance, when I meal plan and stick to it, we eat out less and our finances are in better shape. Life, in general, tends to work better when you’re proactive.
- Creative outlet. If you are a creative person who likes to draw or decorate with stickers, planners are a good way to be creative while also being productive. Win-win, am I right? It’s such a rabbit hole, I can’t go in-depth here, but planner decorating has hundreds of dedicated blogs for just that purpose. It’s a whole universe a lot of people don’t know about.
Trust me, there are myriad benefits to using a planner, and I could go on all day about it, but it’s time to move on.
Types of Planners
Now we’re going to get a little crazy. There are SO MANY types of planners, it’s amazing. They generally fall into two categories; paper or digital. I’m going to try to give you an overview without getting overwhelming, but I can’t make any promises.
Digital planners
Many people prefer digital planners because, with the advent of smartphones and tablets, you can organize your whole life and be able to put it in your pocket. There are also some very nice free options, and you save a tree and all that jazz. There are literally THOUSANDS of planner apps, but I’ll just touch on a couple.
Google Calendar/iCal
I mean, how much easier can it get? There are many people who plan solely using their calendar app. It’s so easy to enter an appointment and then set up notifications for it so it’s almost impossible to forget. I have been known to input the information incorrectly, so it’s not foolproof, but for handling appointments and basic to-do lists, you can totally just stick with your calendar app.
Cozi
Cozi has been around for years and is one of the original digital planning tools that came on the scene even before smartphones. It syncs with your calendar app, but also allows you to sync to the rest of the family’s schedule so you can have everybody on one calendar. It has grocery list capabilities, meal planning, and a host of other features, all in a cute and user-friendly interface. Best of all, it’s free to use! So if you’re just starting out and don’t want to make a huge investment, give Cozi a try.
Goodnotes
Goodnotes is the newest contender on this list, and I admit I don’t have any experience with it. However, I’ve seen it around the planner forums enough to know that it’s a very popular choice. You can download templates for Goodnotes that look very much like paper planners that you can decorate with digital stickers and washi tape. You also use a digital pencil, like the Apple pencil, to input your data, so it’s sort of like a really awesome mash-up of a digital and a paper planner. A quick Pinterest search will give you all the information you need.
Paper Planners
I’m going to have a difficult time reigning in my enthusiasm for this section, so beware. I primarily use paper planners and have for several years, so this is my wheelhouse. Paper planners are myriad and versatile. I’m positive there is a paper planner out there for literally everybody at any price point. Stay with me here, please.
Book
Not necessarily referring to Bullet Journaling (to be touched on later). There are several different bound planners, like Passion Planner, Panda Planner, and a bunch of perfectly respectable “off-brands” on Amazon, ranging in price from $15-$50. These planners are nice because pretty much what you see is what you get. However, that’s also the drawback. You can’t really customize the layout or add your own pages. However, there are some good options here, especially if you’re not particular about customization.
Spiral
You can get everything from the wildly popular Erin Condren to a pretty inexpensive Blue Sky in many different layouts. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby have store brand spiral planners that are close to the quality of the really expensive planners but are often on sale or you can use your store coupon. Like the book bound planners, what you see is what you get, but there’s usually more writing space and more variety in the layouts.
Disc
Happy Planner rules the roost in this group. Discs have the flexibility of spiral with the added benefit of a unique mushroom-shaped hole punch that allows pages to be pulled out and moved around, unlike spiral. Happy Planner has a layout to suit pretty much any need, and comes in a few different sizes. I call it the “beginner’s planner”. Most of the stock can be found in craft stores, and there are frequent sales, not to mention a huge line of decorative and functional stickers sized specifically for Happy Planner. It’s a huge rabbit hole, so beware.
Ring Binders
What I believe most people think of when they hear the word “planner”, ring-bound planners have been around for ages. Companies like DayTimer, Franklin Covey, and Filofax are known for creating products geared toward productivity. A Filofax was my first planner, and for years I jumped between ring-bound planners of different sizes, very nearly coming close to the elusive “planner peace” that a lot of die-hard planner people talk about. Rings are customizable, sturdy, versatile, and come in a few different sizes. However, the rings also add extra bulk and weight which doesn’t mean much if your planner sits on a desk all day. The extra weight can be prohibitive if you need your planner to be portable. Rings are, by far, the easiest and cheapest to create your own inserts for, and if you are willing to make an investment in a good binder on the front end, they’re probably the most economical.
Traveler’s Notebook
A traveler’s notebook (TN for short) is simply a leather cover with elastics in the spine where you slide thinner notebooks. Each notebook serves a different purpose. One can be a calendar, one can be a journal, one can be your cleaning routine, the possibilities are endless. There are cheap ones made out of paper all the way up to expensive ones made from luxury leathers. My current planner system is in a TN and I love it. I would not recommend this as your first planner, however. The possibilities being endless could easily become paralysis if you don’t know exactly what you want. Or you may sink a whole lot of money into a system that ends up not working for you.
Bullet Journaling
A note-taking system developed by Ryder Carroll, bullet journaling has evolved over the last several years. The basic idea is to get a notebook and a pen, create a simple calendar, and record your to-do list with specific icons indicating your status in the process. That all sounds very complicated, but it’s not. Bullet Journaling is the most affordable and most customizable planning system available. But here’s my caveat. It may not cost very much, but it tends to be far more time consuming, especially if you want to use your bullet journal as your artistic outlet as well. Bullet journaling is fantastic for artists who would be spending time drawing or painting anyway. You’re essentially creating your own planner from scratch. That process can be very basic, especially if you stick to Ryder’s original format. A quick Pinterest search, however, will show that bullet journaling has evolved into more of an art form. As such, I tend to dissuade people from using a bullet journal as their first planner unless they are willing to commit the time needed to create their own layouts.
Getting started
Phew, that was a lot of ground to cover! So now what? If this is your first foray into using a planner, here’s a short list of tips to get you going:
- Be mindful of your budget. It’s way too easy to spend unnecessary money, especially on decorative items.
- Utilize free or cheap printables when you can. There are TONS on Pinterest and Etsy.
- Avoid “shiny object syndrome”. When you decide on a system, stick with it for at least a month.
- Give yourself the leeway to change it up WITHIN REASON. What you start with is likely not what you will stay with.
- Be sure to actually use your planner! Seems like a “duh” statement, but it’s true. It won’t work if you don’t use it!
Ok, I could literally go on forever about planners, but I’ll leave it here for now. Now go forth and plan!
