It’s been five years. Five years of decorative planning. I’ve learned a lot over the past half decade (wut. why did I even say it that way? Now I can’t get that out of my head…) and I have quite a lot of insight for younger me.
Dear Kayla from 2014,
You don’t need a ton of washi tape all at once. I mean, you’ll soon find out you don’t like it at all, but you definitely don’t need 30+ rolls when you’ve only used a few inches of the first roll you purchased. Take things slow, figure out your planning style, and then invest in high quality products you’ll use until they run out.
It’s ok if your planning style changes. When I first started, I felt terrible when I suddenly didn’t like the vertical planner I obsessed over for months before purchasing. Planner guilt is a real thing and you don’t have to beat yourself up if the system no longer works for you.
Matte stickers are indeed better than glossy. Now, it does matter what type of matte paper we’re talking about. That silky smooth type is king and beats out all other types. I know you’re obsessed with glossy now, but you’ll see.
You’ll find other like-minded people. It may feel like you’re a weirdo and no one relates to you, but soon enough you’ll find your tribe of planner addicts and make a ton of lifelong friends. Just hold out and keep doing what you love.
One day, you’ll finally figure out what to do with leftover stickers. I know you’re frustrated by them now and don’t know what to do with that giant stack, but you’ll soon learn to combine like colors and do one color spreads. You’ll feel stupid when that retaliation comes.
I know you take your spreads very seriously and what them to be Instagram perfect, but you’ll realize (a little too late), that style of planning just doesn’t work for you. Function over form because at the end of the day, that planner needs to help you not be a piece of crap more than it needs to look good.
Sincerely,
Kayla from 2019
What are some things you wish you knew when you started decorative planning?
