The planner community has changed a lot since I picked up my first Erin Condren Life Planner three years ago. There are so many groups, events, and styles of planning being shared that you can find any advice or inspiration that you’re looking for. I’ve learned quite a lot over the years from my fellow planning gals.
No white space planning is gorgeous, but definitely not for me
How to layer stickers on top of each other like the boss that I am
My monthly view can be used both for planning ahead, but also memory keeping
Happy mail makes everything better. And surprise happy mail is even more powerful
When you find a pen you love, don’t share it, lend it, or have less than 10 backups of it
No two planner addicts plan the same way
Swag bags are essential for a successful event
They’re almost always aspiring girl bosses. They’re always bad asses
It’s ok to change your planning style. Again and again and again
Most of us our introverts, but that doesn’t stop us from attending planner meetups
Hording. Hording pens, hording stickers, hording Target Dollar Spot treasures
We make planning work for us no matter what we do or who we are
How to organize planning supplies to make it look like there isn’t an obvious problem when there most definitely is (see the point about hording)
How to be kind and share the love through RAKs, good deeds, and friendship
The planner community has a spot for everyone. I’m constantly making new friends, finding new trends, and falling even farther down the planner rabbit hole. It’s pretty dang great isn’t it?
It’s really just that simple. If I see a drawer or closet start to get out of hand, I don’t wait for “spring cleaning” or a day where I suddenly feel inspired to clean my entire house of its junk. I just do it. I’m constantly opening up cabinets, tossing a few things, and shutting it again. It makes my house feel so much lighter than letting the stuff I no longer have a want or need for weight it down.
I’m sure there’s a space in your home that could use a good reorganize. Give yourself 30 minutes today to tackle it. Even if it’s just getting rid of anything you have no use for anymore. Just doing that will bring about a world of difference before you even start to organize what you have left.
Sure I love a good spring clean, but I also love a good any-day-of-the-week clean. Give it a shot!
Considering it’s just me and Alex in our household, you would think we would have a fairly good grasp on what the other person is getting up to. Yet time and time again we find ourselves double booked. So this year I’m implementing a family calendar into our routine to avoid this missteps in planning. Here are the steps I took to set ours up that could work for you and your family to get more organized.
Of course the first thing you have to do is pick a calendar to use. The one I’m using from Bloom Daily Planners is frustratingly out of stock and I definitely should have checked before filming a whole video featuring it. Rookie mistake. I’m also a big fan of the Erin Condren Wall Calendar because of its handy pocket and giant sheet of stickers. Any calendar will really do though depending on your needs.
Next gather all the information you want to put on the calendar, but make sure it’s things that at least one other person in your family needs to know about. So stuff like doctor appointments, class activities, travel, evening meetings, and so on. Plus while you’re gathering all of that info, don’t forget to round up less frequent event information you don’t want to double book on accident. This includes things like weddings, six month teeth cleanings, and other stuff that you schedule so far in advance they can often get forgotten as time goes on.
If you have a larger family than just two people then I definitely recommend color coding. Either give each person a color or give event categories their own so that at quick glance you’ll be able to see who and what is happening when.
Then put the calendar somewhere that everyone in your family has access to it so they can feel part of the planning process. Keep it low for younger kids and in a public space so that every day it’s seen. And then update it often. Add new events, update it with changes of times, and keep it a living, breathing addition to the family. Add stickers, photos and momentos, and other fun elements to keep it engaging and something the whole family wants to look at.
As the year goes along, write down accomplishments and important things that have happened for different members of your family. That way as the year comes to an end, you’ll have tons of information for you holiday letter, yearly photo book, or just as a keepsake of what everyone got up to that year.
I share all of these steps in today’s YouTube video if you want more commentary on the whole process, but I’m excited to put my family calendar into action. Plus who doesn’t love another excuse to use stickers?
Do you have a family calendar? How do you keep up with tons of activities for different members of your household?
Although I’m pretty sure I’ve been buying Christmas presents since May, at least it’s now officially acceptable to talk about gift guides! I go to Erin Condren for gifts for all the women in my life, regardless if they’re planner obsessed or not. There are a ton of really high-quality gifts for any price range that’ll sure to be a crowd pleaser.
My favorite pick this year is the 2018 Wall Calendar. It’s the perfect little nudge to non-planners to get their life together while not being as pushy as a real planner. It’s gorgeous, full of really inspiring quotes, has a handy pocket at the bottom for invitations and receipts, and has a ton of stickers in the back. It’s also a great gift if you just aren’t sure what to give someone, or need a neutral gift for an exchange party.
Their clutches would also make a really great option for all ages. I swear you can’t have too many pouches. Great for younger girls in school, friends, and teacher gifts. There are a few to choose from as well so you can get a couple to give out to a few ladies in your life.
The Desktop Calendar (available soon) is a good choice if you need a gift for a colleague or you child’s teacher. It’s a useful gift that after a year a person can part with without feeling bad. I love gifts that have a shelf life. That way I don’t feel obligated to hold onto things since they were gifts. I get to use them up and be on my way.
For health conscious friends or foodies, the Meal Planner is a thoughtful gift without having to get to specific with what they’re into. I have a hard time keeping up with all the interests of my friends so gifts like these are great to show that I listen, but didn’t risk getting something they might already have or won’t use.
If I don’t know what to get someone, I go to Erin Condren. That’s where I discovered the Schedule Pad and knew I was set on gifts for any last minute additions to my list. It’s gorgeous, high-quality, and still thoughtful even though I just didn’t know what someone would like. Plus it falls under the use-up and toss variety of gifts that I love to give.
If your friends or family are into planning, definitely take a peek at all the planning things the site has, but if you’re in a pinch or just don’t know exactly what to get someone, these are really great, budget-friendly options!
What’s your go to gift for people you just don’t know what to get?
Although I only got into traveler’s notebooks a few months ago, I have quite the collection of supplies. I’m the type of planner who goes all in once they find a new planning style that works for them. Clips, inserts, dashboards, the works. My collection is constantly growing so I wanted to pause this moment in time to see exactly what I have.
My traveler’s notebook cover collection has been kept to just two since the leather options out there are just so expensive. I use an A6 size that works really well for toting around and jotting lists. Mine came from Chic Sparrow as I love their quality and bohemian feel over other options out there.
I found a few PR package boxes lying around to re-purpose for my collection. Both boxes are small enough to slip into one of the openings on my desk so they’re always close at hand. This first little box houses all of my felt paperclips from Created by Danielle and Book Nook Patch as well as my beloved Lilac Pineapple Co knitted bow clips (use code OHHELLO20 to save 20%). I’m sure there are better ways to organize clips out there so that I can see them all, but I love how low profile this box is. Plus it helps encourage me to stop buying anymore clips.
The main box is a bit of a mess of inserts, dashboards, and all the other clips and things that aren’t felt or knitted. On the left is where I keep used notebooks, out of season inserts, and my sticker organizerI’ve re-purposed to store dashboard papers and die cuts. A6 traveler’s notebooks are roughly 4×6 making this organizer perfect for storing anything I may need to snazz up my notebook. There are also some pens and business cards for traveler’s notebook related stores tucked into the side.
So there you have it. A messy yet functional way I store everything I use for my notebooks. If you want a more detailed look of anything in particular, just leave a comment!
Is it obvious yet that I’m doing reviews of all of my favorite planners first? The Emily Ley Simplified Planner* is one of those planners that is so gorgeous on the outside and makes me want to kick my butt into gear on the inside. It’s perfect for busy women who want a professional planner that’s still cute, has room for everything in their life, and makes them inspired when they use it. This is the planner to do just that.
The front cover is a nice, thick cardboard with a touch of foiling for added class. I don’t mind if covers are made of cardboard material as long as the corners are reinforced like this one is. Throughout the year corners take the most damage and wear so it’s ideal to have them protected with metal covers.
Gotta love a planner who understands the importance of stickers. There’s a cute little sheet at the start along with a handy pocket to store receipts, paperwork, or even more stickers. The monthly tabs have a great color palette that’s fun while still having a level of professional class. They’re laminated so they’ll hold up to a year’s worth of use.
The front of the planner has your standard holiday page and yearly overview, but my favorite is this 2018 Bucket List. I love that there’s a designated place to write goals and plans for the year ahead, and check boxes so you can tick thing off as you do them. It makes me want to not only make some plans, but do them too.
The monthly view is simple, but elegant. It sadly is just a little too small to fit standard sized sticker boxes, but little icons an decorative stickers can still be used to snazz up spreads.
It’s the daily view that really sets this planner apart for me. Each page is one day with a hourly section on the left side starting at 6am and going to 9pm. The time range is a lot more functional than the one in Erin Condren planners and is perfect for writing meetings, kid’s events, deadlines, etc. The right side has a roomy to do list to write everything that needs to get done that day. The bottom two sections are marked meals and notes, but the headers can easily be covered up with a sticker to be turned into other categories.
On the weekend page there’s a section for weekly prep that already has a few to do items written in. At first I wasn’t so sure about this, but it’s grown on me. I like having items to refocus my mind and prepare me for the week ahead.
This planner sends my functional mind fluttering. I love this layout for daily pages and if I had more meetings and hour based items, it would be my ideal planner. It just doesn’t fit my current lifestyle enough to justify using it sadly. It would be an amazing planner for busy, working women, large families, or students.
So definitely give the Simplified Plannera look-over if you’re hunting for a new work planner or a planner to hold everything in your life. This one could do the trick.
