My planner is sitting on my desk, mocking me. It sits upon this cute desk stand opened up to the current week. But I don’t think it looks all that cute even though it has a number of black and orange cat and pumpkin stickers all over it to celebrate Halloween.
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My Planner Education
Planners have been having their moment for a while now — bullet journals, fitness planners, meal planners, budget planners, the list goes on and on. I watch YouTube videos of people unboxing their “planning hauls” from shopping online or at Michaels. I stare intently at the screen to learn how they choose stickers from their very large collection of sticker books. I nod my head in agreement at the two or three colored pens they select to go along with their chosen color scheme. I watch attentively how they put the cute washi tape on the top and bottom of their layouts, and say things like “It doesn’t bother me that you can see the words come through the washi tape.” Wait. Stop right there. What do you mean you don’t care?
When I carefully place my washi tape below the months of my calendar but see something else bleed through, I remove it. I choose another tape and try it again. While flipping through my four sticker books, I don’t feel happy or productive. I feel stressed that only two orange “To Do” stickers are found when I actually need four. When the inspiring quote sticker I place does not fit perfectly within the box, I get annoyed. I am agitated when there are no lines on the day page so I can’t write down my list items in a straight line. You get the picture.
My Planner Timeline
My most recent purchase was a Panda Planner VIA. This planner promotes productivity based on the personal character strengths you possess. The first step is taking a free VIA Institute On Character assessment. My top three strengths are: Humility, Judgment, and Honesty. After identifying your strengths, there are videos that explain how to best use the planner. I came to the conclusion that I don’t want to use my planner to further develop my character traits. I also wasn’t crazy about having to watch videos to figure out how to use it. This planner may work for a lot of people but not for me.
My first entry into the world of planning was a beautiful Eric Condren planner I received for Christmas last year. It was bound with a rose gold coil and an Art Deco cover. Inside were crisp black and white pages organized in a vertical layout. It really seemed like a great choice for me but I found the coil a little cumbersome and lost interest about half-way through the year. In retrospect, maybe I should have chosen the horizontal layout and perhaps I will give it another chance.
This Ban.do planner is my current daily planner. I adore the cover and it’s very colorful and fun. But, truth be told, my favorite pen to write with is this brown LePen pen. You see, I tend to like monochromatic color schemes. Also, I am a color in the lines kind of girl. I detest clutter. I aspire for symmetry and balance in interior decorating, think more “traditional home” and less “shabby chic.”
My Breakup Decision
Don’t get me wrong, I really do appreciate colorful and nicely decorated planners. In fact, my daughter recommended the Ban.do since she has used this one for the past two years. She looks forward to spending time each week planning her schedule and decorating her planner. Not only is it meditative for her, but she really is more productive and better for it.
But it’s time for me to use one of my top three strengths, Honesty. I want a simple planner with lined (definitely lined!) pages. Sure, I would love to throw a few cute stickers on the page every once in a while but that’s about it. It’s time to let go of the fantasy and accept that all I really want to do is keep track of my week in an attractive daily calendar.
I intend to spend the remainder of 2018 searching for a daily planner that is perfect for me and placing it on my Holiday Wish List.
What kind of planner are you? Do you have a favorite planner?
I think anything that works is a good system, Dawna! I love LePen as they have a really nice fine tip and come in pretty colors. Thanks!
I have always wanted to be able to use and stick to a planner! I just have post it notes color coded on my wall next to my desk…and when I am at work I used those to write down what I need to do at home. Maybe if I were more organized I could be more efficient! 🙂 Love the pen! Just ordered it! I have a thing for pens. 🙂