I Have A Planner For That, Part One

I have used planners in some fashion for the past 20 years. I started when I became a corporate trainer and the company gave me a planner and sent me to a class at Franklin Quest. All you needed was a pen, the binder, and all the green pages within. Hey, this was before my company had a system-wide windows based calendar or email platform. Am I showing my 40-something age, or what?

Even with the evolution of technology, I still love the feel of paper in making to do lists, taking notes, brainstorming ideas, and planning. And I know that I am not alone. Until 2017 I used my Franklin/Covey planning tools. I evolved from the standard green to the pretty colors and designs because I love pretty things. Over time, the digital revolution limited the pretty options. Disheartened in selections and the changes the company has made in their planner styles, I tried new ones, and for a time simplified to my digital tools and used plain spiral notebooks and pens. I loved the traditional format of the two pages per day Covey layouts but realized I wasn’t using them daily. So why spend the money? Frankly, I like pretty things and working now in the technology space for my employer, I have adopted most of the digital tools for my work place needs….except where brainstorming, note-taking and list making comes in.

My life is way bigger than my job. And I have a creative heart that desires fun and joy. Working 60+ work weeks while being a mother, a daughter, a boss, and a friend, my personal time and self-care was sitting in a back seat. I was a passenger on the personal train, not the conductor.

As my grandmother’s health began the steady and rather rapid decline the latter half of 2016, I started crocheting again and teaching my daughter the art. It was my way to connect across the miles when she was not up to our weekly phone chats. I crocheted or made dishes from her recipes and spent time in traditions. In these moments where I stepped away from the rat race and social media, I revisited The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. That book was transformational for me in my mid-20s. At 40-something, the currency and relevancy is poignant. I dove back in. I tracked my habits and began recognizing life is more than to do lists and time management. I reintroduced me time, sipping coffee.

In my me time I started the search for something new and different for fun planning. From Google Searches and YouTube binging, I found out about a whole world of planners. I researched EricCondran, Happy Planners, and many, many more. 2017 was the year of tossing bulky binders, notebooks, and sticky notes. I bought a Happy Planner and took it for a year long test,drive. I learned I can make my own pretty layouts and customize weekly and monthly to meet my lifestyle and feed my creative spirit. And I found a whole community of amazing people who I could learn from online and locally.

Look for part two, later this week to find out more about planning and planners. I will review 2017 and share what my 2017 planner plans will be.

Do you use only digital planning? If so, what apps do you like? Do you use paper? What are your successful methods?