Get Organised Series – the Planner

Like I have said, I love planning! So of course I need a planner 😉

In the past I have used a hardcover diary that you purchase from a stationery shop or bookstore. Sometimes they have been huge and I have to leave it at my desk. Sometimes they are as small as my phone, which fit nicely into my handbag.

Now in these diary’s I usually write appointments or dates to remember, but they are too small to actually plan in.

A few years ago I purchased a digital planner that I could print off and store in a folder. This one was primarily for homeschooling. While it was so pretty and lovely to look upon, it didn’t work for me.

Since reclaiming my desk from the land of “Clutter and Chaos” during 2015, I thought I would rather have a proper planner. It can live at my desk, since this is where I do most of my planning.

  • My sister introduced me to the Creative 365 Happy Planner. This one looked amazing! Although, I would have to wait until the end of January before it arrived, and I wanted one at the beginning of Jan. You know how it is? Have to plan perfectly!! This one is an 18 month planner, so I would have lost seven months before I even started. I know that isn’t a big deal to some, but to me, that is a huge deal. Feels like I am not getting my moneys worth, and it’s such a waste of all of those months. Ahem…
  • My local Christian bookstore had a sale on, just before New Years. So I paid a visit to check out what they had available. The closest one to my preference was a diary. So even though it had a week to a page and a good amount of space to write in appointments, the monthly view had no room to write even one word. So that was simply not going to work for me.
  • I came across a few free diary’s and planners online. You only need to enter ‘free planner’ into your search engine and multiple options will be at your finger tips. None of these really grabbed me though.
  • Digital download Planner – boy was I excited when I found this gem! A planner in a similar format to what I originally looked at, but it was a twelve month planner, so I hadn’t lost any time 😉 And I could instantly download! Bonus!! You can check out this planner here at Forever Organised. There are four designs to choose from. I chose the Blooms design, because I love flowers and pretty 🙂 You also have the option of choosing horizontal, which is the way most planners are laid out. Or vertical, the one I went for. This way, I can write in approximate time-slots or a checklist for the day.
  • Go digital – I know a number of people who prefer to use digital services and go paperless. Google Calendar is one of these options and very popular.

Now I have chosen my planner, I printed mine here at home, we have a fantastic printer, that doesn’t cost a lot to print.

Next, I found a folder that I had prettied up last year and rarely used. When I opened my folder, I was a little surprised at what I found inside. In it were blank to do lists, routines that I would only have looked at once or twice, printouts from Flylady that I had good intentions on using, and other papers that really served no purpose. So I cleaned it out and now my pretty folder, has a pretty planner in it. Win win!! It isn’t all about the pretty though! It is practical 🙂

Here is a peek at my folder:

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Now my pretty folder is being used every day.

You might prefer a wall calendar. I found the wall calendar to be the best organising tool for me a few years ago. It was simple, and other family members could see what was happening. But so could all of our visitors!! Now I need to be a little more organised so a personal planner is working best.

It doesn’t matter what type of planner you use, I would encourage you just pick one that suits your style and use it.

  • A wall calendar
  • A diary
  • A planner that you can print yourself or purchase already to go
  • A digital planner like Google calendar

What style of planner do you use? Drop a comment below on what planner you are using this year or send me an email. I would love to hear from you.

Keep an eye for the next Get Organised post. Be sure to subscribe below so you don’t miss a post. Happy planning 🙂

 

2 Comments

  1. Min

    Ok, you’ve motivated me to get one! I’d like to download from where you got yours but I’d need to buy a binder, too.

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