We've all been through are fair share of planners. Typically, you find one that works but wish it was slightly different in one way or another. In essence, the said planner only fits the bill half of the time. Wouldn't it be nice to "fit the bill" all the time...?! YES, it would be!!!
Here's the skinny on the planners I've used. Without further ado... The Planner Pad. The Day Designer. The Brittany Fuson Planner.
The timeline. I've used a Planner Pad for several years. ...I decided that 2014 was time for a change. Something different. More structured organization. In early January I treated myself to a Brittany Fuson planner and I love it. The Brittany Fuson planner isn't enough...lacking to-do list area without use of post-its.
Ok, last month, I saw a Whitney English Day Designer on Instagram (purely random, wasn't looking for it) and thought, WOW, now that's what I've been looking for...something with a little more structure. Needless to say, I'm struggling with the bulk of The Day Designer but, lacking the organization in the Brittany Fuson planner...currently, I'm using both...
...Pro's and Con's of each...
I used a Planner Pad for several years. Love it! Well, loved it. Yes, past tense. It wasn't working anymore. The appointments time slots weren't big enough for me; for me to "write" in them (my handwriting). But, there is plenty of other room for everything else though. The monthly page is a good size and worked. It's really great for making lists across the top and categorize them as well. I'm sort of bummed I'm not currently using it. Wow, can't believe I just said that. Haha. You'll understand why in a few minutes, as you read more...scroll down. Oh, let me point out too that there are (3) different sizes to choose from: Professional, Executive, Personal. I've used the Executive and Personal sizes, I prefer the Personal size to fit in my purse. The "size" feature made it a no-brainer for me.
{click here for more detailed explanation of "how it works"}
So, late December last year I saw Brittany Fuson on my Instagram feed (someone I follow shared a sketch they purchased and along with her planner) and was like, wow, I died and went to heaven.! I just love her fashion drawings/sketches. Love them! Anyhow, someone shared one of her sketches on Instagram and I immediately went to her Instagram and then her website. I wanted a smaller planner and just needed something to track my monthly bills, personal schedule and various to-do's. And then, when I decided to re-launch ...this & that... I knew I needed an editorial calendar. Side note: I'm currently, using Google Calendar (online) and Brittany Fuson Planner (paper) for that. I'm leaning toward the "paper" calendar. There's just something about writing your "schedule" in pen on paper... Anyhow, I use the monthly calendar, although, I wish it was a 2-page spread versus just one. However, I love the weekly 2-page spread of the "week" and the lines are spaced far enough apart for my handwriting. Love it!!! Love, love, love, love it!!!
{a little more detail of 2013's planner, via here}
{this picture via here}
Do you notice a trend here with finding "planners" on Instragram purely by accident...?!I love the back-story behind Whitney English's Day Designer and her purpose for it's use. The Day Designer has a page for every day of the week. Except for Saturday and Sunday, they share a page...? I'd prefer they each have their own page. I run a lot of errands and work on my shop and blog mainly on the weekends...a "to-do/task list" for both Saturday and Sunday is imperative. This planner is lacking because they share a page. Spacing is great for my handwriting. The to-do list is phenomenal!!! There is some tracking features along the top that I don't use and probably won't. Well, maybe one day I will... I just purchased it the middle of last month, so, I'm still "breaking it in". I definitely love the bottom portion of every day that's a place just for you to write anything down and get it out of your brain. All the sections are "labeled". It's a very structured organizer and I do like that aspect. However, with all the structure it's bulky. There's no way around it, it is.
So, needless to say the verdict is still out... What type of planner do you use? Online or paper? What's the pro's and con's of planning / organizing your life? Do tell.
