Monday, August 12, 2013

How to Build YOUR Perfect Planner

Having been a planner junkie for the better part of 15 years (30 in my mom's case), we know with absolute certainty that there is no such thing as the "Perfect Planner." The reason there are thousands of different planners and agendas to choose from these days is because there is no one system that works for everyone. While one person may fit their entire life into a pocket size notebook, another person may require multiples planners of various shapes and sizes to organize their life.

Over the past year, our printables shop has grown from ONE planner option to over FIFTEEN different planner options in multiple sizes (with more on the way). We've also added individual docket pages, add-ons, stickers and so much more! My husband asked me the other day if I was out of planner ideas now…and then I showed him "the list." :)

And that's the thing I love most about printable planners…the possibilities are endless! But with so many options to choose from, the process of building your perfect planner can seem a bit overwhelming. One minute you are casually browsing Pinterest for a cleaning schedule, and then next thing you know you've blown through a whole ream of paper and an entire ink cartridge!! It's easy to want to try everything out there, but before you bury yourself in a pile of printables that you won't use, remember that the end goal is building YOUR Perfect Planner.


One of the questions we get asked most often in our shop is, "How do I decide which planner is right for me?" I always wish I had a simple answer, but the truth is…a planner is a very personal thing and to get the right answer, you often have to ask yourself a few more questions. 

I feel like the best way to illustrate these questions is to walk through my answers and show how I have  found the perfect planners FOR ME :)

I have tried many, MANY times to use just one planner for everything in my life. In college…one planner worked perfectly for me. My life was school and work and everything I needed for that (and my personal life) could fit in a little zip-up planner.

But then I went and became a college English teacher, got married, had two babies and opened a small business with my mom. Suddenly, my one little planner became five.

FIVE PLANNERS??! I know, I know…5 planners seems a bit crazy, especially if you are someone who is just trying to figure out how to use their first planner. So let me say again that the goal here is to build a planner (or planners) that work for YOU. I simply just want to share my process. And for me…I need 5 planners. I currently use:

A Home Management/Household Planner

{click on the links for more details and pictures on how I use each of these planners}

The very first time I broke away from my ONE planner was when I became a teacher. I noticed that trying to keep track of lesson plans, deadlines and other class material was getting to be too much in my personal planner. The same thing happened when we opened our Etsy shops.

The third time I broke away from my ONE planner was to move all of my Home Management printables to their own binder. I found that my husband was needing to look at these things too so keeping that planner in a place where we could both access it was key. Same goes for our budget planner, which we also use to house all of our bills {check out the system we use here. It has been a game changer}.

But if I had to narrow down to the two planners I use every single day to TOTALLY manage my life, it would be my Personal Planner & my Household Planner.



Deciding on the perfect size for my planners was definitely a struggle at first. I wanted portable, but I knew that an x-small planner would not accommodate my big handwriting. I literally tried EVERY planner size out there but in the end, I knew my Personal Planner couldn't be smaller than a half-sheet. In our shop, we call this size SMALL which measures 5.5 x 8.5. This size is perfect for an Arc Junior or Small Martha Stewart Discbound. It also works in Filofax and other A5 Planners (even though a true A5 page has slightly different dimensions).



The SMALL size is what I call my "happy medium" for portability and writing space. I carry a larger purse everywhere I go so this size planner fits neatly inside. And of course if I know I am going somewhere I will not need my planner, this beauty stays home on my desk.

As much as I would LOVE to be an electronic planner, I am a paper girl. Always have been, always will be. There are SOME things I keep on my phone and not in a planner (like contacts and passwords), but for the most part…this planner is my lifeline.

The calendar set I am using at the moment is our Seasonal Planner. I LOVE having my months change color with the season and no matter how much I love our Signature design, or the simplicity of our black and white sets…I always go back to Seasonal.

After a year of trying almost every different weekly layout there is, I have found that vertical weeks work best for me. I love all the writing space of the vertical weeks and that our Calendar Stickers fit so nicely in the squares :) This set comes with or without the meal planning option at the bottom, but I happen to love using it and seeing my menu with my other weekly plans. 


Right now, I have my planner divided into 5 sections or tabs that come after my calendar.


LISTS

Under lists, I carry just that. Lists. ToDo lists, "Books to Read" list, shopping lists, etc. It is nice having a section for just those sorts of things that don't really have a specific home. I also keep my Weekly Docket it in this section. I don't always use a docket, but when I have a particularly crazy week, it's nice to have a page-at-a-glance. 

HEALTH

When I designed our Health & Fitness Planner, I had a lot of people like myself in mind. When I start a project, especially one as big as losing weight, I like to plan EVERYTHING out to hold myself accountable. At one point in my life, I would have needed a separate planner for this. But right now, I just need a tab. Under "Health" I carry:

Insurance cards

HOLIDAYS

I am a HUGE planner when it comes to holidays, so I needed a special section for keeping track of birthdays and other special dates, holidays and parties. In this section I carry:

Special Dates List (FREE printable)
Holiday Lists (FREE printable)
Christmas Printables (FREE Printables)
Thanksgiving Printables (FREE Printables)
Easter Printables (FREE printbales)

TRAVEL

Even though we have a binder dedicated just to all of our camping stuff, I also include several planning pages, including the trip planner, in this section for quick reference and planning on the go. I also have note pages for our upcoming Disney vacation and any other trips (camping or otherwise) that we have planned. This section includes:

Disney Notes pages (coming soon)
Bucket List for vacations (FREE Printable)

 WORK

The last little section of my planner (with the polkadots) is for my shop stuff. I do have a large Etsy planner for tracking everything in our business, but it is nice to have some of those pages on the go. I also like plain old list paper in this section for jotting down ideas and brainstorms :) In this section I have:

simple list/note pages

I used to be a planner pack rat for a LONG time. I loved planners with a million pockets so I could stuff them full of everything I would need on the go. But what I soon realized is that I wasn't using half of that stuff on the go and all it was doing was weighing down my planner. So I added just a few business card holders for important contacts, and I added one folder for housing my calendar stickers :)



As you can see, my personal planner is filled with only things that I need access too. My hubby couldn't care less about my "Books to read" list and he has his own monthly/weekly calendar on his phone (I know many planners who opt for electronic calendars to sync with their spouses and then paper plan everything else :)

But the things he does need access to are now in our Household Planner.


Some call this a Home Management Binder as well, and I am sure you have come across How-to posts on Home Management binders all over Pinterest. This is another very personal planner that should be set up to meet YOUR family's needs. 

{You can download our "Together We Have it All Cover" for FREE in Small or Large}

These are the categories we are currently using:


I have given each of our kids their own section of the planner to house all of their school calendars and important handouts. As soon as something comes home, my hubby and I know to punch the page and put it right in the planner. 

HOME

Our Home section is filled with important documents and other maintenance info that we both like to keep track of on a regular basis {like brochures and info from our landscapers, schedules for our trash and recycling pick-up, etc.}

ACTIVITIES

Although the kids have their own section for school paperwork, I have also assigned a category to "Activities" because we get a number of different packets, flyers and schedules for events at our local library, parties and classes at our park district, concerts and special events in our town, etc. 

MENU

Meal planning is something that I have been trying to be so much better about lately. I have found that planning meals monthly AND weekly is incredibly helpful, and it's also great when you are working on a budget. In this section, I have meal planning sheets that I have laminated (although you could use a page protector too) so that I can just write my menu down and then wipe it off each month or week.



{Recipes & Meal Planner coming SOON}

Just as a tip, I prefer the Crayola Washable Dry Erase markers because they dry without smudging and wipe perfectly clean with a damp towel.

CLEANING

I have pretty much downloaded every cleaning printable that Martha Stewart has ever put on her website {get them here}, and although I love following them, I decided I really needed to develop my OWN cleaning schedule. There is a new cleaning schedule included in our updated FREE printables pack, and I just love it! 

HOLIDAY

All my "secret" party planning and holiday goodies are in my personal planner but in this section of my Household Planner, I have invites to holiday gatherings, Christmas Card lists, Special Dates pages (so the hubs can remember) and a 2014-2016 holiday list. All of these can be found in our free printable pack or our Christmas printable pack.

IMPORTANT

This section is a must-have in a Household Planner. It's where we keep all of our Emergency contact numbers, some CPR instructions and other helpful babysitter notes. We also keep a list of our Annual Renewals so we know when to renew our Sam's club membership, our vehicle registrations, etc. These are also in our free printables pack.

As much as I love the planner systems I am using right now, I realize that they are always a work in progress. What is "perfect" for our family today may not be the same tomorrow. The best advice I can possibly give to someone just starting to use a planner is to be open to change. If something isn't working, change it! To really use your planner(s) effectively…you have to enjoy using them. Make sure you answer Question #5 before deciding on your planner system. What does you "perfect planner" look like. For me…it's color. Lots and lots of color :)

I do hope this post helped give you some ideas for set up and of course if you ever have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact us!! We also welcome feedback and ideas for NEW planners and printables you would like to see offered in the shop. We have lots to come so be sure to follow along!

Now let's get organized!!!!

******************************

Supplies used in this post:



35 comments:

  1. Jen, First, I LOVE THE PLANNER. It's the most functional one I have ever had. One thing that I thought would be nice to add would be a website/password list. I have a user name and password for a million things. I know you aren't supposed to write down passwords, but I have a couple that I rotate with and I have a nickname for each one... so even if my planner was stolen, they wouldn't be able to break in my accounts.. but it would certainly save the three attempt log in... which is never fun. Just a thought... I was going to create one for me... but I thought it would be super fun that actually MATCHED the rest of the stuff.. not that you don't have a million other things going on or anything.... again, Love the planner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This page has been a HUGE hit Kate! Thanks for the idea to include it :-)

      Delete
  2. I am so excited to put my planner together! I had already made the decision to get myself completely organized and this s going to be a tremendous help :-). Thanks for taking the time to do this post! I can't believe I never thought of an annual appt. list ~ brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Karen!! I hope you are loving your planner now that it's all together :-)

      Delete
  3. Thanks for sharing how you use your planner! Your planner printables are so cute! I love the colors and design. The Arc systems seems pretty cool too. I have a blog post drafted about my planner and wanting to switch to something cute but not sure if it will work for me :( I think I need to rework my Home Management Binder though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Danielle, not that I have been using the Arc system for my planner, I want to replace every notebook and binder in my house because I love it THAT MUCH!!! You may want to give it a try at some point...I swear you wouldn't be disappointed!

      Delete
  4. This is an awesome planner!! Love it all! Thank you for sharing!

    http://steelgardenias.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. I LOVE my planner. It is exactly what I have wanted! You got your love of planners from me you know!!! Anyway, I am also using it as a journal as I try to write something down every day on the weekly pages. Little things that may not mean much now but will be interesting to go back and read at the end of the year! And Kate Ross' idea of the password sheet was a great one. Now I need to give you some ideas to create some craft pages for the quilters and knitters in the group. Like needle sizes, fabric stash, Project sheet. How about a "Bucket List" page!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad Mom :-) And you know I will hook you up with all the extras you need.

      Delete
  6. DYING. I love all of this so much and am so proud of all of your hard work!!! The planner is literally PERFECT in every way and your home management printables are just as wonderful. love love love!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have used the arc system this year and took apart an Erin Condren planner. Parts of it work and parts of it are lacking. I look forward to trying yours out later this fall when it is time to get ready for 2014.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Christy!! We are obsessed with the Arc system and I have an entire notebook page filled with ideas for our future planner pages and free printables :-) The 2014 set will be out in October!

      Delete
  8. I would like to use the smaller size Arc book, the 8.5 X 5.5 size. Will the printables accommodate the smaller size, or are they just for the bigger books? Love, love, love the planner, but would prefer the smaller size.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there! The smaller size of my FREE printables are available for a limited time!! Woohoo! Just click on our "Planner Pages" link at the top of the page for all the quick links :-)

      Delete
  9. I guess that was worded a bit awkwardly. I would like to use the 8.5 X 5.5 size. Are the printables available in that size, or can I order them to fit that size? I'm VERY interested! (There. Was that a little more understandable and a little less confusing? :0)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there! Your comment was not confusing at all! In fact, you are not the first person to request the smaller size so I am happy to say that we WILL be offering the smaller size with the launch of our January - December 2014 set!! They should be out in October. Stay tuned...

      Delete
  10. Jen these are amazing! I can't wait to get the full kit (everything for the large sized) for my Jr. ARC :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Ashley!! The Jr. size freebies are available! Just click on our "Planner Pages" tab at the top of our blog.

      Delete
  11. Your pages are so pretty! I'm using a Jr ARC and I just love it. I absolutely adore the fact that I could customize it & how easy it is to re-position your pages. I just wish we have a Staples store here in my country so that I can buy the accessories myself.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was wondering if Staples or another store would punch the papers so that the purchase of the hole puncher wasn't necessary. Do you have any idea? Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. My boyfriend bought me a purple leather a5 arc for Christmas and the punch. I'm dying to make my own printable but I don't have the right software I don't think, and paper and printing stresses me out - do I cut A4 down to size or do I buy A5 paper? Your designs are so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You actually don't need any special software to print the pages! You just need a printer and home computer! My small pages are set up to be printed on 8.5 x 11 paper and cut down the middle! Be sure to read over our print instructions under the "Planner Pages" tab to see how to do it :)

      Delete
  14. Love this free printables. Don't you have in xsmall? Pleasseee....
    Best regardes.
    Sónia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My goal for the rest of the year is to offer more options in x-small. Stay tuned!!

      Delete
  15. I love your printables, they are so cute. I have been curious to know what program people use to create these. I have some ideas for printables that would be specific to my family and would like to try my hand at creating my own. Do you mind telling what program you use to make yours?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Do you just print on regular copy paper? Your pages seem so bright.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually prefer 24lb - 28lb paper. It's not too thick and not too thin. However, the vibrancy of my colors has a lot to do with the quality of my printer and having fresh ink cartridges :)

      Delete
  17. Jennifer, I just downloaded my planner pages and custom cover that you made in pink chevron with a turquoise stripe. It is PERFECT! I love it and want to thank you so very much for doing that! I love all of your printables and really appreciate your fantastic printing instructions as well! I can't wait to put it all together when I return from vacation:-) Thanks again! Tammy Haverfield

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Tammy!! I am so happy you love your planner. It makes all the hard work worth it :)

      Delete
  18. While I absolutely love all of your planner pages, I am still struggling to find something to fit my personality. So, I have decided to design my own. The only problem is I can't find a free or affordable software! Would you mind telling me what software you use to make your designs? Much appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am so excited that I found your blog and etsy store! I'm a college student and new substitute teacher and I am kind of freaking out because I don't have an organization system in place yet but I can't wait to download some of your planners and get started

    ReplyDelete
  20. Where did you get the tabs for lists, health, holidays, travel etc...? They are so cute and I would love some! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Do you know if there is a certain hole punch for the Martha Stewart discbound?

    ReplyDelete