I always love marking the start of a new year by buying myself a new planner. I know we’re a month and a half in now, but every time I share a pic of this planner in stories, I get so many questions about it so I figured I’d share a little more about which one I have and why I love it.
In the past, I always got one from Rifle Paper Co. I love that brand and it’s a great basic planner, but this year I was looking for something more goal-oriented that would keep me on track and focused towards the things I want to accomplish.
You guys gave me a bunch of suggestions for different ones, but the two that I found myself deciding between were there Passion Planner and Plum Paper Co’s customizable planner. I ended up with Plum Paper Co’s because I was able to customize, add sections, pick my weekly view, colors and so much more. But, the Passion Planner actually includes a ton of stuff that I added to mine, so really, I don’t think you could go wrong with either!
And, one perk of the Passion Planner is that it’s leather-bound which I love. Mine is good and sturdy, but it’s thick and I do with it had a leather cover or something a little nicer looking.
Monthly View
The monthly view is probably similar to most calendars. It’s a grid and a nice at-a-glance view at everything. Just before the start of each month there’s a page for goals and notes for the whole month which I really love. Nothing fancy, but necessary! It comes with all planners too.
Weekly View
To me, this was the coolest part about Plum Paper’s Planner. They have several different weekly views. Some are by hour, time of day, vertical, horizontal! I picked the one that broken down by priority. I find that as a working mama, I don’t have endless time to check things off my list and that my schedule is often getting thrown off mid-day. So, for me, having my top 3 priorities and top 3 to-dos is great. Doesn’t matter when it happens, but it keeps me focused when I have it broken down like that.
I can write appointments, notes or more to-dos in the section underneath there as well which is great. I also love that there’s a section at the top that’s just blank for random notes—I usually write a positive little note or phrase to myself there. On the other top side there’s a section called habit tracker. I switch it up occasionally, but usually write things like “workout,” “celery juice,” “bed by 10:15,” and other healthy habits I’m trying to stick to just to keep them top of mind!
At the bottom of the week view, there’s another area that’s slightly darker grey and I often write down different things I want to talk about on stories or Instagram because I’m a hot mess and forget otherwise! But, you could use it for anything you want—what you’re going to cook for dinner that night or what self-care you’re going to do!
Add-On Sections
This was another really cool feature that drew me to this planner. They’re an add-on cost, but very affordable. Honestly, I haven’t put these to use as much as I wanted, but I’m hoping to get better as I get used to doing it. I added a blog section and a sales section for my Beautycounter business.
The blogging section has been great for brain-dumping ideas and thinking big picture. It helps organize giveaways (not that I do many of those), sponsorships, expenses, income and logins, but again, I haven’t been great about keeping tabs on this. Goals for the next month!
The sales section has actually been really helpful. There are some areas that I don’t fully utilize, but it’s been great for helping me plan events that I want to do, incentives or specials for certain months and running our BFK mastermind program (if you’re a blogger, you might be interested in this—click here for more info!).
Admittedly, I haven’t used either of these sections as much as I thought I would, but I think it’s mostly because I don’t take the time to sit down and plan, which is something I’m hoping to do in March. These past two months have been a lot of flying by the seat of my pants!
The Cover & Binding
The cover is customizable and there are so many options for different designs. You can put your initials on there, your name, any text! I just went with the year because I guess I’m sorta boring, but it fit what I wanted. The cover is thicker cardboard with a heavy plastic cover. It’s very sturdy! The binding is hearty too and I don’t worry that it’s going to come apart—both are high quality!
Size
Lastly, the size! This is actually one of the first things you pick, but I’m just now remembering it. I went with the 7″x9″ planner. Not too big, not too small in my opinion! There’s a smaller and larger size if that’s better for you, but I really love the size I have!
Overall, I’m very very happy with my pick and highly recommend it! It’s been super helpful at keeping me organized and staying on track. I love being able to physically cross things off my list. Also, I love the extra cool additional features that come with it. If you’re in the market for a new planner, definitely give this one a good look before making your final decision!
If there’s anything I missed, feel free to ask a question below!
BTW, how to set yourself up for financial success this year, and a year in review and looking forward at 2019.
