To use a paper planner or not is today’s post although it was supposed to be about a kitchen renovation which my husband and I are working on. I decided not to post it as I felt that there could be something better or different I could share.
I went through my list of possible topics and decided to go share with you a few planners that I have used over the years and what I am trying out now.
Paper planners give you something to look back on in case you may have forgotten something. I find that my planner gives me a way to relax, be calm with myself. It’s sort of peaceful to plan my week and even decorate it with a few stickers.
Just like my fitness planner which is also a paper planner, I have a way to look back and see what I have done before and where I need to make changes.
Click here to purchase a fitness planner if you want to track your workouts.
Passion Planner
I have been a Passion Planner user for almost as many years as they have been in business. I bought my first Passion Planner right out of their kickstarter. The Passion Planner has developed over the years to go from different colors to different sizes. They never wavered from the layout which is good.
Right now the Passion Planner team has three sizes to choose from: Small, Medium and Large. I have owned all three sizes and personally enjoyed the medium size the best. Oh and did I mention that they also have a Sunday start and a Monday start. That means your week and month can start on Sunday or Monday.
There is also a month end wrap up section where you can answer the questions and summarize your month. This is great for helping you move forward into the next month.
The only thing I wish the Passion Planner had was a spiral option. However, I still can use it quite nicely for my planning needs. Those needs consist of blog post planning, plans to create pins for Pinterest, dinner, workouts and much more!
So click on the link and check out the Passion Planner to see if it is right for you.
Amplify Planner
Recently, a gal I purchase planner stickers from on etsy, joined ventures with another person and the two of them created the Amplify Planner. Now the Amplify Planner is a quarterly planner that consists of a monthly calendar, weekly planner, and daily pages. Each of those sections: Monthly, Weekly and Daily can all be used in different ways. This planner is spiral bound which was the first thing that attracted me to it.
For example, I use the monthly part of the planner to track bills. I purchase stickers from Franny Lambs Sticker etsy shop for each bill that is due and place it on the due date. I even have stickers that I use for when payday is. This allows me to determine how many bills I can pay that pay period.
Fortunately, for me and my husband, our pay days are on different weeks allowing us to pay bills weekly if need be. Although, this only seems to happen part of the year, making the monthly calendar an essential part of the bill pay process for us.
Weekly part of this planner has been throwing me a curve ball on how to use it. The weekly consists of a graphed section for each day of the upcoming week. I started using it for blog planning and then just fell off the wagon there.
I do intend to keep trying the weekly for the blog planning section going forward. We can only get better at something, if we keep being persistent, right?
The daily pages are great! I can highlight the hours I work my regular job in the timeline section, located on the left side of the page and list out in there what I need to accomplish at work that day. The daily habits, located to the far right, I list out four things that are habits for me and those are: Workout, Vitamins, Breakfast and Plan Day.
These four habits may change later but for now they are keeping me on task with my goals. The section right under the daily habits has four sections in gray. I use the first section for Blog Goals and list out what goals I have for my blog, the 2nd section is used for blog learning which I list what I want to learn.
The third section is for my novel writing to do list. I am currently writing two books: Boomerang and Return to Devil’s Doorway. My first book Devil’s Doorway came out earlier this year. So I use this section to create a short to do list of each book.
NOTES is the fourth section. I can put anything here I need. Reminders, more to do’s, a quote, gratitude, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Middle section consists of Today’s Priorities, Work Tasks, and Personal Tasks sections. I use the work task section to list out blog tasks I need to complete that day, personal tasks section usually has wash dishes, pay bills, grocery shopping, etc. listed or anything else I need to do at home. The today’s priorities section has not been filled yet. I am still working on that.
I have only had this planner 10 days as of today since it came out in time for July to start. This planner doesn’t have a monthly wrap up at the end of the month like the Passion Planner does but it does have a very nice quarter wrap up at the end before the notes section of the planner.
So click on the link and check out the Amplify Planner to see if it is right for you.
Wrap Up of Both Planners
Both of these planners have a pocket in the back for anything you may need. You can keep stickers, passwords, etc back there. I keep a list of passwords occasionally and current medications I am taking in that pocket.
These two planners have limitless possibilities for personal, school, work, and even side hustles. Free downloads available as well in case you want to try them out and decide for yourself! Customer service is very good as well. Issues get resolved right away or to the best of their abilities.