Planners Never Worked For Me. This $12 Notebook Did.
I was not born an organized person, definitely not Type A. But I've become more organized by force.
What started out as a single woman in a messy apartment, with no real extra responsibility, turned into being entrenched in academia while working. This forced me to schedule ahead and get my ducks in a row, or else.
At first, I had no regular rhythm of checking my email- to my detriment. In fact, I took internet out of my apartment. Professors looked down their nose at me when I did not respond in a timely manner (or missed assignments, oops). So that didn’t last long. I needed a planner and internet, fast.
Fast forward to getting married and eventually becoming a mom who worked a part-time. Then, I blinked and we had a house full of children, and I was home full-time. Every child added brought more complexity to the household, and I was forced into figuring out how to make it all work and manage the home. I cannot tell you how many appointments I missed or botched dinner plans because I ran out of an ingredient (or two). And so, the hunt for the perfect mom planner ensued.
I found some great ones over the years (and spent a decent amount of money, collectively), but nothing ever quite gave me exactly what I needed. I still had to use sticky notes (which I frequently lost). At least I was planning, right?
Now, I use a $12 notebook, and it meets every single one of my needs. No lost sticky notes or side to-do lists needed.
It’s been fabulous, and I haven't looked back.
This Week's Takeaway
Here's my case for using a little notebook:
It keeps everything together in one place, and so I don't lose anything: weekly plans, daily to do’s, meal plan, my rolling to do list (to be explained another time), packing lists, handwritten newsletters, and anything else that comes up that I need to keep track of.
I can easily find what I need because my notebook has two bookmarks (one for the week, one for the day), and tabs for anything I need to come back to.
It's small enough to fit in my kitchen drawer (AKA my office drawer) or my purse so I can take it anywhere.
It’s $12 vs. $75.
It’s simple. Very easy to use, very easy to find.
It’s MINE. Perfectly customized to fit MY needs.
I get to use (erasable) pen and paper to keep track of life needs, which helps my clinically ADD mom brain stay focused.
This little $12 notebook helps me manage a home of 8, no sticky notes needed. It's been a relief to have the perfect tool to keep my ducks in a row.
Now — there's no calendar to plan ahead in a notebook, so here's what makes this work: you can either get a small paper calendar that fits in the back pocket of the notebook, OR do what I do and use Google Calendar so that you can share the calendar with your spouse. Referenced once a week for weekly planning.
In short, there are a lot of great planners out there, made by people who have put quite a bit of thought into making them functional and beautiful. But, at the end of the day, someone else created the planner for what worked for them.
A simple $12 notebook allows you to manage life in a way that works for you.
If you want to see what it looks like on the inside, I show you in today's video — check it out here.
