a 3-month review of my new planner;

So I’ve been planner geeking out with a couple of my coworkers recently helping a friend set up her new planner, and I have to say, it’s making me think more consciously about my planner than I have in a while.  After my initial set-up, and I might call it slight obsession over my planner, it’s fallen a bit by the wayside.  And by that I mean in the most successful way possible.  If the planner itself recedes into the background and I’m more focused on tasks and productivity, then I’m succeeding, right?

So here’s some of the pros and cons of my current setup:

1. Pro: I’m loving two of the three categories I chose for my dailies.  Separating out “must do” from “would like to” has done wonders for my sanity.
2. Con: I wonder if my third daily category, “work” could be put to better use.  What it comes down to is there’s really not enough space for me to list out everything I need to do, so it’s hit or miss when I use it
3. Pro: Center lists. To be honest, the “habit tracker” did a lot to ease my mind when I was using it consistently.  It helped me feel more in control and deliberate in my days when things were crazy and I was adapting to a schedule of Tyler traveling 4 days a week, and making sure I handled all my responsibilities.  I’ve since trickled off in my dedicated use, but it was a super helpful tool for me when I was feeling overwhelmed and feeling accomplished for getting tons of little things done that should also be acknowledged and rewarded
4. Con:  A5 paper availability.  I’ve found printer grade paper, but that means it’s fairly translucent and you can see dark text through the opaque color.  Additionally, the prepped pages I bought from Dokibook are thick, which is good for calendars and the like, but also have filled the width of my planner and don’t give me as much reserve paper for lists and notes as I would like.

I hope when I get some free time I’ll be able to work on some more printables!  To be perfectly frank, I think with the wedding creeping up on me it might realistically be a while before I get to posting things like the Goal Planner or Party Planner that are in the works.  In the meantime though, because my coworker was interested, here are some more flexible printables of the existing center lists I shared so that you can adapt your own more readily!

Swapping a Bills checklist for Meals/Shopping:

CenterLists-PrintLayout_Lucia[Print this Printable]

Blank titles for more customization!

CenterLists-PrintLayout_noTitles[Print this Printable]

Related posts:

finding a planner that worked for me; 4 tips to find a planner that works for you; the planner tools starter kit; introducing the tipsy life!