What worked best for me was realizing that you're not picking a planner for the rest of your life! You can try something different next year (or whatever timeframe you plan around)! There doesn't have to be this pressure to pick the perfect thing that will work forever!!!
All the planners are so tempting but I have found that a running weekly in my bujo with pages for my main projects and goals broken down works perfectly. I have to keep reminding myself I have found my planner and don't need to buy anything else.
I figured out how to set up my bujo and supplements so i can migrate to a new journal in like 5-15 minutes. So if i really need a hit of stationery dopamine i can just get a new journal instead of messing up all my systems
The thing that helps me most with deciding is NOT watching PWMs and looking at IG posts, because the times when I most want to try/buy a new planner are when I see how someone else has used it or decorated it. (And 9 times out of 10, when I do decide to buy it based on that reason, I end up disappointed, because of course I can’t replicate someone else’s skills or planner style.) I’ve been planner-hopping a lot this year, and lately, I’ve been trying to dive back into my own personal planner archives instead of looking to the internet for inspo-where was I most content? Where did I abandon specific planners and why? Also, my needs change during the year, because I’m a teacher and case manager, and I need way more structure during the school year than I do during the summer. My latest lesson learned is to NOT start a new planner in July because it’s not an accurate picture of my needs during most of the year.
Good points, Thu! I'm all about personalization and not looking too much at what others have. I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
OMG! Within the first four minutes you gave me a path towards plan peace, in 23 years at my last job I only needed a monthly calendar to track meetings, appointments and deadlines; everything else was either kept in my head or on disposable to do list. When I left my job at the end of 2019 I knew I needed the structure that my work schedule used to provide so I bought a weekly planner with goalsetting. That worked terrific for nine months until I accomplished all of the projects and to do‘s that had been hanging over my head. Since last September I’ve been struggling to find a planning system that works. In April 2021 I went back to work but there is nothing about this new job that requires a planner or any planning. Disposable to do lists that I can shred at the end of the day with confidential information on them works perfectly for this new job. But having you highlight the difference between tracking a schedule and planning projects was a real awakening as I consider my 2022 to planner options. So grateful for that insight. Thank you!!!! 🙏
I quit the planner chaos and got a happy planner. That way I can buy inserts when I feel the itch. All HP supplies are very affordable. I change out my covers to satisfy my fickle planner moods. I’m so over collecting stuff I can’t consume! I am strongly considering undated inserts for 2022 so that I don’t have so many blank pages when I fall off the planner wagon.
I started doing this in the fall too and have really enjoyed the flexibility based on my needs. I have one for work and one for home. Started with Inkwell Press, but realize I don’t need to spend the $$$$$ with HP
Tomoe River paper is essentially coated rice paper which has been used for almost 2000 years in China, Japan, and Korea, among others. They are thin, but very sturdy against water. Very much unlike the toilet paper you compared it to.
I finally found the perfect planner for me-day designer weekly! Extra blank note pages, detachable bookmark,, goal-setting, budget pages, and 30+ undated daily pages for busy days when you want the option to schedule by the hour. I'm so tired of these planner launches where I end up spending over $100 just to feel like I can make it work. That's one of the reasons I skipped powersheets this year.
Awesome, Dolores! I bet that feels great! I finally settled on a good system too. I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
This year was the first year I bullet journaled and LOVED it! It took me a solid 3 months to love it and once I loved it I planned my entire year - instead of monthly, it was all drawn out. I’m not an artist, but seeing pictures I liked from others online, I eyeballed it and I’m so proud of myself. Tracking my period all in one page was helpful along with how I physically feel, so helpful. I need a thicker paper ‘cause all my pages bleed through. Love that I came across your channel two years ago ❤️🇨🇦😘
I gave up on keeping a planner & have gone to a 18x24" dry-erase wall calendar that I can see from my couch/walk past to go to bed. I have an iPad + Goodnotes so I can always make a new notebook in there as needed (and do for grad school notes/plans!). I live vicariously through you for actually maintaining a planner lol
I LOVE watching all of the different videos within the planner community - from simple and minimal to stickers everywhere! For my usage, I found exactly what I was searching for. I've invested in the Moleskine Smart Writing System - I picked up the Weekly Planner and the fact that I can still get the old school need to write it down but the convenience of having everything that I write in (with their pen) uploads into my google calendar.
I love the “pee paper”. Man, you go hard on that paper haha. I don’t follow many planner on UA-cam who use the same planners as me since I hang in the Japanese realm (Jibun techo and hobonichi) so I don’t feel very influenced in that way. I’ve tried them all. EC, Plum Paper, bullet journal, you name it. The thoughtfulness of most Japanese planners is why I finally settled in with my planner peace. Also they don’t take up as much room if you save them for years to come which is nice hehe
The biggest piece of advice I have about planner season is to unfollow any social media accounts that make you want to buy stationary that you don't want/can't afford. I know that some people can watch UA-cam hauls and follow vendors on Instagram without getting FOMO, but that's a huge trigger for others. If you are the second group, hide or unfollow those accounts for a few months. You can always come back to them once the craze has passed. Also, here's a Pro-Tip - if you regularly use stickers and/or date covers, considering buying a 2021 planner on clearance and use it in 2022. Once you cover the dates, you won't know the difference.
I absolutely LOVE your planner videos. It's so real. I was browsing a few videos for more inspo. I've got the Passion Planner & was browsing for ways to set it up better - or if I needed another. The months altogether & weeks altogether would drive me crazy too. I'd rather have the month, then the weeks, then the next month, then the weeks. Mahalo!
I have ADHD and I'm autistic. I have time blindness and other issues that make basically everything really hard. I use my journal more for project planning but i put in a timeline for when I'm awake to help me really understand what i can get done in a day. Like if i have to run errands an hour away, and half the places close at 5, and i plan to leave at 4, that's obviously/visibly not compatible. I have made a lot of supports for myself within my planner, because I'm so impaired. They're really helpful. Like right now i have to add "defrost car" to my schedule before i go anywhere. I can't account for that kind of stuff by memory. I use the timeline to plan but also to record stuff like when I took morning meds or cold medicine or whatever, so i don't take the next dose too early. Just all the stuff i used to have on notepads all over. It's so helpful. The timeline gives me a place to do a reality check with overly optimistic to-do lists. Sometimes i write the estimated time next to some tasks on my list, so i can block them out on the timeline and encourage myself to just get it over with, it's a 5min task for cryin out loud
I'm definitely a BuJoer for life. I attempted to change this year, but my spreads slowly morph over time and I like the ability to add lists where necessary. Having total control to change from month to month and even week to week definitely creates the best planner for me.
I went through all the pros and cons this time last year and settled on rings, and am staying with my Filofax collection for next year, though have to confess I am still missing my Leuchtturm a little... and I only use horizontal weekly layouts with Monday starts. Don't think disc systems are available over here 🇬🇧, but I can't stand the clatter anyway! Dated versus undated - dated all the way, though I have been known to re-date a previous year's pages so's not to waste them! I would feel so bad starting a planner and changing to something else every few weeks. I'm a stayer. Great video !
I have a A6 hobonichi planner for personal things I'm really happy with it. But for my work/research... Ugh I think I'm on my 3th version/planner now. I always had a bullet journal but this school year I started a new job and it involves a lot more future planning instead of task based planning. I never liked to future plan a whole year in my bujo. It isn't how my brain sees time and drawing all those things sucked. But I really dislike most planners. Even my beloved midori couldn't hack it. So much empty space.... But today I saw the planner of a colleague and theirs looks very good and easily changeable to how I would plan in it. It helped seeing how they used it for the same kind of work we do. Plus I could still get one for a school year! Also it's in my language! Which I'm weirdly excited for because my culture is very practical so having a planner, targeted at adults but with some fun things (I mean do I like quotes? Not really. But do I like seeing them in my language? Hell yeah!), is very unusual. Normally I have to get something in English or Japanese. So yes I'm actually excited for a new agenda which feels weird...
The budget is definitely key! I found the Inamio planner which ticked 99% of my boxes. It's $20, 8.5x11, bookbound, vertical hourly, dated, no quotes, very neutral and basic, and uses a 5cm grid so my bullet journal stickers will work in it. Only downside is the months and weeks are separated, but I can definitely live with that. And I'm doing an undated discbound daily planner for work using printables and an A5 discbound cover and dics I had laying around. I'm feeling pretty good about 2022. ❤
Hi Cindy, this video and the last one you did really opened my mind!! I think the key issue here - is that we have nearly finished 2 years of pandemic induced instability in our lives. Pre-pandemic - I could commit to a planner for 12 months, and happily used some of the major brands. Right now - I can see that the life I lead as a Mom is different during a strict lock-down (in Australia) and different again when we are open and the kids are at school... and different again when on summer holidays. So I went ahead and got out the old 5 size rings and a variety of inserts, some dated, some undated. I'll make it up month by month, with a set of 12 month calendars to keep it going. The key (for me) was establishing a GTD system. Currently thinking about goals for next year and integrating the pages into the rings planner... realising the planner has to serve ME, practicality wins the day:-)
I want all the bullshit in my planner. I want all the designs, all the quotes, all the prompts, and all the color. Provided the designs are ones I like then those are the things that actually make me want to use the planner (motivate me) 😃. When I buy plain planners I end up not planning at all. It’s pretty much what happened this year when the Happy Planner started going “neutral” and eliminating currently pages and continuity of design in their planners 🥺.
G'day Cindy, I was doing some purging and cleaning the other day and came across some planners that were still in the plastic from years ago. I have decided to not waste them and am just going to adjust the dates and use them, especially for morning routine/journalling and avoiding the hype so I'm not so wasteful.
I love it when you do this kinda video😍😁you are so refreshing with this is how the planner/crafting marketingworld really works on us all....you make me think about where am i now and what i need now? And why do i want stuff😁 thank you for that😁
At home, I started in an Erin Condren 3 ring binder then remembered that I f*ing hate binders and replaced it with a softbound which was on sale at the time. By the time I got through that, I had discovered the wonder that is ring bound (the nice metal ones) for my office notes and meeting minutes. As I had invested in a ring punch, I bought a Plum Paper Planner unpunched for 2021 and was very happy with it. Next year I'm buying my PPP pre-ring-punched and trying out the monthly with a Monday start. I've stuck with the vertical columns (not hourly) the whole time and that works for me. At work I have a B5 brain dump "bullet journal" that just has the Plant Based Bride's rolling weekly (only I modified it to do two work weeks instead of one seven day week) every two page spread to track tasks that might otherwise fall through the cracks. I just started a small A5 weekly goals page to help me be more intentional and focused about my work. It's a little odd having two books for work, but it's helping and it's easy to keep up, so I'm going to stick with it for a while longer.
For 2022, I am trying out a whole bunch of planners because I worked overtime and was able to afford them. I plan on having fun with them all and deciding which ones to use in 2023.
I bought a monthly/weekly planner because I thought it would help with saving time making layouts and such in my bullet journal. I realized quickly even though sometimes I stress about making the layouts, it’s a creative outlet that I NEED to have. Plus the customization. Back to a bujo for the new year!
Thanks for this wonderful video, Cindy, it was really helpful. I'm in an 18 month planner, so I'm staying strong with it for next year, but this video has really helped know myself about next time (and will help me stay strong this year). Also, I learned quickly that I MUST be able to fold a planner in on itself. Non negotiable.
I keep thinking I need power sheets because that's the goal setting system I'm following for 2022. But I already know my goals, I already have them broken down, and between following you and Laken, I know I'll stay on track. So I keep reminding myself I don't need it. Maybe in 2023 if I need to do soul searching to find my goals, but not for 2022.
I look forward to seeing what planner you choose. Personally, I am so lost as to which planner to get. This helped to realize that I really need to narrow down what I want and then search for that. Bullet journal may be the best, but I tried that and struggled with keep up with drawing everything out.
Omg I hate the layouts with monthly layouts separate from weeks! So obnoxious. Why. Why. I've also discovered I can't do vertical, because I write too big. Need more space. I also like neutral, so I can decorate myself. And I'm with you on O ring. I went with it because I love the layout, but it's not my preference. And I'm annoyed the paper isn't thicket, but I heard the creator is going to go thicker for 2023. So if that happens, I'll probably stick with that one, because I like the layout a lot. I'm that person who will use the damn thing because I spent money on it, damnit. Lol
Paper and size are my top considerations so starting with an A5 (I like space too but it has to be portable). Paper needs to be fountain pen friendly. I also like it in English and structured/layout pre-filled out (not just blank pages) month then week, dated, Monday start and to round it out, some note pages. My planner peace, A5 Wonderland 222.
In 2021 I bought a planner & just didn’t like it...then I bought Plum Paper Daily but uncoiled I have a hole puncher for an A5 binder I already had & loving it!! This way I can still customized it and add pages...I am a detailed person & I probably track too much stuff. Instead of ordering the PowerSheets I bought a simple weekly planner that has weekly goals & to do list and habit tracker for 6 things and the other page has 8 lines for to dos each day, weekends are together & that’s fine. That is good enough for goal settings...on my monthly page in my Plum Paper I make a list of goals and then on the weekly planner I write down which ones I want to do. I just recently purchased the weekly one & started now in November...
I am new to planning, and I bought a planner for the way it looked. It took me 3 1/2 months to figure out how I wanted to use it. I do love the planner now, however I wish it was bigger and I wish it was book bound.
Oh Cindy, I feel with you. Having a large hand writing and A5 always felt so small. Most layout ideas from other UA-camr won't work for me because of space 😜 Now I found the "perfect" Notebook: B5 STM with 120 GSM and over 200 pages to last for a whole year 🥳 this Format is very hard to find in Germay - especilly with lots of paper. With this Notebook I'm in bujo heaven and ready for 2022 💪🏻
I’ve already started my 2022 bujo. Will stick to the bujo method now that I know of it. I like that I can customise it to my liking and I find the rolling weekly practical.
I didn't realize how important color was until I had one where the alternating color was yellow and another was coral. Spent so much time covering stuff up. Learn from my mistake and flip through the entire thing!
I quit the planner chaos about 4 years ago. I found the Hobo weeks and never looked back. I never decorated, that seemed ridiculous to me. My weeks has my schedule and upcoming tasks. Thats all I need. It fits in my purse and off I go.
So far my paper planner for work is a EC horizontal A5 agenda folio because it is the perfect size for work and my todo’s. I use to use HP but vertical and horizontal has too much space and the mini is too small. No need for a daily for my work since I just say what I am doing in my digital planner and for wok its simple.. start work, lunch, if there are meetings and off works no need to double write that if I were to get a EC daily lol. For my digital planner which is my everyday and I like daily days that include time slots is a toss up between Breezy Organization, The Daily Planners and Creating with Lucy. I am using Breezy now and love it but I love the daily planners since it looks like a EC with a daily page on each side vs a daily page on one side and a blank page on the other.
Great advice as usual, Cindy! It's taken me YEARS to figure out my ideal needs for a planner, and I'm still constantly reworking it. I wish videos like yours had existed back when I was new to the idea of planners! I've had a lot of wasted planners because I didn't know what would really work best. How far we've all come. 😆💕 Thanks for your insight!!
I totally agree! Its taken me a long time too, I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
I love what you said about going with your gut. I really love the way Ivory Paper Co’s planner is layed out, but during a recent sale, it just didn’t feel right to get it. Then I watched a review video by Amanda on the Hemlock and Oak planner and it just clicked. It has all of my wants and I can live with the rest of it.
I was thinking the same, Sandra! Love her stuff. I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
This is the year I realized I need a messy planner AND a separate pretty memory keeping journal. Separating the two has made everything nicer, more peaceful.
I've been trying to be mindful during planner release season. Hoping I continue to stay strong with the Makselife launch coming up. My biggest must is an academic year planner. As a student I want all of a school year to be in one book, because that's how I think
Discs - I spent years walking past them in the store and wondering why anyone would use something so bulky and ugly. And then... I experienced the "thrum." The first time I pulled a piece of paper off the discs I was sold. I've tried using bound and coils since then and I keep going back to discs. I love being able to move my pages.
I have a feeling that I may succumb to discs eventually. I have been so against them, but for the way that my brain works & what I need, coils alone won't work. I want to be stubborn 🥲
I love them. Used them for years, but they've been too bulky for me recently (and I was buying too many accessories for them), so I swerved to bound and am loving it more than I ever thought I would.
I am with you. I hated the Happy Planner I saw at Michael’s, but then when I saw some more conservative ones, after buying and Inkwell Press system for 21-22, and paying big $$$$$, I realized I could get so many different options from HP, and modify for my needs regularly. I love being able to pull prior week layouts out, using dailies and tossing them (recycling) after, etc.
Thank you for mentioning the calendar on the fridge!. I use one so I have an overview.. I felt like I was doing something 'wrong' by not using a monthly calendar in my bujo. I need something that I see first thing in the morning and last thing at night to remind me. I also put appts in my phone but I still like my old school calendar on the fridge.
I got into planning March/April and I have slowly been discovering what I like and don't like. I am very much a functional planner, although I do like a little bit of decoration but as long as it doesn't stop the functional side of things, I will add lttle bits of decoration here and there. I like vertical layout (like an hourly vertical more then HP vertical). I also seem to like daily, weekly and monthly layouts in one planner, but they can be hard to come by (I already have a Hobonichi Cousin A5) for 6-12 months
This one of those times I'm grateful to be out of the planner loop - I don't even see the marketing from the major players. Google calendar for appointments, Hebcal for Jewish dates and times, and everything else is bujos with discs and dot grid. Monthly and weekly for home, monthly and daily for work, HP mini size to live in my purse. I'm not even changing covers this year. Suggestion - have you thought about using a standard loose-leaf binder for your work journal? Might be less frustrating.
I am a new subscriber and this is such a great explanation. Thank you. For me, I have five different planners, four HP classic size and one mini for on the go. I use the vertical for my catchall, dashboards for work and a nonprofit I manage, a mini dashboard for on the go, and a wellness journal which is a modified vertical. That works for me. But you're right, the format is important. This is a great video, along with your Skill Share class. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
I have figured out what works for me and I no longer look at other planners. I can take pen and hilighter to my pages or use my sticker and washi stash. Using up what I have.
This makes total sense. I love your practical videos. The planner advertising is very sophisticated & tempting, but I have a budget & although I adore pretty things & all things stationery, I very much see through the marketing strategies & ploys. Thanks for your sensible advice. It's great advice for newbies to the planner world.
I used a vertical hourly for years to keep track of the many offices I worked in. Now that I’m not doing that, next year I’m going to use the MyAgenda. I’m not keen on the paper color, but I can live with it. No more daily either. I’ll be very scaled back 🙌
Trying to decide if I want to get the freebee planner from work or buying one. This past year was a freebie. Not bad. I have enough room to add trackers. I really have enjoyed the clever fox. Those were the 2 I had before
Perfect timing for this video. I've been trying to decide on a planner for months! Now I have some guidelines as I look at them. Also hearing that companies have downloads of their layouts to try out is a revalation! Thanks for that tip!! I might also watch your skill share video. Thanks!!!
I love Consumerism Cindy videos - all great points! For me, I'm all torn up trying to decide between sticking with paper or moving to digital. I like being able to take my planner with me everywhere so part of me is all, "digital and then you always have it!!" but the historian side of me is all, "but if you're going to do all that, leave a record!" and so many other opposing arguments. TBH, if I had all android or all apple I'd probably be okay with just going digital because they'd sync but since my phone is android and my tablet is apple I find it really irksome to go between the two.
I use a 3 ring binder for my business planner. It is just easier for me to create exactly what I need and print them out. My personal planner has to be a5 or smaller because I need it portable. I write small and don't like empty space. I also like simple weekly layouts and loathe planners that have a heavy focus on goals and reflection. I want to try the hobonichi techo eventually. I think I would I would like it.
I am reminded of the power of paper quality when I go from my 2021 Happy Planner to Erin Condren (which is a nice paper) to finally the Bullet Journal 2nd edition I purchased 4 months ago at Barnes and Noble. Such a sense of calm with the dotted page and nothing but beautiful paper. If only it was a bigger size, my life would be so much better. PS-If you like Energels, which are my favorite. Especially, the new colors of dark teal and magenta and Clena for barrel color, I prefer TUL gel pens with the white barrel and rose gold for a bolder point (BUJO headings), but use the 5mm Black for most things. TUL gel pens don't smear (I'm left handed) the way Energels do. They're a lot more resistant to water.
I made my own Jibun Techo knockoff. I just couldn’t justify spending 60+cad on a simple planner. I keep it in a HP cover and use the HP monthly dividers. I love their dividers and covers but need a full day hourly.
I'm using Powersheets for goal planning but for a regular planner torn between a Simplified Planner and a Bujo. I think I should try to go the Bujo route this time because I don't always want to use a planner every day and some days I just need a to-do list and some days I want to go all out. I guess a Bujo makes the most sense for me customization-wise. I've just never used one as my main planner before. Guess I'll have to go re-watch your Bujo plan with me's!
I watched this video in two sittings and had a serious think about what I really wanted. I *did* have an epiphany -- I don't need as much as I thought I needed 😅😂 I mentioned starting a new job - I'm part of many more meetings and appointments because of that, and I end up I using Outlook to keep myself on track there. I've printed out the monthly Outlook calendar on legal or tabloid paper & tacked it up on my wall so that I have room to write in important deadlines. I utilize my whiteboard for long-term and ongoing projects. Day to day, a *lot* of shit pops up that I need to tend to and I often need to take notes on the go & make note of things to come back to. I'm currently using a bound A5 dot grid journal for that need, but the binding gets in the way of writing the way I need and I find myself filling up 3-5 pages a day. So for work, all I really need is a huge wall calendar (I'm considering a custom one from Personal Planner with each of my main project areas as a category) and a bullet journal - B5 or A4, dot grid, hardcover, and *coil bound* so I can walk/stand and write and not have it take up all the space on my desk.
I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be in a Hobonichi Weeks next year because I am on my 4th bullet journal for 2021 (#WriterProblems) and this time I could NOT make myself draw in the yearly stuff yet again. So I can use the Weeks for scheduling and long-term collections and keep the bujo for rapid logging, journaling, and story stuff. The Weeks is small enough to go in my purse and since my current weekly spread is days of the week on the left side and the to-do on the right side, so I won't have to change that. Monday start and the same amount of room for Saturday and Sunday are important to me, and I don't care about paper quality as long as it doesn't bleed through or shadow so heavily I can't read what's on the other side.
I’m new to everything like this. It’s the price I can’t justify. It feels so expensive. That’s why I’m happy with the ones you can print out yourself and use a cheap file from wilkos 😆
I love love love my bullet journal and using a softbound horizontal planner for a daily journal, but I'm thinking about adding a work planner to my lineup. My new job actually makes it something that could be helpful but at the same time, I'm using the shit out of Google Calendar and Notes and such so...do I really need it or do I just want another shiny? Which, tbf, the shiny I'm eyeing is the weekly Day Designer at Target. Love the layout and it's $15. I mean...really though.
Something I realized I hadn't considered until AFTER I bought a new planner - the size is one that nobody makes any freakin stickers for! The columns are 1/4" narrower than the "standard" EC/HP/etc columns, so none of my stash fits either. Serious buyer's remorse - so beware folks! If you're a sticker-planner, don't make the same mistake I did - make sure that the columns or boxes in your new planner are ones that actually have stickers that fit!
I know I can look it up but I like when you inform me.. lol.. but what’s a kanban board. I see it but I don’t get it? Is it just sticky notes? Do you have a video about it? Also I’m switching to Hobonichi weeks for work, Amanda Rach Lee’s Doodle journal for my creative journaling/ coloring book/ sketchbook/.. I am also doing a separate planner for just books/reading.. the one from Little inklings❤️💜. I’m committed to using all the products in my home before I buy again, ie pens, stickers, paints, .. and just wait.. I may change my mind again if I get a journal for Christmas!!! Lol
i do have a few videos about it! it's basically a method of project management - the board is divided into thirds for all the stuff that will need to be done, the stuff that is currently being worked on, and the finished stuff. you move the postits through the board and it helps both motivate me and keep me from overscheduling. most of the time. haha
I'm staying strong with my bullet journal since rapid logging + rolling weeklies are working for me, but I'm torn whether to use a planner or another bujo for my studying stuff
For me, I found out that I need everything in one place. Schedule, projects , diary. That's why a bullet journal works for me when planners don't. I'm not keen of the extra work that's comes with a BuJo, in theory I really would love to use a regular planer. But they don't work for me, so it's bullet journal for me. Only problem when everything is in one book, losing it is a really scary thing. Ask me how I would know....
You have the best videos and thanks for keeping it real! I would love to hear your suggestions or favorite planners for projects and perhaps how to set one up. I don't see a lot of videos for personal project planning systems on UA-cam. Thank you!
I have been trying to find a Sunday start planner that’s Sunday monthly and Sunday weeklies that I won’t have to print and cut or special order. So many commercially available planners I've been finding in local stores have Sunday monthly and Monday weeklies! It’s driving me crazy. I've been dealing with a bad rheumatoid arthritis flare and cutting and punching inserts isn’t doable right now, and drawing layouts is painstaking. I usually use a b6 stalogy, but I want something premade for awhile until my hands are working better 😞 🐼. Edit to add, I prefer horizontal weeklies.
@@Kricket.B did you mean the passion planner? If so, their weekly is vertical timed. I’m looking for horizontal. I also like the recollections dashboard concept,but doubt if it’s available as a Sunday start… Going to add the horizontal preference to my original post.
@@TinaThevarge The one I'm talking about is "The Passionate Penny Pincher." I think it's a small brand. I saw it and dismissed it because I need a Monday start. If I remember correctly, it has a homemaker feel to it rather than a non themed planner.
I'm so stuck with this :) I'm just a baby beginner and not sure at all what I need. Everything just looks really pretty :) I think I like the idea of being able to move things about in a planner. I'm not really a plans person but could do with writing appointment down but also just having lots of pages to do what I want and creative stuff :) also I do like these ones with a month at a glance on the page. Does anyone have ideas what would be suitable for me? :)
Maybe a Happy Planner and add blank filler paper? I have a section at the back of mine filled with different types of filler paper and I only carry a part of the regular planner at a time so it doesn't get too overstuffed.
I bought the We Rate Dogs planner since it was cute, and other people said having a cute planner encourages them to use it. That didn't work for me. Given the shortage of paper and then fact that I look at my Google Calendar a lot, I think I might just use that for planning.
i really need something small and plain that i can keep track of three things: appointments, bills, and housework. everything else is already sorted out perfectly fine but those three are the necessity. the paper needs to be relatively smooth bc otherwise it chafes my hands. everything else doesnt really matter to me
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What worked best for me was realizing that you're not picking a planner for the rest of your life! You can try something different next year (or whatever timeframe you plan around)! There doesn't have to be this pressure to pick the perfect thing that will work forever!!!
that is SO TRUE!
That is a great reminder! It can feel like such a life altering decision sometimes 😅
All the planners are so tempting but I have found that a running weekly in my bujo with pages for my main projects and goals broken down works perfectly. I have to keep reminding myself I have found my planner and don't need to buy anything else.
You can do it!
I figured out how to set up my bujo and supplements so i can migrate to a new journal in like 5-15 minutes. So if i really need a hit of stationery dopamine i can just get a new journal instead of messing up all my systems
The thing that helps me most with deciding is NOT watching PWMs and looking at IG posts, because the times when I most want to try/buy a new planner are when I see how someone else has used it or decorated it. (And 9 times out of 10, when I do decide to buy it based on that reason, I end up disappointed, because of course I can’t replicate someone else’s skills or planner style.) I’ve been planner-hopping a lot this year, and lately, I’ve been trying to dive back into my own personal planner archives instead of looking to the internet for inspo-where was I most content? Where did I abandon specific planners and why?
Also, my needs change during the year, because I’m a teacher and case manager, and I need way more structure during the school year than I do during the summer. My latest lesson learned is to NOT start a new planner in July because it’s not an accurate picture of my needs during most of the year.
Good points, Thu! I'm all about personalization and not looking too much at what others have. I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
OMG! Within the first four minutes you gave me a path towards plan peace, in 23 years at my last job I only needed a monthly calendar to track meetings, appointments and deadlines; everything else was either kept in my head or on disposable to do list. When I left my job at the end of 2019 I knew I needed the structure that my work schedule used to provide so I bought a weekly planner with goalsetting. That worked terrific for nine months until I accomplished all of the projects and to do‘s that had been hanging over my head. Since last September I’ve been struggling to find a planning system that works. In April 2021 I went back to work but there is nothing about this new job that requires a planner or any planning. Disposable to do lists that I can shred at the end of the day with confidential information on them works perfectly for this new job. But having you highlight the difference between tracking a schedule and planning projects was a real awakening as I consider my 2022 to planner options. So grateful for that insight. Thank you!!!! 🙏
I quit the planner chaos and got a happy planner.
That way I can buy inserts when I feel the itch. All HP supplies are very affordable. I change out my covers to satisfy my fickle planner moods.
I’m so over collecting stuff I can’t consume!
I am strongly considering undated inserts for 2022 so that I don’t have so many blank pages when I fall off the planner wagon.
You have figured it out. This is great advice for anticonsumerism.
Same. I'm back to happy planner for many of the same reasons.
I did the same but filofax instead. I bullet journal in it and can pull projects out to avoid things being lost
I started doing this in the fall too and have really enjoyed the flexibility based on my needs. I have one for work and one for home. Started with Inkwell Press, but realize I don’t need to spend the $$$$$ with HP
Tomoe River paper is essentially coated rice paper which has been used for almost 2000 years in China, Japan, and Korea, among others. They are thin, but very sturdy against water. Very much unlike the toilet paper you compared it to.
I finally found the perfect planner for me-day designer weekly! Extra blank note pages, detachable bookmark,, goal-setting, budget pages, and 30+ undated daily pages for busy days when you want the option to schedule by the hour. I'm so tired of these planner launches where I end up spending over $100 just to feel like I can make it work. That's one of the reasons I skipped powersheets this year.
Awesome, Dolores! I bet that feels great! I finally settled on a good system too. I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
This year was the first year I bullet journaled and LOVED it! It took me a solid 3 months to love it and once I loved it I planned my entire year - instead of monthly, it was all drawn out. I’m not an artist, but seeing pictures I liked from others online, I eyeballed it and I’m so proud of myself. Tracking my period all in one page was helpful along with how I physically feel, so helpful. I need a thicker paper ‘cause all my pages bleed through.
Love that I came across your channel two years ago ❤️🇨🇦😘
love this!
You have drawn the entire year?!?!
So much amazing info in the video! Meanwhile, I’m just drooling over your kanban board in the background!
haha thanks!
I gave up on keeping a planner & have gone to a 18x24" dry-erase wall calendar that I can see from my couch/walk past to go to bed. I have an iPad + Goodnotes so I can always make a new notebook in there as needed (and do for grad school notes/plans!). I live vicariously through you for actually maintaining a planner lol
I just DIY my own inserts and stick them on discs. Problem solved. But then again I obsess about what paper to use all the time. 🤣
I LOVE watching all of the different videos within the planner community - from simple and minimal to stickers everywhere! For my usage, I found exactly what I was searching for. I've invested in the Moleskine Smart Writing System - I picked up the Weekly Planner and the fact that I can still get the old school need to write it down but the convenience of having everything that I write in (with their pen) uploads into my google calendar.
I love the “pee paper”. Man, you go hard on that paper haha. I don’t follow many planner on UA-cam who use the same planners as me since I hang in the Japanese realm (Jibun techo and hobonichi) so I don’t feel very influenced in that way. I’ve tried them all. EC, Plum Paper, bullet journal, you name it. The thoughtfulness of most Japanese planners is why I finally settled in with my planner peace. Also they don’t take up as much room if you save them for years to come which is nice hehe
Dang! Those WERE THE DAYS! I miss being on the outside of the planner universe.
Yes, that all made a ton of sense. Great words to give the journaling community!
The biggest piece of advice I have about planner season is to unfollow any social media accounts that make you want to buy stationary that you don't want/can't afford. I know that some people can watch UA-cam hauls and follow vendors on Instagram without getting FOMO, but that's a huge trigger for others. If you are the second group, hide or unfollow those accounts for a few months. You can always come back to them once the craze has passed. Also, here's a Pro-Tip - if you regularly use stickers and/or date covers, considering buying a 2021 planner on clearance and use it in 2022. Once you cover the dates, you won't know the difference.
This is a fantastic video for all people whether you’re just getting into planning or you’re a veteran and need a reset on your needs
I absolutely LOVE your planner videos. It's so real. I was browsing a few videos for more inspo. I've got the Passion Planner & was browsing for ways to set it up better - or if I needed another. The months altogether & weeks altogether would drive me crazy too. I'd rather have the month, then the weeks, then the next month, then the weeks. Mahalo!
I have ADHD and I'm autistic. I have time blindness and other issues that make basically everything really hard. I use my journal more for project planning but i put in a timeline for when I'm awake to help me really understand what i can get done in a day. Like if i have to run errands an hour away, and half the places close at 5, and i plan to leave at 4, that's obviously/visibly not compatible. I have made a lot of supports for myself within my planner, because I'm so impaired. They're really helpful. Like right now i have to add "defrost car" to my schedule before i go anywhere. I can't account for that kind of stuff by memory.
I use the timeline to plan but also to record stuff like when I took morning meds or cold medicine or whatever, so i don't take the next dose too early. Just all the stuff i used to have on notepads all over. It's so helpful. The timeline gives me a place to do a reality check with overly optimistic to-do lists. Sometimes i write the estimated time next to some tasks on my list, so i can block them out on the timeline and encourage myself to just get it over with, it's a 5min task for cryin out loud
I'm definitely a BuJoer for life. I attempted to change this year, but my spreads slowly morph over time and I like the ability to add lists where necessary. Having total control to change from month to month and even week to week definitely creates the best planner for me.
I created a worksheet to help me plan my planner. :-)
I went through all the pros and cons this time last year and settled on rings, and am staying with my Filofax collection for next year, though have to confess I am still missing my Leuchtturm a little... and I only use horizontal weekly layouts with Monday starts.
Don't think disc systems are available over here 🇬🇧, but I can't stand the clatter anyway!
Dated versus undated - dated all the way, though I have been known to re-date a previous year's pages so's not to waste them! I would feel so bad starting a planner and changing to something else every few weeks. I'm a stayer.
Great video !
I have a A6 hobonichi planner for personal things I'm really happy with it. But for my work/research... Ugh I think I'm on my 3th version/planner now.
I always had a bullet journal but this school year I started a new job and it involves a lot more future planning instead of task based planning. I never liked to future plan a whole year in my bujo. It isn't how my brain sees time and drawing all those things sucked. But I really dislike most planners. Even my beloved midori couldn't hack it. So much empty space....
But today I saw the planner of a colleague and theirs looks very good and easily changeable to how I would plan in it. It helped seeing how they used it for the same kind of work we do. Plus I could still get one for a school year!
Also it's in my language! Which I'm weirdly excited for because my culture is very practical so having a planner, targeted at adults but with some fun things (I mean do I like quotes? Not really. But do I like seeing them in my language? Hell yeah!), is very unusual. Normally I have to get something in English or Japanese. So yes I'm actually excited for a new agenda which feels weird...
The budget is definitely key! I found the Inamio planner which ticked 99% of my boxes. It's $20, 8.5x11, bookbound, vertical hourly, dated, no quotes, very neutral and basic, and uses a 5cm grid so my bullet journal stickers will work in it. Only downside is the months and weeks are separated, but I can definitely live with that.
And I'm doing an undated discbound daily planner for work using printables and an A5 discbound cover and dics I had laying around. I'm feeling pretty good about 2022. ❤
I got one too! It will be my 2022 work planner and the weekend days will be my task list. I think mine was under $20.
Hi Cindy, this video and the last one you did really opened my mind!! I think the key issue here - is that we have nearly finished 2 years of pandemic induced instability in our lives. Pre-pandemic - I could commit to a planner for 12 months, and happily used some of the major brands. Right now - I can see that the life I lead as a Mom is different during a strict lock-down (in Australia) and different again when we are open and the kids are at school... and different again when on summer holidays. So I went ahead and got out the old 5 size rings and a variety of inserts, some dated, some undated. I'll make it up month by month, with a set of 12 month calendars to keep it going. The key (for me) was establishing a GTD system. Currently thinking about goals for next year and integrating the pages into the rings planner... realising the planner has to serve ME, practicality wins the day:-)
I want all the bullshit in my planner. I want all the designs, all the quotes, all the prompts, and all the color. Provided the designs are ones I like then those are the things that actually make me want to use the planner (motivate me) 😃. When I buy plain planners I end up not planning at all. It’s pretty much what happened this year when the Happy Planner started going “neutral” and eliminating currently pages and continuity of design in their planners 🥺.
I feel this. What journal/s do you use? Have you done makeselife?
G'day Cindy, I was doing some purging and cleaning the other day and came across some planners that were still in the plastic from years ago. I have decided to not waste them and am just going to adjust the dates and use them, especially for morning routine/journalling and avoiding the hype so I'm not so wasteful.
I come back to these every year, Cindy! Thank you for doing them. ❤
Absolutely love this! Since your last video I found a bullet journal with monthly planning in the front, it's perfect for me!
I love it when you do this kinda video😍😁you are so refreshing with this is how the planner/crafting marketingworld really works on us all....you make me think about where am i now and what i need now? And why do i want stuff😁 thank you for that😁
At home, I started in an Erin Condren 3 ring binder then remembered that I f*ing hate binders and replaced it with a softbound which was on sale at the time. By the time I got through that, I had discovered the wonder that is ring bound (the nice metal ones) for my office notes and meeting minutes. As I had invested in a ring punch, I bought a Plum Paper Planner unpunched for 2021 and was very happy with it. Next year I'm buying my PPP pre-ring-punched and trying out the monthly with a Monday start. I've stuck with the vertical columns (not hourly) the whole time and that works for me.
At work I have a B5 brain dump "bullet journal" that just has the Plant Based Bride's rolling weekly (only I modified it to do two work weeks instead of one seven day week) every two page spread to track tasks that might otherwise fall through the cracks. I just started a small A5 weekly goals page to help me be more intentional and focused about my work. It's a little odd having two books for work, but it's helping and it's easy to keep up, so I'm going to stick with it for a while longer.
I find using 2 for work is best for me. HP dashboard weekly along with a daily page.
Thank you for sharing, that gave me nice ideas!
🤣🤣🤣 puking leopard print and orchids! I spit my coffee. So true!
For 2022, I am trying out a whole bunch of planners because I worked overtime and was able to afford them. I plan on having fun with them all and deciding which ones to use in 2023.
I bought a monthly/weekly planner because I thought it would help with saving time making layouts and such in my bullet journal. I realized quickly even though sometimes I stress about making the layouts, it’s a creative outlet that I NEED to have. Plus the customization. Back to a bujo for the new year!
Thanks for this wonderful video, Cindy, it was really helpful. I'm in an 18 month planner, so I'm staying strong with it for next year, but this video has really helped know myself about next time (and will help me stay strong this year). Also, I learned quickly that I MUST be able to fold a planner in on itself. Non negotiable.
knowing the non-negotiables is such a good start!
I keep thinking I need power sheets because that's the goal setting system I'm following for 2022. But I already know my goals, I already have them broken down, and between following you and Laken, I know I'll stay on track. So I keep reminding myself I don't need it. Maybe in 2023 if I need to do soul searching to find my goals, but not for 2022.
I look forward to seeing what planner you choose. Personally, I am so lost as to which planner to get. This helped to realize that I really need to narrow down what I want and then search for that. Bullet journal may be the best, but I tried that and struggled with keep up with drawing everything out.
Omg I hate the layouts with monthly layouts separate from weeks! So obnoxious. Why. Why.
I've also discovered I can't do vertical, because I write too big. Need more space. I also like neutral, so I can decorate myself. And I'm with you on O ring. I went with it because I love the layout, but it's not my preference. And I'm annoyed the paper isn't thicket, but I heard the creator is going to go thicker for 2023. So if that happens, I'll probably stick with that one, because I like the layout a lot.
I'm that person who will use the damn thing because I spent money on it, damnit. Lol
I like all the months together at the front because it bugs me when a week is split across months.
Paper and size are my top considerations so starting with an A5 (I like space too but it has to be portable). Paper needs to be fountain pen friendly. I also like it in English and structured/layout pre-filled out (not just blank pages) month then week, dated, Monday start and to round it out, some note pages. My planner peace, A5 Wonderland 222.
In 2021 I bought a planner & just didn’t like it...then I bought Plum Paper Daily but uncoiled
I have a hole puncher for an A5 binder I already had & loving it!!
This way I can still customized it and add pages...I am a detailed person & I probably track too much stuff.
Instead of ordering the PowerSheets I bought a simple weekly planner that has weekly goals & to do list and habit tracker for 6 things and the other page has 8 lines for to dos each day, weekends are together & that’s fine. That is good enough for goal settings...on my monthly page in my Plum Paper I make a list of goals and then on the weekly planner I write down which ones I want to do. I just recently purchased the weekly one & started now in November...
I am new to planning, and I bought a planner for the way it looked. It took me 3 1/2 months to figure out how I wanted to use it. I do love the planner now, however I wish it was bigger and I wish it was book bound.
keep those things in mind for your next one!
Oh Cindy, I feel with you. Having a large hand writing and A5 always felt so small. Most layout ideas from other UA-camr won't work for me because of space 😜 Now I found the "perfect" Notebook: B5 STM with 120 GSM and over 200 pages to last for a whole year 🥳 this Format is very hard to find in Germay - especilly with lots of paper. With this Notebook I'm in bujo heaven and ready for 2022 💪🏻
I’ve already started my 2022 bujo. Will stick to the bujo method now that I know of it. I like that I can customise it to my liking and I find the rolling weekly practical.
I didn't realize how important color was until I had one where the alternating color was yellow and another was coral. Spent so much time covering stuff up. Learn from my mistake and flip through the entire thing!
I quit the planner chaos about 4 years ago. I found the Hobo weeks and never looked back. I never decorated, that seemed ridiculous to me. My weeks has my schedule and upcoming tasks. Thats all I need. It fits in my purse and off I go.
So far my paper planner for work is a EC horizontal A5 agenda folio because it is the perfect size for work and my todo’s. I use to use HP but vertical and horizontal has too much space and the mini is too small. No need for a daily for my work since I just say what I am doing in my digital planner and for wok its simple.. start work, lunch, if there are meetings and off works no need to double write that if I were to get a EC daily lol. For my digital planner which is my everyday and I like daily days that include time slots is a toss up between Breezy Organization, The Daily Planners and Creating with Lucy. I am using Breezy now and love it but I love the daily planners since it looks like a EC with a daily page on each side vs a daily page on one side and a blank page on the other.
Great advice as usual, Cindy! It's taken me YEARS to figure out my ideal needs for a planner, and I'm still constantly reworking it. I wish videos like yours had existed back when I was new to the idea of planners! I've had a lot of wasted planners because I didn't know what would really work best. How far we've all come. 😆💕 Thanks for your insight!!
I totally agree! Its taken me a long time too, I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
I love what you said about going with your gut. I really love the way Ivory Paper Co’s planner is layed out, but during a recent sale, it just didn’t feel right to get it. Then I watched a review video by Amanda on the Hemlock and Oak planner and it just clicked. It has all of my wants and I can live with the rest of it.
Thanks for all the practical tips! It's great to have them all in one place
I was thinking the same, Sandra! Love her stuff. I have to keep flexible even for all the work I do and for my channel (nature sleep sounds). Happy early Christmas! 🎄
This is the year I realized I need a messy planner AND a separate pretty memory keeping journal. Separating the two has made everything nicer, more peaceful.
This right here. ☝🏼
Yup, me, too. Although I confess the planner can't be too messy. Simple is what I need. Then I go wild in the separate journal.
I've been trying to be mindful during planner release season. Hoping I continue to stay strong with the Makselife launch coming up. My biggest must is an academic year planner. As a student I want all of a school year to be in one book, because that's how I think
Discs - I spent years walking past them in the store and wondering why anyone would use something so bulky and ugly. And then... I experienced the "thrum." The first time I pulled a piece of paper off the discs I was sold. I've tried using bound and coils since then and I keep going back to discs. I love being able to move my pages.
I have a feeling that I may succumb to discs eventually. I have been so against them, but for the way that my brain works & what I need, coils alone won't work. I want to be stubborn 🥲
I love them. Used them for years, but they've been too bulky for me recently (and I was buying too many accessories for them), so I swerved to bound and am loving it more than I ever thought I would.
Same. I love the flexibility to move my pages for things that require organization like work and university
I am with you. I hated the Happy Planner I saw at Michael’s, but then when I saw some more conservative ones, after buying and Inkwell Press system for 21-22, and paying big $$$$$, I realized I could get so many different options from HP, and modify for my needs regularly. I love being able to pull prior week layouts out, using dailies and tossing them (recycling) after, etc.
I finally decided on a Plum Paper that I customized. Made in the USA and has everything I want.
Thank you for mentioning the calendar on the fridge!. I use one so I have an overview.. I felt like I was doing something 'wrong' by not using a monthly calendar in my bujo. I need something that I see first thing in the morning and last thing at night to remind me. I also put appts in my phone but I still like my old school calendar on the fridge.
Nicely done. It made me remember that back in the day I used to go to an office supply store to buy my DayRunner inserts each year.
I am not at all new to the planner game, but your advice is really helpful to me! I think you're my new favorite person.
I got into planning March/April and I have slowly been discovering what I like and don't like. I am very much a functional planner, although I do like a little bit of decoration but as long as it doesn't stop the functional side of things, I will add lttle bits of decoration here and there. I like vertical layout (like an hourly vertical more then HP vertical). I also seem to like daily, weekly and monthly layouts in one planner, but they can be hard to come by (I already have a Hobonichi Cousin A5) for 6-12 months
This one of those times I'm grateful to be out of the planner loop - I don't even see the marketing from the major players. Google calendar for appointments, Hebcal for Jewish dates and times, and everything else is bujos with discs and dot grid. Monthly and weekly for home, monthly and daily for work, HP mini size to live in my purse. I'm not even changing covers this year.
Suggestion - have you thought about using a standard loose-leaf binder for your work journal? Might be less frustrating.
I am a new subscriber and this is such a great explanation. Thank you. For me, I have five different planners, four HP classic size and one mini for on the go. I use the vertical for my catchall, dashboards for work and a nonprofit I manage, a mini dashboard for on the go, and a wellness journal which is a modified vertical. That works for me. But you're right, the format is important. This is a great video, along with your Skill Share class. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
I have figured out what works for me and I no longer look at other planners. I can take pen and hilighter to my pages or use my sticker and washi stash. Using up what I have.
I’m franken planning for 2022. Using all of my carry overs from planning past to get the planner I want. At least that’s my plan.
This makes total sense. I love your practical videos. The planner advertising is very sophisticated & tempting, but I have a budget & although I adore pretty things & all things stationery, I very much see through the marketing strategies & ploys. Thanks for your sensible advice. It's great advice for newbies to the planner world.
I used a vertical hourly for years to keep track of the many offices I worked in. Now that I’m not doing that, next year I’m going to use the MyAgenda. I’m not keen on the paper color, but I can live with it. No more daily either. I’ll be very scaled back 🙌
Trying to decide if I want to get the freebee planner from work or buying one. This past year was a freebie. Not bad. I have enough room to add trackers. I really have enjoyed the clever fox. Those were the 2 I had before
Perfect timing for this video. I've been trying to decide on a planner for months! Now I have some guidelines as I look at them. Also hearing that companies have downloads of their layouts to try out is a revalation! Thanks for that tip!! I might also watch your skill share video. Thanks!!!
I love Consumerism Cindy videos - all great points! For me, I'm all torn up trying to decide between sticking with paper or moving to digital. I like being able to take my planner with me everywhere so part of me is all, "digital and then you always have it!!" but the historian side of me is all, "but if you're going to do all that, leave a record!" and so many other opposing arguments. TBH, if I had all android or all apple I'd probably be okay with just going digital because they'd sync but since my phone is android and my tablet is apple I find it really irksome to go between the two.
I use a 3 ring binder for my business planner. It is just easier for me to create exactly what I need and print them out. My personal planner has to be a5 or smaller because I need it portable. I write small and don't like empty space. I also like simple weekly layouts and loathe planners that have a heavy focus on goals and reflection. I want to try the hobonichi techo eventually. I think I would I would like it.
I am reminded of the power of paper quality when I go from my 2021 Happy Planner to Erin Condren (which is a nice paper) to finally the Bullet Journal 2nd edition I purchased 4 months ago at Barnes and Noble. Such a sense of calm with the dotted page and nothing but beautiful paper. If only it was a bigger size, my life would be so much better.
PS-If you like Energels, which are my favorite. Especially, the new colors of dark teal and magenta and Clena for barrel color, I prefer TUL gel pens with the white barrel and rose gold for a bolder point (BUJO headings), but use the 5mm Black for most things. TUL gel pens don't smear (I'm left handed) the way Energels do. They're a lot more resistant to water.
I made my own Jibun Techo knockoff. I just couldn’t justify spending 60+cad on a simple planner. I keep it in a HP cover and use the HP monthly dividers. I love their dividers and covers but need a full day hourly.
I'm using Powersheets for goal planning but for a regular planner torn between a Simplified Planner and a Bujo. I think I should try to go the Bujo route this time because I don't always want to use a planner every day and some days I just need a to-do list and some days I want to go all out. I guess a Bujo makes the most sense for me customization-wise. I've just never used one as my main planner before. Guess I'll have to go re-watch your Bujo plan with me's!
Couldn't have clicked any faster to view this when I saw this posted! Thanks for sharing!
This was such a great video! Great things to think about in search of that elusive planner peace.
Your planner reviews are so thorough! I am looking forward to your Makselife review and to hear your thoughts about all the things!
I watched this video in two sittings and had a serious think about what I really wanted. I *did* have an epiphany -- I don't need as much as I thought I needed 😅😂
I mentioned starting a new job - I'm part of many more meetings and appointments because of that, and I end up I using Outlook to keep myself on track there. I've printed out the monthly Outlook calendar on legal or tabloid paper & tacked it up on my wall so that I have room to write in important deadlines. I utilize my whiteboard for long-term and ongoing projects. Day to day, a *lot* of shit pops up that I need to tend to and I often need to take notes on the go & make note of things to come back to. I'm currently using a bound A5 dot grid journal for that need, but the binding gets in the way of writing the way I need and I find myself filling up 3-5 pages a day. So for work, all I really need is a huge wall calendar (I'm considering a custom one from Personal Planner with each of my main project areas as a category) and a bullet journal - B5 or A4, dot grid, hardcover, and *coil bound* so I can walk/stand and write and not have it take up all the space on my desk.
Love you Cindy, this made my decision much easier 🥰
This was super helpful. Thank you.
I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be in a Hobonichi Weeks next year because I am on my 4th bullet journal for 2021 (#WriterProblems) and this time I could NOT make myself draw in the yearly stuff yet again. So I can use the Weeks for scheduling and long-term collections and keep the bujo for rapid logging, journaling, and story stuff. The Weeks is small enough to go in my purse and since my current weekly spread is days of the week on the left side and the to-do on the right side, so I won't have to change that.
Monday start and the same amount of room for Saturday and Sunday are important to me, and I don't care about paper quality as long as it doesn't bleed through or shadow so heavily I can't read what's on the other side.
I’m new to everything like this. It’s the price I can’t justify. It feels so expensive. That’s why I’m happy with the ones you can print out yourself and use a cheap file from wilkos 😆
I love love love my bullet journal and using a softbound horizontal planner for a daily journal, but I'm thinking about adding a work planner to my lineup. My new job actually makes it something that could be helpful but at the same time, I'm using the shit out of Google Calendar and Notes and such so...do I really need it or do I just want another shiny? Which, tbf, the shiny I'm eyeing is the weekly Day Designer at Target. Love the layout and it's $15. I mean...really though.
i totally get that! i also use the shit out of online tools but there is something special about putting pen to paper
@@CindyGuentertBaldo If nothing else, I'll track my hours in it and get that out of the bujo. lol
Something I realized I hadn't considered until AFTER I bought a new planner - the size is one that nobody makes any freakin stickers for! The columns are 1/4" narrower than the "standard" EC/HP/etc columns, so none of my stash fits either. Serious buyer's remorse - so beware folks! If you're a sticker-planner, don't make the same mistake I did - make sure that the columns or boxes in your new planner are ones that actually have stickers that fit!
I know I can look it up but I like when you inform me.. lol.. but what’s a kanban board. I see it but I don’t get it? Is it just sticky notes? Do you have a video about it? Also I’m switching to Hobonichi weeks for work, Amanda Rach Lee’s Doodle journal for my creative journaling/ coloring book/ sketchbook/.. I am also doing a separate planner for just books/reading.. the one from Little inklings❤️💜. I’m committed to using all the products in my home before I buy again, ie pens, stickers, paints, .. and just wait.. I may change my mind again if I get a journal for Christmas!!! Lol
i do have a few videos about it! it's basically a method of project management - the board is divided into thirds for all the stuff that will need to be done, the stuff that is currently being worked on, and the finished stuff. you move the postits through the board and it helps both motivate me and keep me from overscheduling. most of the time. haha
@@CindyGuentertBaldo Ooo going to go watch those! I have a whiteboard in my office & want to utilize it better.
I need binder rings so I can move around paper and use different papers.
i'm really understanding the love of this since i'm using discs, even tho I hate them lol
I'm staying strong with my bullet journal since rapid logging + rolling weeklies are working for me, but I'm torn whether to use a planner or another bujo for my studying stuff
since you're already using your bujo maybe test that first?
@@CindyGuentertBaldo yeah I'm gonna try some trial spreads for this month, I'm gonna figure out what to put in there 👍
For me, I found out that I need everything in one place. Schedule, projects , diary. That's why a bullet journal works for me when planners don't. I'm not keen of the extra work that's comes with a BuJo, in theory I really would love to use a regular planer. But they don't work for me, so it's bullet journal for me.
Only problem when everything is in one book, losing it is a really scary thing. Ask me how I would know....
You have the best videos and thanks for keeping it real! I would love to hear your suggestions or favorite planners for projects and perhaps how to set one up. I don't see a lot of videos for personal project planning systems on UA-cam. Thank you!
Such an informative video that I wish I would’ve had 3 years ago.
Great presentation
I have been trying to find a Sunday start planner that’s Sunday monthly and Sunday weeklies that I won’t have to print and cut or special order. So many commercially available planners I've been finding in local stores have Sunday monthly and Monday weeklies! It’s driving me crazy. I've been dealing with a bad rheumatoid arthritis flare and cutting and punching inserts isn’t doable right now, and drawing layouts is painstaking. I usually use a b6 stalogy, but I want something premade for awhile until my hands are working better 😞 🐼. Edit to add, I prefer horizontal weeklies.
The passionate penny pincher has a Sunday start weekly.
@@Kricket.B did you mean the passion planner? If so, their weekly is vertical timed. I’m looking for horizontal. I also like the recollections dashboard concept,but doubt if it’s available as a Sunday start…
Going to add the horizontal preference to my original post.
@@TinaThevarge The one I'm talking about is "The Passionate Penny Pincher." I think it's a small brand. I saw it and dismissed it because I need a Monday start. If I remember correctly, it has a homemaker feel to it rather than a non themed planner.
@@Kricket.B ty I'll have a look. Just thought I'd double check. Others have suggested the passion planner to me, but it’s not what I’m looking for.
I agree. I need a Sunday start to
I like kanbanning in my vertical planner. Like an absolute maniac.
do you use post its?
I'm so stuck with this :) I'm just a baby beginner and not sure at all what I need. Everything just looks really pretty :)
I think I like the idea of being able to move things about in a planner. I'm not really a plans person but could do with writing appointment down but also just having lots of pages to do what I want and creative stuff :) also I do like these ones with a month at a glance on the page.
Does anyone have ideas what would be suitable for me? :)
Maybe a Happy Planner and add blank filler paper? I have a section at the back of mine filled with different types of filler paper and I only carry a part of the regular planner at a time so it doesn't get too overstuffed.
I bought the We Rate Dogs planner since it was cute, and other people said having a cute planner encourages them to use it. That didn't work for me.
Given the shortage of paper and then fact that I look at my Google Calendar a lot, I think I might just use that for planning.
i really need something small and plain that i can keep track of three things: appointments, bills, and housework. everything else is already sorted out perfectly fine but those three are the necessity. the paper needs to be relatively smooth bc otherwise it chafes my hands. everything else doesnt really matter to me
that makes sense, and sounds like a hobonichi weeks might be your bff
I used just an old-fashioned pocket-diary for years. Cheap and portable, basically similar to the the Hobonichi Weeks in format but not so fancy.
The Hobonichi Weeks has one of the most effective layout I’ve seen. They know how to design planners to actually plan.
yes to B5 size!
What is the size of your Kanban board? Good video.
i believe it is 24"x36"
To be sure I have everything I need in a planner I tend to use a card making program and design my own.
I have ended up with a digital planner. Have you tried that? Or is it the paper feel you don’t want to give up.
❓Just curious what did you do with that hobonichi that you bought last year?
I thought that I would hate the paper but I actually like it.
i used it for memory keeping for a while and then... well, i have no idea where it is lol
Great Video, very helpful.
Anyone else see the thumbnail and think that Cindy had done her hair in looped braids? 🤣
So expected her to say “methodical… SITUATION”