Whatever I buy, it's for the year. I have used all kinds of different planners, but that one system/planner is what I use for the year. This year I used a Hobonichi Cousin, just the one book, all year. I learn something each year, whatever change I make, then I reflect on how that informs the decision on what I will use for the next year. I am a serial monogamist with my planners, is how I describe it.
I’m a planner hopper. I use a daily. I get bored easily and love the thrill of using a new planner layout. I’ve finally embraced this and started buying undated planners so I can jump back and forth between planners.
I am convinced that 90% of the planner hoppers on the internets do it for content. I've also noticed that the act of setting up the new system (annual trackers, drawing lots of lines with a ruler, etc) ticks the "repetitive tasks" box that my disordered brain loves, so I think that often it's not about the differences in the planners at all, it's just the act of transitioning to the new planner/journal/system/etc that is valuable for some people.
@@lauracorsi3309 I may or may not have set up next month's plant journal a week early yesterday in order to avoid cleaning my office (which is happening right now and OH LOOK AT ALL THOSE MAKEUP BRUSHES I CLEANED instead of actually moving the rest of the stuff off the craft table).
It’s so apparent when someone suddenly loves a new planner ahead of or during launch when they either got new product for free or are hoping to get it. Behind the scenes are they still using something else as their real planner?
I agree with you Sara about most of them hopping for content purposes and those people drive me nuts and I unfollow. I mean... one week you say a certain type of planning doesn't align with your values and beliefs (it was a lot of manifesting your day) and then suddenly a few months later you have no problem with it. It gives me a migraine trying to figure out these "creators".... much easier to simply unfollow.
My planner hopping is related to stress and I know it. Whenever I get stressed I am convinced a new planner system will fix it (even though deep down I know it won’t). I did get a new planner in the mail today and then I saw this video. 🤦♀️. But I really, really, really want to stick to this one for at least all of 2023 and hopefully beyond.
Your response really spoke to me. I keep switching between two life planners and two teacher planners. Frustrated with myself. But it is stress! When I feel overwhelmed, I convince myself that the other system will absolutely solve ALL my problems and will magically make me more productive. And yet the opposite is always the result. Thanks for the aha moment.
I found a lot of success in trying lots of cheap planners, not paying any attention to the “prettiness” but instead to the layout. It let me figure out what my actual planning needed, and then I could splurge a little more on a pretty, nice-quality planner because I knew it would practically work for me.
This is why I have been loyal to bullet journaling for the last few years. When I want to try something new, I test out a new layout in my bujo because sometimes I do still crave novelty. It also works to try to copy a layout a planner I’m eyeing has
Yes! This is what I did for a long time in my bujo! I’ve since switched to a Hobonichi because I wanted to paper and I have been using the same daily layout for a long time in my bujo
I love a lot of this advice. Also, we all know a Recession is Coming. Even if you have a stable job, basic costs like fuel, food and housing are increasing, it's time to think about your budget. Even after you've thought of your budget, take a moment to think about the enviro impact of purchasing a bunch of planners you will only lightly use. Then think what that looks like if a whole lot of people are behaving that way. Have I achieved planner peace? Mmmm... maybe not. Is my planner discomfort so bad that I am gonna bin this planner, or can I just work with what I've got until it's time to replace it? I can probably find ways to make it work, if I'm being honest.
Totally agree about the planner-frogs who do it just for content and have a boring functional system that they REALLY use behind the scenes! When I first decided to use a planner I watched endless videos and made copious notes about options before deciding what to go for. When the time came to actually buy something I had worked out what would suit me, and with only a few minor tweaks four years later I'm still using pretty much the same. I hate waste and have been known to re-date an entire year of inserts to be able to use them up. One question I have for those who planner-hop is if you need to go back and find something, how do you know where to look?
Hm, I basically keep some things I really need to find again in something like google spreadsheets/docs!! Or some lists that span over many years for istance or tracking that spans many years/months, I transfer it there if I see it reoccurs and if I see I return to update it but sparsely!
If it's something minor that I didn't transfer in a digital form, then I either somewhat remember in what kind of notebook/planner I was writing it (I remember the experience I had when thinking about it and writing about it, something like that) or start a search through all my used planner of that period which is usually quite fun, lol, I feel like a detective 🤣😂 If I find myself searching for the same thing more than once, than I'll probably transfer it digitally
I tried a few different planners over the years and have finally realised that I am not a fancy + sticker kind of chick. I now just do list migration in a kinbor vertical weekly and I'm the most successful I've ever been at getting shit done. This is a huge win for my adhd! I sticker in my journal.
This year, I deliberately chose to planner hop in an attempt to work with instead of against my ADHD, and also in a way that doesn't drain me of money and leave a dozen mostly empty planners and notebooks lying around. I took the shell of an old happy planner and I bounce between different undated inserts depending on my needs, usually on a monthly basis. So I'm not buying a ton of fully printed and bound planners (or if I do decide to get one, I will only get undated), I have the flexibility of a bullet journal without the work of drawing layouts, and I have the dopamine of fun new things to play with! I'm actually shocked at how well it's been working for me.
When I was in highschool, I used to buy a new planner about 4 times a year: when the new planners for the next year hit the store, when they are for sale, when the new planners for the next school year would hit the store, and when those were on sale. The system was pretty much the same and I would migrate everything but after a few months, the planner would be stained, some ages folded and I didn't like it anymore. But that was the joy in it. I got excited for the cute new cover, the lovely new book smell, it was never about the functional planner itself. I've now been bullet journaling for a year and I'm in the lucky situation that i go through 1 notebook in about 3-4 months which perfectly alinea with the window that i don't like the color anymore. So I buy a new color. I change the color of my pen halfway through for the same reason. I don't get bored with the system, I get bored with the visuals. Those are much cheaper to change It's important to realise what is driving you to want to change and address that.
This year has been the year of understanding planner moments for me. I finally stopped fighting myself and realized I am 100 % a functional planner. I kept trying to do memory planning because I love stickers and enjoy watching others plan but it just never worked for me. I also felt that if I spent so much money on a planner I had to make it pretty and use all the stickers...that it was a waste if i just used my pens and markers. But when I used stickers I never reached for my planner. But I love stickers and couldn't figure out how to find peace. So I decided to use my planner in a functional way for the everyday tasks and plans and have a separate planner to let out my creativity and use my stickers. I'm not going to journal everyday or memory plan....but I love memes stickers dramas music and found that I can memory plan by just using stickers memes and pictures. It reminds me of the picture collages I used to do back in high school and it was so much fun. It's my way of memory keeping .... this system is working out really well for me. Next year my goal will be to keep a wellness planner and get back to my fitness goals. I'm pretty excited
I used to hop into trends - every month or so. And in 2019 or 2020 I realized I would buy a planner and forgot I bought it, buy another, and then the 1st would arrive. I got off Instagram, left the FB groups, stopped planning for awhile. Came back to it in a Target shelf level planner - and I don't hop anymore. 1 planner, 1 random notebook and everything is where I need it to be.
I planner hop just for fun sometimes, but always wind up coming back to my bullet journal. When I'm feeling unmotivated or in a bit of a rut, sometimes changing things up helps, I just also have fun trying different styles! I will add though, I am captain of team re-date. I rarely buy a planner at the start of the year. I either buy undated or wait til the dated is on clearance. I'm not super precious about things being perfect, so while I may only use something for a month or two at a time, I have no problem going back and picking up where I left off a few months later. I literally have a full notebook that spans parts of 2015-2019. This sounds a bit unhinged typing it out, but I don't know, I enjoy it :)
I used to have this issue, where I kept getting planners and using them for a couple of weeks/months but would keep forgetting to use them. What worked for me in the end was relaxing it all and having a much more casual system where I use a Bullet Journal but I don't do any set ups, I just write the things and to do lists and stuff that I need at the time that I need them and put a big whiteboard calendar in a place were I can see it all the time so I don't forget to use it.
I fight a constant battle between wanting a very structured planner (within my parameters) and the freedom of the bullet journal because I want something that looks pretty, but I don’t want to take the time to do that. So, the BJ always wins because I am a constant list maker and note taker and structured planners don’t really fit that practice. I think I have finally realized that the notebook is the best option for me and will try to be mindful,of that when I see the new and pretty planners coming out.
yes! and bujo is also great for the weeks when whatever happens and you don't use it at all. no paper/money gets wasted and you can pick it back up from where you left off
That's what led me to the Hobo Day-Free. I don't need weekly layouts, or a whole page for one day, but I make good use of the HDF's monthly calendars and I use the weird vertical calendar near the front for the important daily tasks. I use as much room as I need for lists and notes specific to my daily log, on average 3 days per a6 page. So far the 171 numbered pages have been plenty.
I needed to hear this. I did hoping a lot this year because I just fell down the rabbit hole. Partly finding my planning style but part is definitely the FOMO.
I'm not a hopper, but I did a couple of hops back in 2018-2019. The Hobonichi Weeks was having a lot of attention in late 2018, and at that point I had been using a bullet journal for a couple of years. I started it when my sister's health issues began to increase, and I was trying to keep track of her life as well as my own. She passed away in late 2017, and I came to believe that drawing all my trackers, etc. was a complication I didn't need. I decided the Weeks was my ticket to simplifying. Well, no, it wasn't.I used it for about 4 months and by April I knew it wasn't working. I went back to a bullet journal, this time in a much smaller (a6) Apica CD notebook, with Midori (?) Monthly calendar stickers I pasted in and some doodling and decoration. Right now I can't lay hands on it, but it appears that arrangement lasted through 2020. Maybe the pandemic was the root cause for me to downsize yet again. For 2021 and 2022, I switched to the Hobonichi Day-Free and adapted its feature to a kind-of bullet journal, and I never looked back. I have my 2023 HDF prepped and waiting and the only decision left is - do I want to use more than one color ink in it, now that I've stocked up on a rainbow of Coleto Hi-Tec refills? 🤣
Love the analogy of relationships, I don’t know if I’m an old soul or the fact I’ve been in a healthy relationship with my partner for 12yrs but I find extremely uncomfortable and waste of time and energy the whole dating system nowadays. People are so used to have all the resources at their finger tips that they don’t take time to learn and really try partners (or planners). One bad date and they’re ready to move to the next without even considering the things that did work out. And I’m not saying to ignore red flags, those we need to pay attention and get out of there, but in planner world how many real serious red flags can be?? Come on’ you can really try for at least a couple of weeks/months.
My weeks vary and I find I need different systems for different weeks. I figured out what works though by trying out printables and creating "dupe" spreads in my bullet journal. A lot cheaper to go that route than buying new planners all the time. I might think some of the new planners are awesome and want to get my hands on them to play with, but I know I'll use it for 2-3 weeks and abandon it for what I know works. Right now I'm trying to find a goal setting method that actually works for me that I'll stick to.
Planner hopping.makes me crazy. I've added pieces slowly to my lineup because my brain works better that way, but I have been in a Happy Planner now since 2015 and have maintained that system this entire time. The pieces I've added are still within the Happy Planner family so that I can keep everything for the year together, but my main planner hasn't changed except for size.
This past year I’ve been planner hopping and doing the bitching. Not because I don’t like my planner but because I like to many and I want to use all the things 🤦🏼♀️ For 2023 I’m going to try to stick with my “plan”.
Love this take. I'm not usually a planner hopper, mostly because I'm cheap af and don't want to keep shelling out cash for things I'm not certain I'll use. That said, I've changed twice this year, and none of those are what I'll be using for next year. I'd gotten in a happy planner rut, so tried different layouts (that I'd received as gifts from family). I've realized though this, that I just really don't like happy planners. I'd only been using them because of issues receiving my IPC planner back in 2020, so I grabbed what was cheap in store while waiting. I just stopped looking after that, because it was "good enough" for the last couple years. Sometimes it can be beneficial to hop around in this way. Now I have an A5 ring agenda for 2023, so if I hate the brand/layout or whatever, it's easy and relatively inexpensive to change once I've finished with the inserts I've got. But you bet I'll use every page of my current one first! (See: cheap af 😅)
I'm a happy planner hopper! It's totally part of the joy of planning for me. I love testing out new layouts and that's one of the reasons I do UA-cam lol. But I like your spicy take on it. I totally think you are right that maybe people need to give the new planner time.
I pay for all my shizz… so I only use one planner a year. But omg I do watch all these planner influencers and I get tempted to try new planners. But I’ve realized when it comes time to order my new one, I always go back to my EC horizontal 🤷🏻♀️
I found planning (and you) back when you were using an Erin Condren Horizontal. (So many moons ago) It took me a few years to actually find my happy place. I started with Happy Planner, moved to Erin Condren, had a year of dedicated bullet journaling, then tried to go back to an Erin Condren. It wasnt working. Suddenly it was TOO BIG! Enter Hobonichi weeks, inside of a travelers notebook system. I have found my peace. I have used it for all of 2022 and the pleasure I get from this filled out planner is far greater than any new planner. I did get to order my 2023 planner. And it's waiting for me. Looking so pretty and new and exciting. But I still love my 2022 weeks. It's become a trusty friend.
After a tiny bit of hopping, I’m sticking with my personal Filofax BUT I do change up my printable weekly inserts every few months (and use up stuff I have lying around), that and collecting pretty covers seems to scratch my “wanting novelty “ itch
I've planner-hopped a TON over the years, and I've decided that it's okay to change planners when my life circumstances change, because I need my planner to fit my needs. These past several months that I've been pregnant (and managing gestational diabetes), I've been using the same planner type because it's what works best for me right now (the EC Daily Duo/daily spreads in general), and I'm way too tired to force a different type of planner to meet my needs. And I've kept at least one "exemplar" of each type of planner I've tried, so when I'm getting the fomo itch or I just want to see how a layout might work for whatever my current needs are, I'll pull out one of my exemplars from my stash and do a test layout on the next blank spread, and then I can see that, no, this is not going to be what I want right now, so I do not need to buy a new one. I've also planner-hopped a little less because setting up a new one (like, rewriting allllll the dates/appointments/etc. into a new calendar spread) gets super tedious.
I hopped for quite a while to the point where it was more stressful than helpful. I’m better at picking what I use now. When I see a planner I think I want I wait on it for a week or two to avoid impulse buying.
I tend to planner hop with my daily planner the most. I have my weekly planner as my catch all book, so I can experiment with the dailies which I enjoy. as a small disclosure, I am a smaller influencer so I do not get sent free products very often but I have received some product on occasion.
I'm really fan of my bulletjournal but I recognise the struggle. I still haven't found the perfect journal for me: that one his paper is too yellow for me, the other has a too small grid size, another has too thin paper, or too thick... but I only switch once I used the full bullet journal, I personally don't want to waste paper and it gives every journal a good chance to show it's positive side too.
I am a hopper and it’s driving me nuts. I’m trying to find a system that works for me, and honestly that is likely the Stalogy. My kids are in college so I’m in this weird season where I’m not as busy because I don’t need to schedule appointments for them or there are school or sports events, so in reality I just need a to do list, but I love the pretty things like vellum and stickers… I suppose I can just decorate my to do lists 😂
Just this week I started a YT channel to document what I'm currently in and why and what needs to go etc.I had gone very minimal when my life was crazy this spring and summer and since it's calmed down my stack exploded. I need to get things under control before 2023.
I've never understood how people can do it. It takes so much time to move into a new planner and while it's one of the things I most enjoy every year, I can't spend time doing that multiple times a year. Plus, if you've used multiple planners, how do you know where to go back to reference things? Since 1989, I can only think of two times when I haven't continued with a planner until death do us part. The first time was when my diabetic cat peed on my planner. The second time was when my spouse received a medical diagnosis and suddenly I went from having to track almost nothing related to his schedule to having to keep up with numerous appointments and my family sick leave time, etc.
I appreciate you verbalizing the different points in this video. I’ve tried different planners over the years and not stuck with them in any depth. Last year, I spent the year in a Passion Planner. I got a small, free one late the year before, liked it, but wanted more space. Got the one with the wire-o-binding and stuck with it all year despite becoming more and more frustrated with it. I figured out - watching lots of yours and others’ videos - what I liked and didn’t about it and thought the H&O planner would be a great fit for this year. I got to August struggling with it when Hobonichi popped up - again. It has been popping into my attention on and off for a year at that point. I got one of the Cousin Avec, figuring half the price and half the year was not a terrible price or timeline. All the things I thought I’d dislike, don’t bother me. All the things I thought I’d like, I really enjoy. It meets my need for now. Really trying a product out and doing the research on what might work, makes so much sense to me, and I really appreciate your approach to reviewing planners!
My brain seems to planner hop between three sizes. A5, A6, and standard TN. It also bounces between weekly and daily planning, and structure vs no structure. My purchases for 2023 were made based on that. A Hobonichi Cousin in English as the (mostly) catch all, an A5 Day-Free for long term projects and some brain dumping, and then a tiny A6 Leuchtturm so that I can keep months at a glance, shopping lists, and any information my doctors or I might need when I'm out an about. I already have standard TN covers, as well as a number of blank inserts. Those are going to be for collections specifically related to my freelance work and the finances that are related to that. I also have other notebooks, like the one where I keep long-term notes I've been referencing for some projects, but those I consider more of an ongoing collection as opposed to a yearly thing.
I have found when I want to hop it is actually a change has happened in my life that makes my planner not work. I recently hop back to digital planning because I was recently in the hospital and now I have to keep up-to-date records. I added another diagnosis which requires a bi-weekly injection and scheduling has become a nightmare. i am no longer working but my schedule is more complicated but I also have to keep records on what is working and not working. So I am actually now looking for a medical based planner.
I have watched this twice. LOL I have hopped this year from planner to planner. I love them all but now at the end of October and every kind of planner known to man I know what works. I just wish it hadn't taken ten months.
Hi, I’m Kellye and I’m a planner hopper 🥴🥴🥴 I just love them all LOL. I don’t get free products so my wallet is giving me major side eye. It’s definitely retail therapy and one of my goals for 2023 is no more hopping (and stick to my budget goals).
I have a hard time using a planner for more than 6 months. I think I get bored. So I mostly use bullet journals, TNs, coil planners that don’t last more than 6 months so then I’m not wasting money. Thankfully I can make any planner work for me as long as it has monthly and weekly layouts and a few trackers/ blank pages for online shopping, financials, and notes
Lol, as someone who is trying to get control and end impulse spending, I feel like you made this video just for me. 😂 I’m already giving a side eye to the A5 Horizontal that I “thought” was a good idea in July when I haven’t touched it all.
Loved this perspective! I don't so much hop into different things as much as I use different systems daily for each type of business or project. I learned a few years back that multiple planners at once bring me a lot of joy, allow me to use different things without fomo, etc. But lately I'm also finding that I'm craving a bit of simplification and I'm not sure how to do it since the multiple planners have worked so well. 2023 might be a shift for me.
I am a bi-planner - there are two systems I go back and forth with. One I love but it gets annoying as to structure. The other I love because of the structure however it feels restrictive. So what I did was to switch them back and forth between work and personal. That said I decided to try the Makse Life lined vertical flagship next year (yes your cover pushed me over the edge). I have been wondering about the system for roughly two years and follow along videos to see how it works, now I’ll see if it’s something that can help me. In reality I only “need” one planner for work but I really like having a personal one too. Not because of all the things to do but for the hobby and perceived discipline if it’s used as I intend it. Still not sure about Makse binding but I’ll blow up that bridge when I get there. 😊
I feel you on this! I've gone through two major periods of planner hopping in the past year and a half, when I've started using a planner as both a creative outlet and a functional tool (in the past they were always for work or school and purely functional) I love the feeling of a new system and the fun of setting it up, like you say, but I hate having to break a system in. I've tried a few brands: Happy Planner, Plum Paper and EC with varying degrees of success - HP was fun and I like the stickers and flexibility, but the consume consume mentality is terrible for my dopamine hungry ADHD hoarder brain (like I've seen a few others in the comments mention!) Plum Paper was good, but I didn't fully know what I needed from a planner so I wasn't reaslly intentional with the layout I got, then EC lured me in with sales and interchangeable covers lol I liked that part, but again tried to use two layouts for ultimately the same purpose and floundered. What I've learned in roughly the past two years is that I cannot plan in multiple books. Ever. I cannot separate work or school from home and social life. It's redundant and that's the biggest boner killer for my ADHD and executive function. Another takeaway is size: A5 is my sweet spot. Any larger and its a paperweight. I've also recently learned that as much as I loooooove stickers and washi, when it comes to my planner* (*not my journal, memory keeping, fun trackers or even daily sheets - just life planning) LESS IS MORE. I can create the most beautiful spread with all the deco and halfway through the week I'm overwhelmed visually and touch it less and less. Omg this is a novel I AM SO SORRY. Long story short, I've been using a Hobonichi Cousin (your arch nemesis, I know) for 6 weeks and while I'm still learning some things specific to how i use it, it's really suiting me and i touch it every day. I've also decided that for the new year, with my new cousin, I'm not going to let deco rule the roost and I'm going to have a different outlet for that, be it a bujo, memory planning in one of my failed planners - idk but my planner will be a planner first, and creative outlet second. Or third. I might even challenge myself to be a pen only planner for a spell, or only stickers no washi etc.....We shall see!
Thank you for putting this out there. Im not a hopper. I usually stick with a planner for about a year. I use discs and frankenplan. I’ve kept my catchall relatively stable for the last two years with an hourly. I tend to shift my journal layout (vertical, horizontal, teacher, dashboard) because it keeps the page a little more exciting for me. I’ve been super happy, but think I might try a dashboard as a catchall next year. May go back to the hourly, but going to give it a go.
A great video, thank you! My problem is that for several months of the year, I need a rigid, highly structured day planner where I make and tick off appointments and to-do's and have a solid record of when/what/where for every single day... and other months where that's not needed, a simple weekly view and sticky notes for lists is enough. A ring planner and etsy inserts would seem to fit the bill, but it ends up being quite messy, storing the used inserts in date order and I end up appreciating a bound, dated planner in a box for reference and storage.
When I'm thinking about changing I watch a TON of videos about it to get different people's perspectives on the new system and then I'll sit down and really examine what about it I like and what I don't and be brutally honest with myself about if I could live with those cons. More often than not, I end up sticking with what I already have because I know that those cons will eventually bug me.
I like to try different planners for memory keeping to play with deco. My real planner will always be an A6, either inserts or book bound. I buy different covers to keep from getting bored, but only in colors I really like.
I love hearing your thoughts on this topic, and it actually makes me want to ask for any opinion or perspective you might have on a similar one: My planner is currently an ugly hand written situation, because my plans and schedule end up changing day today, so I can’t really “pre-plan“ a week with stickers and boxes and things to fill out because they might not apply by the time I get that far. But, going back after the fact and just filling out a planner like a scrapbook afterward is some thing I can never seem to make time to do compared to other priorities. I’ve tried finding a happy medium of using erasable pens and lots of un-du so that I can start a week looking pretty and then change as things go, but it just becomes a lot of effort and kind of messy. That said, have you had any of your own experience in this area or thoughts that you’ve seen from other people on possible solutions or other middle ground options that I may be not thinking of? I desperately miss having a pretty decorative planner, but I can’t figure out how to make such a thing function for me in the moment. Love your videos, as always, thank you for sharing with us! ☺️
Off topic I love that sweater, it looks so cozy! When I started using the Weeks in January, I was pretty sure it would work for me because it was very much like the weekly setup I was using in my bullet journal. That was very different from my aspirational "I think I'll get a new Happy Wellness Planner because it looks cool" and then three years and change later I've done only a couple of weeks worth of pages and I'm probably going to rip its guts out and use the rings and cover for my HB90 annual goals next year so at least I'll get some use out of it. But have I ever in my life kept up with something like that? Nope! Anyway, Weeks Mega for 2023 because I'm really just boring and non-fancy like that.
You’re awesome. I’m sticking it out with the Happy Planner and when I get an itch i switch to a cover I already own. Feels new. Also I don’t watch planner content….it feels the foolishness. Been in this HP for 2 years!
I bought the exact same planner for 2023 that I bought for 2022. Not because it is some amazing productivity tool, It isn't, but because I like the looks of it. It is the Conquest Harry Potter planner. It is basic but I feel like I can make it be whatever I need depending on how I decorate and lay it out. I can add trackers, meal planning and whatever else I need that week. I am really horrible at filling out a whole bunch of reflections and extra stuff. I am trying to goal set for 2023 but I am setting that up in a dot grid notebook...not like bullet journaling but more like good old fashioned journaling with a lot of things pasted in and monthly goal lists and hopefully some way to track my goals. I just feel like I need something unique to me and the only good way to get exactly what I want is to make it. Edited to add: using exclusively pilot frixtion (sp?) Products, not because I like them best but because things change so frequently in my life that everything needs to be erasable lol
I’m a hopper and I’m get mad at myself for doing that. Lately I’ve found the wonderland 222 - I’ve tried a6 and b6. My doc wants me to keep track of things for my health but I can decide between the a6 and b6. Every other day I switch between the two. Drive my self nuts!!!
I have decided that in my journey for "fitness planner peace" that its ok if I go back and forth between 3-4 different planners. What's it hurting? Other that my wallet, nothing. LOL Sometimes I just need to see things in a different way or track things in a different planner to make me happy. I go back and forth between Happy Planner, bullet journals and I think I'm going to get a Makse Life planner and use them all in my fitness planner rotation to make me happy.
I have hopped several times over the years. About a week ago I realized I enjoy my coiled daily planner. I love the daily layout. If I feel the urge to hop again, I will go back to bullet Journaling. I find the BuJo to be soothing and helps when I feel anxious. Cause I can make it as simple or elaborate as I want. It feels good to let go and accept what I enjoy. I am considering getting the MakseLife quarterly companion notebooks. I don't think I would like all the parts of the goal setting system with my planner. It would be too overwhelming and intimidating. Great video and perspective!
I hopped (not far) from a passion planner medium undated Monday start to a passion planner medium 2023 dated medium Monday start. For a dumb reason but I learned from it! That using the undated date stickers makers the planner bulk up significantly only at the top of the planner making it hard to write over the bump. Anyways, I’m hopping out of a cheap-o aldi planner with terrible paper and ring that I was using for content planning and into a Laurel Denise project planner monthly for content planning. So a lot of changes for this January but it keeps me motivated and excited and hopefully these two hope will keep me in these planners for a full year! 😅
This year I purchased an insert undated six month ML planner to add to my HP planner which was okay but I used it sporadically but then I bought the wire bound und six month (blush Vert) which I never used cz I had to move in June so June in all of my planners was not used and I haven’t used a planner in four months. I moved to a smaller place and bought a bunch of year end (~$20) digital planners. I find that I prefer paper tho’ cz I can just write in it. So I bought the ML quarterly notebooks and am digging out my unused undated HP planner inserts to have something til the end of the year. I also have a bullet journal which I hope to use up by the end of the year. I may go back to my favorite journal which is just a college ruled exam book and use that with the quarterly stuff. IDK
I have hopped but not very often. I did filofax for over a year, I did an erin condrin style for 1 year and then switched to a bujo and haven't moved from a bujo. The temptation is always there, but what I do works so I just ignore the temptation.
you know, something I just thought about... if what you're using is working, but you're tempted, ask yourself... how much do I ACTUALLY think the new shiny thing might improve things? not YOU, but the general you. haha
@@CindyGuentertBaldo I also ask myself questions before I even think of buying something. For example when new hobonichi's came out and there was an animal crossing one, I was very tempted. I looked at my bujo and asked do I use weeklys? No. Do I use a traditional monthly? No. Does the hobonichi have space to journal? Yes. Would I fill a page a day? Not everyday. Can I live with wasted space? No. How much is the hobonichi? Crazy expensive. Do I like tomoe river paper, no the pens take too long to dry. Do I need it, no. I literally convinced myself out of it. There are days where I open my bujo and have to fill in the day or two before so I can't imagine trying to fill out a monthly, weekly and daily when I sometimes back fill. I also track some things and maybe it would work but then journaling would be cut short. Sometimes journaling is necessary to keep me going. I can't have more than one planner. I make it simple so that when I don't have time I am doing bare minimum. I love to draw but only when I have time. Lettering is filling in the spaces when I don't have anymore to journal and need to start the next day. Your lettering books are awesome.
I spent this year planner hopping with like 3-4 months in each planner and making notes about what worked or didn’t work. What I figured our is that I don’t have a lot of timed tasks/appointments and I don’t want my work tasks in my personal planner unless I have like a big project deadline or meeting that will impact my personal day to day stuff.
I went from moterm a5 rings to a hobonichi cousin (Jan-Dec) and Im adding in a moleskin weekly. I wanted a system that I could keep using year after year. I'm tired of buying inserts and not being satisfied with them or the shops dont have my inserts in stock. Also the ring binder is so heavy when carrying it around. Anything smaller than an a5 is too small for me. Yes I could leave my planner at home.. but, Im a planner girl and I must have my planner with me. Wish me good luck with this new set up.
im sitting here now looking at all of the planners I've purchased this year and wondering what the hell were you thinking... and I'm still waiting on more. A monkey on my back I need to shake before rolling into 2023.
I have ADHD and I've never found a planner that "works" for me lol. I've just accepted that planners are a hobby for me and that's okay. My Google calendar is my backbone for anything that's super important. My life is still a mess though, so I'm not gonna pretend like I'm some kind of expert 🤣 Oh but I've realized modular planners are a trap for me. Happy planner was a dark time for me. I've been on bookbound planners the last few years and that helps keep my budget a little more sane.
I swear this whole planner hopping/FOMO situation can sometimes be just a case of the grass is greener... which we all SHOULD know isn't usually true. haha
Hop away my friend hop away😂 that lines magical but for real - I’m mentally preparing to do that testing out a bunch of different things to try and find what works in 2023 cause what I’ve been trying the last couple years hasn’t. I feel pretty good so far with my first one I’m working in since I’ve been trying a new home/personal stuff the last month or so since when I got the 2023 one they gave a pdf printable for the remainder of 2022 and I *know* it’ll work for just keeping track of house/chore/family specific things but not for my entire life (mainly adding work into it) which is why I’m doing now since I have nothing else until 2023 starts. Here’s to hoping for planner peace in 2023 cause my god I need it😂
I keep wanting to try a planner instead of my bujo and just have a planner and a journal but then I think about all of the shit I keep track of (I have OCD-diagnosed). Some of the things I have to do because I have to is track things, make lists so I can check things off, and keep up with appointments and health shit for both my husband and myself because we’re both having issues now. There’s no way I can do that in a planner.
I've been guilty of this in the past. I have the issue now of I do too much research and get overwhelmed with choices and just end up staying with a bullet journal even though it's not necessarily what may work the best for me. But then I BuJo hop, too. Bound book to 3 ring, to TN, back to bound... 😅 Usually year to year. Maybe to break up monotony. Who knows.
My question is....what do you do with your planners at the end? Like if you use 3 or 4 over the course of a year at different times, do you tie them together and store them or just chuck them all out? I have a super boring life even with 2 kids and have only ever used one kind of planner. If I used more than 1 type a year I think my head would blow off. Lol
To me, hopping around feels very disorganized. I can see it if you’re actively looking for something new. But if you’re just bored and planning in a bunch of different planners and don’t care that this week is here or there, fine. If you’re a historian of sorts and you save your planners for your kids or something, again feels disorganized. No one will be able to follow the chaos. I’ve learned why I planner hop so I’ve stopped wasting time and money. I don’t have a lot to plan anyway so I just use bare bones iphone reminder app & iPhone calendar app and weather app etc. It’s not pretty and I often yearn for stickers and washis and pretty pens. Then I think about all the stickers and washi and pens I DON’T use. Doing spreads & not using them is wasting my kits etc. The pandemic changed me. Without being able to go out and do stuff I saw I have a very mundane life & don’t have anything to talk about. I sound like a crazy person, don’t I? LOL
I have had no planner consistency for the second half of the year. Part of it was because my planner ran out in June and I never invested in another because I wanted to wait for the new year. So, I've been going back and forth between my bujo and whatever cheap planner looks interesting. I hate this lifestyle lol. Planner hopping ain't for me!
I switched jobs mid year kept my planning system which does not work with my new job whatsoever. Struggling to find a planner that complements working overnight. 7p to 7 AM. I am a functional planner
I love the creativeness of bullet journaling but don't like the lack of structure it has. I'm too lazy also. I'm trying out the Hobonichi Weeks next year. I tried Hobonichi Cousin this year and it really isn't working for me. Too overwhelming.
I could never find planner peace. I got so sick of always looking for something different, and changing every couple months. I needed something that was hourly, and also places to write down my to-do's, and spot for notes. I started buying digital planners, and good grief! I've spent so much money on planners over the years. SICK OF IT! I finally said F&#K It!!! Now, I use my outlook calendar, Microsoft To-Do, and online notes. Also, I used to buy so many pens and markers. Always trying to find the "perfect" pen. Finding contentment is so hard for me. I had to take drastic measures. I still find myself looking at planners and pens, and markers and I've been good about telling myself no!
One thing that annoys me is when people are planner hopping solely for PR/affiliate and don't actually show their planners being used - they just show stickers on the blank pages.
Yeah, my ADHD butt is guilty of wanting to planner hop to all the shiny new things even though I already know what works. I have to be careful to not have fomo when watching what other people are doing, but, like you said, my wallet loves me when I don’t buy all the new things. 😂
I’ve had to force myself to planner hop a bit, as a way of trying to find what works right now. Fear of hopping just made me not plan at all, and that is not a good idea.
I’m not a planner hopper because I find it wasteful (money and resources). I stopped following planner “influencers” because it’s very easy to fall on the new trend trap. I’ve chosen to follow planners that use their tools organically, like you do.
Thanks for this video. When I first started watching planner videos A few months ago I was amazed at how many jump around. I’m talking about folks that have had a channel for years. I can understand newbies trying to experiment with the different products. But surprised at the veterans. It actually causes me anxiety just listening to these people torment themselves with what they want to use, etc… Lol!! I’ve had to stop watching those.
My life would be a way worse mess if I did that. Lol It took me a second to find my planning groove but there's no way I could bounce from here to here to here and keep my life intact. Uh uh.
Whatever I buy, it's for the year. I have used all kinds of different planners, but that one system/planner is what I use for the year. This year I used a Hobonichi Cousin, just the one book, all year. I learn something each year, whatever change I make, then I reflect on how that informs the decision on what I will use for the next year. I am a serial monogamist with my planners, is how I describe it.
I’m a planner hopper. I use a daily. I get bored easily and love the thrill of using a new planner layout. I’ve finally embraced this and started buying undated planners so I can jump back and forth between planners.
I am convinced that 90% of the planner hoppers on the internets do it for content. I've also noticed that the act of setting up the new system (annual trackers, drawing lots of lines with a ruler, etc) ticks the "repetitive tasks" box that my disordered brain loves, so I think that often it's not about the differences in the planners at all, it's just the act of transitioning to the new planner/journal/system/etc that is valuable for some people.
Yes switching is fun and activates my problem solver brain--but sometimes it makes it easy to avoid solving my real problems.
@@lauracorsi3309 I may or may not have set up next month's plant journal a week early yesterday in order to avoid cleaning my office (which is happening right now and OH LOOK AT ALL THOSE MAKEUP BRUSHES I CLEANED instead of actually moving the rest of the stuff off the craft table).
It’s so apparent when someone suddenly loves a new planner ahead of or during launch when they either got new product for free or are hoping to get it. Behind the scenes are they still using something else as their real planner?
@@superfund42 Exactly! My husband loves to call me on this too.
I agree with you Sara about most of them hopping for content purposes and those people drive me nuts and I unfollow. I mean... one week you say a certain type of planning doesn't align with your values and beliefs (it was a lot of manifesting your day) and then suddenly a few months later you have no problem with it. It gives me a migraine trying to figure out these "creators".... much easier to simply unfollow.
My planner hopping is related to stress and I know it. Whenever I get stressed I am convinced a new planner system will fix it (even though deep down I know it won’t). I did get a new planner in the mail today and then I saw this video. 🤦♀️. But I really, really, really want to stick to this one for at least all of 2023 and hopefully beyond.
Your response really spoke to me. I keep switching between two life planners and two teacher planners. Frustrated with myself. But it is stress! When I feel overwhelmed, I convince myself that the other system will absolutely solve ALL my problems and will magically make me more productive. And yet the opposite is always the result. Thanks for the aha moment.
I found a lot of success in trying lots of cheap planners, not paying any attention to the “prettiness” but instead to the layout. It let me figure out what my actual planning needed, and then I could splurge a little more on a pretty, nice-quality planner because I knew it would practically work for me.
This is why I have been loyal to bullet journaling for the last few years. When I want to try something new, I test out a new layout in my bujo because sometimes I do still crave novelty. It also works to try to copy a layout a planner I’m eyeing has
Agreed
The beauty of bullet journals, that flexibility.
I agree - i'm just sooooooooo lazy
Yes! This is what I did for a long time in my bujo! I’ve since switched to a Hobonichi because I wanted to paper and I have been using the same daily layout for a long time in my bujo
I did the same. I got a hobonichi, ignore the dates, use the pages like a bujo. It’s been the best of both worlds (structured/unstructured).
I love a lot of this advice. Also, we all know a Recession is Coming. Even if you have a stable job, basic costs like fuel, food and housing are increasing, it's time to think about your budget. Even after you've thought of your budget, take a moment to think about the enviro impact of purchasing a bunch of planners you will only lightly use. Then think what that looks like if a whole lot of people are behaving that way. Have I achieved planner peace? Mmmm... maybe not. Is my planner discomfort so bad that I am gonna bin this planner, or can I just work with what I've got until it's time to replace it? I can probably find ways to make it work, if I'm being honest.
Totally agree about the planner-frogs who do it just for content and have a boring functional system that they REALLY use behind the scenes! When I first decided to use a planner I watched endless videos and made copious notes about options before deciding what to go for. When the time came to actually buy something I had worked out what would suit me, and with only a few minor tweaks four years later I'm still using pretty much the same. I hate waste and have been known to re-date an entire year of inserts to be able to use them up.
One question I have for those who planner-hop is if you need to go back and find something, how do you know where to look?
Hm, I basically keep some things I really need to find again in something like google spreadsheets/docs!! Or some lists that span over many years for istance or tracking that spans many years/months, I transfer it there if I see it reoccurs and if I see I return to update it but sparsely!
If it's something minor that I didn't transfer in a digital form, then I either somewhat remember in what kind of notebook/planner I was writing it (I remember the experience I had when thinking about it and writing about it, something like that) or start a search through all my used planner of that period which is usually quite fun, lol, I feel like a detective 🤣😂 If I find myself searching for the same thing more than once, than I'll probably transfer it digitally
I tried a few different planners over the years and have finally realised that I am not a fancy + sticker kind of chick. I now just do list migration in a kinbor vertical weekly and I'm the most successful I've ever been at getting shit done. This is a huge win for my adhd! I sticker in my journal.
Me too!
This year, I deliberately chose to planner hop in an attempt to work with instead of against my ADHD, and also in a way that doesn't drain me of money and leave a dozen mostly empty planners and notebooks lying around. I took the shell of an old happy planner and I bounce between different undated inserts depending on my needs, usually on a monthly basis. So I'm not buying a ton of fully printed and bound planners (or if I do decide to get one, I will only get undated), I have the flexibility of a bullet journal without the work of drawing layouts, and I have the dopamine of fun new things to play with! I'm actually shocked at how well it's been working for me.
When I was in highschool, I used to buy a new planner about 4 times a year: when the new planners for the next year hit the store, when they are for sale, when the new planners for the next school year would hit the store, and when those were on sale. The system was pretty much the same and I would migrate everything but after a few months, the planner would be stained, some ages folded and I didn't like it anymore. But that was the joy in it. I got excited for the cute new cover, the lovely new book smell, it was never about the functional planner itself.
I've now been bullet journaling for a year and I'm in the lucky situation that i go through 1 notebook in about 3-4 months which perfectly alinea with the window that i don't like the color anymore. So I buy a new color. I change the color of my pen halfway through for the same reason. I don't get bored with the system, I get bored with the visuals. Those are much cheaper to change
It's important to realise what is driving you to want to change and address that.
This year has been the year of understanding planner moments for me. I finally stopped fighting myself and realized I am 100 % a functional planner. I kept trying to do memory planning because I love stickers and enjoy watching others plan but it just never worked for me. I also felt that if I spent so much money on a planner I had to make it pretty and use all the stickers...that it was a waste if i just used my pens and markers. But when I used stickers I never reached for my planner. But I love stickers and couldn't figure out how to find peace. So I decided to use my planner in a functional way for the everyday tasks and plans and have a separate planner to let out my creativity and use my stickers. I'm not going to journal everyday or memory plan....but I love memes stickers dramas music and found that I can memory plan by just using stickers memes and pictures. It reminds me of the picture collages I used to do back in high school and it was so much fun. It's my way of memory keeping .... this system is working out really well for me. Next year my goal will be to keep a wellness planner and get back to my fitness goals. I'm pretty excited
the way these car chats always hit everything i'm thinking lol. i'm trying my best to get there!
I used to hop into trends - every month or so. And in 2019 or 2020 I realized I would buy a planner and forgot I bought it, buy another, and then the 1st would arrive. I got off Instagram, left the FB groups, stopped planning for awhile. Came back to it in a Target shelf level planner - and I don't hop anymore. 1 planner, 1 random notebook and everything is where I need it to be.
I planner hop just for fun sometimes, but always wind up coming back to my bullet journal. When I'm feeling unmotivated or in a bit of a rut, sometimes changing things up helps, I just also have fun trying different styles! I will add though, I am captain of team re-date. I rarely buy a planner at the start of the year. I either buy undated or wait til the dated is on clearance. I'm not super precious about things being perfect, so while I may only use something for a month or two at a time, I have no problem going back and picking up where I left off a few months later. I literally have a full notebook that spans parts of 2015-2019. This sounds a bit unhinged typing it out, but I don't know, I enjoy it :)
not unhinged at all! I think this is a really healthy relationship with the way you do things!
note - am not a planner therapist. lol
ONE planner ALL year....same planner for the last six years. I'm WAY too lazy for the multi-planner system. Love your chat, thanx so much!!!
I used to have this issue, where I kept getting planners and using them for a couple of weeks/months but would keep forgetting to use them. What worked for me in the end was relaxing it all and having a much more casual system where I use a Bullet Journal but I don't do any set ups, I just write the things and to do lists and stuff that I need at the time that I need them and put a big whiteboard calendar in a place were I can see it all the time so I don't forget to use it.
I fight a constant battle between wanting a very structured planner (within my parameters) and the freedom of the bullet journal because I want something that looks pretty, but I don’t want to take the time to do that. So, the BJ always wins because I am a constant list maker and note taker and structured planners don’t really fit that practice. I think I have finally realized that the notebook is the best option for me and will try to be mindful,of that when I see the new and pretty planners coming out.
I love that you've figured it out
yes! and bujo is also great for the weeks when whatever happens and you don't use it at all. no paper/money gets wasted and you can pick it back up from where you left off
That's what led me to the Hobo Day-Free. I don't need weekly layouts, or a whole page for one day, but I make good use of the HDF's monthly calendars and I use the weird vertical calendar near the front for the important daily tasks. I use as much room as I need for lists and notes specific to my daily log, on average 3 days per a6 page. So far the 171 numbered pages have been plenty.
This is why I love rings: I move the contents through a rotation of covers. Tweak the deco whenever I want. TFS Cindy ✨
I needed to hear this. I did hoping a lot this year because I just fell down the rabbit hole. Partly finding my planning style but part is definitely the FOMO.
I'm not a hopper, but I did a couple of hops back in 2018-2019. The Hobonichi Weeks was having a lot of attention in late 2018, and at that point I had been using a bullet journal for a couple of years. I started it when my sister's health issues began to increase, and I was trying to keep track of her life as well as my own. She passed away in late 2017, and I came to believe that drawing all my trackers, etc. was a complication I didn't need. I decided the Weeks was my ticket to simplifying.
Well, no, it wasn't.I used it for about 4 months and by April I knew it wasn't working. I went back to a bullet journal, this time in a much smaller (a6) Apica CD notebook, with Midori (?) Monthly calendar stickers I pasted in and some doodling and decoration. Right now I can't lay hands on it, but it appears that arrangement lasted through 2020.
Maybe the pandemic was the root cause for me to downsize yet again. For 2021 and 2022, I switched to the Hobonichi Day-Free and adapted its feature to a kind-of bullet journal, and I never looked back. I have my 2023 HDF prepped and waiting and the only decision left is - do I want to use more than one color ink in it, now that I've stocked up on a rainbow of Coleto Hi-Tec refills? 🤣
Love the analogy of relationships, I don’t know if I’m an old soul or the fact I’ve been in a healthy relationship with my partner for 12yrs but I find extremely uncomfortable and waste of time and energy the whole dating system nowadays. People are so used to have all the resources at their finger tips that they don’t take time to learn and really try partners (or planners). One bad date and they’re ready to move to the next without even considering the things that did work out. And I’m not saying to ignore red flags, those we need to pay attention and get out of there, but in planner world how many real serious red flags can be?? Come on’ you can really try for at least a couple of weeks/months.
My weeks vary and I find I need different systems for different weeks. I figured out what works though by trying out printables and creating "dupe" spreads in my bullet journal. A lot cheaper to go that route than buying new planners all the time. I might think some of the new planners are awesome and want to get my hands on them to play with, but I know I'll use it for 2-3 weeks and abandon it for what I know works. Right now I'm trying to find a goal setting method that actually works for me that I'll stick to.
i love this!
I want see some goal setting options! How cool!
Planner hopping.makes me crazy. I've added pieces slowly to my lineup because my brain works better that way, but I have been in a Happy Planner now since 2015 and have maintained that system this entire time. The pieces I've added are still within the Happy Planner family so that I can keep everything for the year together, but my main planner hasn't changed except for size.
This past year I’ve been planner hopping and doing the bitching. Not because I don’t like my planner but because I like to many and I want to use all the things 🤦🏼♀️ For 2023 I’m going to try to stick with my “plan”.
Love this take. I'm not usually a planner hopper, mostly because I'm cheap af and don't want to keep shelling out cash for things I'm not certain I'll use. That said, I've changed twice this year, and none of those are what I'll be using for next year. I'd gotten in a happy planner rut, so tried different layouts (that I'd received as gifts from family). I've realized though this, that I just really don't like happy planners. I'd only been using them because of issues receiving my IPC planner back in 2020, so I grabbed what was cheap in store while waiting. I just stopped looking after that, because it was "good enough" for the last couple years. Sometimes it can be beneficial to hop around in this way. Now I have an A5 ring agenda for 2023, so if I hate the brand/layout or whatever, it's easy and relatively inexpensive to change once I've finished with the inserts I've got. But you bet I'll use every page of my current one first! (See: cheap af 😅)
I'm a happy planner hopper! It's totally part of the joy of planning for me. I love testing out new layouts and that's one of the reasons I do UA-cam lol. But I like your spicy take on it. I totally think you are right that maybe people need to give the new planner time.
I pay for all my shizz… so I only use one planner a year. But omg I do watch all these planner influencers and I get tempted to try new planners. But I’ve realized when it comes time to order my new one, I always go back to my EC horizontal 🤷🏻♀️
walk away from the fomo. WALK AWAY
I found planning (and you) back when you were using an Erin Condren Horizontal. (So many moons ago) It took me a few years to actually find my happy place. I started with Happy Planner, moved to Erin Condren, had a year of dedicated bullet journaling, then tried to go back to an Erin Condren. It wasnt working. Suddenly it was TOO BIG! Enter Hobonichi weeks, inside of a travelers notebook system. I have found my peace. I have used it for all of 2022 and the pleasure I get from this filled out planner is far greater than any new planner. I did get to order my 2023 planner. And it's waiting for me. Looking so pretty and new and exciting. But I still love my 2022 weeks. It's become a trusty friend.
After a tiny bit of hopping, I’m sticking with my personal Filofax BUT I do change up my printable weekly inserts every few months (and use up stuff I have lying around), that and collecting pretty covers seems to scratch my “wanting novelty “ itch
I've planner-hopped a TON over the years, and I've decided that it's okay to change planners when my life circumstances change, because I need my planner to fit my needs. These past several months that I've been pregnant (and managing gestational diabetes), I've been using the same planner type because it's what works best for me right now (the EC Daily Duo/daily spreads in general), and I'm way too tired to force a different type of planner to meet my needs.
And I've kept at least one "exemplar" of each type of planner I've tried, so when I'm getting the fomo itch or I just want to see how a layout might work for whatever my current needs are, I'll pull out one of my exemplars from my stash and do a test layout on the next blank spread, and then I can see that, no, this is not going to be what I want right now, so I do not need to buy a new one. I've also planner-hopped a little less because setting up a new one (like, rewriting allllll the dates/appointments/etc. into a new calendar spread) gets super tedious.
I hopped for quite a while to the point where it was more stressful than helpful. I’m better at picking what I use now. When I see a planner I think I want I wait on it for a week or two to avoid impulse buying.
that's a fantastic tip
I tend to planner hop with my daily planner the most. I have my weekly planner as my catch all book, so I can experiment with the dailies which I enjoy. as a small disclosure, I am a smaller influencer so I do not get sent free products very often but I have received some product on occasion.
I'm really fan of my bulletjournal but I recognise the struggle. I still haven't found the perfect journal for me: that one his paper is too yellow for me, the other has a too small grid size, another has too thin paper, or too thick... but I only switch once I used the full bullet journal, I personally don't want to waste paper and it gives every journal a good chance to show it's positive side too.
I am a hopper and it’s driving me nuts. I’m trying to find a system that works for me, and honestly that is likely the Stalogy. My kids are in college so I’m in this weird season where I’m not as busy because I don’t need to schedule appointments for them or there are school or sports events, so in reality I just need a to do list, but I love the pretty things like vellum and stickers… I suppose I can just decorate my to do lists 😂
Just this week I started a YT channel to document what I'm currently in and why and what needs to go etc.I had gone very minimal when my life was crazy this spring and summer and since it's calmed down my stack exploded. I need to get things under control before 2023.
I've never understood how people can do it. It takes so much time to move into a new planner and while it's one of the things I most enjoy every year, I can't spend time doing that multiple times a year. Plus, if you've used multiple planners, how do you know where to go back to reference things? Since 1989, I can only think of two times when I haven't continued with a planner until death do us part. The first time was when my diabetic cat peed on my planner. The second time was when my spouse received a medical diagnosis and suddenly I went from having to track almost nothing related to his schedule to having to keep up with numerous appointments and my family sick leave time, etc.
I appreciate you verbalizing the different points in this video. I’ve tried different planners over the years and not stuck with them in any depth. Last year, I spent the year in a Passion Planner. I got a small, free one late the year before, liked it, but wanted more space. Got the one with the wire-o-binding and stuck with it all year despite becoming more and more frustrated with it. I figured out - watching lots of yours and others’ videos - what I liked and didn’t about it and thought the H&O planner would be a great fit for this year. I got to August struggling with it when Hobonichi popped up - again. It has been popping into my attention on and off for a year at that point. I got one of the Cousin Avec, figuring half the price and half the year was not a terrible price or timeline. All the things I thought I’d dislike, don’t bother me. All the things I thought I’d like, I really enjoy. It meets my need for now. Really trying a product out and doing the research on what might work, makes so much sense to me, and I really appreciate your approach to reviewing planners!
My brain seems to planner hop between three sizes. A5, A6, and standard TN. It also bounces between weekly and daily planning, and structure vs no structure. My purchases for 2023 were made based on that. A Hobonichi Cousin in English as the (mostly) catch all, an A5 Day-Free for long term projects and some brain dumping, and then a tiny A6 Leuchtturm so that I can keep months at a glance, shopping lists, and any information my doctors or I might need when I'm out an about. I already have standard TN covers, as well as a number of blank inserts. Those are going to be for collections specifically related to my freelance work and the finances that are related to that.
I also have other notebooks, like the one where I keep long-term notes I've been referencing for some projects, but those I consider more of an ongoing collection as opposed to a yearly thing.
I haven't planner hopped much simply because I haven't wanted to spend more money. I've mostly just quit using a planner period during low points
I have found when I want to hop it is actually a change has happened in my life that makes my planner not work. I recently hop back to digital planning because I was recently in the hospital and now I have to keep up-to-date records. I added another diagnosis which requires a bi-weekly injection and scheduling has become a nightmare. i am no longer working but my schedule is more complicated but I also have to keep records on what is working and not working. So I am actually now looking for a medical based planner.
The honeymoon phase can be quite short, with planner products too. Lol. 😌
I have watched this twice. LOL I have hopped this year from planner to planner. I love them all but now at the end of October and every kind of planner known to man I know what works. I just wish it hadn't taken ten months.
Hi, I’m Kellye and I’m a planner hopper 🥴🥴🥴 I just love them all LOL. I don’t get free products so my wallet is giving me major side eye. It’s definitely retail therapy and one of my goals for 2023 is no more hopping (and stick to my budget goals).
I have a hard time using a planner for more than 6 months. I think I get bored. So I mostly use bullet journals, TNs, coil planners that don’t last more than 6 months so then I’m not wasting money. Thankfully I can make any planner work for me as long as it has monthly and weekly layouts and a few trackers/ blank pages for online shopping, financials, and notes
I did a little bit of hopping but normally keep it between 3 companies and to save money, I get Undated planners so I'm not wasting them.
Lol, as someone who is trying to get control and end impulse spending, I feel like you made this video just for me. 😂 I’m already giving a side eye to the A5 Horizontal that I “thought” was a good idea in July when I haven’t touched it all.
Loved this perspective! I don't so much hop into different things as much as I use different systems daily for each type of business or project. I learned a few years back that multiple planners at once bring me a lot of joy, allow me to use different things without fomo, etc. But lately I'm also finding that I'm craving a bit of simplification and I'm not sure how to do it since the multiple planners have worked so well. 2023 might be a shift for me.
I am a bi-planner - there are two systems I go back and forth with. One I love but it gets annoying as to structure. The other I love because of the structure however it feels restrictive. So what I did was to switch them back and forth between work and personal. That said I decided to try the Makse Life lined vertical flagship next year (yes your cover pushed me over the edge). I have been wondering about the system for roughly two years and follow along videos to see how it works, now I’ll see if it’s something that can help me. In reality I only “need” one planner for work but I really like having a personal one too. Not because of all the things to do but for the hobby and perceived discipline if it’s used as I intend it.
Still not sure about Makse binding but I’ll blow up that bridge when I get there. 😊
I feel you on this! I've gone through two major periods of planner hopping in the past year and a half, when I've started using a planner as both a creative outlet and a functional tool (in the past they were always for work or school and purely functional) I love the feeling of a new system and the fun of setting it up, like you say, but I hate having to break a system in. I've tried a few brands: Happy Planner, Plum Paper and EC with varying degrees of success - HP was fun and I like the stickers and flexibility, but the consume consume mentality is terrible for my dopamine hungry ADHD hoarder brain (like I've seen a few others in the comments mention!) Plum Paper was good, but I didn't fully know what I needed from a planner so I wasn't reaslly intentional with the layout I got, then EC lured me in with sales and interchangeable covers lol I liked that part, but again tried to use two layouts for ultimately the same purpose and floundered.
What I've learned in roughly the past two years is that I cannot plan in multiple books. Ever. I cannot separate work or school from home and social life. It's redundant and that's the biggest boner killer for my ADHD and executive function. Another takeaway is size: A5 is my sweet spot. Any larger and its a paperweight. I've also recently learned that as much as I loooooove stickers and washi, when it comes to my planner* (*not my journal, memory keeping, fun trackers or even daily sheets - just life planning) LESS IS MORE. I can create the most beautiful spread with all the deco and halfway through the week I'm overwhelmed visually and touch it less and less.
Omg this is a novel I AM SO SORRY. Long story short, I've been using a Hobonichi Cousin (your arch nemesis, I know) for 6 weeks and while I'm still learning some things specific to how i use it, it's really suiting me and i touch it every day. I've also decided that for the new year, with my new cousin, I'm not going to let deco rule the roost and I'm going to have a different outlet for that, be it a bujo, memory planning in one of my failed planners - idk but my planner will be a planner first, and creative outlet second. Or third. I might even challenge myself to be a pen only planner for a spell, or only stickers no washi etc.....We shall see!
Thank you for putting this out there. Im not a hopper. I usually stick with a planner for about a year. I use discs and frankenplan. I’ve kept my catchall relatively stable for the last two years with an hourly. I tend to shift my journal layout (vertical, horizontal, teacher, dashboard) because it keeps the page a little more exciting for me. I’ve been super happy, but think I might try a dashboard as a catchall next year. May go back to the hourly, but going to give it a go.
I do the same: my basic schedule has been on a vertical layout since 2016, but the layout for my journal shifts every year.
A great video, thank you! My problem is that for several months of the year, I need a rigid, highly structured day planner where I make and tick off appointments and to-do's and have a solid record of when/what/where for every single day... and other months where that's not needed, a simple weekly view and sticky notes for lists is enough. A ring planner and etsy inserts would seem to fit the bill, but it ends up being quite messy, storing the used inserts in date order and I end up appreciating a bound, dated planner in a box for reference and storage.
When I'm thinking about changing I watch a TON of videos about it to get different people's perspectives on the new system and then I'll sit down and really examine what about it I like and what I don't and be brutally honest with myself about if I could live with those cons. More often than not, I end up sticking with what I already have because I know that those cons will eventually bug me.
I like to try different planners for memory keeping to play with deco. My real planner will always be an A6, either inserts or book bound. I buy different covers to keep from getting bored, but only in colors I really like.
I love hearing your thoughts on this topic, and it actually makes me want to ask for any opinion or perspective you might have on a similar one:
My planner is currently an ugly hand written situation, because my plans and schedule end up changing day today, so I can’t really “pre-plan“ a week with stickers and boxes and things to fill out because they might not apply by the time I get that far. But, going back after the fact and just filling out a planner like a scrapbook afterward is some thing I can never seem to make time to do compared to other priorities. I’ve tried finding a happy medium of using erasable pens and lots of un-du so that I can start a week looking pretty and then change as things go, but it just becomes a lot of effort and kind of messy.
That said, have you had any of your own experience in this area or thoughts that you’ve seen from other people on possible solutions or other middle ground options that I may be not thinking of?
I desperately miss having a pretty decorative planner, but I can’t figure out how to make such a thing function for me in the moment.
Love your videos, as always, thank you for sharing with us! ☺️
It sounds like a daily planner would work much better for you
Off topic I love that sweater, it looks so cozy!
When I started using the Weeks in January, I was pretty sure it would work for me because it was very much like the weekly setup I was using in my bullet journal. That was very different from my aspirational "I think I'll get a new Happy Wellness Planner because it looks cool" and then three years and change later I've done only a couple of weeks worth of pages and I'm probably going to rip its guts out and use the rings and cover for my HB90 annual goals next year so at least I'll get some use out of it. But have I ever in my life kept up with something like that? Nope!
Anyway, Weeks Mega for 2023 because I'm really just boring and non-fancy like that.
You’re awesome. I’m sticking it out with the Happy Planner and when I get an itch i switch to a cover I already own. Feels new. Also I don’t watch planner content….it feels the foolishness. Been in this HP for 2 years!
I bought the exact same planner for 2023 that I bought for 2022. Not because it is some amazing productivity tool, It isn't, but because I like the looks of it. It is the Conquest Harry Potter planner. It is basic but I feel like I can make it be whatever I need depending on how I decorate and lay it out. I can add trackers, meal planning and whatever else I need that week. I am really horrible at filling out a whole bunch of reflections and extra stuff. I am trying to goal set for 2023 but I am setting that up in a dot grid notebook...not like bullet journaling but more like good old fashioned journaling with a lot of things pasted in and monthly goal lists and hopefully some way to track my goals. I just feel like I need something unique to me and the only good way to get exactly what I want is to make it.
Edited to add: using exclusively pilot frixtion (sp?) Products, not because I like them best but because things change so frequently in my life that everything needs to be erasable lol
sounds like you know what you like/need and are happy with it!
Not really a planner hopper since I'm used to the weekly planner
Nonetheless, this is something I need to hear, thanks for sharing ✨
I’m a hopper and I’m get mad at myself for doing that. Lately I’ve found the wonderland 222 - I’ve tried a6 and b6. My doc wants me to keep track of things for my health but I can decide between the a6 and b6. Every other day I switch between the two. Drive my self nuts!!!
I'm torn between personal and personal wide. Have both. Can't decide which size I actually prefer
I have decided that in my journey for "fitness planner peace" that its ok if I go back and forth between 3-4 different planners. What's it hurting? Other that my wallet, nothing. LOL Sometimes I just need to see things in a different way or track things in a different planner to make me happy.
I go back and forth between Happy Planner, bullet journals and I think I'm going to get a Makse Life planner and use them all in my fitness planner rotation to make me happy.
I have hopped several times over the years. About a week ago I realized I enjoy my coiled daily planner. I love the daily layout. If I feel the urge to hop again, I will go back to bullet Journaling. I find the BuJo to be soothing and helps when I feel anxious. Cause I can make it as simple or elaborate as I want. It feels good to let go and accept what I enjoy. I am considering getting the MakseLife quarterly companion notebooks. I don't think I would like all the parts of the goal setting system with my planner. It would be too overwhelming and intimidating. Great video and perspective!
I hopped (not far) from a passion planner medium undated Monday start to a passion planner medium 2023 dated medium Monday start. For a dumb reason but I learned from it! That using the undated date stickers makers the planner bulk up significantly only at the top of the planner making it hard to write over the bump. Anyways, I’m hopping out of a cheap-o aldi planner with terrible paper and ring that I was using for content planning and into a Laurel Denise project planner monthly for content planning.
So a lot of changes for this January but it keeps me motivated and excited and hopefully these two hope will keep me in these planners for a full year! 😅
This year I purchased an insert undated six month ML planner to add to my HP planner which was okay but I used it sporadically but then I bought the wire bound und six month (blush Vert) which I never used cz I had to move in June so June in all of my planners was not used and I haven’t used a planner in four months. I moved to a smaller place and bought a bunch of year end (~$20) digital planners. I find that I prefer paper tho’ cz I can just write in it. So I bought the ML quarterly notebooks and am digging out my unused undated HP planner inserts to have something til the end of the year. I also have a bullet journal which I hope to use up by the end of the year. I may go back to my favorite journal which is just a college ruled exam book and use that with the quarterly stuff. IDK
I do love a good car rant from you!
Yassss - you do you, but try and be realistic with it. 🎉🎉🎉
I have hopped but not very often. I did filofax for over a year, I did an erin condrin style for 1 year and then switched to a bujo and haven't moved from a bujo. The temptation is always there, but what I do works so I just ignore the temptation.
you know, something I just thought about... if what you're using is working, but you're tempted, ask yourself... how much do I ACTUALLY think the new shiny thing might improve things?
not YOU, but the general you. haha
@@CindyGuentertBaldo I also ask myself questions before I even think of buying something. For example when new hobonichi's came out and there was an animal crossing one, I was very tempted. I looked at my bujo and asked do I use weeklys? No. Do I use a traditional monthly? No. Does the hobonichi have space to journal? Yes. Would I fill a page a day? Not everyday. Can I live with wasted space? No. How much is the hobonichi? Crazy expensive. Do I like tomoe river paper, no the pens take too long to dry. Do I need it, no. I literally convinced myself out of it. There are days where I open my bujo and have to fill in the day or two before so I can't imagine trying to fill out a monthly, weekly and daily when I sometimes back fill. I also track some things and maybe it would work but then journaling would be cut short. Sometimes journaling is necessary to keep me going. I can't have more than one planner. I make it simple so that when I don't have time I am doing bare minimum. I love to draw but only when I have time. Lettering is filling in the spaces when I don't have anymore to journal and need to start the next day. Your lettering books are awesome.
I spent this year planner hopping with like 3-4 months in each planner and making notes about what worked or didn’t work. What I figured our is that I don’t have a lot of timed tasks/appointments and I don’t want my work tasks in my personal planner unless I have like a big project deadline or meeting that will impact my personal day to day stuff.
Yes, I feel the same way. I don’t have many appointments these days and my work schedule is electronic and I have a separate notebook for work notes.
I went from moterm a5 rings to a hobonichi cousin (Jan-Dec) and Im adding in a moleskin weekly. I wanted a system that I could keep using year after year. I'm tired of buying inserts and not being satisfied with them or the shops dont have my inserts in stock. Also the ring binder is so heavy when carrying it around. Anything smaller than an a5 is too small for me. Yes I could leave my planner at home.. but, Im a planner girl and I must have my planner with me. Wish me good luck with this new set up.
If I want to try a planner I wait for them to go on super sale, like I bought a Makselife in May at like 40% off cause I wanted to try it.
I’m glad I tried it but I’m back in an EC daily duo. But am considering a plum daily. Have you gotten used to the paper Cindy?
I’m not. I’m a planner hopping fearer. I tried to switch last July, and then freaked out and bought the one I’ve always used because OMG DIFFERENT 😬
WE FEAR CHANGE lol
I liked when you tried different planners in 2020.
im sitting here now looking at all of the planners I've purchased this year and wondering what the hell were you thinking... and I'm still waiting on more. A monkey on my back I need to shake before rolling into 2023.
I started my scribbles that matter dot cross planner in August and I plan on using it till at least next November!
I have ADHD and I've never found a planner that "works" for me lol. I've just accepted that planners are a hobby for me and that's okay. My Google calendar is my backbone for anything that's super important. My life is still a mess though, so I'm not gonna pretend like I'm some kind of expert 🤣
Oh but I've realized modular planners are a trap for me. Happy planner was a dark time for me. I've been on bookbound planners the last few years and that helps keep my budget a little more sane.
I can picture you being like ... but it's the same planner! as you surround yourself with inserts and the same cover. oh man
@@CindyGuentertBaldo too real 🤣
Happy Planner let me cave into my worst purchasing instincts. I'm so glad I eventually made my way to bookbound.
I enjoyed this video! Great advice, Cindy! I definitely give it time before hopping; I do find I often return to what worked initially.
I swear this whole planner hopping/FOMO situation can sometimes be just a case of the grass is greener... which we all SHOULD know isn't usually true. haha
Haha indeed! This many years in we undeniably SHOULD!
Hop away my friend hop away😂 that lines magical but for real - I’m mentally preparing to do that testing out a bunch of different things to try and find what works in 2023 cause what I’ve been trying the last couple years hasn’t. I feel pretty good so far with my first one I’m working in since I’ve been trying a new home/personal stuff the last month or so since when I got the 2023 one they gave a pdf printable for the remainder of 2022 and I *know* it’ll work for just keeping track of house/chore/family specific things but not for my entire life (mainly adding work into it) which is why I’m doing now since I have nothing else until 2023 starts.
Here’s to hoping for planner peace in 2023 cause my god I need it😂
companies that offer free pdfs of their layouts are THE BEST. it's a way to try hopping and figure out what you want before you drop the change.
I really like to hear your thoughts, you make a lot of sense to me!! 😃
I keep wanting to try a planner instead of my bujo and just have a planner and a journal but then I think about all of the shit I keep track of (I have OCD-diagnosed). Some of the things I have to do because I have to is track things, make lists so I can check things off, and keep up with appointments and health shit for both my husband and myself because we’re both having issues now. There’s no way I can do that in a planner.
I've been guilty of this in the past. I have the issue now of I do too much research and get overwhelmed with choices and just end up staying with a bullet journal even though it's not necessarily what may work the best for me. But then I BuJo hop, too. Bound book to 3 ring, to TN, back to bound... 😅 Usually year to year. Maybe to break up monotony. Who knows.
Research paralysis. I myself have been there, often with non planner related things.
Love your car chats!
thank you! the light was sooooo intense today
My question is....what do you do with your planners at the end? Like if you use 3 or 4 over the course of a year at different times, do you tie them together and store them or just chuck them all out? I have a super boring life even with 2 kids and have only ever used one kind of planner. If I used more than 1 type a year I think my head would blow off. Lol
To me, hopping around feels very disorganized. I can see it if you’re actively looking for something new. But if you’re just bored and planning in a bunch of different planners and don’t care that this week is here or there, fine. If you’re a historian of sorts and you save your planners for your kids or something, again feels disorganized. No one will be able to follow the chaos. I’ve learned why I planner hop so I’ve stopped wasting time and money. I don’t have a lot to plan anyway so I just use bare bones iphone reminder app & iPhone calendar app and weather app etc. It’s not pretty and I often yearn for stickers and washis and pretty pens. Then I think about all the stickers and washi and pens I DON’T use. Doing spreads & not using them is wasting my kits etc. The pandemic changed me. Without being able to go out and do stuff I saw I have a very mundane life & don’t have anything to talk about. I sound like a crazy person, don’t I? LOL
I have had no planner consistency for the second half of the year. Part of it was because my planner ran out in June and I never invested in another because I wanted to wait for the new year. So, I've been going back and forth between my bujo and whatever cheap planner looks interesting. I hate this lifestyle lol. Planner hopping ain't for me!
is the opposite of planner hopping planner squatting? that sounds so... not sexy lol
I switched jobs mid year kept my planning system which does not work with my new job whatsoever. Struggling to find a planner that complements working overnight. 7p to 7 AM. I am a functional planner
It's the “bruh”. We never had issues with the kids calling us bruh because we call them this when the do something where “huh” makes sense. 😊
I love the creativeness of bullet journaling but don't like the lack of structure it has. I'm too lazy also. I'm trying out the Hobonichi Weeks next year. I tried Hobonichi Cousin this year and it really isn't working for me. Too overwhelming.
I could never find planner peace. I got so sick of always looking for something different, and changing every couple months. I needed something that was hourly, and also places to write down my to-do's, and spot for notes. I started buying digital planners, and good grief! I've spent so much money on planners over the years. SICK OF IT! I finally said F&#K It!!! Now, I use my outlook calendar, Microsoft To-Do, and online notes. Also, I used to buy so many pens and markers. Always trying to find the "perfect" pen. Finding contentment is so hard for me. I had to take drastic measures. I still find myself looking at planners and pens, and markers and I've been good about telling myself no!
One thing that annoys me is when people are planner hopping solely for PR/affiliate and don't actually show their planners being used - they just show stickers on the blank pages.
Yeah, my ADHD butt is guilty of wanting to planner hop to all the shiny new things even though I already know what works. I have to be careful to not have fomo when watching what other people are doing, but, like you said, my wallet loves me when I don’t buy all the new things. 😂
I love love love the thumbnail ♥
I am a very guilty planner hopper. I give up on planners too often since I don't have a firm planner routine established.
"hop away my frog 🐸" haha
I’ve had to force myself to planner hop a bit, as a way of trying to find what works right now. Fear of hopping just made me not plan at all, and that is not a good idea.
I’m not a planner hopper because I find it wasteful (money and resources). I stopped following planner “influencers” because it’s very easy to fall on the new trend trap. I’ve chosen to follow planners that use their tools organically, like you do.
I used to be a planner person when I was in school, now I just use a monthly
Thanks for this video. When I first started watching planner videos A few months ago I was amazed at how many jump around. I’m talking about folks that have had a channel for years. I can understand newbies trying to experiment with the different products. But surprised at the veterans. It actually causes me anxiety just listening to these people torment themselves with what they want to use, etc… Lol!! I’ve had to stop watching those.
I kno for me…. It’s FOMO!!!!
My life would be a way worse mess if I did that. Lol It took me a second to find my planning groove but there's no way I could bounce from here to here to here and keep my life intact. Uh uh.
same. even when i was in that testing planners monthly phase I felt ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE.