I’ve always been into planners. I’ve probably had about seven since I started high school. I’ve bought ones from all different brands and stores, of all different sizes. I’ve gone planner shopping at T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s, scrolled through Paper Source and ban.do. My friends even hit up craft stores like Michael’s and A.C. Moore to gift me planners for Christmas and birthdays.
My perpetual problem has been consistency. I’m obsessed with my planners for the first week, but shortly afterward, I’ll stop writing in them. And I’m unfortunately such a perfectionist that once I’ve skipped a spread or two, I can’t bring myself to go back. I’ve been known to buy brand new planners because of this, or completely forgoing planners in general (a terrible phase in my life, marked by hundreds of post-it notes).
My current planner, a Pipsticks+Workman agenda titled “Just Getting Started,” has alleviated this problem (knock on wood).
I’ve been consistently writing in it since the start of September (embarrassingly, the longest streak I’ve had with a planner), and the gem, from none other than the BU Barnes and Noble’s planner section, is well worth the $29.99.
The cover has a nostalgic feel to it, with its roller blades and grid pattern, yet features rose gold foil, a modern trend.
Credit: Workman
Once you open the planner, you’re greeted by a cute and lightweight holographic pouch, which contains a fun postcard and sticky tabs.
The page after that, titled “THE LOVE STORY (more of a rom-com, really),” is a letter from Mo Vázquez, the “Head Honcho of Pipsticks.” The letter explains her love for stickers (#thatstickerfeeling) and how the planner came to life after she met “the creative lovelies at Workman Publishing — a company dedicated to making fun, innovative books and calendars.”
Immediately after her letter are six full pages of stickers, featuring the four seasons (pumpkins, hot chocolate, dream catchers, campfires, sunnies, and snow globes galore); labels like “to do,” “let’s eat,” “don’t forget,” and “fun fun fun;” arrows and banners; and cute circular stickers featuring different color palettes and the word “YAY,” asterisks, smiley faces, and weather icons.
Credit: Workman
After that is a page describing all the perks, the unique features of the planner, including a “currently” page for each month (making you feel like your favorite YouTube vlogger filming their monthly favorites videos); creative challenges found on the monthly calendar spreads, ranging from “DIY pizza night” to “try a new coffee shop…” to “learn a cool party trick”; quizzes; and a goals spread, broken down month-by-month.
The monthly calendar layout is pretty similar to the ones for other planners, but it features cute headers like “It’s National Pizza Month!” for October and a color palette to inspire you for the month’s spread.
Credit: Workman
The weekly layout, is, however, my absolute favorite. Much to the bewilderment of my friends, I use sketchpads instead of notepads to take notes and prefer Mead Five Star notebooks because its lines are light. An abundance of lines overwhelms me, especially when they’re bolded in planners and journals. This planner, however, features a fairly blank weekly spread.
The rows are the days of the week, and there are three columns per day. These columns are, much to my excitement, empty. The first column features holidays if there are any, but the color is light enough that it blends in with your own writing. The bottom of the page features space to plan out the week visually, so you can envision it as a logical and chronological progression. Additionally, each week features a quiz question, such as “Are you superstitious?” or “Would you ever attempt a world record?” Each day also has an empty circle in one of its columns, perfect for placing the YAY stickers on to foster positivity and objective self-reflection.
Credit: Workman
While only half the semester has gone by, I can say that this planner has kicked my bad planning habits to the curb and gotten me back in the groove. Here’s a video featuring a sneak peek inside. I absolutely would recommend Just Getting Started, even for Google Calendar users like myself (there’s just something special about pen and paper).
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