For the longest time, I never used a planner. My mother – who is a lover of lists and anything to do with jotting down things with pen and paper – would constantly try to get me to use one when I was younger. My elementary school would give out a new planner every year to all the students, and our teachers would initial next to the lines we’d written our homework down on, showing that we’d completed said assignments. When I got to high school, they handed one out to us as freshmen, but never after that. The officials probably figured we could get one of our own, and all of the planners found elsewhere were actually better than the ones the school provided us anyway. But I still never used one.
Looking back, there were a lot of signals that I probably should’ve started using one.
Joining after-school band in middle school. Starting a job my sophomore year in high school. Taking a semester of college classes my senior year of high school. The list goes on. But, like with so many other things in life, you don’t recognize you need something until it’s too late.
I think part of my problem was that my schedule was consistent. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., I did the same things, all day, every day. My homework assignments could be completed in the time between school and practice/work or at lunch. I worked the same days for the same amount of hours each week. Nothing about my life was varied; everything was monotonous.
And then I started college. All of a sudden, I was working not one, but two, jobs – and sometimes until 1 a.m. – taking classes where professors didn’t grade on curves or attendance (thank you for the unrealistic expectations, Tidewater Community College), and trying to balance a weekly cleaning schedule with weekly meetings. I’d never had a night class before, and there I was, missing dinner two days out of the week because Commons closed at 7:30 and Regatta’s closed at 8 (and we all know that there are prime times to get fresh food that tastes good and avoid lines, which my night class didn’t allow me to do).
I realized, all too late, that I needed a planner.
Sure, I’d bought one and began the semester by dumping all of the due dates for assignments and tests/quizzes into the tiny little squares of it. I’d written in the weekly pages, expanding out assignments with color-coded pens that told me what classes were what.
And I rarely looked at it again.
By the time November hit, I was exhausted. There were so many things that I hadn’t done, forgotten to do, or had wanted to do but realized I couldn’t, that I was on the verge of just holing myself up in my room with my Harry Potter movies and Half Baked Ben & Jerry’s and calling it quits. And so I pulled out my planner and got to work.
And then I realized I needed a bigger planner. One that would provide me with spaces for daily activities and the ability to make sure I could scratch off the things I had done. So, I started my search for something that creatively allowed me to express myself (looked cute) and would allow me to make sure I kept track of what I needed to get done with my life (functional).
I came up with nothing.
Either the planners were waaaay too expensive (I’m looking right at you, Erin Condren, and your $50 planners) or they weren’t daily (now I’m looking at you, Walmart and Target).
But then, one day at Michael’s, I noticed a section of planners that included this thing called “The Happy Planner,” and it looked just like an Erin Condren one, except you could add in additional items like to-do lists, extensions, folder dividers, and the whole bit because it’s discbound. It included a daily/monthly spread, a weekly to-do list, inspirational quote pages that divided the months, a page at the beginning of each month that divided birthdays, holidays, goals, and more into sections. The pages were thick, so marker or gel pen ink wouldn’t bleed through, and the cover was laminated so if water got onto it, it would just roll off.
And to top it off, at full price, The Happy Planner was $24.99 (plus shipping, if you order it right from the source of Me & My BIG Ideas), which is half of what you’d pay for an Erin Condren.
Sure, maybe you can’t use a photo on the front and have your name printed on it, but what’s more important: showing your name off or saving money?
I chose the latter.
But here’s the kicker: I haven’t bought it yet.
“But, why, Royall? You said you needed a new planner, so why haven’t you bought this one you’re so hopelessly in love with?” you might ask, completely confused as to why I’m spending this time raving about this planner without having actually bought the dang thing. Well, here’s the answer:
There’s a whole world of planners out there.
Like, seriously. It’s like a cult culture or something. Practically every blog on the world wide web has posted something about the “Best Planners of 2015” or “How to Use a Planner Successfully.” And that doesn’t include the tutorials on the types of stickers and ways to make your planner more aesthetically pleasing, or the best markers/pens to use when writing in a planner.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a whole group of women who meet for coffee every Thursday and exchange tips and tricks for using their planners, or discuss what the newest type of planner to invest in is.
I never realized just how involved using a planner was. I also never realized how much time it’ll take for me to find a system that I’ll love and continue to use. Not really the best thing for a girl who needs to use a planner successfully now, don’t ya think?
But, after shopping around countless websites, blogs, and stores, I’ve finally decided that the next time Michael’s comes out with a 50% off any one regular priced item coupon, I’m venturing to our closest store location and purchasing the essentials I’m going to need for my Happy Planner. Because it seems like the thing that’s going to help me get my life together.
Stay classy, Captains!