January is the time of the year to set goals, create adventures and promise oneself to stay organized. If you are currently struggling to keep up with these resolutions by the end of the month, and you don’t have a planner, my tip to you is to buy a planner. If you have a planner, but you’re having trouble remembering to write in it, or don’t know how to enjoy it, no need to worry because every planner-lover has this issue. There are many tools that one can use to improve their planner and make it seem more like a creative outlet than work.
Courtesy: Pinterest
It might seem incredibly obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t use colorful pens. These are the most basic tools to make your planning journey through the year, and years to come, more enjoyable. If your pen markings look alluring or you like the way the pen feels when you write, then you’re more encouraged to write in your planner. There are tons of pen brands to choose from. Some of my favorites to write with in my planner are Paper Mate (both their felt tip and InkJoy styles are fabulous) and Staedtler. Using colored pens (and even colored highlighter), helps bring your planner to life. This can also be used on an organizational level, and you can color-code your events (for example, all of my classes have a specific color I write with).
Courtesy: Michael’s
Although I could go on about pens forever since there are so many awesome ones (there are even erasable ones that you should totally add to your collection), you should also know about the variety of stickers you can buy for your planner. Most people buy Redbubble stickers to decorate their computers and water bottles, but they can also be used to decorate the covers of your planners. However, where stickers are most important, are on the interior of your planner. There are seasonal, inspirational and funny stickers. You can even make your own! Stickers add a bit of a personal touch to your planner and create different textures on your pages. You can also add texture with Washi tape which can emphasize your events, display your personality or coordinate with the season! These tools help provide you with those clean lines and bits of perfection on your planning pages as well as set the tone for the week (inspirational, fun, etc.). Some of my favorite stickers are the seasonal sticker pack by The Happy Planner, and I also love making my own stickers!
Courtesy: Manifestation Planner
If you really want to fall in love with your planner, it’s really simple to make it into a diary or reflection area. This would be the perfect space for someone who loves to adventure to document their experiences that they’ve planned. To do this, you only need to print out your pictures and glue them to your planner. I would suggest gluing them into your monthly view if you tend not to use it. You can also caption and date all your pictures, so you can look back on the memories you made that month and year (there is a pen that is both a glue stick and a pen which would be perfect for this task…can you tell I’m pen obsessed). There is a lot to admire about the people who are able to make reflection journals out of their planners and remain organized because it does take a lot of time to reflect and be that creative.
Some words from the wise: planners are useful tools to help you stay organized, but they don’t have to be boring or overly time-consuming. Keep it simple, colorful, and consistent. Finally, in order to be successfully organized, you have to actually look at your planner after you plan in it. I hope that these tools will help you enjoy planning more than you currently do, as well as encourage you to carve out more time to write, doodle, color-code, reflect and achieve in your new year.
Happy planning!