Yay or Nay: Planner Edition
I saw a post floating around Instagram this past week that piqued my interest and made me think - that would make a great blog post. So here we are! Essentially, the post was a 'this or that' template where people could circle one of the two options, but it was all planner related.
It got me thinking that I have some pretty strong opinions about some things and may as well take the time to explain them here, rather than just circling each answer and hitting post.
Let's go:
YAY OR NAY
1. ONE OR MULTIPLE
For the last year, and since I've been planning really, I've been a one planner kind of girl. Maybe it's because I saved up to buy my Filofax classic croc in Personal and I'd feel some sort of guilt if I used anything else, I'm not sure, but hey it works for me. This isn't to say I don't have several notebooks around to jot down ideas, keep client notes in, or journal in. I am a stationary junky, after all. But when it comes to planning and what I use to organize my to do list and schedule, one is good enough for me.
2. COIL/RING OR BOOKBOUND
Since I'm so devoted to my one and only planner, of course my answer here has to be rings. I've tried coils and book bound type planners in the past and they simply don't offer enough durability, flexibility and adaptability for me. Simple as that.
3. DAILY OR WEEKLY
Here's the funny thing - I wish I was a daily planner. Don't get me wrong, there are some days that are so busy I have to pull out a daily planning insert or use a separate page to plan out my time in a more detailed way. Overall though, no, I'm a weekly planner. Over time I discovered that weekly planning is the best for me. I give myself goals to accomplish over the week, plan out my client projects for the week, and write out to do lists for the week. It just seems to work well with how my brain works.
4. DECORATIVE OR FUNCTIONAL
Obviously as a designer, I have to say both! I absolutely believe there can be a balance between function and beauty. Of course, functionality has to take precedent here. Your planner can look stunning and beautiful but if it's not actually working for you, what's the point?
5. SUNDAY START OR MONDAY START
Just as I mentioned previously that my brain works well on a weekly plan, my brain also works best with Monday starts. For some reason, I just don't think the week starts on Sunday. That's still my weekend. Although I do a lot of prep work on Sunday's to get ready for the week, it still doesn't feel like the beginning of a week for me. I'll always be a Monday start kind of girl.
6. DATED OR UNDATED
I think I could realistically argue either way for this one. While it's nice to have dated pages, I've used undated inserts for the last two or so years and it's been completely do-able. I like the flexibility that it adds to my planner.
7. ACADEMIC OR CALENDAR YEAR
I think there's a part of me that will always be a little attuned to the academic schedule after being a student for almost 20 years of my life. Something always happens to me in September where I feel the need to refresh and reevaluate. For the last 5 years, however, I've been on a calendar year plan and can't deny myself of planning out my new years resolutions at the beginning of the year.
That was fun! Planning is unique, and everyone has to discover what works best for them when it comes to being their most productive. What I love about this community is that there is no right or wrong! I'd love if you'd share your own thoughts about each of these topics. What's your preference? What works best for you?
-Emilee