The end of the year is quickly approaching, and you know what that means…It’s just about time to move into a new planner for the new year! The new lines are being released, and the whole planner community is abuzz with the latest and greatest.
Maybe you already know what you’re getting. It’s the same thing that you get every year. Old Faithful. The planner that’s never let you down.
Or, maybe you’re like me, and you realize you need to try something new. Maybe you realized that the planner you bought last year just isn’t working for you. What now? Now, it’s time to continue your search for planner peace.
Psst…if you came here hoping for a planner set-up post, this isn’t it. You can find my 2018 planner set-up
What to do when your planner no longer works for you link no longer available I’ve been using the same planner system for 2 years now. I fell in love with a vertical A5 planner and just knew I had found planner peace for life. Except…it no longer works for me.
I went to this system specifically for the ability to customize my planner and have multiple sections. I was using it to plan my social media content, my blog content, run my MLM business, schedule volunteer commitments, and keep track of our personal schedule.
There was a lot going on in that one little binder.
The thing is, I’ve changed a lot about the way I run my business in the last 2 years. I no longer use a paper system to plan my blog content or social media posts, so I don’t need pages for that in my planner. I also have a lot less volunteer work to schedule, since my kids are now homeschooled and I’m not on the PTO board. Basically, a lot of what I needed 2 years ago is no longer relevant, and the extra sections are doing nothing but weighing me down.
It’s time to simplify in order to find planner peace again. There is clearly no longer a need for quite as much customization as I wanted 2 years ago.
Now, I’m on the hunt for something new.
The first thing I did when I realized my planner was no longer working for me was to figure out exactly what I needed.
First, I looked at my lifestyle, and what I needed to put in my planner. I run my business differently now, but
we have also added homeschooling link no longer available . That means our days have a different dynamic than they did for the last 2 years. We no longer have the same routine every day from 8-3, and that schedule is getting harder to track.
So, what am I looking for in a planner for 2019?
A neutral color pallette link no longer available weekly and monthly planning pages link no longer available A coil-bound notebook (I know, I thought I’d never leave the rings behind!)
High quality paper link no longer available Lots of room for daily planning & lists link no longer available Plenty of notes pages link no longer available Space to keep up with our household budget link no longer available Somethings I can carry with me easily link no longer available How to Pick Your Next Planner link no longer available If you’re looking for planner peace, there are a few things you can keep in mind while you shop for your next one, like:
size of the planner:
do you need to carry your planner with you daily, or can you leave it on a desk? Do you need a lot of room to write things down, or do you just need to jot down the ocassional appointment?
layout of the planner:
do you like vertical planning or horizontal? If you’re new and this sounds like an arbitrary detail, I promise you it’s not!
planner organization:
do you want to change up your layout every week, or do you want something consistent? Do you like to put all of your pages in a logical order, or are you fine with flipping to different sections? These decisions will help you decide between a ringbound (binder) system, a coilbound, a disc-bound, or even a bullet journal!
how many planners do you need?
Personally, I can’t function with multiple planners. I keep all of my business planning, personal life, budgeting, and to-do lists stuffed into one giant planner. It’s what works for me, and will help determine what I choose to use each year. However, if you like having multiple smaller planners for each area of your life, that’s something you should know as you shop.
Don’t forget the most important part… link no longer available When I look for a new planner, I look for something that will fit my lifestyle and help me stay organized. I
want to find myself in a situation where I feel the need to buy more and more stuff just to stay organized. I
want a system that takes me longer to put together than it does to execute. That’s not the recipe for planner peace.
The most important part of finding a new planner is making sure you’ll actually
it. Because otherwise, what’s the point?
Want to learn more about setting up a new planner and using it for productivity? You might like these posts!
How to Set Up a Household Binder link no longer available My 2018 Small Business Planner Set-Up link no longer available
Related: How I’m Setting Up My New Planner for 2018 Related: How to Use a Planner for Maximum Productivity
You can also be sure to link no longer available sign up for my newsletter link no longer available ! You’ll get access to all of my best content, delivered right to your inbox, including free access to my resource library full of printables!
