In this post, I’ll share how I use planners, what I’ve tried and what I currently use. I’ve loved planners since the only options were those minimalist planners available in office supply stores.
Planner systems I’ve tried
- Day Runner
- Day Planner
- Franklin Covey
- Bullet journal
- Plum Paper planners
- Classic Happy Planner
- Handmade Traveller style notebooks
- Composition notebooks
- 6 ring binder planners
- Hobinichi Weeks
- Hobinichi Techo Cousin
Digital planning
One of my previous employers had a rewards program where your coworkers gave you ‘points’ you could accumulate and then use your points to buy something. I saved my points and got an 6th Generation I-pad for the cost of shipping and purchased a 1st Generation Apple Pencil.
My goal was to use the I-Pad for digital art journaling and planning. I purchased a number of digital planners, looking for the ‘perfect’ planner.
I used Goodnotes and was pretty happy with it. Then in 2023, there was a major app upgrade and there was a new fee in order to have more than 3 files. Well, that was the last straw for me. I gave up Goodnotes
I currently have I think it’s just called Notes. It’s ok but the whole experience put me off digital planning. So I went back to paper planning.
For work planning, I use OneNote meeting notes, goal setting, playbook for my org and leaders.
For task and project tracking, I use my Outlook calendar to time block tasks and then I group tasks together: travel coordination and expense reporting, team offsite planning. For smaller, one-off tasks, I use Outlook Tasks to keep a running list with reminders. I wish the Tasks there was a built-in way to drop tasks onto the calendar.
Paper planning
I’ve always liked the Carpe Diem planners. That company was bought by another stationery company and all the ring bound planners were discontinued. I purchased the A5 Feathers planner from the Carpe Diem website on special.
I used the A5 ring planner for a personal and business planning in 2023. For 2024, I purchased dated monthly and weekly inserts from PT Paper on Etsy. I’m using this planner for my business: scheduling posts and site promotion.
For my personal planner in 2024, I’m using a Hobinichi Techo Cousin, A5 size. I use the monthly grid to record my workouts. The weekly grid is for tracking my learning, media and reading. The daily pages are used as a memory keeper and task list.
In late 2023, I took a barely used A5 Leuchterm 1917 and converted it to a commonplace book. I am reading classic literature with my sister, which we discuss on our weekly calls. I’m also currently studying French and use this notebook to record vocabulary and track progress.
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