STOP! Planner Time.

Hi. My name is Krystle and I love planning. Not like let's-make-plans-and-get-together kind of planning... like paper planning. In a paper, spiral-bound planner. This is my 2018 planner:

Example of a 1-week spread

This is a Recollections planner from Michael's. I think I paid around $14 for it with a coupon. I used to order Erin Condren planners, however I just can't justify a $60 planner when this one is exactly the same; just without the personalized cover. (FYI: You can order custom/new covers on Etsy. Yay for supporting small businesses!)

Anyway... I bought two A5 Filofax planners a year or so ago. I'm not really sure why, other than I just love patent leather and the colors! So, I've had a hot pink planner and this turquoise one just sitting around. 

I really needed to find a use for them or get rid of them. As I was determining what I wanted my SAHM days to look like, I decided I really wanted to incorporate more faith-based books/studies. I'm starting now, but really hoping to dive in after our move. We'll see. I've been home for a week and have managed to read for 30 minutes before bed one time; but I'm also playing catch-up around the house and packing, so I've cut myself some slack.

Anyway, I decided that I could use one of these dusty, unused planers for taking notes. I just had to figure out how to organize it so that it was easy to use. In my search or ideas, I came across a planner insert pack and decided to try it.

Pack includes dividers, insert pages, pocket and extra. (Etsy $15)

Here's how I set-up the planner and how I plan to use it:

Opening page

The pack came with 6 dividers, so I think I will include 2 months per divider. I originally thought I would separate by book/study, but I just don't think that's practical given how quickly I would run out of dividers.

1st page after divider

I'm going to try using this page for a monthly book list and goals. I'm not really sure how it's going ot work quite yet, and I may end up changing it later. That's the nice part about binder planners, everything can be reorganized later!

2nd page in each section

I really like these pages that came with the packet. It should be an easy page to check-in on each month. It's also double-sided, so I can use a page per month and make the two-months-per-divider thing work.

Backside of 2nd page and note page.

This will be for notes, obviously. I'm not into highlighting books; I've tried, really. So, it will be nice to have a place to record book excerpts that resonate with me, reflections on the study, etc.

I'm really happy to have found a use for this planner... and even happier to have such a beautiful, functional space to help me dive into my upcoming studies!


**If you would like to set-up your own planner, I'd be happy to gift you my pretty pink one to get you started!