My functional planner system

 My functional planner system

Planning has always been something that I have needed in my life. To be honest, I was always forgetting stuff- from grocery items at the store to remembering last minute I had an appointment that I couldn’t miss! Things were becoming hectic in my life and I knew I needed something to help remind me and plan out events before they took place. I’m just not a digital planner type of person and trust me, I have TRIED! 

Google calendar never worked out for me, even the little calendar app in my iPhone is left unused. So, I knew I needed a paper planner since I’ve always gravitated towards using one growing up. 

Here’s when I started planning and realizing I needed a system that worked for me.

However, once I had my first born and responsibilities were piling up I noticed that it was time to focus and knock out some to-do lists that seemed forever pending. And it wasn’t until YEARS into planning that I started to bring my planner along with me in my purse and it has helped me tackle everything I need to get done. 

Bringing a planner along with me into the store made me feel a little embarrassed at first. Still, it helped me get everything I knew I needed for the store. I am now saving money because I don’t buy items that I don’t need and I stick to what’s on the list. 

A planner is useful though because sometimes, I need something from a specific store. Sometimes, I end up going to Target and it’s time to get my household supplies and other items, but I can’t remember them off the top of my head. That’s where my planner comes in. I’ve tried pocket size and A5, but personal size is what’s worked out for me best. 

Personal rings planner.

Right now I use personal size ringed planner, a brown Filofax saffiano. Honestly, it’s my favorite right now. I don’t have a lot of covers for personal size but I do have a few Moterms and more Filofax covers. Those type of covers are very affordable, so a lot of us planner girls collect them. It’s up to you on how much you want to spend on your planner. I’ve spent quite a bit on my hobby throughout the years but I feel like that’s alright because planning and crafting is something that I enjoy doing. To unwind and relax is something moms always need to do and it just so happens that reading and crafting helps me to unwind. 

The supplies I use usually come from the Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby these days. I used to order on Etsy and go to Michael’s a lot. I was really into the custom sticker orders and fancy paperclips to make my planner look beautiful. Now, I just like to use supplies that I have on hand and in storage. I use basic storage containers from Walmart and I keep a lot in there. Sticky notes, extra notebooks to cut paper down to personal size, markers, highlighters, pens, and rulers. I still like to keep my planner pretty but not as much as I used to, especially since I carry my planner around with me in public and I don’t want it chunky or heavy. 

I make my own dashboards and laminate my own bookmarks too. As for book marking inside of my personal planner I use page flags, the cheapest I can find! Planning does not need to be expensive at all. You just need to be able to use your planner and keep your life as organized as you possibly can. Because, let’s be honest; life becomes chaotic and even more so if you can’t remember the supplies you need or if you forget that one special ingredient for a recipe you’re making at an event a lot of people are coming to! Ugh, I just don’t like not having a plan. 

So, I do like to be prepared but more than that, I like to be on time and punctual. With kids, we have a lot of events going on from school and important dates to keep track of. No matter what you’ve got going on, a planner truly helps. 

As for those of you who are digital planners, kudos to you! I have always wanted to be a digital planner but the screen does hurt my eyes if I use it too much, bluelight or not. 

Here’s my latest planner flip. 

I post weekly planner flips on YouTube because I love sharing what I’m using and just flipping through my planner in general. Be sure to subscribe to watch along! I’ll put the link down below. 

Latest planner flip . Thanks for reading this little blog post on my functional planner system. I do memory keep in here as well too, so it’s got most of everything covered. If you have any questions leave them in a comment below and I’ll get back to you. Make sure to follow if you like blog posts about planners too. I will probably write a few more and start reviewing favorite planner items as well. 

Until next time, 

Xoxo,

Mrsplanahead