Friday, January 1, 2016

Ramblings About a Yearly Planner....


Happy New Year!  Welcome 2016!  I've been trying to think of a word to focus on this year and just can't seem to put my finger on any one in particular.  Maybe this is not the year for one word, but many.  Either way, I love new beginnings.  To me, a new year signals a fresh start.  A year with no mistakes....yet ;-)

I'm in the process of deciding on a monthly planner.  I want paper and not digital.  In the past, I've typically bought a planner from the dollar store and it worked great.  This year, when I went to purchase one, they were sold out.  Apparently, everyone thinks they work great.

I've also looked at planners at local retail stores and online.  However, I can never find the perfect fit.  I want a two-page spread for each month with lines in each date square.  This is where I write all our appointments and commitments.  I'm not a week-at-a-glance kind of girl.  I want the big picture...the whole month-at-a-glance.  I also want a place for misc. notes, book lists, and important contacts.  I don't need financial planning space, shopping lists, weights and measures, etc.  It shouldn't be so complicated.

One time, I felt creative and colorful so I made a planner.  In the end, I couldn't justify the cost of cardstock, ink, and time that it took to make it.  I stopped designing and went back to the dollar store planner.

A few months back, I heard about bullet journaling through a webinar with Mystie Winckler and Kari Denker.  I'm thinking this may be the year to give it a try.  You see, I love paper and notebooking.  I love pens, tabs, and post-its.  I'm also a lover of lists.  I think bullet journaling just may be the solution to my planner struggle.

I'm going to use a simple sewn composition book because I have a plethora of them.  I'm still trying to decide on an index.  I think I'll leave the first page blank just in case.  Next, I'm going to make a monthly two-page spread for each month.  In between each monthly spread, I plan to leave blank pages for lists like book lists, meal planning lists, thanksgiving lists, blog post lists, etc., and whatever other kind of journaling ails me.  I'll post a follow-up at some point throughout the year to let you know how it's going.  I'm actually getting excited at the prospect!

May your year ahead be blessed.

Melissa

2 comments:

  1. Ahh yes...the planner dilemma! I'm also a huge paper, pen, Post-It, office supply person too! It's so much fun to buy new paper goods! Happy New Year!

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  2. Fun to read this because I am waiting for my notebook to arrive for my first bullet journal! I've used a planner for several years to keep track of our many medical appointments but want to try something a bit different this year. Bullet Journal it is! I can't go anywhere near digital planners like using Google Calendar - that is what my husband always suggests. I always tell him that if I don't write it on paper it doesn't exist in my mind.

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