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I have posted before about the planners and notebooks that I use on a regular basis and I thought it was time for an update. I have recently gotten back to my minimalist roots, but that can be difficult to apply to planners when you REALLY love them. But I knew it was time to get real and downsize because I was becoming overwhelmed with my planning systems.
I also came to terms with the fact that even though I enjoy a lot of different planners and systems, I can’t and don’t need to use all of them. I love bullet journaling, but it just doesn’t work for my planning style, so there was no need for me to hang onto notebooks, journals, and pens for bullet journaling.
I have never met an office supply I didn’t love, so decluttering in this area can be difficult for me. However, I finally did a pretty serious purge and I feel like my planning is so much more functional and efficient. This is an area where it is really easy to justify excess, but I am even down to using just 1 pen for the most part!
The heavy hitter in of my planners and notebooks is my 2017 Erin Condren Life Planner. As you know, I have tried a lot of different planners and this one fits my needs better than any others. I always order a 12 month planner instead of doing the 18 month in June just because I love starting the new year off in a new planner. I won’t go into great detail about how I use this because I have posted pretty extensively before about using it for budgeting and business.
Something I am doing differently this year is using an Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly Planner as my blog planner. This is essentially a 12 month calendar with some note pages in between, and even more note pages in the back. I use the monthly layout as an editorial calendar and a way to track deadlines and payment dates. I use the monthly note pages to track big to-do’s, goals, and themes for the month. In the note pages I take notes for sponsored posts, track income and expenses, and keep a running list if the affiliate programs I am involved in. I really use these pages like collections in a bullet journal.
I also got a regular Erin Condren notebook to keep in my regular collection. I haven’t decided exactly how to use this yet. I intended to use it as a supplemental bullet journal in companion to my two planners, but so far I haven’t really had anything that didn’t fit in my other two planners. I am considering setting this up as my financial planner. Even though I already track my finances in my ECLP, I wouldn’t mind having a dedicated notebook where I could be more detailed. This would also give my husband easier access to it since my ECLP travels with me.
A new addition to my collection that I am very excited about is this Erin Condren Address Book. I have wanted one of these for a long time but just hadn’t been able to fit it into my budget. I was blessed this year with enough referral credit to finally order one, and I love it! I believe every adult should have an address book. I am thankful to have an organized system to keep track of addresses for when I send out Christmas cards, my penpals, and just keeping track of friends and family.
One other book on my shelf is a sketch book. I don’t use this as often as I would like, but I love to doodle and even learn new techniques on YouTube with my kids. I’m definitely no artists but this is a fun, relaxing hobby for me.
These don’t really fall into the notebook category, but I also got some Erin Condren notepads recently so I could use them as stationery. I love all the fun designs you can choose from, and that I can attach this in the cover of my address book and keep all my letter writing supplies in one place!
Planners and notebooks I am retiring
In the interest of minimizing my collection, this is what I am getting rid of. My Leuchtturm1917 notebooks were my bullet journals, but I don’t use that style of planning anymore. I wont be throwing these away because I love the paper and the way the feel in your hand, but instead I will be moving these upstairs into my nightstand with a fountain pen. Being able to journal my thoughts in a high quality notebook with a lovely pen sounds like an amazing way to end my day! This Martha Stewart Discbound notebook is out of paper and I haven’t touched it in months. This will definitely go in my destash pile, along with my ARC punch that I haven’t used in eons. I LOVE the idea of the ARC system, but I just haven’t used it so it has turned into clutter. I really liked this Erin Condren journal at first, but it has not worn very well and I am just sick of it! I am going to be ripping the remaining pages out and using them for scrap paper/stationery and recycling the rest. My Webster’s Color Crush A5 I am undecided on. Now that my EC address book is here I am really not using it, so it and my punch may end up destashed as well.
As you can tell, I have a serious Erin Condren theme going this year! Her planners and systems just work really well for me, and I love that they are still fun. Use my referral link for $10 off your first order or you can even find some non-personalized products on Amazon.
It has really brought me a lot of peace to minimize this area of my life, even though what remains might not seem minimal to some! As a busy working mom who owns several businesses, planners and notebooks are the only thing that keep my schedule sane and keep me focused! Do you have an arsenal of planners and notebooks you are using this year?
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