PLAN(ner) Your Life Away

One item that I have found extremely useful, practically a necessity, in my time at school is a planner. And not just a planner, but a good planner (and yes, there is a difference.) I am very Type A when it comes to visually seeing what I have going on throughout the week and in the future, and I have found that a planner helps to ease my anxiety that comes along with this dilemma.

In my four years away at school, I have been through multiple planners always hoping that I would find my "perfect" one. I have tried Lily Pulitzer, Day Designer, and even sampled the left overs of my friend's Kate Spade, but none of them fit the bill. So last Summer ('16), I splurged on an Erin Condren LifePlanner, a customizable, detail-oriented planner made to keep one's life in order. Immediately, I fell in love with it. Having the option to customize it down to the last detail really made it my dream planner.

As you'll see, I am still using that original planner today because it includes and 18 month spread. Normally, I would have purchased a new planner for when the new semester began, but because of the amount included, and how much I actually liked the planner, I continued to use it. One of the greatest features about this planner is the fact that you can remove both the front and back covers. The cover that you see now is not the original that I bought, but the one I got at the end of the summer due to the original wearing out. I think that is a really great feature including, because most people buy a planner for it's outer cover, so being able to change and continuously swap out the cover that I have or one that I want really makes this original "splurge" worth it.

So I know you're thinking, "Zoe, this is great info, but how do you use it?" Well I am glad you asked! So, I start out by clipping back my monthly spread. I like to do this so I have an easy view of important dates to come. Typically my monthly spread is void of information written, unless they're extremely important dates I have to remember. For example, the green dollar sign ($) sticker you see below is to remind me what day my rent is due. Another thing I move from month to month and attach to my monthly spread is my color code map, which you'll see in the bottom left hand corner. This is to help me in a pinch if I forget what designated color a certain topic is, however I do not need to use very often because it is now November and I am so used to what each color means.

As I said earlier, I am a Type A planner, so yes, I am that person who color codes their activities. I like doing this because it helps me to see in detail what is due when, without having to spend time figuring out what class it's for. So, using the code I have stuck to my monthly spread, I designated each class or after school activity to a specific color and won't change them until the end of the semester. Below is example of what a typical week looks like in my planner, and you will be able to see the different colors used. This is a pretty typical week, and while some kids look at it with fear in their eyes (like the kid in my marketing class), I look at this and am extremely calm. While this type of color coding may seem extreme to people, it, along with keeping a planner in general, is one of the tips that I have found to really keep me in order. Now, along with using my planner in a very colorful way, I will also include a new quote every week to keep myself motivated. I write one out on a sticky not every Sunday night, finding one that was relevant to the stress I experienced in the previous week, and write it down in hopes that it will help me for the week to come. Along that path, this week I also included part of my coffee sleeve because I really liked the message, and it made my gloomy Monday a lot better.

So as you were able to see, I rely on my planner a lot. It is the one thing that helps keep me moving from one week to the next without being super stressed all of the time. Keeping a planner, no matter how simple or extra it is, is my #1 organization tip to anybody, ESPECIALLY incoming Freshman. Keeping yourself organized and on track can and will only help you in the long run!

all my best wishes and vibes to you,

Zoe

#organization