When to comes to planning, I like a mix of digital and physical. It's not that one wouldn't suffice, but I choose not to choose one over the other.
All of my work meetings are scheduled via Calendar, and I keep various other iCloud calendars for this blog, FYA, misc. personal events and deadlines, holidays, birthdays and my to-do list. All of these things I also keep track of in my physical planner. I realize that having two sets of the same dates/lists might seem redundant, but there's something to be said for both systems. Plus, doubling up makes doubly sure that I don't miss something (she says, knocking wood).
For a very long time—at least since high school—I've bought pre-made yearly planners. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I found one that seemed to fit my preferences and needs almost perfectly: the Draw Your Tomorrow planner. Designed by Korean company MMMG, the planner changes slightly every year, but continues to have the layout I love. (Get one at Amazon.) It features monthly spreads, weekly spreads and a variety of notepaper (lined, gridded and blank) in the back. It's also non-dated, which I prefer. But it's very ... plain.
Early last year, I saw that one of my blogging idols, Kyla Roma, was running an online course on designing your own planner called Planner Camp. I'd already bought one for 2014, but the idea of the course intrigued me, so I signed up. The course was chock-full of interesting ideas for designing and creating your own planner, and I filed it all away to use in 2015. In the meantime, I bought a fabulous neon pink A5 Filofax cover to use (eventually).
The end of 2014 rolled around, and I realized that I was quickly running out of time to plan my planner. So I turned to Etsy, where I found the shop of Miss Tiina, which is filled with gorgeous and colorful planner inserts and more. (Her blog also features a lot of freebies!) I bought a digital planner pack, thinking that I could still use my Filofax cover. I spent quite a bit of time laying out the pages to best fit my needs, then went online to order prints. I knew it wasn't going to be cheap, but even with a coupon, the total price would have been over $100. I just couldn't justify that, nor did I want to spend the time on printing lesser quality pages out at home.
After this failed attempt, I had even less time to figure out what I wanted to do for 2015. So, I decided to mash-up the best of both words, and bought a new Draw Your Tomorrow planner, which I proceeded to cut into its separate parts and hole-punch to fit my Filofax cover. I also pulled out my collection of scrapbook paper and washi tape, and designed a few extras for the planner that made it unique.
Long story long, I'm super excited about my planner this year. Let me take you on a tour ...
It's still a bit of a work in progress, and features only the most basic of inserts: month, week and notepaper. I look forward to spending some time on the many Pinterest boards and blogs full of Filofax and planner modding ideas and printables. I've already found a couple of DIYs that I want to try soon:
- Make it Monday // Three More Simple DIY Tabs via five sixteenths blog
- DIY Bow Clips for your Planner & More! via Strange & Charmed
Kristin of My Life as a Teacup also recently posted Anatomy of a Filofax (My 2015 Planner Setup), which is full of inspiration.
Do you have a physical planner? Or are you more of a digital-only type? (And, if you have any awesome DIY ideas, please share!)
