Category: Planning

Did you order a planner during all the Black Friday sales? Are you staring at all those blank pages wondering how to get started?

You are not alone. Everyone struggles to put pen to paper in their shiny new planners. There is no wrong way to plan and part of the journey is finding what works for you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t read blogs and watch videos to get ideas on where to start.

So, grab your blank planner, some sticky notes, and get ready to plan!

First step is deciding what you will use your planner for. Some people have one planner for everything and some use multiple planners for different areas. Do you want your planner to be the keeper of everything or do you prefer compartmentalizing your life?

What are some things you can use your planner for?

• Budget/Bills
• Fitness
• Content Planning
• Work tasks
• Family events

If you are putting everything in one planner, you could color-code each category. Budget and bills could be green while your kids are purple and your workouts are orange. It makes it easy to see what is going on each day with a quick glance. I color code my Google calendar so I can see what I have going on when I’m out and about.

Once you’ve decided what your planner is for and if you are color-coding, you can start setting up your year. A lot of planners use sticky notes to get started. Most planners have a lot of blank places you can fill. I use The Content Planner and Erin Condren. They both have dashboards for each month and then the monthly spread. EC then goes into the weeks or days, depending on which layout you have. (Links are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission when you purchase through my links).

You can use sticky notes to figure out what you will use those dashboards for. This allows you to move things around or change them before you put them down in a more permanent way. You can search google, Pinterest, and Instagram for inspiration. Or check out how I set up my dashboards in my fitness planner for 2021 here. Once you decide on a plan, start adding stickers, pens, and whatever else you want to make it your own. You can either set up all your monthly dashboards now or do them the month before. Personally, I prefer doing them the month before because I like to try new things.

Next up is your monthly view. Grab those sticky notes and add anything important like paydays, birthdays, and appointments. Before 2022 starts I like to go through and put sticky notes for any birthdays and appointments I know of for the entire year. Then as things come up, I add it with a sticky until I get to the month. Things change and I’d rather be able to toss a sticky note than deal with white out. You could also use pencil.

Finally, the weekly or daily spreads. This is where we get down and dirty. What do you need to do each week/day? What are your top priorities for each week/day? Put your sticky notes down first. It is really helpful to see what your obligations are each day. If your day is packed with taking your kids to appointments will you really have time to clean the entire house, meal plan, and take Fido to the vet? Probably not.

Planning is like the rocks, pebbles, and sand in a jar analogy. You start with the rocks (dashboard/monthly) then fill in the pebbles (weekly) and finally the sand (daily).

Also, there are many sticker shops that do dashboard, monthly, and weekly kits. You can go all out or stick with only pen. You can add a few decorative stickers or use only functional stickers. You can highlight when a task is important or highlight to mark a task complete. Planners are so personal. You really need to play around and find what works for you. And it can change from planner to planner! Don’t be afraid to play! If you think you’ve messed up, you get another day, week, or month to try again. Planning should be fun and a stress reliever.

How do you plan your year? Let us know in the comments, maybe you will give someone a great idea! Then head over and subscribe to my YouTube channel to see my 2022 set up video!

Are you looking for a beautiful planer that you could use at work or home? That looks sophisticated when you are out and about?

Have you seen the all new EC Focused Collection?

The Focused Collection for 2022 is a line of planners, notebooks, folios, and more perfect for all your personal or professional needs.

I received a box from EC with select items from the new Focused Collection and I must say I was extremely impressed with everything! It’s the EC quality you are used to in a minimalist collection. Before this, I have only bought a focused productivity notebook so it was fun to see the newest line and review these planners!

The first item I noticed when I opened the box was the new ultra-fine markers. I have been wanting to get these since they came out. OMG! I think these are my new favorites from EC. Check out my Focused Collection video to see me compare them to the rest of the EC markers (fine and dual tips). And don’t forget, you get 15% off when you buy four or more accessories!

Let’s start with the planners.

Pocket in pinstripe
I LOVE the idea of the pocket planner. It is just way too cute. But I bought one last year and rarely use it. I do like that the font/print is darker. It makes it easier to read than last year’s layer pocket planner.

A5 in slate blue
This size is perfect for work! I’ve already decided this will be next year’s work planner. I’m currently using the quarterly petites but this A5 will be a perfect replacement. And I’ll have the entire year in one book! I don’t have many hourly appointments at work so I mostly track weekly to do’s and a few other important reminders. I think the Focused A5 will be perfect for me!

And can we talk about this color? GORGEOUS.

8×10 in harbor
This year for my fitness/running journal I used the EC monthly binder. It was great to be able to remove pages but I had to write the date on all the pages. I had already decided I was going to get a horizontal planner but hadn’t ordered one yet. Now I don’t have to because the Focused one will be perfect!!! I love that each day has lines and a blank box. I can use the lines to record thoughts/feelings about the workout and the blank box for stats! And it will look really nice on my coffee table.

Padfolio in Pinstripe with blush interior
What I love about this padfolio, compared to the hello kitty or last year’s focused version, is each pad is different! This one has an hourly pad, a list, and a weekly pad instead of two lists pads and a weekly pad. This would look great on your work desk. Or I could see this as a family command center for those really busy days when all your kids have all their activities. You could use the hourly pad to track everyone’s activities for the day and the list pad for all the errands or tasks.

Standup Padfolio in harbor
This may look familiar! We got a similar one in the seasonal surprise box. I think most people plan to use this for meal planning. It would be perfect for that. I also think this would be perfect for work! You could set it up on your desk and fill in important items or reminders for each day and use the to-do list for your tasks.

Deskpad in blush
This is an undated monthly calendar and it will be replacing my current EC Monthly Deskpad. I like that it is a little smaller than the EC Monthly. Plus I don’t use the stickers that come with that one. I also like that the blush is very understated. It’s not in your face pink. The only downfall is I have to fill in all the dates. I do prefer dated calendars/planners.

Overall, I really do like this collection. If I didn’t I would tell you (see: Java with Jenna Episode 3 about the last EC Sticker Subscription). My favorite item from this collection would be either of the planners. I can’t decide if I like slate blue or harbor better. The colors just happen to be two of my three favorite colors (the third would be black). I like the pinstripe pattern but I’d prefer it in silver. I have never been a big fan of gold. But I do still buy EC items in gold because they are great products.

What is your favorite item from the Focused Collection? How would you use it?

EC links are affiliate links – Erin Condren may pay me a small commission if you shop and buy through this link. It does not cost you anything beyond what you choose to purchase. Browsing, shopping, and purchasing through my link help keep the cost of creating content down a bit for me and tells Erin Condren you like my content!

Who else struggles to keep up with your goals? I’m sure I am not the only one.

As we work through September, let’s fall back into goals! We still have plenty of time to make some great gains or even reach our goals! Take a moment to think about where you are in your goals for the year.

How far along are you? Are there any adjustments you want to make? Are you like me and drifted away from working towards your goals? 

What can we do to get back on track?

We need to write down our goals (if you haven’t already)  and break them down into actionable steps. But how does one go about doing that?!?

Enter Makselife.

I picked up the Makselife companion notebooks and will be using them in October. I’m slowly working through the guidebook and setting up the notebooks. The guidebook will help you set up your yearly goal.  Each notebook is a quarter (three months) and has space to break your yearly goal down into monthly goals and weekly actions.

At the end of each month is a reflection page and then at the end of each notebook is a quarterly check-in. There are also dot grid pages for each month and at the end for notes and ideas. 

Even though I haven’t officially started using the companion notebooks, I’ve been setting monthly goals and creating weekly actions. I’m using an EC A5 Agenda horizontal layout to plan out my weekly actions and tasks. Sometimes I transfer the tasks to my daily duo, but not every week. I’m still working out my system.

Each week has been a little different as I work through to find what works.

It has been much easier to set and follow through on my goals when I break them down into monthly and weekly goals. I think we can get too overwhelmed when we set those big annual goals and that’s why we slide and drop them after a few weeks or months. 

I’m currently using Makselife but there are several other goal-setting guides/planners out there. And you don’t need anything fancy, You can use a notebook and your regular planner. You need to set your goals then break them down into smaller steps and work on those steps each week. 

What are your goals for the rest of this year? How do you break them down and then make sure you follow through?

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Makselife

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*Affiliate link – Erin Condren will pay me a small commission if you shop and buy through this link. It does not cost you anything beyond what you choose to purchase. Browsing, shopping, and purchasing through my link help keep the cost of creating content down a bit for me and tells Erin Condren you like my content!

August is back to school time but many of us adults are also dealing with heading back to the office. New desk accessories can help ease the transition to more in office days.

Some of us have been working at home for the past year and a half and workplaces are starting to call people back into the office. I am settling into my new schedule of three days in the office and two telework days each week. 

Being at my work office more, I’m realizing how boring it is compared to my home office!

Over the past year and a half, I’ve added more EC desk organization to my home office but my work office has some old, sun-faded items I bought at Target about 10 years ago (maybe more)! I’ve been debating if I upgrade my home office and take the old stuff to work. Plus, I’ve realized going back and forth I need a different setup at work.

What do I use at home? So much.

I may have a slight obsession with pens and highlighters so I have plenty of pen holders. My favorite is the hexagon in navy and pool. I also love the clear trays that came in the MCC acrylic set. The little one is great for small post-it notes and credit cards and the long one holds my gum, eraser, white-out, extra staples, and my work cell phone. The letter holder has a lot of stickers. 

I think I need another acrylic set for my work office.

I also use the triangle paper holder for all my work folders. At work, I have a standard, boring black one. Might need to upgrade that! And lastly, I have the layers desk organizer. I might take this set to work and replace my home one with the new color blends set. 

What desk accessories would you grab to update your work office? 

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*Affiliate link – Erin Condren will pay me a small commission if you shop and buy through this link. It does not cost you anything beyond what you choose to purchase. Browsing, shopping, and purchasing through my link help keep the cost of creating content down a bit for me and tells Erin Condren you like my content!

We are six months into the year. How are your goals coming along? Be honest. It’s ok to have dropped the ball a bit (or a lot). We all get busy. The days turn into weeks and the next thing you know it’s July.

How to refresh your goals in five easy steps:

1. Find the goals you set way back in January. I hope you wrote those down and remember where. Been there, done that before. It’s ok if you didn’t write them down. You probably have a general idea so go ahead and write them down now.
2. Think if your goals are still relevant. It’s 100% ok if find a goal or two that is no longer relevant. It happens. Our priorities change within different seasons of your life. If a goal no longer fits, toss it.
3. Find your why for the goals you still want to work on. Without a solid you want to achieve it, you will struggle to get it done. Your goal needs to be important to you.
4. Come up with a new plan to achieve your goals. You fell off the wagon but nows the time to get up, dust yourself off, and get back on track. Write down your goal, your why, and steps to get it done.
5. Put it on your calendar. Set up a goals notebook with your steps and when you will do them. Pick a day each week to sit down and plan your week. Each day, look over your plan and do whatever you had planned for that day.

Remember, there will be setbacks. We all have them. The important thing is how you respond. You miss a day or two? No worries! Pick up where you left off. You didn’t achieve a milestone? Don’t give up. Keep going!

What are your goals for this year? Are you going to take a moment to refresh them this month? How do you plan and track your goals?

Looking for a way to track your goals? Check out the or . Both have room to write out your goals, set up daily actionable steps, and a spot to review your progress.

Links are affiliate links. If you use them, the company will pay me a small commission at no cost to you. I would love it if you use my links to help me keep producing content!

Summer means travel. But how do you make sure you don’t forget important details or items? How do you remember your amazing adventures? 

Enter the EC petite travel journal! 

Sure, we all think we will remember the fun adventure we just had but do we really? The small details start to fade as the months go by. You ask yourself, did we eat at that restaurant when we visited Philadelphia? Did we see that art at the Guggenheim?

With an EC travel journal, you can write down all the important details from flight info to packing lists to your daily expenses. Each petite travel journal can be filled with four, seven-day trips. If you take a trip a quarter one journal will cover your entire year!

What all is included you ask?

Each journal comes with a sticker sheet. Because who doesn’t like decorating with some flair! Each of the four sections starts with reservations and to-dos. You can fill in all the important info about your trip, plan what you need to do before leaving, and everything you need to pack. After that are the places to visit and the trip itinerary page. The places to visit have spots for landscapes, entertainment, shops, and restaurants where you can write in all your pre-trip researched spots to hit up! The itinerary has days 1-7 where you can write in your known (or ideal) plans for each day. 

After that are seven pages for your daily adventures. There is a spot to record the weather, day of the week, today’s outfit, and any reservations. You can also write out what you will be seeing and track your meals. Then you have a spot for your favorite moment and space to write a little about your day. There is also a spot for an Instax-type photo (but I often use that as more writing space. And lastly, you can track your expenses. 

At the back of the journal is a spot to record landmarks, entertainment, shops, and restaurants you didn’t get to but want to hit up next time. This is followed by four pages of dot-grid paper for any other notes, ideas, to-dos, whatever you might have. 

Overall, the EC petite travel journal is a great size for tossing in your bag and writing a bit at the end of each day. You can throw on a pencil pouch* and have all you need to journal your trip together! If you want a little more room, you can use a planny pack* instead. 

Interested in getting your own EC travel journal as the summer travel season starts? Use my affiliate link and head over to EC* to get your own!

Where are you traveling to this year?

*All links are affiliate links. They will not cost you anything additional. EC will pay me a small commission if you use my link.

Planning can help with mental health in a variety of ways.

Due to my ADHD, I tend to be very forgetful and it gets worse when I’m stressed. Instead of having 30 million tabs open in my head, I have 50 and they’re all spinning. Many tools are available to help calm my brain like sticky notes, notebooks, and planners (yes, more than one) to stay on top of everything and hope nothing slips through the cracks. It helps to write everything down and get it out of my head. It’s like one of the tabs stops spinning and closes. When I get overwhelmed, can review what needs to be done now and what can wait.

The first thing to do is prioritize daily tasks.

I know, I know. Your to-do list is a mile long. I get it, so is mine. But you can use your planner to prioritize which ones are most important. Because even though you think they are all priorities, some are higher on that list than others. No matter what planner you have you need to make it work for you. Whether you have a weekly or a daily, put your top priority first.  

When I used a vertical planner, the top box was always my workout. In my hourly and daily duo, my workout goes at 6 am, even when that might not be the time I do it. I cover the time with a sticker. To me, my workout is a top priority. I want to make sure I get it done every day. Next, pick your next two priorities for the day. They may be different each day.

Prioritizing also helps on the hard days. If you only have the energy to do one thing, you can glance at your planner and know what you should do.

You can use your planner to track all kinds of things to help with mental health.

Many people will make mood trackers and color in how they felt each day. These work great on the monthly dashboard or a bujo. Others like to track habits that make them feel good or help their health like reading, creating, or tracking water intake.

Another way to use your planner? Goal setting.

Most planners have a dashboard you can use to write out your goals and the steps you need to take. Use your monthly calendar to determine “due dates” for reaching certain milestones with your goals. Then transfer the action steps and due dates to the weekly or daily pages. You can also use a bullet journal key to show which action steps or tasks you’ve completed, started, or are migrating to the next day or week.

We all know how our mental health can throw off our desire to reach a goal. So don’t forget to celebrate when you’ve met a milestone or a goal! You can make a fun spread on the day you reach your goal. Or plan a fun reward, like a new planner accessory, when you’ve achieved your goal. Celebrate the small achievements too. Because you worked hard and made progress and that is what is important!

How do you use your planner to help your mental health?

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Products mentioned: EC Daily Duo, EC Petite Dot Grid Notebook

Want to talk all things planning and mental health? Join Runs on Planning today!