National Planner Day

National Planner Day – Is held annually on August 1. In this blog post I share what is a planner, how I got back into using a physical planner and three tips on using a planner. #PlannerDay

In a world that is submersed in technology, I still love the use of a physical pen & paper planner.

What is a Planner?

Well, it can be anything. It’s where you keep birth dates, appointments, meal planning, school schedules, church events, step goals, track your favorite shows to binge, and much more.

And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Yes, there are some very nice high end planners out there. But, even a cheap one buck store find can work if you are using it.

That’s the biggest challenge- establishing that habit.

Perhaps like me, you were a planner flunky of days gone by. I kept a pocket calendar for school work, birthdays, work schedule and travel during college. Once out of college, I found myself continuing this trend until – dun dun dun- my kids got grown. The calendar gave way to just putting a hand ful of things in my google calendar and trying to rely on Social Media to maybe remind me of events.

Fast forward to a year ago. I found I was craving a way to document my day, keep up with my ever changing schedule, and to track my health. Plus, I went to my local craft store (hint- I am a craft store addict.) I had seen so much online shared about the Happy Planner. So I picked one up in the store to flick through- thought it looked neat, but wasn’t ready to pounce for the high price (even with digital coupon, it was over $20). I happen to live near a store that sells cast offs form major retailers & there among the stationary I found a Classic size Happy Planner for $10.

I found myself loving the ease of being able to take the pages in and out as I pleased, but felt like I was lugging a lot around me for my day to day routine. But I stuck it out for one full year (from July to July).

So happens that I revisited that store a few months after my initial find & found a mini sized Happy planner Undated for $7. So far, it is proving to be more practical for me to use regularly & to tote around from work to store and back home.

But maybe Happy planner isn’t for you. That’s fine. Having a planner is really about finding what works for you. I work in a field where I’m not allowed to have my phone in hand most of the time (for security reasons), so I need that pen and paper flexibility. There are digital options for planners, as well as hundred of printables on pinterest.

Look around, talk to others who plan (or even message me & I will be happy to answer questions) and print out a few sample pages before you commit to the purchase.

Whichever planner you decide upon, here are my 3 biggest suggestions:

1. DON’T compare yourself to others on social media. This is about what works for you, and your family, as well as making it your own. I have to remind myself of this too often. Don’t overwhelm yourself with thinking it has to be insta-worthy. The real purpose of planning is to memory keep, to stay organized, and to have a system that works for YOU.
2. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Honestly. Some of my favorite supplies have been $5 or less. My personal favorite brand of stickers is Sweet Kawaii Design. They have many products that are $5 or less.
3. Ask others what has and hasn’t worked for them. I’m not the team mom anymore, as I was in days gone bye. So some aspects of some planners don’t work for me. What I prefer most is something called Bullet Journaling. There is NO better video to explain bullet journaling than this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkZEEQG6IVE

Thanks for reading. I look forward to sharing more with you about planning in the future.

About the Author

Heather Patterson

Heather Patterson is the wife of Steve Patterson of Courageous Christian Father. She has been creative writing since she was nine years old. She has served as a staff reporter and photographer for her own hometown newspaper. She has two amazing young men.

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