There is currently a war going on between pretty planners and functional planners. (I'm just kidding. It's not even that serious). But there definitely seems to be two distinct camps. Neither one wrong nor right, better than the other. Just different. Comments and questions on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube from newcomers to the planning world make you think you have to choose a side.
I'm here to tell you that you don't.
I am a self proclaimed functional planner. Those of you who have been following me on social media for a while or who have read my About page know the different roles and goals I juggle. I just have to be functional in order to get it done.
But I still like pretty.
Pretty motivates me to open my planner everyday and get things done. My definition of pretty is personal and subjective, as it should be. I need white space to breathe. I can't do a full page of decorative stickers (although I did for a while in my Happy Planner).
These are my pages for this week.
My color coding provides the majority of my pretty that I need. Two things to notice about my stickers. First, they are mostly functional stickers. Checklists, headers, icons, etc. Second, for the few decorative stickers that I do use, they are added at the end of the day, just to fill in empty space.
If you read my post about me being totally off my game, then you know what this is all about.
Towards the end of the week and going into the weekend we just had a lot of fun going to the fair and my nephew's birthday party so I didn't plan as much or have to take very many notes throughout the day.
This was earlier today before I actually started writing on the notes page. Again, most of my stickers are functional and I add in purely decorative stickers to fill in blank space at the end of the day.
So for those of you just getting started with planning, you don't have to pick a side. DO WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU!! Don't compare your planning and pages to others. Don't feel like you have to take out a personal loan to buy all the stickers and pretty stuff. Go at a pace that is comfortable for you, and more importantly, that actually allows you to get stuff done.
I totally agree! I do have several different planners but one is for work, home (bills) and then my kids schedule/appts/games. I use a little washi but I am far from a decorator
ReplyDeleteI am a one planner girl and am amazed at people who can juggle multiple planners. But if it works for them, I'm all for it. As long as each individual recognizes what works for them and that's why they are doing it instead of just because everyone else is.
DeleteGreat job! I love the idea of having a entire notes page to write on. I have a spiral and can do it at the end od the month but having it right there is a great reminder for planning and for journal type entries. : )
ReplyDeleteIt is really great to have it there. I always have paper on hand to jot down a quick note or confirmation number. And it does force me to journal and jot thoughts down throughout the day because I don't like the page being blank and feeling like I wasted it.
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