2018 planner

It's 2018...time to get yourself organized!  Who out there is a planner girl?!  I am, I am!!!  I am enjoying keeping myself and my family organized in an Erin Condren Life Planner.  People ask, "Why do you use a paper planner?  Especially when you have an electronic calendar on your phone!"  I do use my phone calendar because my husband and I can share events but I also keep a paper planner. 

Here are 3 reasons why I love planning...

I like writing things down.  Pen and paper is my jam!  I have loved pen, pencils and notebooks for as long as I can remember.  Having dates and events in my phone is nice but the act of writing them down helps me remember what I have going on each week.

I love the creative outlet is gives me.  I am a papercrafter but don't always have time to do it on a regular basis.  Writing in and decorating my planner gives me that creative outlet on a weekly basis.

I like being able to keep track of memories for my scrapbooking.  Writing down events, activities and family memories in my planner gives me something to reference when I get around to scrapbooking them.

Are you interested in ordering an Erin Condren Life Planner for yourself?  If so you can save $10 by clicking here!  Already have an Erin Condren Life Planner but need some accountability when it comes to using your planner to the fullest?  Join our Simple Organized Erin Condren Planner Group on Facebook.

Happy Planning!!!

Changing plans...

Even the best laid plans get changed.  When you write something in your planner and then you have to change it you might think, but it's in pen, what do I do?!  When I first started planning, I debated what to write with.  I thought about a pencil but preferred a pen.  So I tried an erasable pen but I didn't love how it wrote.  So I quickly switched to something different, but then I had my first change to make.  Ugh!  

White out tape and rectangle labels quickly became my friend!  I use the white out tape to cover up the mistake or change.  Then put a white label, cut to size, over it.  Now you can write the correct information and even add some stickers to spruce it up!

I know I'm not the only one with this problem.  How do you make changes or corrections in your planner?  Also, what is your favorite pen/pens to use in your planner?

DIY planner pen loop

When I travel with my planner I like to use a special pen in it.  So I thought a pen loop would be a nice addition to my planner.  That way I could always have a pen with me when I need to jot something down.  

The Happy Planner sells a pen holder that you can attach to your planner but I didn't want something permanently stuck on.  I liked the idea of being able to remove it when I didn't need it.  So I choose to use a binder clip and elastic ribbon to create my own.  

The supplies I used were a binder clip, elastic ribbon hair ties, scissors, hot glue gun and pen of choice.

The first thing I did was select the elastic ribbon I wanted to use.  I bought this 5 pack at the Dollar Tree and choose the black with white polka dots to match my planner.  I cut a straight end and hot glued it to one side of the binder clip.

Then I placed my pen next to the clip and wrapped the elastic around to see how long it needed to be.  I cut the elastic, then hot glued the other side.

I slid my pen in and then attached the clip to the cover of my planner!  Now you are ready to plan on the go with your favorite pen!  {BTW I'm currently using a black Paper Mate ink joy gel .7....and I love it!}

Do you have any fun tips or tricks for planning on the go?  Check out my recent post on what I keep in my on the go planner pouch!

Happy Planner on the go!

Last year about this time I became a "happy planner"!  I posted about my thoughts on that here.  I just recently got my second Happy Planner and am loving it even more!  This time I chose the watercolor planner and picked it up at Michaels using a 50% off coupon.  I love the watercolor effect on the weekend portion of the planner pages and the fonts used.  Plus I love the bright pink discs and colorful cover!

Now that I have my new planner all set up I decided to put together a travel bag that I can take when I plan away from home.  I have this Thirty-One vary you wristlet that I thought would work great since it has several compartments.  This ended up working out perfectly for my planning essentials!

One side has a variety of pens, pencil and scissors.  The middle pocket has my stickers and post it notes.  The other side holds my adhesive, white out tape and a few rolls of washi.

So now I can grab my planner and essentials bag for easy on the go planning!  What essentials do you have in your planner bag?  I would love to hear!

The Happy Planner

I have always loved a good planner, but more for keeping track of events and memories.   I use the planner as a reference while scrapbooking! When I saw The Happy Planner from Me and My Big Ideas, I knew this was the planner for me.  I get to paper craft on a smaller level while keeping track of appointments and family fun.   It also allows me a place for menu planning,  lists,  and keeping track of exercise and water intake.  I also love that it is easy to personalize your planner, like by adding bible verses and inspirational quotes.   These stickers from Me & My Big Ideas are my favorite!

I also love that the disc bound system makes it easy to remove pages to decorate.  I recently tried adding a decorative card to my planner.  I took a page out, lined the card up where I wanted the holes and made a mark in each slot with a pen.  Then I used a regular hole punch on each dot.  Next I used a rectangle punch to create the slit.  This card easily goes in and out of my planner.  LOVE it...can't wait to add more personal touches like this!