yeah. i know that is exactly what you are thinking! i know because i was always thinking the same, when i saw pictures of bunches of planners. for 1 person. why need more than 1? well. i'll tell you da secret!
ha. for me it really is simple. i like to keep things as clear as possible. although i am a giant master chaos maker, i do like my planners, lists & plans to keep me on track. to keep my focus. my thoughts can wonder off easily and with the massive attraction of internet (Facebook hellooooo) i try to focus more on what i really want to do, in stead of zombish reading what other people are doing. that is Facebook after all, right? just sit & watch. see what recipes other people are trying. what gorgeous paintings they are making. how much fun they are having going out. the cute new crochet project they DID finish. how wonderful their vacations or days off are. ha. yes. oh. Facebook. a love - hate relationship for me.
so for me, my planners, notebooks, goals books whatever you want to call them, are a way of keeping me minding my own business. like. when i feel the urge to get my phone and stupidly click on all the apps (i still don't have the guts to remove from my phone), i promised myself i get to my planners. my books. my loves. they really are. maybe try it sometimes and figure out if it works for you too.
but now you are wondering, nice Rev, bu WHAT THE HECK do you need so many for? i tell ya!
let's start simple.
1. my agenda / calendar.
i use the Color Crush Planner from Webster's Pages. i have this pink one, but i also ordered a teal one. just because teal you know. i use this calendar to note down my appointments. business or personal. also the kids dates and stuff that needs to be done, and of course Arjan's appointments. yes. i keep it all in one messy place. it simply works for me. when the new filling comes out, i order it immediately so i can fill it again with future appointments.
and everyday it tells me that TODAY IS A GREAT DAY. yes it is.
2. my creative planner.
i am seriously in love with my ban.do creative planner. i use this to, yes, plan creatively. it's actually memory keeping, and i like to jot down what happened every week. i use little photo's i order from the HEMA to keep it fun & fresh. i use acrylic paint, watercolors, pen, embellishments, stickers, masking tape, fabric, rubons, ribbon, and all kinds of stuff i can find on my desk. or anywhere else in this house.
it's messy and i LOVE it that way. i write what happened, my thoughts, lovely quotes, stupid stuff, things i hate (um. diabetes much no?!), and i add stuff from sweet friends, recognize anything sweet Marsha??
it's a way for me to combine my love for scrapbooking, mixed media and artsy stuff. just documenting my entire life actually. i still love scrapbooking so much, but i feel that i simply don't need anymore big huge layouts. i have a pile of those, and i think the albums they have to fit in are 1. too expensive, 2. too BIG and 3. they only fit like what? 20 pages? not a fan. this feels like such a 'small' book (well, it's actually kinda big in planner-eyes haha, but for me scrapbook-thinking it's small), and i can work on it and flip through it any given time. i can go back and add stuff. i just love it this way.
curious? you can find more ideas here. and here. here also. and here. yes here too.
3. my doodle block. is this a planner? if i want it to :)
i just need an extra block to doodle around. you know doodle here and there when 'watching tv'. you know i actually rarely watch tv. i crochet, sew, art journal or doodle while "watching tv". which, for me, means being present in the same room Arjan is :). and these doodle ideas, i can use them for other projects. i try to keep this book for doodles only, but hey, i didn't make up the rules. or wait i did, and THERE ARE NO FRIGGING RULES. ha.
and this page isn't finished. i like to keep things a bit open and work on them from time to time. no rules. go on, and go back.
i just kept going on this one. it is so addictive, i simply couldn't put it away. who needs sleep anyway?
a little try on cute houses. and while i was doing that, i use the back of the page before this one, to try some doodles. see if i like them.
4. my gettoworkbook. aka making shit happen.
this one is my favorite BY FAR. it's the gettoworkbook from the genius Elise. genius? yes she is. i followed her process in creating the 'perfect' goal/todo/work book and she nailed it. big fat time. you can order yours here. you are welcome.
i've edited the front with fabric, felt, ribbon and some cute clouds made from a washi tape i LOVED SO FREAKING MUCH, and is not available anymore. yes. big problem.
what i use this gettoworkbook for? i LOVE TO PLAN my stuff here. like. i want to launch a course mixed media canvasses Revlie style April 1st this year. seriously, no joke. that would be a horrible joke, wouldn't it?
so when i've set a date, i can plan backwards. like. i have 11 weeks till April 1st. what do i need to finish per week, to reach my goal to launch April 1st. so for this course (i'm putting myself out there now birdies, now i'm committed even more!), i've thought of what are the actions i still need to do and devided them in those 11 weeks. that way i make sure i reach my goal deadline. if you don't set a date, you can keep pushing your goal further and further into the future. but remember: if it's close to April 1st and i'm just not in a million years ready, i will not launch it. but setting a date, makes me feel more committed, more focusses and more ready to rock and roll. and absolutely makes me stay away from internet distractions. because i've got this deadline to reach!
what are the things on my list to do before April 1st? well. i've created 2 video's "already". now i need to: tape video 3, tape video 4, edit video 1, 2, 3 and 4. create a logo, banner, buttons for marketing, create a pdf, take cute pictures of created canvasses, write an ezine, blogposts, Facebook, twitter & instagram posts, marketing, marketing, marketing. just 'some' things i need to do all before April 1st.
and with deviding it per week, i don't feel horrible when on monday i don't get it all done. i have that week to get it done. that works for me. mostly because i already own two other companies (Artifex Support & Artifex Service) which takes up a lot of my time, so i have to plan my weeks wisely. no, i don't have more hours in one day than you do. just make sure you use the hours you have wisely (hellooooo Facebook...).
but that's not all. this gottowork book has got it all (seriously, watch the promo video and you know YOU NEED IT).
i love the month planner. i use it to plan the articles i want to write on my blog. yes i've been a bit slacking on the blog department, but on my defense, i was kinda crazy busy with Artifex Support, my business which is growing so rapidly the last 2 years. we are with 10 crazies right now, so you can imagine that's taking SOME of my attention.
but i'm serious about blogging more, planning more to do so, and thinking about articles i love and would love to publish, for instance this one! so that's where this monthly schedule comes in very very handy. not committing to 5 times a week. but 3 times a week is manageable for me right now and that's where my goal & focus is. and you know what happens when i focus. yes. i get shit done. so if blogging is on your list of goals this year, make things manageable. is 3 or 5 times a week a bit too much? make a schedule that works for you. make it 1 or 2 times a week. most important is that you keep your little ass to that schedule! commit!
and it doesn't have to be neat you birdies! remember: it has to WORK. not be stylish and crafty. this is my WORK book. and it works like a charm. no i'm not an affiliate. i'm just happy & enthousiastic that Elise created a gettoworkbook that just suits every need i have.
almost. almost. ha. still need that Volkswagen T1 van.
so this week is ready to rock and roll. oh, forgot: you can order the plastic bookmark separately. in love. of course you can brighten up your workbook as much as you like with stickers, colors, washi tape etc. for me, my workbook just needs to WORK. i keep my happy planner stuff mostly for my creative planner :)
5. my kikki.k. planner. love.
another one? uhhhh YES. another one! i actually kinda started out with this one. it's a big A4 planner, feels heavy and is so gorgeous.
i use this planner mostly for all my ideas. i've got so many ideas of creative stuff i like to make, things i love to blog about, ezines i want to write, products i want to get out there. marketing ideas, b-school notes. you know, kinda like my complete creative head is in here.
i love to create my own dividers for this one. i've used watercolor paper, old book paper, ink, paint, fabric, gelato's, oil pastels. i don't want to write on the tabs just yet. hehe. too pretty. yes. i'm a total nerd. but since i know by head what's behind every divider, who needs writing on tabs anyway?
my notes for creating my ecourse. what i want to tell, what i want to show. the sort of canvasses i want to make. starting out simple and making it a bit more interesting down the road. this planner just has all my thoughts in it.
another cute divider and some cute stuff i collect to stuff in it. i thought the real planner gang calls this 'dashboard'. but i'm not used to all those special words and stuff. i just make things i like.
i also keep little schedules about what's on my blog already. my day's and crochet posts i've made and i want to make sure they are all in the same place. i need to make clear schedules on my blog also where to find those posts.
6. my let's do this, shining business workbook
i've used Leonie Dawsons business books for quite some time now, and this year i ordered the printed one. it keeps me on track for a whole year. i reflect on the past year, and write down what worked for me. what didn't. i write down what i want to accomplish this year. and what needs to go. i write down numbers. like sales, but also number of followers online. just keeping track of things makes me help reach my goals year after year after year.
yes, i've blurred the texts, because you know what, i keep this to myself. my notes, my feelings and my learning curve.
7. my collecting to do block
uhhhh say what? another TO DO block? yup. but this one is mostly for collecting all my to do's that pop into my head, but don't need action like right now. but they need to be done, and they need to be documented. out of my head, on paper. so i keep my head clear from going absolutely berserk by all the crazy stuff i think i need to do. bought this one at ban.do's too.
so a a lot of stuff pops into my mind and needs a place to be. a home. that is this to do block for. some ideas need to go to my gold kikki.k planner. some can go onto this to do block. no specific rules. but if i feel like i need to write more about it, i do so in my gold planner.
i can imagine using even more planners. i still want one for recipes. and i think i need another one for inspirational things. like magazine clips, pics i found on the internet. kinda a pinterest thingie in book shape.
so. ready to rock and roll? ready to get shit done, to make stuff happen? this is what works for me. if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! and let me know if this post was any helpful at all for you.
i'm curious, are you a planner girl already, do you use more than 1 planner? and what do you use yours for? let me know!
life is good. just PLAN and get shit done.
rev
