It's an age-old story on my part--I take a hard stand against something, then think about it some more, and then realize that I'm actually a total fan of said thing. This year it happened with PLANNERS.
First, the backstory. I like to think of myself as happy-go-lucky and commitment averse. I dislike giving a precise window of time for anything. Instead I will try to hedge as wide a range as possible in which to MAYBE do something. Or even better, avoid it completely. And when it comes to writing things in a planner, I went on record in front of a Zoom call full of new acquaintances to say that I don't like planners. (The Zoom call was about liking planners.) I went on to claim that if I do have a planner, I prefer it to stay blank, and if I do write something, I write it in pencil so it can easily be moved or completely erased. I even held up my favorite pencil (a black Dixon "Tri-Conderoga" that has 3 sides and a soft-touch finish) to show how insouciant I am.
However. I was wrong. The Zoom call turned out to be a very interesting and inspiring look at the world of planners, led by Joanna Devoe aka The Hippie Witch. A number of people held up their planners and explained how they use them. I was fascinated! Planners look so... useful! And satisfying! Joanna Devoe then followed up with a podcast episode also partly about planners, and recommended trying a 12-week Legend Planner. And after I thought about it some more, I did get myself a Legend Planner. Just to try out. Just in case.
And... I loved it. And furthermore, I realized that far from being anti-planner or anti-journal, I actually already have FIVE OTHER similar things in my life. I just hadn't noticed they were part of a system that I use to plan, record, and enjoy my days.
So today I'm coming out as a planner nerd. I LIKE PLANNERS. I LIKE DIARIES AND JOURNALS. I am someone who enjoys different types of pens, and little stickers, and pouches to put things in, and washi tape. I also find calm and joy in watching videos of other people doodling in their planners. I'll put a list of those at the end of this post.
Now that I know this about myself, I can give you a tour of my 2020 journals, diaries, logs, and planner. Let's get started!
These three are my Believe Journal, a bullet journal that I've had for about 4 years, and the legendary Legend Planner.
I use the red Believe Journal to make quick notes about what happened each day, add a smiley or mad or sad face for my mood, write down what I ate for dinner, and record how many miles I ran that day (if any). This planner was created for athletes and I'd originally intended to track my journey toward a 50-mile race on Memorial Day 2020, but that didn't happen. But it's still a great all-around weekly journal. This is my 4th year using a Believe Journal.
The lime-green bullet journal is a Leuchtterm 1917 dot notebook that I use to hold different kinds of lists and notes. I'd heard bullet journals ("bujos") described as a way to get all your sticky notes and lists in one place, and that's exactly how I use it. Here is one of the fancier spreads I've done (fancy for me), with one page for planner ideas and another for "kids cook" ideas.
The Legend Planner (no photo of this one) is great--it comes with 3 monthly spreads so you can see your whole month at a glance, then weekly spreads so you can plot goals and lessons learned week by week, and then a page for every day. It's undated so you can start using it at any time. I often get overwhelmed at the end of a given year, so I decided to use this to organize myself from October to December. It worked well, and I even got down to plotting out my weekend chores & wishes on an hourly basis, to keep me on track and help me not forget anything. And I do still like to write only in pencil so I can erase stuff and move things and pretend some things were never on my list at all. I like to plan, but I hate making myself feel guilty. Pencil is great for this.
These next 3 are diaries/journals. The Mead Five Star on top is where I write my morning pages (3 pages off-the-cuff written first thing upon waking, as recommended in The Artist's Way). I started this regular habit in July and it takes me about 4 months to get through one notebook.
The black notebook on the bottom is my work-list notebook. I make lists every few days of things that are due soon or immediately, and then work my way through the list until it is mostly crossed out, then start another list.
The green composition book in the middle is for my comics diaries. These are 2-page exercises from Lynda Barry's excellent book "Making Comics." In part, the exercise involves writing 7 things you did that day and 7 things you saw that day on the left-hand page. Then you pick from that side to make a drawing and present-tense story/caption on the right-hand page. I do these only occasionally, but they're really fun to look back on. Here is my comic diary from August 30, 2020.
This is the story under my drawing:
I hear a child yelling and rush into the living room. A cat is sitting on the new-to-us Danish teak mid-century-modern coffee table, placed in that spot mere hours before. The cat does not respond to verbal cues. She is perfectly happy in this new spot and seems not to believe I'm addressing her. I step forward and gently but firmly push her off the coffee table while saying "NO" clearly. I don't know if I have made my point or if this is the cat's new favorite perch.
Now since I have realized my true identity as a planner nerd, I have been having a great time planning for 2021. Here's what I'm thinking for the new year:
The bullet journal, work-list notebook, comics diary, and morning pages journal will stay the same. Then, I'm finishing my Believe Journal and replacing it with a 5-year diary where I'll try to squeeze in exactly the same information. While you can buy an elegant $60 5-year diary from the famous Japanese planner company Hobonichi, I opted for a simple version from the local bookstore that cost about $15.
It really has more than 1 line per day--here's the inside (random pages). I'm excited to start TOMORROW!
I've also ordered an actual Hobonichi techo (Japanese word for planner--pronounced with a soft "ch") from Jet Pens and can't wait for it to arrive (I decided to get it post-Christmas, so it's coming soon). This will be for random daily creativity and notes and decorations. I want to write down Scottish Gaelic vocab, random quotes, songs stuck in my head, tape in bits of paper and photos and stickers and packaging, add stickers and designs, track habits, jot down worries, and generally try to be more transparent and forthcoming with myself to myself. I'll let you know how it goes.
Do you have planners and journals, too? What are your planner plans for 2021? I wish you the happiest new year possible. I am sending much love to YOU, dear reader.
If you're interested, here are the YouTube creators that I find very soothing and inspiring when it comes to planner stuff.
