Hello everyone! I really hope you’re doing well. Today, as I promised in the last video, I’m going to talk a little bit about my own planner journey.
Just a disclaimer up front: sadly, I can’t show you a lot of planners because in recent years, I have not been keeping them anymore. So, it’s mostly going to be me talking and showing you a little bit. But if you’re interested in what planner I’m using now, what I’ve been doing in the past, and what I’m going to do going forward in the future, stick around and enjoy the video.
Planner Journey
As I mentioned, I don’t keep my planners anymore ever since I started using the Leuchtturm memory book. It’s a five-year memory book where you put a few lines for each day. I can’t show you too much personal stuff, but you write down the most important things that happened, what you did, what you ate, and so on. I’ve done reviews on this in the past, so if you’re interested, check out those videos. I love this system because I can look back and know exactly what I did each day of my life. It saves space since it fits five years in one book, so I don’t need to keep multiple planners around anymore.
Weekly Planners
Most of my life, I’ve used weekly planners, either horizontal planners like the one I just reviewed (the Leuchtturm 1967 soft cover weekly planner in A5) or vertical planners. I’ve also used Moleskine vertical planners.
Over the years, I realized I didn’t have many appointments, so I mostly used my planner for my to-do list. However, I started feeling overwhelmed seeing all my to-dos tightly squeezed together on a page. I switched to daily planners, trying out the BestSelf Company Planner and the Focus Planner’s 90-day goal planners. These planners made me feel even more overwhelmed because they required meticulous planning, which felt like a part-time job. They suggest planning out every hour of every day, but that felt too restrictive for me. I prefer having flexibility in my day.
Daily Planners
I then switched to the Moleskine daily planner, which provided a full page for each day. This allowed me to focus on one day at a time without feeling overwhelmed. However, the daily planner lacked an overview of the entire week, and I often abandoned the planner for a few days or weeks, leaving many empty pages. Additionally, it was bulkier to carry around.
Project Planners
For 2023, I used the Moleskine Pro Project Planner, which has a weekly overview and notes in the back. This planner worked well for me, providing a clear division between the upper and lower halves of the week. However, Moleskine no longer makes this planner, so I decided to try something new for 2024.
Current Planner
For 2024, I settled on the horizontal planner from Leuchtturm. It offers a visual of one half of the week on one side, with plenty of room to write down to-dos. I chose the soft cover version because it’s easier to carry and allows me to attach a pen. Leuchtturm has better paper quality than Moleskine, allowing me to use a variety of pens without significant bleed-through.
Bullet Journaling
I also tried bullet journaling for a while, but it didn’t work for me. I prefer having the ability to plan ahead without needing to create new pages for future appointments. I’m not a visual artist, so the creative aspect of bullet journaling wasn’t appealing to me. I admire those who excel at it, but it’s not for me.
Conclusion
If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment. Please also share your planner journey and what you’re using, as I’m always curious to hear about other people’s experiences. My priority is my to-do list rather than daily appointments, so I like having space to spread out my tasks.
