Hi loves! I wanted to start a monthly 'Plan With Me' series which includes how I set up and organize my monthly planners, how I decorate, and how I keep myself on track with daily tasks. This is inspired by one of my favorite YouTubers, Charmaine Dulak. She is always posting Planner Inspos and even sells stickers herself, so be sure to check her out! Because I was on a mental and spiritual vacation away from my responsibilities and obligations, I didn't start my planner yet for the New Year. I want to start implementing this series sometime during the first week of each month. I was still trying to get myself together for the New Year, so please bear with me! I will be giving tips, advice, and more on how to customize and make your planner your very own.
Join me in seeing how I set up my January 2017 planner!
From left to right:
- Mini Binder that I decorated and set up myself from Target ($3 for binder alone)
- Monthly Calendar on clipboard from Target ($3)
- 2017 Planner with year round inserts from Marshalls ($10)
I decorated the clipboard calendar with stickers from 'The Happy Planner' showing which days I have meetings, appointments, and birthday reminders. I tend to use stickers a lot because they stand out and remind me what days should be prioritized and remembered. With that, I filled in my to-dos and added some silver glitter Washi Tape (I got a set from A.C. Moore with every color for $5!) for a pop of color. The clipboard calendar will be what stays on my desk in my apartment so that every time I sit down, I have a bit of an overview of the month I have ahead.
I usually do my planning on my gold and white striped binder that I got from Target (as pictured to the right). I customize it myself using Personal Planner Printables from
Scattered Squirrel (link)! She has an array of sizes and designs for personal use and I love customizing what fits my mood that month. She even has things like daily planners, home management, time management, and even holiday planners available. I never bought planners that came with inserts because of the lack of personalization, but I was drawn to the blue planner (pictured on the left) because it still had that ring-binder feel so that I could replace some inserts as I please. It also had pockets and a pen holder on the side. I never get big planners because I also like to carry a purse and personal sized planners fit better in my handbags.
This is the inside of the blue planner! It came with 12-month inserts, but it was bulky and I tend to only put up 2 months at a time, so currently months January and February are inside. I love the slots and the little areas I can put papers, notes, and paper clips as well as a pen holder (which is a big plus for me). I put on some cute paper clips and a binder clip that I got from a Target set for $3. Target has been stepping their planner game up, and do NOT sleep on the Target Dollar Spot!! I also put a picture of me and my boyfriend just because it was cute! On the right side, you will see a sticky note set that I hole-punched to fit in. My only complaint about this planner that it is a 6-hole binder as opposed to a 3-hole, but it's not a big deal.
In the back slot of the planner, I have a 'Today's To-Dos' insert that I got off of amazon. It comes in a book and you can tear it out. I keep this in the front to keep me in check on the daily tasks I have to accomplish for the day. From things to do, things to buy, what I ate, and even managing my water intake, I find it very helpful!
For January, I just put in some errands and obligations I have to do for the month. I make sure to color coordinate my school responisibilites from my personal/home obligations. Again, I used stickers from 'The Happy Planner', which you can purchase from craft stores such as A.C.Moore, Micheals, Hobby Lobby, etc. I love adding little motivational stickers to my monthly planners. I added some Washi Tape just because I love glitter, hehe. When school actually starts, my months will look a lot more hectic than this!
So this is my final, finished product so far! I find that taking time out at the beginning of the month to sit down and organize everything helps make the month go by a lot more smoothly. Before I used to plan on paper, I would just put everything on my phone and I found that I would forget assignments and do things very last minute. This way, you have the whole picture of what your month will look like and it will help you prepare for the days to come!
Thank you for joining me and I hope this post has been helpful!
0 comments