True Confessions Wednesday: One Size Planner Does not Fit All

True Confession #16: I love planners. I've read that we should have only one planner -- a master planner, in which we keep track of everything. I tried that. And, while it worked (sort of) when my daughter was small and I was working a traditional job and keeping traditional hours, it wasn't a perfect fit.

When I retired from my job as a school counselor, I rethought the single planner approach. These days, I keep separate planners for work and home, as well as a writing planner in which I keep track of goals, submissions and other writerly things. I also create a week-at-a-glance sheet every week after consulting with my family to make sure I'm up to date on appointments that don't involve me (we do this over dinner on Friday nights). In a pinch, I use the calendar on my phone, but only when I need to note an appointment and don't have my planner with me. My I need to see it personal style means that old school (paper and pencil) works way better for me than electronic.

Clearly, I'm about as far-removed from a single planner person as you can get and, while I'm sure that sounds unwieldy to many people, it works for me. I'm also very picky about my planners and can take a long time choosing one that's just right. There are features I must have, features I'd like to have and a price point I try not to go past.

So, when one of my writer friends told me she'd created a planner for inspirational writers, I was intrigued. I wanted to share her work, but wasn't sure how, besides posting a link and a photo. But, when she generously shared a pdf of her work, I had my approach.

Anatomy of a planner.

As you read, think about (and maybe even jot down) the features that are needs and wants for your style. The planner I'm virtually flipping through might be the one for you, or it might not but, since it has a lot to offer, it's a great way to dissect a planner and break down the things we need as we choose the ones that work for us.

Amazon.com

The cover: Okay, you can't judge a book (especially a planner) by its cover...but I do, and I love this one. The pristine inside of a planner is going to go from blank to overwhelming before you can say New Year's resolution, so I want the outside of my planner to evoke calm. I especially love the tree (which is not gratuitous -- the authors use it inside), but I have to say the blue is lovely. So much so that I made it a point to lead with the color cover from Amazon instead of the black and white from the file.

See what I mean?

The front matter: Honestly, I never really thought about front matter -- I like space to jot notes, but beyond that, never really considered the pages that come before the calendar pages. Rachel and Demi thought about it, though, and used the front of the book to wed 2019 to 2020, allowing space for the user to move from where she was and is to where she wants to go (which also happens to be a theme in my writing right now, so perhaps that's why I thought it was such a cool idea). These are the kinds of things I use the margins of my writer planner for but, in this planner, there's dedicated space for these considerations, along with places for a word, a prayer and a Bible verse for the year. And, remember when I said the tree is used inside? The front matter includes a tree for mapping out goals (along with an illustration of how to do that).

The layout. When I'm shopping for my school planner, any calendar that doesn't have both a month- at-a-glance and a week-at-a-glance goes right back on the shelf. (I use just month-at-a-glance for my personal and writing calendars). This planner goes one better, including year-at-a-glance for 2020 and 2021 in the front matter, as well as my necessary views (monthly, weekly). The margins in the monthly view allow dedicated space for writing goals, personal goals and Bible Study goals while the weekly view includes to-do list space, monthly goal space, room for prayer intentions and, my personal favorite, room for gratitudes. There's also a monthly overview at the end of each month to review where you've been before you decide where you want to go. And at the space for notes? Lots of it.

A planner for authors. First of all, I've never heard of such a thing but, in all fairness, I haven't sought one out either. Since this planner is by authors for authors, it includes a submission tracker, pages for income and expenses, book lists and even story ideas. Need even more space? Once you've purchased the planner, you can to to the Year of the Book website and get free printables. (You can also download a PDF from this site if you're looking for a less expensive option).

Whether we're looking for planners -- or anything else, for that matter -- it's always nice when the item we find not only meets our needs and wants (and fits our styles), but also provides things we didn't realize we needed and/or wanted in the first place. One of the reasons I abandoned the single-planner approach was the sheer size of the planner I needed in order to keep track of everything, but this planner has me thinking it'd be awfully nice to have just one place to go. Or, as the authors say in their intro, "Having a place to keep all this information helps us focus on the things that matter."

What's in your planner?