I’m very excited to share today’s post with you all, mainly because I know you are all excited for it! A highly requested topic for what I share on here in 2020 was a iot of planning and organization posts. I thought I would kick off the New Year while everyone is in the planning mode to chat about the planner lifestyle and what you need to start planning. Since this is such a hot topic, I want to start a series with it and take you through the beginning of the year and chat every few weeks about different things regarding the subject. I figured it made the most sense to discuss tools first, since that is the first step anyways!
I’ve been using my Erin Condren planner for going on 5 years. Crazy, right? They’ve been me with through high school all the way until now, truly helping me map out my days, months, and now, years. If you told me back in high school that “in five years from now you’ll have your own blog and be working with Erin Condren”, I would have been very confused and probably said, no way Jose. HA! Yet, here we are, and I’m having one of those moments. The moment where you find yourself saying…I never could have even dreamed this scenario up. You know, where you are truly the living the dream. Working with a brand that I’ve admired and used since before even becoming a blogger is always one of those full circle moments. It also reminds me that I can plan as much as I want to, but God’s plan is always way greater than mine.
With getting that cheesy part out of the way, lets talk tools. So, what do you actually need to plan? What kind of planner? Is there certain pens that are best when planning? What other tools exist? I mean, the questions are endless. I get this question a lot, and my answer is always up in the air. Why? Because it really depends on the person. Not everyone is going to need the gel pens, with this book marker, and these fancy stickers. SO truly, I mean it when I say its up to you when it comes to what you “need”. I also think this depends mainly on your lifestyle—how busy you are, what your job is, and how much of a planner you are.
My planner tools are my ride-or-die, can’t live without items. I’m constantly experimenting with what works best with my system and what I can add or even get rid of. But starting with the true star of the show, the Erin Condren LifePlanner. This bad boy is what started it all and is actually what you need if you’re gong to plan. They have different options for everything; what layout you want, personalized or picture cover, vertical or horizontal inside, neutral or colorful—the list goes on! Over on stories today I’m sharing my Friday Five along with what planner layout I have and why I think its the best. What I like most is that you can really customize the planner to you and your needs, and also your style!
As far as other tools you “need”, if you really want to stay basic you can of course just have the planner. But trust me when I say you’re going to want every single thing that goes along with it! Since I don’t just plan day to day life things, I also plan other things and make constant lists. A packing list, a grocery list, a to-do list, a dream list…so so many! I find that with my personality type, writing things down works way better for me. I remember things more that way and I’m also able to have fun with it. The tools i use on a day-today basis are my planner (without a doubt, practically my bible lol), my notebooks, and my travel to do lists. These are (for the exception of a few) all customizable and fit with any other products from Erin Condren. In the back of the EC LifePlanner, a folder comes with and I’m able to store these in there along with other things if needed. But mainly all my tools stay at my desk!
I’ve provided you with a shop above to browse through all of the tools that I’m unboxing today and sharing in my Friday Five. These tools all help you to stay organized, so definitely make sure you look to what fits your needs best and head over to stories see to see close ups. I look forward to sharing more in the start of my new Planning 101 series and I hope you stick around to see what’s in store!
XO,
Danielle Alana
