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Journal and Planner Review

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I don’t know about you, but when I think about the new year, I think about FRESH starts, clean houses, big dreams and NEW PLANNERS!!! Who doesn’t love a NEW PLANNER right?! When you have a brand new, un-marked, planner in front of you…. there’s this weird motivation to want to use it PERFECTLY, right?! Am I the only only with this strange sensation? I hope not. The issue is, you can’t use ALL of the super cute planners out there. Any truthfully, I think a lot of women spend big time bucks on planners that aren’t really suited perfectly for them.

It’s hard to find what you need and while I may not review your perfect journal or planner today, there are PLENTY of other tools and resources out there that may work better for you!!

I’m a GREAT example of this. I have a to-do list system that works… and I have a great workflow that keeps me up to speed and maintaining crazy fast delivery times… but when it comes to a planner, I’m still searching. It could be that I’m just not cut out for a physical planner (I’m really loving Evernote right now!). Some women LOVE being able to pull their planner out of their bag and makes notes… but sometimes I don’t even like carrying a PURSE! So that’s not me. I’m just strange I guess…. I don’t LOVE google Calendar… but it’s with me WHEREVER I go and it syncs to everything instantly. So a planner for me would really need to be a daily project / to-do list & time manager. But I’m really picky about my to-do list system! I have an abnormal amount of projects and tasks going on all at once that all have their own individual lists inside of lists and so some planners just don’t fit what I really need. At the end of the day, I’ve realized that my situation is rather unique and I have to keep reminding myself not to spend money on planners that are just super cute but not functional for me. So if you’re in my position…. I’ll share when I have a solution for my daily project, to-do list and time management planning!

The good news for everyone else out that is that I have been given so many beautiful journals and planners and I’d love to share my favorite parts!! They are all SO very different and I love them for different reasons!! Quick note: I think you should follow the creators of these journals because if you resonate with them and their lifestyle, you’ll probably love the way they keep their life straight too!

First up, the Daybook Planner from Elle & Company! Lauren Hooker is the beautiful face behind these awesome planners and she’s just a sweetheart! I love her to pieces and I also love what she’s about! Her Daybook planner is made for a three ring notebook and can be changed out so easily. She also sells ALL kinds of inserts and it’s great because someone like me may not want the “meal planning” chart but I do want the “project planner” page!!

This isn’t exactly a PLANNER, it’s an intentional journal created by the amazing Karen Stott! Karen is the founder of the Pursuit Community and I just love her passion about this! She runs the Intentional Home shop and you most definitely need to follow her on Instagram (@intentionalhome)! This journal allows you to not just write… but to really think about how your journaling is going to impact your day and in return, impact your friends and family. As a someone who loves to journal, I really appreciate the thought behind this!!!

Next! Introducing “Forever Notes” by Marissa Lynn! Marisa is a dear friend of mine and she has been working on this project for quite some time. It’s such an awesome idea! I think this is especially useful for women with children! The idea of this journal is to document memories as they HAPPEN! Who has baby books that are completely un-done?! I have a feeling there are a lot of women out there that want to keep their children’s memories, pictures, cute little things they say and their artwork in a safe place but it’s hard to make time for SCRAPBOOKING! So this is a great solution!! They are sold out at the moment but definitely read more about there HERE!

Who hasn’t heard of the Whitney English Day Designer? So stylish right? I just want to use this one simply because it makes me feel more “chic” than I really am! I just love the design of this planner! She thought of everything and somehow fit it on to one page! I love planners that are broken up into daily time slots because it really shows you how to be realistic with your day!!!!

One that’s not mentioned that I haven’t had a chance to play with is Emily Ley’s Simplified Planner that the whole world seems to be raving about…. which means I want to see one! :) I just LOVE Emily’s style and simplistic approach to life. I also love following her on Instagram because she’s about to have TWINS! So fun!! Needless to say, if anyone can teach about time management, it’s a woman with a toddler and two babies on the way! She’s doing amazing things in her business and I just love following along!

Last but not least, this isn’t a planner or a journal…. it’s kind of a mix of both. Lara Casey’s power sheets are amazing. This is such an intentional way to start the year!! If you are struggling with your goals and dreams and an action plan to make them happen, this is for you!!! You can find out more HERE!

I hope this was helpful! You may not be a good fit for any of these OR you may have just been introduced to what you’ve been searching for!!! Happy Monday everyone… and get excited, we’re only 3 days out from our REBRAND!!! GAH!!!!!!!!! This is one of the last posts on this blog… EVER!!

Thanks for reading!

— Katelyn

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