There are times when I feel will get tried of my to-do list. I love making lists as this has a therapeutic effect. A zen moment when I stare the things I need to do right in the eyes, as oppose to trying to keep the monsters in my head, and constantly worrying what do I need to do next.
I have tried a few types of planner: normal date/week/month planner which I got from the local bookshop, the more expensive Erin Condren and now, I am moving to a Midori. Lately, from the planners' world, I learnt of a new phase, "Planner peace". It is finding that one planner which will make one feel at ease and at peace.
I sat to think about this "Planner peace". What is it actually?
My criterion for planner peace is as follows:
1. Convenience -
(i) On the go: I can take it along with me without much hassle. Ergo, it has to be relatively small, free of sharp edges and resistant to wear and tear.
(ii) Just write it down: I need to be able to write my thoughts, to-do lists, daily/weekly/monthly planning, random stuff, notes and summaries from my readings, all in one place. I do not entertain the idea of having to go to multiple journals, planners or writing materials to achieve all that.
2. Pretty - Honestly, as a guy, the word pretty typically does not draw a direct association with me. However, i appreciate planners that are colorful, filled with quotes, customizable, as all these will make me feel great while journaling or planning. It is the emotional attachment I feel whenever I see pretty things.
3. All-in-one - As mentioned under Convenience, I appreciate a planner/journal which I can do a lot of things in. Journaling, planning, keeping track of appointments, monitoring my exercises or readings, making notes and summaries of the articles I just read. And these sections are best segregated, and if they are in different distinct booklets, all the better. At this point, this criteria will contradict criteria 1(ii).
4. Professional - I can bring the planner along with me during my professional work. One that is I am not embarrassed to proudly showcase during meetings or discussions. Again, appears to contradict criteria 2.
I never really thought of this planner peace, as I have, for as long as I can remember, been moving around planners and planning methods. I can never seem to be stuck with one for long. The reason why I jump around planners and give it up altogether, is probably because of the frustration of these factors convoluting and mutually repelling each other. When I am happy using one planner for a couple of weeks, moments of desperation and despair will set in. What about journaling? What about planning? Daily planning? Hourly planning? At times I will start to customise the planner, to try to add sections to my planner, but in the end, the efforts were for nothing.
Meanwhile, this blog is more about the physical stuff - the planner. As for the planning methodology and organising methodology, there's another post for another time. I don't wish to get on to that yet. Planner is physical, planning is mental.
Back to the post, probably the longest time on a planner I spent with is Erin Condren. For about a year. Through youtube videos and instagrams, I saw how the EC community deck out their EC planners, with the washi tapes, stickers and colorful pens. How they are able to jot down their to-do lists, appointments, journals, food and water and exercise trackers. EC planner appears to be the right one for me. Yes. I enjoy EC for more than a year.
There will be times when I failed my EC planner, by (i) ignoring the to-do lists and (ii) leaving the week (or even weeks) empty. That's why I say, planning is mental.
And now, I am starting with Midori Travelers' Notebook. It kind of met the 4 criterion I have set out. Let's see how long can I last with this?
I have tried a few types of planner: normal date/week/month planner which I got from the local bookshop, the more expensive Erin Condren and now, I am moving to a Midori. Lately, from the planners' world, I learnt of a new phase, "Planner peace". It is finding that one planner which will make one feel at ease and at peace.
I sat to think about this "Planner peace". What is it actually?
My criterion for planner peace is as follows:
1. Convenience -
(i) On the go: I can take it along with me without much hassle. Ergo, it has to be relatively small, free of sharp edges and resistant to wear and tear.
(ii) Just write it down: I need to be able to write my thoughts, to-do lists, daily/weekly/monthly planning, random stuff, notes and summaries from my readings, all in one place. I do not entertain the idea of having to go to multiple journals, planners or writing materials to achieve all that.
2. Pretty - Honestly, as a guy, the word pretty typically does not draw a direct association with me. However, i appreciate planners that are colorful, filled with quotes, customizable, as all these will make me feel great while journaling or planning. It is the emotional attachment I feel whenever I see pretty things.
3. All-in-one - As mentioned under Convenience, I appreciate a planner/journal which I can do a lot of things in. Journaling, planning, keeping track of appointments, monitoring my exercises or readings, making notes and summaries of the articles I just read. And these sections are best segregated, and if they are in different distinct booklets, all the better. At this point, this criteria will contradict criteria 1(ii).
4. Professional - I can bring the planner along with me during my professional work. One that is I am not embarrassed to proudly showcase during meetings or discussions. Again, appears to contradict criteria 2.
I never really thought of this planner peace, as I have, for as long as I can remember, been moving around planners and planning methods. I can never seem to be stuck with one for long. The reason why I jump around planners and give it up altogether, is probably because of the frustration of these factors convoluting and mutually repelling each other. When I am happy using one planner for a couple of weeks, moments of desperation and despair will set in. What about journaling? What about planning? Daily planning? Hourly planning? At times I will start to customise the planner, to try to add sections to my planner, but in the end, the efforts were for nothing.
Meanwhile, this blog is more about the physical stuff - the planner. As for the planning methodology and organising methodology, there's another post for another time. I don't wish to get on to that yet. Planner is physical, planning is mental.
Back to the post, probably the longest time on a planner I spent with is Erin Condren. For about a year. Through youtube videos and instagrams, I saw how the EC community deck out their EC planners, with the washi tapes, stickers and colorful pens. How they are able to jot down their to-do lists, appointments, journals, food and water and exercise trackers. EC planner appears to be the right one for me. Yes. I enjoy EC for more than a year.
There will be times when I failed my EC planner, by (i) ignoring the to-do lists and (ii) leaving the week (or even weeks) empty. That's why I say, planning is mental.
And now, I am starting with Midori Travelers' Notebook. It kind of met the 4 criterion I have set out. Let's see how long can I last with this?
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