Happy 2 year Anniversary My Purpley Life Blog! What better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than by talking about something that helped bring planner lovers like you to my blog.
People have asked me if using a paper planner has changed my life. Has it made me more organized? Do I get overwhelmed with decorating? How do I find time to use a planner and what types of things do I organize?
I started using my Filofax personal organiser back in May 2012. Has it changed my life? Definitely, in more ways than you can imagine. For sure, I can't see myself with out it now. Without it, I would have a sea full of post-it notes everywhere. I still have a sea of post-it notes, but at least now they are contained in a lovely leather binder. I never intended to be such an inspiration for decorating planner pages.
I simply started this blog, with
my first blog post two years ago on this date, to share my creativity and share to the world that using a paper planner can still be a way of life. Finding a better way to stay organized, I found that using this type of planning system has given me an outlet for keeping all the information I need easily accessible and readily available. Decorating was never overwhelming. As a crafter and stationery lover, my planner was the perfect outlet. I knew how to balance things, by not over decorating yet keeping my planner functional. I still use the same layout with a week on two pages in Personal size. I have tried other formats, but this seems to be the one layout that I come back to. It is like a blank canvas for me because I love using all kinds of stamps, stickers, washi tape, etc. It's always important to set time aside for yourself. How can you take are of anything else, if you are disorganized. Having some time to put my thoughts onto paper also helps me unwind from my hectic day. So, every night before I go to bed, I make planner time! When the end of the month rolls around, I really start to focus on the next month. As for how I make time to decorate, if I know I'm going to have a busy month, I will film all my weeks in one day. Most times, I already have some themes in mind for that month, and I already set aside the supplies I will use. It just makes things go a lot faster.
As far as what I use my organiser for, I use multiple ones for different reasons. Some people have a difficult time understanding, how can one person use more than planner at a time. Well, I will share with you my system for planning. This is my system and what I have found to work for me. Some people like to keep things all in one place, I have found the need to have things separated. I feel that I am able to organize each part of my life this way because I can focus on what I need to. I also think that I can find things more easily this way. I am currently using:
My Home Management Binder: A5 Rapsberry Saffiano Filofax
1) Notes: Work Search Log and other random notes
2) Monthly: Month on Two Pages used for work schedule/events/ appointments/ special occasions
3) Filofax: Lists and notes for Filofax related information
4) Financial: Record tracker of my monetization for blog/YouTube/ other income
5) Addresses: PenPal tracker and other important contacts relating to my blog.
My Everday Carry (EDC): Personal Purple Finsbury Filofax <--- this changes every month or so
1) Notes: Personal notes
2) Lists: Wish lists, bucket lists, need lists, want lists, list of fountain pen inks I own, list of beauty products I own, crating items.
3) Weekly: Week on Two Pages <--where the bulk of the decorating happens
4) Monthly: MO2P from Lime Tree Fruits <-- to keep track of my bills
5)Financial: Bank related information, encrypted passwords
6) Addresses: Filofax/stationery retailers in my area
My Wallet: Compact Zipped Purple Malden Filofax<--- I stick to a Compact size
I do not keep any inserts in here. It contains 8 credit/business card holders. For a total of 48 rewards cards, stamp cards, loyalty cards, business cards, medical cards. I love using a compact size for two reasons.
- My cash can be easy placed into the pockets without having to fold it or put into a separate envelope.
- I can see all the cards clearly, finding exactly what I need, when I need it.
My File Folder: Personal Purple Songbird Filofax
Includes: 1-5 tabbed dividers with A-Z dividers
I use this Filofax to store all my pen, marker, and stamp swatches. If you have read other posts from me, I am constantly testing out pens, markers, stamps, and ink with how they interact with different types of paper (bleed through, no bleed through). I also take time to test out paper for people who like to print their own inserts. So, I needed a place to contain everyone in one place, just for this purpose.
The 1-5 dividers separate blank note paper, cotton cream paper, to do lists in white paper, to do lists in cotton cream paper, lined paper in white and cotton cream.
I categorize the different pens and markers by alphabetical order using the A-Z dividers. For example, and the Pilot pens would be filed under the letter "P". Uni-ball pens would be filed under "U".
My Health/Fitness Journal: A5 Purple Original Filofax
I keep notes for my spiritual and emotional health, as well as physical health. I keep a food journal and keep track of my fitness.
So, now that I have been using my planner for over 2 years now, how to I store or archive pages? By storing them in other organisers, mainly ones that I only keep as part of my collection, not intended for actual day to day use. Currently, I have 2012 and 2013 in one Filofax, and part of 2014, in another. It's like a "blast from the past" experience, to grab a vintage planner and see my past pages. I get to see how my work "decoration" has evolved and it's also like a book of inspiration. Sometimes I see a decoration, and try to make it even better, or use a different technique to re-create the look.
As for the rest of my organisers, I like to switch in and out of them every so often. For example, in the spring time, I like using the lighter colored ones. In the fall, I like using my plums, and wines. This is what I love about using a ring bound planner, is that you can easily switch the binder cover when you want to. I have been asked what is my favorite planner of all. I will tell you my top 5 ranges which is in no specific order or color.
- Finchley
- Malden
- The Original
- kikki-K
- Baroque
For those of you, who are just getting into paper planning, I hope you will find tons of information on this blog that will help you along the way. For those of you who have been loyal and faithful to my posts, I thank you. I am very grateful for your love and support, through my ups and downs, for reaching out to me with your wonderful messages and inspiring me to keep going when I felt like stopping. I hope that by sharing this information with you, that you are able to find what works and what doesn't work for you. Thank you again for stopping by, and hope you come back soon!
(*Because there will be a special giveaway in the very near future!)
