There is nothing more satisfying than setting up a new planner. Last year, I achieved planner peace when I found the Mini Happy Planner. However, as I traveled for more than two weeks at a time, the Traveler's Notebook became my go-to planner primarily because I can bring my diary/agenda and keep a travel journal all in one folio.
This year, I wanted to carry around a planner that wasn't at all too bulky. Both the Webster's Pages Traveler's Notebook and the Happy Planner was feeling a little bit too bulky for my taste. First, I had too many notebooks crammed into my Traveler's Notebook Folio. Second, the rings of the Happy Planner were kind of in the way. I wanted something simple.
The reason I'm moving away from the two planners I swore by at the beginning of the year is because of the stuff I carry to and from work. I carry two bags: a work bag filled with my students' assignments and my laptop and my regular purse. I needed to simplify my life, so I opted not to get a Mini Happy Planner and instead purchased one of the Blue Sky planners at Target.
What I like about this planner is that it's a bound planner and the layout is simple. You have the month-at-a-glance, a to-do page for the week, and the week itself on one page. It also provides a couple of pages for phone numbers as well as several brain-dump note pages. The selling point of this planner is that it is light and compact! I can take it when I'm traveling and not worry about the rings getting broken or adding extra bulk.
However, I still went ahead and purchased a Happy Planner. I didn't get the Classic or the Mini. Instead, I bought the Big Happy Planner along with some blank pages for notes and project inserts. The reason I purchased this planner is to plan out things I need to do in detail such as grading assignments, creating lectures, keeping student notes, studying for the CSET Exam, and working projects such as illustrating and finally setting up my Etsy shop. I've set up quite a bit of goals for me this year that this planner is necessary and unfortunately, I will be bringing this back and forth with me to campus along with the Blue Sky planner.
I know it seems as though it's counter-productive to keep two planners, but the Big Happy Planner can detail out my week. It can detail out my life that the Blue Sky Planner won't. Instead, I'll be using the Blue Sky Planner to outline my appointments and things to do. I'm going to use it to jot down appointments. It's going to be my quick access planner.
So far, I'm loving this both planners. It's only Day 3 and I'm keeping up with my goals. Here's to the New Year!
