Quite simply – I’m a planner. I have to be. With a full-time job, volunteer activities, and writing my next book, I need to schedule it all. Otherwise, things fall through the cracks.
There are a gazillion planners on the market – the trick is to find one that works for you. Over the last two years, I couldn’t find a planner that served all my needs, so I purchased a large dot grid notebook and created my own planner.
This year, I’m trying something new.
I purchased the project planner by Laurel Denise. Her products have been around for a few years, but I’d only recently discovered her when I trolled YouTube in search of the “BEST PLANNER.” There are dozens of videos you could watch. I admit I sat through several. This one seemed to speak to me.
With a monthly calendar on one side and a weekly to-do list on the other, it dovetails nicely with the project planner pages in the back of the book. Check it out on YouTube.
I’ve also been attracted to Notion. Many people use it as a planner and a database to keep track of just about anything, from school assignments to books and podcasts on your list. It’s a robust program. The problem is the learning curve.
Notion lures you in by showing examples of how others have created a perfect database that is also aesthetic. After watching several YouTube videos on how to mockup your own Notion planner/database/calendar, etc. – you’ll likely be exhausted or confused. I just gave up.
That was two years ago. This year I decided to give it another try, and Googled ‘Notion Planner’ and found a sizable number of templates for sale on Etsy. Delighted. I pressed the buy icon on this design, downloaded it, and bam – I was in and working on my plans within twenty minutes.
Notion has the advantage of being able to work on your computer and your phone. You gotta love the portability. I’m using both Notion and the Laurel Denise project planner in tandem – which will get me through the first quarter of 2023 with everything I need to accomplish – moved into the done list.
Good luck with your planner and your plans for 2023. If you have a favorite – leave it in the comments below.
