As Promised: My Planner

I have been promising you guys for a while now that I would share my planner. I'm going to warn you that it doesn't look very organized, but it really is. I actually combined several calendars to create one that worked for me. I started with a Carolina Pad Folio that I have had for a few years now. I bought it to cover a spiral calendar with and just hung on to it because it is so pretty, and I like the pop of neon green.

Welcome to the Queen's planner:

One of my biggest must haves for a planner is pockets. I always keep extra paperclips, a calculator, business cards, and sticky notes. I have to have a way of keeping these accessible.

My first section holds several things including my master to do list (that is always growing), a perpetual calendar, daily calendar (more on that later), and things that I need to do daily or weekly (for those days when I feel like I am forgetting something).

See that picture of that handsome man? That is a picture I keep in that pocket all the time so that when I open this calendar, I see it. It is my husband and son the day he was born. It is my favorite picture and I look at it every day. I don't usually have things in front of it, but I am putting together some projects and those are lists that either I need my husband to do or things I need to pick up.

This is my daily to do list. This section is actually out of a calendar I bought a few years ago and never used. I held on to it because I liked the binder it came in. (Which is actually the binder in this planner). I decided to re-purpose it because I wanted to make sure this layout worked before I spend a chunk of change on a refill. Over the years, I have spent entirely too much money on planners that I ultimately hate and won't use. I use a sheet every day and highlight off what I accomplish. I cannot stand to see check marks all over the place or lines through items. Highlighting it off works for me. I don't think I will be using the page a day next year. I think if I have less space I will be more realistic about what I can accomplish. Also, I really miss being able to look at a week and get a better glimpse of what I have going on. 

This is inside the back cover. I keep my son's potty chart here (which I can remove now!), stickers, and flyers for projects I am working on. I also stick notes here for things I need to write. Can you tell I am obsessed with paperclips and binder clips? Office supply stores are like shoe stores for me, I have a problem!

I initially looked for a monthly calendar that I could put inside the monthly dividers, but went with this one because it was the one I found. I have learned though that I like the monthly calendar that I can easily slip out. This is perfect for planning my week out. I just slip it out and can see it without having to flip back and forth. I color code my monthly calendar. Always have, Always will! 

NighLon posts are purple

Palmetto Queen posts are pink

Family is blue

The Prince is red

I have a few other colors as well that I use for different purposes like CSPRI and Econfina Press. 

I also wanted to make an announcement in this post. The yellow blocks in the picture above are to help me keep track of my newest project. The Knight and I have decided to homeschool. I know that he's only 2, but we needed to make this decision now because he would be starting school either next year or the next. It takes a year to get a child in preschool. I'm glad we went ahead and made the decision because this gives me plenty of time to research and plan! I will be blogging about this journey here and sharing what I learn. 

This decision to homeschool is also the reason that this planner will no longer work for me. I am giving myself a new goal. I will have a new system in place in time for the new year. What I am thinking: A planner, project notebook, and homeschool notebook. What works for you? 

I hope some of my planner organization has given you some ideas!