Enthusiastically, Dawn

Today for the second installment of my Makeover Monday series of posts, I am sharing my current Planner and the way I made myself at home in it. First, let me give you a quick history on my Planner Love and commitment. I have used a Planner since my first year as a Personal Trainer (of course, this was when dinosaurs still roamed the earth but you understand it’s been a long time). I remember I bought a small At A Glance pink planner to track my schedule. In it I wrote down Personal Training appointments for my first serious stint into the lives and homes of others helping them fit in fitness. As I balanced training others, myself, and various  commitments, including journal keeping, I devised my version of a planner. A three-ring spiral bound 3-5 subject notebook held the details of my diet, training, daily Personal Training Schedule, and other appointments as well as quotes, notes and scraps. Soon after, I began running my own business and I shifted to a DayRunner for a more professional binder and increased versatility. I remember leaving that planner in West Palm Beach, Florida somewhere between the airport and who knows where. God had my back, because within 4 days of returning home, that planner, which held the paperwork for my newly incorporated business was returned! Phew. The Planner habit had been made and I rarely, if ever was without my faithful sidekick.

I have attended a number of Time Management/Planning workshops and used about every planner out there over the course of my years:  Franklin Covey, Filofax, Priority Management, DayTimer, and more. I would have to say I really loved Franklin Covey products as well as the training I received through their classes/workshops. As I shifted from professional life to a more home based lifestyle, I discovered Planner Perfect and appreciated incorporating new ideas and practices that affirmed my planner habit. I do adore Jenny Penton and appreciate her vision for planning.

This past August, my sweet, thoughtful BFF gifted me with a planner I had squealed about on the phone one day to her. She made it her business to find it, buy  it, and bring it to me on my birthday. I am convinced this was God’s creative way of making me commit to one planner for one full year (I get planner antsy at the 6 month point). Better still, the planner actually goes from September 2014 through February 2015! Since I do most of my creative writing, goal setting and visualization on paper in my journal, my planner needs to help keep me on track for daily life. It needs to keep my feet on the ground, and getting where I need to get, when I need to get there!

As I started getting the “new planner bug” towards the end of last year and was feeling my way around this new, beautiful planner gift, I discovered a whole bunch of crazy, wonderful, inspiring women on YouTube, including Organized Like Jen, My Purpley Life, Pocketful of Vintage and Gina’s Organized Life to name a few. I felt newly inspired to dive into my planner with a vengeance. A creative vengence…and so I armed myself with Washi Tape, colored pens, scraps, stickers, scotch tape and glue…I got busy and invested some creative energy into my planner, and it now truly is my number one secretary, perfectly outfitted for me.

I am sharing this makeover in hopes of inspiring you to make whatever planner you have, a bit more personal, creative and fun! Invest yourself in it, so that you will want to open it and use it regularly. I loved this planner but some of the format was tripping me up. Nothing that a little creative Washi Tape could not resolve. Also I adapted and transformed the innards to meet my needs and requirements!  Let’s check out the details!

Well, I hope my savvy little scrappy try with my planner inspires you to invest a bit of lovin’ into your own, so that you might be inspired to get the Planner Habit yourself!

A planner is only as good as you make it…make it useful, make it pleasing to your eye and make it work for you!

Be sure and check out all the inspiration and planner love over on You Tube…it is addicting, inspiring and fun!

Special thanks to all of those I mentioned and all of you who love creativity, planners and journals…sigh, you are my people!

See you next Monday for another makeover project!

Do you use or have a favorite Planner?

I’d love for you to share your planner or the ways you make it personal, or any favorite planner tips, accessories etc. Drop a link or comment below!

Linking with Create with Joy for Inspire Me Monday, Cornerstone Confessions for Titus 2 Tuesdays