I love to plan and there are so many other people who do too! If you search “paper planning” you will find millions of posts of people’s planners. There are a ton of different kinds of cute and fun planners. Today’s post will be about the 8 reasons why we love planning! I think everyone should give it a chance if you haven’t already. If you have I will also share some other ways to make the most use of your planner.

I have always used a planner or at least a to-do list in my daily efforts to stay organized. But it wasn’t until April of 2014 when I discovered the Erin Condren Planner. That planner changed my whole view of planning. Planning didn’t just become a task to get things done. It became so much more. {You can get $10 off your EC planner by signing up with this link here}

Why We Love Planning

1. It Makes Us More Productive

I was a stay at home mom of two baby boys. I thought to myself, “What can I possibly use this large planner for?” It started with tracking appointments and events, but it still seemed so empty. Then I started adding little tasks that I had to do around the house, like cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming. I eventually planned for the kids’ activities and fun family events. Next thing you know my planner was filled! I started doing more with my life. My days felt so productive because I was getting so much done.

I now have more planners than I need (a good problem, wouldn’t you say?). So even if you think you don’t need a planner because you don’t work or go to school, you can still find a way to plan out your life. Ever since I started planning I can think more clearly and get more things done.

To make my planning even more productive, I started using more planners because the Erin Condren planner became too big for me to carry in my purse. I needed one that I can carry everywhere with me. A portable planner to really make me feel more productive.  If an idea popped into my head, or a task that needed to be done came up, I was quickly able to write it in no matter where I was. Ringed binder planners such as Filofax or Kikki-K are great for planning. They are more suitable in size for putting into your purse for on the go planning. & That’s how my planner addiction started. To see how to plan everything read this post here.

2. It’s a Great Habit To Incorporate Into Our Life

Writing things down helps you to remember more. Getting into the habit of writing all your tasks, thoughts and ideas onto paper will keep you from becoming overwhelmed. You will become much more productive. A paper planner is perfect for this. Planning leads to a more organized life and is a great habit to incorporate into your daily life.

3. It’s Easy To Use

You don’t need to download anything or figure out how to work it. You simply just need to have a pen or pencil and write in it! Open it up to see your day/week/month quickly. This is an incredibly simple thing to do.

4. It’s Cute

Having a planner that’s attractive to you is so important. You need to choose one that screams for you to always hold and carry everywhere. If you find something that appeals to you, it will make it so much easier for you to stick with planning.  I have gone through so many different kinds of planners, from traveler’s notebooks to daily spiral agendas. And after all this time, I think I’ve finally found what works for me. I use my Pink Fluoro Personal Filofax as my main planner and my Erin Condren for memory keeping. If I forget to document memories in my Erin Condren, I can always look back in my personal Filofax to see what I did, and can usually remember what happened that day.

I think I started this blog as a way for someone who is in the process of finding a planner that works for them without having to spend the money beforehand. If you want to try a Midori but don’t want to buy a notebook cover yet, print out my free printables and see how you like planning in them first. Or if you’d like a daily planner, download my day on a page. Or maybe you like planning vertically like the Erin Condren planner, then download these pages. Print and test to see what planner layout works for you. My blog is filled with all kinds of printable planners so you can see what works best with your life.
          

5. It’s A Fun New Hobby

Planning is not just a plain simple calendar anymore. There are so many fun accessories to make planning fun! There’s washi tapes, stickers, colorful pens, ephemera, page flags, and so much more! My favorite accessories that I started with were these cute diary stickers, masking tape stickers, washi tapes, and my pink Coleto pen and refills. By decorating and making my planner pretty, it made me want to use my planner more. Sharing it on Instagram made me want to use it more. & that’s when I became hooked on planning.

     

 

6. It’s The New Way to Scrapbook Your Life

Planning is not just for the future though. I love my planners because it’s like another form of scrapbooking. I have always wanted to document my life but never found time to do it. With planning, I am able to plan my days ahead, but also come back and check up on my day and write a little note or memory of the day.

I’ve also used my planner as a “have done list” sometimes. That’s when I would write everything I’ve done that day to make myself feel good about my day, like “hmm I did do a lot today!” I’ve also printed mini pictures into my planner {tutorial for DIY Instax pictures} and wrote little memories of the day. Now when I look back on my planner I see much more than my to-do lists, I see my “life”. What I did, what happened on each specific day, what memories I will never forget, and what my life was all about during that time.

[bctt tweet=”Now when I look back on my planner I see much more than my to-do lists, I see my “life”.”]

      

7. It Makes Us Happy

Having a hobby you love makes you happier. You have something fun and new to create. You’re never bored. Boredom leads to laziness which leads to unhappiness. With planning, you can have something fun and new to look forward to! Knowing that my day is planned out makes me feel happy. I don’t have to keep it all in my head and be overwhelmed or stressed out anymore.

8. It Helps Us To Meet New Friends

Our planning community is filled with thousands of people who share their planners with one another every day. Over the years I have made some great new planner friends. I would have never met these people who shared the same interests and hobbies if I didn’t start planning. If you look up hashtags such as #planneraddict or #plannernerd you will find thousands of pictures of people sharing their planner. You’ll see how they use and decorate it every week! I love seeing how people plan. It gives me inspiration and ideas on how to use my planners. I love being able to share this wonderful hobby with everyone here!

Planning has changed my life in so many ways. I have become a better, more organized and productive person since starting this new “hobby”. This is the most beautiful reason why I love planning. Why I think everyone should start planning. Let me know in the comments below why you started planning and what you think about our little planner world.

Thanks for reading everyone and happy planning!

8 Reason Why We Love Planning

 

*Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive a small commission or referral fee at no extra cost to you. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for supporting this blog!*