Tales of Planners Past: Moleskine, Lilly Pulitzer, and Mead Agendas

    Hello PlannerPeople! So, in our 4 Reasons to Have a Planning System post, I wrote that planners are one of the most simplistic ways of journaling. Well today we are taking a trip back into my planner past and seeing not only how I was planning, but what I was planning in the past four years as well as a review of each different types of planners. (Oh boy, time traveling back to freshman year... wish me luck!)

My planners from the past four years. (Except the school given one) 

Freshman Year: Academic School Planner. 

   Ah, freshman year of high school... full of awkward moments and memorable firsts. (Everybody remembers that first time they walked into the wrong class right?) Now, this was before I was a full blown PlannerPerson so I settled for the school distributed planner. Before the days of decoration and crazy color coding, I just used a plain old pencil and wrote down all my homework. I wasn't very in depth with my planning until sophomore year so it was a pretty boring year in the planner department.

Sophomore Year: Academic Mead Planner

Stickers!!!!

    Sophomore year was probably my favorite year of high school. The year of my first kiss, first romance, and my first planner that wasn't given to me by the school. The summer before tenth grade, on a trip to California, I was able to have my first shopping experience at a Staples Super Center. (sadly, Alaska is desperately lacking fun stationary shops and no Staples.)
    it was at Staples that I bought a pink Mead Academic agenda. It was colored, had cool little tips throughout the weeks, and even came with sheets of school related stickers in the back! I also used my handy Papermate highlighters and this was what I used for my pretty basic color coding.

Monthly View 

Weekly View (I love that every day has the same space given) 

One of my favorite weeks
Look how productive I was! :)

My Color code in tenth grade (a little smeared)

Junior Year: Academic Mead Planner, Lilly PulitzerAgenda

My beautiful large Lily Pulitzer

   Junior year got a little crazy, in all aspects of life. The first semester, I used my trusted Mead agenda that I picked up from Target or some other local store. This is when I started getting into the planner world and watching Youtube videos and starting to want to make my agenda look nice. My color code started to grow and my doodles began. :)
   By second semester, I decided that I wanted a cuter agenda and I fell in love with the Lily Pulitzers. So, come January came the changes of my planner and my color code went crazy! This agenda came with two sets of month on two pages spreads. I used the one in the front to write one thing that happened to me during that day (sort of like a journal). My Flair pens came into play and I fell in love with organizing. The Lilly Pulitzer agendas are adorable and so cute. I would highly recommend them for any female student.

First Semester Color Code (Junior Year)

Weekly Spread: First Semester

Weekly Spread: Second Semester

Senior Year: Moleskine Agenda, Filofax Metropol
   My favorite part of back to school shopping, besides EVERYTHING, is picking a new planner. After a lot of research and thought, I decided to buy a Moleskine 18 month agenda. This was the first planner that had a different layout. This moleskine had a Week on One Page layout plus notes. Surprisingly, the smaller space rarely became an issue however after a few months, I began drawing in my own monthly views as this planner doesn't include that. I LOVED the notes section, I would write lists, track my meals, and doodle. It was a great agenda... until the filofax bug bit me.

   You guys have all seen my filofax. I have been using Mickey for six months now and I love him. I make a few tweaks occasionally but I feel like I have found a really good system for me. :) If you haven't seen my "What's in my Filofax" post, click here to have a more in depth view of what I keep in Mickey.


Well, there it is. My planners throughout my high school career. I don't plan on changing from a Filofax anytime soon but I will admit that the planner bug has bit me and I have been very eager to buy a new planner. My top two wants are a Filofax Original in Dark Aqua or really any A5 agenda in Aqua. I will admit that the Erin Condren Life Planners have caught my eye too, but I am trying to avoid changing my planning system all over again. :)

Do you have any planner walkthroughs? I'd love to see/read them. And if you guys would like a more in-depth walk through or review of any of these agendas, feel free to ask and I will love to do that for you! :D 

My planning question for you all for this week, do you have troubles finishing a full planner? As we have seen, I have yet to stick to a planning system for the past few years without getting antsy and changing something. 

Kaylee's Must Haves: What's in my pencil pouch(es)

Ready to plan and decorate!

After my recent "What's in My Filofax" post, I have been really eager to show you what I use inside of him. So today, I will be showing you some of my favorite stationary and what I (usually) never leave the house without!

This is my main pencil pouch. This amazing little bag was given to me by my amazing boyfriend after he got back from Australia in December. The brand written on the tag is Bunabiri Australia and it is a lovely blue bag with three pockets, the top zipper compartment being the largest and shrinking in size as you continue down. This bag is perfect for me because I can now organize my pencil case into categories. (AND it's my favorite color, can't beat that.) 

First Pouch:
The deepest compartment holds all of my pens. My favorites right now are the well known Pilot Frixion Clicker pens in 07.  For those who aren't fond with this brand, they are erasable pens that actually erase. Unlike those terrible blue pens that they made us use in elementary school which smeared and ripped holes in your paper, these erase cleanly and you can barely tell where you had written. 

Other pens inside this pouch are two multi-ink gel pens that I got for Christmas, two Le Pens that I wanted to try after I saw an OrganizedLikeJen video (they bled through the Filofax paper and I wasn't very impressed), an orange Papermate InkJoy pen as orange is the only color that I don't have as a Frixion, and a miscellaneous amount of black pens that I keep for taking notes or lend to other people. The last think I keep in this pocket is a six inch ruler which I've found SO useful throughout the school year and even when decorating my agenda. 

My thoughts on Frixion Pens

I love these pens for their ability to erase and their bright colors but there are a few cons. The ink erases with friction, so this means that in very hot weather that the ink can disappear and in very cold weather, the ink that you have erased can reappear. Now, I live in Alaska and during the winter, it can get very cold. I have noticed in a few places within my Filofax that ink has reappeared and I'm unable to erase it again. Also, I have noticed some skipping with some of them, most noticeably my black pen. Perhaps it is just almost out of ink or maybe it is because of how cold it can get up here and maybe the ink has been affected. Besides that, these pens are fantastic. :)

Second Pouch: 
The middle pocket is where I keep all of my highlighters. Now, highlighters aren't a big part of my color code but I do need highlighters for school and I have used them for grading as a teacher's aide, marking notes, and other such things. All of my highlighters besides the purple one are again, Frixion brand. Having erasable highlighters is amazing! It allows for you to highlight text but have the ability to remove it. Currently, I only use the blue highlighter to mark work on my monthly spread, and green to highlight paydays. During the school year, I tend to use a highlighter that matches the color I have assigned to a specific class when I am annotating or marking key points in a syllabus as well. My purple highlighter is a Papermate Intro highlighter that I love. It is one of the few purple highlighters that is light enough to read the text beneath it and doesn't bleed through paper.

My thoughts on Frixion Highlighters
These highlighters are awesome. I personally think having erasable highlighters is more important than having erasable pens. One main thing which I feel that I should point out is that the colors aren't very saturated and fade after a while. The green highlighter in particular can be easily confused with yellow after a few days. I know that they have different types of highlighters in this brand such as the pastel colors and soft tip, I would be eagerly curious about how those work in comparison. 

Third Pouch:
The very last zippered compartment is very small and I struggled to figure out what to put in here for a while. However, after countless times of having to empty my pen pouch to find my pencil, I decided that this was the perfect spot for it. So this pocket holds my purple Papermate Clearpoint mechanical pencil in .07 as well as my lender pencil which is the same only in teal. I also keep a big eraser and a BIC Whiteout pen inside. 

Well, while that is everything in my pencil pouch, there are few other things that I use on a regular basis in my Filofax.

Extra Must Haves:

Bleed through from Flair pens :(

• Papermate Flair Pens in Medium: I LOVE these. They come in so many different colors and I use them for everything from decorating to writing on washi tape to my extensive color code. I switched to using these instead of highlighters because I felt like these popped off of the page more without having to worry about smearing whatever was underneath. I got this pack of sixteen from Target last August and none of them have run out of ink. (Well... except the black one but I used it for the cutest handmade valentine :) My only issue with these is that they BLEED TERRIBLY! Now, I think my issue is mostly with Filofax and their horribly thin paper, but I do wish that these didn't have such bad bleeding. Now, this doesn't stop me from using them because I LOVE them but... it is a bit of a let down. 



• Grid Paper Journaling Cards: This is the newest thing on my must have list but I love the Project Life graph paper cards. They are perfect for lists or color codes or really anything, and they are thick enough that I do not have to worry about bleed through no matter what type of pen I use. I just bought these a week or so ago on sale at Michaels and I am sold. I keep a few blanks stored in the back mesh pocket of my Filofax and I have already used five for various lists. 

• To-Do Pads/Memo Pads: On a typical week, I write a "Weekly To-Do List" for the things that need to be done but don't have a specific date. I typically like to decorate around the design of the notepad or have the notepad match the design and my collection is growing. Most of these were found in the Target Dollar Spot but the Minnie Mouse notepad is from Michaels (For $0.50!) and the colored memo pad was something I found at Office Depot. I love these things and can never have enough. 

• Washi Tape: Ah yes... the genius idea of decorative scotch tape that all have fallen victim to. I have a separate pencil case that I bought from Walmart a few years back that carries my small collection of washi as well as a hole-punch, and the world's tiniest pair of scissors. This pouch typically follows me around my house, and only makes its way into my bag when I am having a decorating date with my friend Jozey. I love this stuff, and I use it for all my decor. :) 

Well, I think that is about it. I don't use too much in my agenda compared to some other PlannerPeople. I am continually awed by the infinite amount of 30 minute videos explaining all their paperclips and sticky notes and stamps and everything else. I am both envious and thankful that I don't need an entire tote to carry around all of my filofax essentials but I DO have to often go through and purge what I do not need to carry on a daily basis. 

My question for all you PlannerPeople, what are your favorite must-haves for your agenda? Got a favorite stamp or perhaps a pen that you would die of disorganization without? We would love to hear from you. :)

My decor for next week :)
Keep planning PlannerPeople!

What's in my Filofax: Meet Mickey!

So, being the total planner nerd I am, I would be lying if I said that I haven’t imagined doing a “What’s in My Planner” of my own for years. Kes-Sativa and I have dreamed about our own videos on YouTube and being among other PlannerPeople who blog about our love for organization and stationary. So, today is the day that I finally get to check this off of my bucket list! Ladies and gentlemen of all ages and organization levels, I introduce you to my Filofax!

Hello Mickey!

I call him Mickey (you have a name for your planner right?) and he is an A5 Metropol in Black. I bought him as a Christmas present to myself last year for $27 and have been using him since he arrived in January of this year. I love him. My Filofax goes anywhere of importance such as blogging dates with Kes-Sativa and always to school. Some think the A5 is a tad big for an “on-the-go” planner but I typically carry large bags and the size has worked very well for me.

Lets open him up!

Inside the Front Cover

I can't help but smile when I open him up. :)

When you open my metropol up you are greeted with an array of post-its and memo pads in the front cover and my beautiful Mickey Mouse dashboard! Now, before we get too far, I must share a tiny secret with you guys… I am a HUGE Disney fan. Seriously, I am practically a four year old trapped in an eighteen year old body.  So, keep that in mind as we travel through my lovely agenda.

Anyways, back to business. My dashboard used to be the front of a notebook that a dear friend of mine brought me from Disneyland. After almost breaking my hole punch and bruising my hand, it is now a lovely dashboard that greets me every time I open Mickey up.

The front cover comes with five card slots on each side as well as a large pocket that you can slide bigger pieces of paper into. Some may use this section as a wallet but I utilize this space for sticky notes, stickers, and small papers (which I’ve pre-punched) that I use for lists and such within my weekly pages.

One can never have too many post-its.
Nor can somebody spend too much time at the
Target Dollar Spot.

My Calendars

The first page after my plastic dashboard is a piece of Mickey Mouse scrapbook paper. I recently ( as in this past week) added. I also made new dividers using Disney scrapbooking paper found at my local Joann’s Fabric. After that, there is the Filofax pages for personal information and registration number (so if somebody were to find my agenda, Filofax can send it back to me) and then we start my Month on Two Page spread.

As I have mentioned in my previous post on color coding, I love color and have an extensive color coding system within my agenda as I'm sure you can tell. The vibrant, almost marker-like, ink you see on my monthly calendar are Papermate Flair Pens in medium. They do bleed through a tad on the Filofax paper (especially the darker colors) however, I still use use them.

After my monthly view which I use for long-term planning and big events, there is my Week on Two Page spread which is where most of my day-to-day planning gets done. I dabbled in a bit of decorating as inspired by the many PlannerPeople of YouTube and Pinterest but going to school everyday and juggling with the events of senior year prevented me from doing anything too serious. However, I love the notes section in the beginning of the week to write an inspiring quote. I also like to fill the empty spaces with my random doodles. :)

On the weeks that had a lot going on or when I had a lot of things to do that didn’t have a specific date, I would write a weekly to-do list and attach it into my current week. The week pictured to the left was the week after I got home from a three week vacation and I had a LOT of catching up to do. It is also one of my more decorated weeks.

Divider One: School

So, one of the coolest perks of a binder planning system is the ability to hold everything you need within one book. Behind this adorable Mickey divider (I warned you that I had a problem), there lies many important papers related to my schooling. Papers such as contact information for my university next year, my intended schedule for the fall, and a running list of scholarships to apply for. In the fall, I also plan on holding my Roommate Agreement Plan, the university bus schedule, a grade tracker, as well as anything else I will need for my first year of college courses. Unfortunately, for privacy and safety reasons, I cannot show you anything behind this divider but… Trust me when I say that this is one of my more used sections.  

Divider Two: Blogging (as of today)

 
This divider has held many different things behind it throughout the past few months. Most recently, it was a Health section where I tracked my meals and copied down the many exercise routines that I’ve found on Pinterest. However, due to the fact that I don’t meal plan outside of school and that my Health section was painfully neglected… I decided to make it my blogging section.

I hope that as our blog grows in popularity, this section will grow as well. As of now, behind this lovely divider, there is a running list of future post ideas, tips and tricks on writing better posts, “Filofax photo-a-day” challenges which may find their way onto this blog, and a bit of blank paper for when inspiration strikes. :)

Divider Three: Lists

As many PlannerPeople do, I love lists. So much that I have an entire section for the endless supply of checklists that I have. In this section, I have a master to-do list for things I need to complete eventually, a bucket list written in rainbow colors, a list of books to read (I want to read all of the Nicholas Sparks books and I may add John Green to that list too), a wish list that I use for when people ask me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, and a very short list of quotes which I need to add more to. There are also writing prompts for each day of the year which I am thinking about implementing into my planner after the new year and lastly, a running list of Disney movies (written on Disney paper no less) to keep track of all of the movies that I own on Bluray, DVD, and/or have a digital copy.

Divider Four: Finances

This is another section that has been left terribly untouched. I bought the expense tracker from the Filofax website and labeled each one by month. This was my first mistake, as there is no way that I could fill an entire page with purchases in one month. So, I am hoping to get back into using this section within the next couple of months, I am thinking about adding an envelope to hold receipts that I still need to enter but… we will see what I can come up with. Feel free to leave any suggestions or tips about how you track your finances. :)

Divider 5: Etc.

This is the divider that catches everything that doesn’t really have a place right now. It also holds a bit of my extra paper for other sections. First thing behind this glovely divider (haha because it’s Mickey’s gloves? No? ...okay) is the many address sheets that came with my Filofax. Now… I don’t understand how these are supposed to be functional which is probably why I haven’t used them. I may be taking them out or giving them away or something because they haven’t done me much good.

After the address sheets are assorted colors of Filofax paper that came with the planner. I also took all of the paper out of the notepad that came with the planner and inserted them here as well. The jot pad in the back wasn’t used as much as the loose leaf paper has been. I also have more Disney paper that is lined, gridded, as well as blank, and these came from the same notebook that is used as my dashboard now.

In this section, I also carry all of the information pages that Filofax supplies you with when you get an agenda. I have actually used these randomly in school among other places and either way, I tend to be one of those people who would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  

The last thing in my Filo is a top loading envelope that came with the Metropol. Inside, I hold an assortment of stickers ranging from Disney to Lilly Pulitzer, as well as some calendar stickers from a previous agenda.

Inside the Back Cover

As we come to the end of Mickey, we are greeted with the back of the notebook. The notebook had an elastic band attached and it is useful when I put things in the planner without actually punching them in. Rarely, if ever, does anything fall out of my agenda even though I throw it in my backpack, purse, and take it from class to class.

Lastly is the mesh pocket on the back of the agenda. This originally held a jot pad however, I rarely used it other than to tear papers off of it and the edges of the notepad began to curl due to its location. Now, this holds the things that I need to refer to often or perhaps need to be filed away somewhere other than my planner.

Currently, there is further information about my classes which I have had to pull out enough times to not want to punch it into the planner, a list of general education classes for my school, a NASA sticker gifted to me by a friend, and a few of the weekly notes found in the Target Dollar Spot (one of my most loved places).

Well, that is the end of my planner tour. Now, I am among the many PlannerPeople with blog posts displaying their love of agendas and how they organize theirs. If requested, perhaps I can make a video going into more detail of my weekly spread as well as my bullet journaling. Feel free to leave question or comments down below and I will be sure to respond to them as best as possible! Also, keep an eye out for "Whats in our pencil cases" as well as our stationary essentials! Keep planning PlannerPeople!

P.S: How do you organize your agenda?

Kaylee's Bullet Journaling Adventure

  Hi Plannerpeople! Today isn't going to be a tips and tricks type of post but rather, more of a personal  ramble about my most recent change in my planner. I would love to hear your feedback, comments, and suggestions on this post and also, I would love to read your posts on the subject. :) 

   So, most intense Plannerpeople or anybody else who is always hunting for new organization methods, have probably heard of bullet journaling. A man named Ryder Carroll posted a video on youtube with his idea of a system that he could use to track everything (meals, exercise, events, etc.) in one place without it becoming terrible chaos. I'll link his video at the bottom of this post, as he explains the method beautifully but to sum it up quickly for this post's sake, he created a system of different bullets and symbols as a key to separate notes from events from appointments on his daily planner. 

  After a few hours (or perhaps a little more) of watching Youtube videos and searching through the endless pictures and posts on Pinterest, I decided that I

could apply the technique into my daily planning in my Filofax. So I sat down and made my own bullet journaling key! Most of the key terms I used were adapted from other systems but this is what I came up with. :) 

  Some of these I have used since the beginning of my planning life, such as checkboxes for tasks and an asterisk to mark important notes, but now having a symbol to mark a quote or idea has me writing them down more often and the migrate arrow gives me something to write in on the tasks that I haven't completed. (Am I the only one who hates an unchecked box left in my day?) 

This week's theme is classic Mickey Mouse :)

 I just created the key last week so it is very new to me, however this is what my week so far looks like applying the bullet journaling method and my already set color code! I love it, it has caused me to write down more notes throughout the day and I've started to keep track of my finances a little better. Due dates and expirations have popped out more and paired with my color code, it has been easier to read and sort through my day. 

 I know that my planner as of now looks very dull for somebody who brags about her extensive color code and her collection of pens however, as you will see in an upcoming "What's in my Planner" post and perhaps a video? (!), my color code is used much more when I am in school. Currently, I only have work, blogging, and social events so much of my to-do's and such fall under black which is like "other/personal".  My planner has been more of a journal these past few days however, I kind of like it and hope to continue writing down cool things and inspirations even as my schedule becomes more busy and hectic. 

Well there is my short post on my bullet journaling adventure. If you guys would like, I would love to post an updated post (and maybe a video?) after a few months of use to let you know what I think of the system as my planning needs change come school time. Until then, keep planning PlannerPeople and remember, organization can lead to a less stressed you! :) 

Links to Bullet Journaling Videos that Inspired Me

Original Video - Ryder Carroll: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRf43JTqY4 
www.bulletjournal.com

Bullet Journal Setup - My Planner: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHdMg_nV6IQ

How I Set Up my Bullet Journal - Haley Cairo: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS58hEKNZtc

Just a Hint (or a Splatter) of Color

Finding a planner is the first step to creating your perfect planning system. However, this discovery of your “perfect planner”  is not the end. Now, you must create a method of planning that is both effective and easy for you to use. A planner is no help if you do not use it.  Every person is different and has a unique approach on organizing their planner but one thing that many use is color coding.  

Some may avoid color coding because it is “too much” and others (such as myself) have every color of the rainbow in pen form. Whether you are highlighter crazy or feel better when everything is in black, here are a few different methods and styles of color coding.

Styles of Color Coding:

Color by Class

   This is a very popular method of color coding for any type of student, but can be also applied to different work commitments or different types of anything going on in your life. The jist of it is that you pick a color for every class and use that color to write down any events, assignments, tests, quizzes, and everything else that pertains to that color.

This method is a good visual when just glancing at your planner and applying some time management skills. Now you know that you need to set a lot of time aside to do math or perhaps only need a half hour for an English reading. It may require many different colors but it is a method that many swear by.

Another version of this method if you are not a student or perhaps don’t need more than one color for school, is to color code each area of your life. For example, one color for everything that is personal, another for everything related to school, and/or another for work,etc.  

Color by Person

Perhaps you aren’t a student, maybe you are the planner person of a busy family and you need to keep everybodys’ work schedules, dance lessons, and soccer practices straight. Having a different color for every single type of event isn’t very plausible but having a color for each family member is a bit more manageable.

This is a great option if you are using a non-planner planning method, such as a white board, or if children are using this planning method as well. Every family member gets their own color and can reference said color when making plans.

Color by Priority

Color coding by priority can be good for people who don’t want a different color for every class or person but they need to know what to work on first. This method requires maybe three colors and can be applied very easily whether using pens or highlighters.  

For this method, we would three different colors. Red for urgent, blue for important (needs to be done soon), and black for non-urgent tasks that need to be done but are not of high priority. If you rather everything be written in one color, you can pick different color highlighters and use the same concept.

There are probably other methods of color coding as well, and we encourage you to leave your suggestions in the comments for other readers! So, now that we’ve covered different styles, all that is left is the few methods of color coding that we have compiled just for our lovely audience. We’ve tried to cover the masses, from people who don’t like a lot of color or too many pens all the way to the people who love when their planner looks like a rainbow threw up on it.

Methods of Color Coding

Writing Each Task in Different Colors

Obviously for color coding, multiple colors are necessary. The first method of color coding being one of the more obvious, is writing or highlighting each task in the color that pertains to said class/area of life.

Many people (such as myself) use this method and swear by it, The colorful to-do list is much less daunting to look at compared to a plain black list in my opinion. There are a few downfalls of this method however:

• You do need many colors and sometimes, there just aren’t enough for what you need (Especially with highlighters).
• One must find a way to carry all the highlighters or pens needed on a daily basis. Along with white-out or an eraser or whatever else you may need.

Using Post-It Notes

This method can be great for people who may not have a traditional planning method or perhaps just have too many post-it notes (if that’s even possible). This method is basically assigning each colored post-it notes for each category of your life and writing everything within that category on the assigned post-it.

This method can get a bit pricey and bulky but is one of the only methods that can be moved to basically anywhere. This can be great if you want to remember to grab a book, you can simply move the note from your planner to your bathroom mirror or your front door!  

Using Stickers or Mark-It Dots

For those who want to color code but do not want five million pens floating around in their bag, this method requires only ONE writing utensil and just a few extra sheets within your planner! Colored stickers or Mark-It Dots are nearly limitless in colors and take up much less space than other methods.

Mark-It dots come in many different sizes, even as small as ⅛ inch and in many different colors. You can simply use these to mark your different categories and write all of your tasks in your preferred color. Now, where to find such an amazing thing? I believe many office supplies stores carry them, or perhaps your local Target, Walmart, or simular type of store.  If you cannot find them in your location, there is always the lovely option of Amazon or other online sellers. However, with this method, you can basically use any stickers so long as they come in enough colors to fit to your needs.

I bet you never thought that you would read such a long post on color coding huh? This is probably only scratching the surface and we would love to hear about how you color code your planning system! Your methods, no matter how crazy or unorthodox they may be,  could be just as perfect for somebody else and they don’t know it yet. We always love to hear about other’s ideas when it comes to planning and organizing of all kinds or requests for future posts. So until next time, keep planning PlannerPeople!

P.S Remember that we are just giving suggestions. If you try something and it isn't working, fret not and try something new. Don't settle for a planner system. You deserve to be a less stressed version of yourself and a planner can do that for you. :)