A Planner Extravaganza | 11.29.24

A Planner Extravaganza | 11.29.24

Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. — Gloria Steinem

Amen, dear Gloria, AMEN!

I have used the same planner for over 10 years. It is a system that has served me well, I have added to it as I entertained new ideas… some worked, some not-so-much. But live and learn.

One thing that has worked for me this year was my second foray into keeping a Word Journal for my word. Now this is not some scrap-book-y, artistic venture… but rather a way to keep track of important moments, things I want to remember, and quotes that really hit home for me. I include a photo of myself each month. This journal quickly became too bulky to reside with the other planners. In addition, I wanted to spend time this year being thankful… so I added a journal just for that… I am not sure how I will incorporate that next year, but I am thinking about it.

But one can get to the point of having “too many journals” to be practical… I am verging on that point as I am out of “space” in my already modified leather Traveler’s cover.

So before next year begins and I continue on the same path, one that has lost the “excitement of possibilities” and feels very stale. So I decided I needed to shake things up a bit. I am not one who needs to reinvent the wheel… but I have tried to “change things up” before with no success. So I sat down and contemplated what might I change, learn, reimagine next year. I made a list of things I wished a planner to do/have and what I like about my current system.

Once I gathered that information, my choice became easy… at least until a slight hiccup happened, but more on that later.

My first thought was that I really like the slim profile of the standard size (4.33″ x 8.25″) but I wanted something that had both monthly calendar plus a weekly break down and if it could have pages so I can keep track of lists… books I want to read, things I want to knit, wardrobe replacement items, etc. To my delighted surprise, there is a “planner” that has all those things… the Hobonichi Weeks MEGA… so I ordered one! It arrived and I was shocked to see how small it is… and it is really small!! (3.75″ x 7.5″) I am going to have to practice MUCH smaller penmanship in the new year! But, size aside, this planner will be taking the place of almost all the inserts in my current Traveler’s system. (save the Thankful Journal… I still have LOTS of pages to fill in the current journal)

Now enters the hiccup… earlier this month Kay and Ann shared some information about a class with Felix Ford on journaling and the price was reasonable… so I signed up. In the past, I have tried and failed using the BuJo system but what if I can glean some new ideas. And what if some of those BuJo tips and tricks work well in my new calendar?! I am very eager to listen to Ms. Ford!

And finally… I am committed to continuing the journey I began last December with Margaret Renkl in reading/thinking/writing about my backyard. So yes… another book and I will use it in tandem with her essays in The Comfort of Crows (and yes, this will be my third time reading it… I think that is the measure of how much I love her writing! Also, if you have not read Comfort of Crows… it starts on the first day of Winter… you have time to get a copy and begin!)

And that is where I am as we wind down 2024 and get ready for 2025! My hope is that I will have a new appreciation for my planner… and maybe I will even learn a few new things to make my journaling even better!

See you all back here on Monday!

Links on everything I talked about:


Key to the planners in the Header Photo:

1 and 2, obviously Margaret Renkl’s books.
3. Traveler’s cover that holds my calendar, my Thankful Journal, and two almost full “list/plans journals”
4. My new Hobonichi Weeks MEGA planner
5. Time journal in a Galen Leather cover.

Pin It on Pinterest