Well, the newness of the year has had time to set in so let’s talk business. Maybe you didn't listen to me in my last blog and you went ahead and made resolutions anyway, how has that been going? For those of you who did take my advice, how is that going? Remember, just challenge ONE negative thought a day.  

If you're anything like me, I typically get re-energized at the end of the year/beginning of the new year to use the organizational tools I have spent a lot of $ on. The topic of this blog and the next few will be in regards to ways to improve your organization and increase productivity by implementing some time management skills. This entry will specifically focus on planners, you know, those things they used back in the olden days, made out of paper? The ADHD brain loves paper planners. (For those of you who haven't read my bio, I have ADHD)

So back to what I was saying about spending money on things that you don't use for too long, the newness wears off. This was always my problem up until a few years ago when I came across a planner that really worked for me throughout the year and kept me on track. I still continue to sing its praises but I have decided to try something new in 2020 based on many recommendations in the ADHD community. 

The first planner I want to discuss is the Inner Guide planner. I discovered this amazing planner 4 years ago after struggling to find a way to have an all-in-one planner for both work and my personal life. After many hours of hyper-focusing on finding the perfect planner, I finally came across the Inner Guide planner on Amazon. I prefer the "faux leather" versions as they work better for me and I find they hold up better. I have purchased the spiral-bound one and the wire part holds up nicely as well but the cover does get beat up. You can’t go wrong with either. 

So what made me fall in love with this planner? Well, it seems to have been designed by a therapist or at least someone who has a lot of experience in mental health. It starts off with ways to change your thinking, questions to help you discover your goals for the year, focus on your strengths, gain insight into things that may hold you back and the most recent version from 2019 has an awesome worksheet I used frequently in my therapy practice to help challenge negative thought distortions. 

Now on the organization part. It starts off with a "Year Goal Chart." At the top, it asks you to make "Top Personal Goals" as well as "Top Professional Goals." It then breaks it down even further into 9 categories: Friends & Family, Home, Relationships, Work & Education, Health & Fitness, Recreation & Fun, Finances, Inspiration & Creativity, and finally, Spirituality. 

At the beginning of each month, it includes an almost full-page calendar, a planning box at the bottom of the calendar, as well as breaking down those yearly goals in each category to your goals for the month. 

As you turn the page, you are greeted by the week spread, which takes up 2 full pages. The days are broken down into hourly chunks to allow you to put in appointments, etc. There is a spot for High and Medium Priorities for the week, a to-do list, an intention for the week, a quote to "stay on track", different face emojis for you to rate the quality of your thoughts of the week, a box to write what you are grateful for that week and a box for any other reflections or ideas and lastly a wheel broken down into 8 categories to check off to make sure you're being mindful and have balance. 

At the end of each month, you reflect back on how you did with accomplishing your goals as well as challenges you may have had. It has plenty of space to make sure you are reflecting on ways you stayed connected and plans for improvement for the next month. 

In the middle of the year, it has you reflect back on the goals that you made for the year to see how you are doing. It has space to re-write what you still need to accomplish, any new goals that may have come up, or changes to the ones you had already made. 

The planner includes instructions for everything, full calendars of each month, a place for "special dates and events" and many other goodies. At the end there are plenty of pages for notes, both lined pages as well as bullet pages and there is a pocket for odds and ends.

 I personally appreciate this planner because it keeps me organized, on track and constantly challenges me to think more positively. For my ADHD brain, or for those of you with a lot of things on your plate, it breaks it down into manageable chunks of time that are doable while still challenging you. 

This planner ranges from $30-$35 on Amazon. This planner can be delivered quickly to you via Amazon and if you have Prime, sometimes same or next day delivery are available.  If you check out the Inner Guide Amazon store, they have many other fun items to help keep you in check for the new year. They also have a 90-day "life coach" planner I hope to check out one day. 

Now, let’s talk about the Planner Pad. I came across this planner via a blog on ADDitudemag.com, many ADHD'rs on there rave about this planner. I'm also super nerdy and watched several hours’ worth of YouTube videos on how people use this lovely journal. I hope I am not the only one who does this; I have always had this weird obsession with office supplies and organizers. 

Since I use my planners religiously, I tend to spend more on my planners. I chose to purchase the red leather binder, the loose-leaf pages, a ruler, extra note pages, and the monthly dividers. The initial investment was pretty hefty but from here on out I will only have to purchase more loose-leaf pages and maybe some note pages in the next few years, saving considerable money in the long run.

I chose the red leather because it will last longer, although I was disappointed that the planners are rather boring looking and very "serious." I like fun patterns and colors but this will do. The binder zips up so I won’t lose anything, there are plenty of pockets and dividers to keep all the things I need in it. There is also a pocket for a pen.

The planner includes way too many pages for "Important Phone Numbers", seriously? This isn't the 90's, so that could probably go or be used for something else, like more note pages? Just a thought. There are several pages with calendars for the next few years to reference, a few pages for "planning" which allows you to write a word or 2 for some important events but definitely not much room to do anything substantial. There are a few other random things thrown in there that may be helpful to you as well. 

So now onto the nitty-gritty, each month starts with a 1-page calendar, in which I write bills that are due, events, and other important dates. There's also a place on each weeks' spread for "Expenses" as well as other "Notes/Calls" for the week.

As for each planning week, it is spread over 2 pages in what they call a "funnel down" method. At the top, it has 7 columns that you can use for different areas/categories of your life, which I broke down into the following categories: Personal, Home, Work, social media tasks I do for a local business, school, tasks for this website, and misc/animal stuff. I write each of these in a different color for when I transfer it to the next part of the week’s spread, "Daily Things-To-Do." So you can then break down all of your tasks by each day. The last part of the funnel is the "Appointments" section, which is broken down into each hour from 7 am to 8 pm. Personally, my day starts at 5 am but 7a will work for the most part. In this section, you can write down time-sensitive appointments/tasks or if you're really organized you can set up time blocks for each task you need to get done. I'm not that disciplined. Use it how you wish. 

Finally, at the end of the planner, they have several pages for long-term "Goals/Projects" that you may be working on and it breaks it down into each day of the week so you can help yourself make small steps daily into a bigger goal you may have. I always tell my clients to break down their big goals into small tiny steps otherwise it will feel overwhelming and out of reach. I liken it to trying to drive to "Timbuktu" without using a GPS or directions but still hoping you'll get there, it doesn’t work that way. Breaking up a goal into small, manageable steps is the GPS to successfully fulfilling your goals.

You can purchase the Planner Pad directly through their website plannerpads.com. You can choose loose-leaf or spiral bound. They come in 3 different sizes: personal, executive, and professional. There are dated and undated versions. They come in several colors for both the loose-leaf and spiral bound, as well as the "Seasons" one with various color schemes. They also offer desk and wall calendars as well as note pages and bags. 

So if you're looking to kick off 2020 on the right foot, I highly recommend one of these 2 organizers to help keep you on track and reach your goals in 2020. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss these planners more, you can contact me at Colleen@scatteredpotential.com, subscribe to my blog, or my newsletter by filling out the form below. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.