Week 1 of the planner

This year, I wanted to try something new: using a planner.  I did day-by-day planning in college, both in a book and in random notes (scattered physically and digitally all over the place).  I've also seen good results over the past year using Outlook Calendar at work.  Could a personal planner help me get things done outside of work?

I haven't mentioned it before, but I can get a bit fangirly about Paperblanks.  They publish journals and writing books in beautiful designs that look just like a hardcover classic (or even prettier!).  I have one of their Romantic Sensibility journals, which, once I finally let myself scribble it it, I use for poetry writing.  They are a little pricey, but the quality matches the price, and you feel like you've got something really special, something worth handwriting in.  (Not a sponsor...I haven't got any of their books for free.)

So, all this to say, I was very excited to get this for Christmas.

Writing down my plans for the next day (or few) has been nicely helpful so far.  It requires me to map out, in advance, how I'm going to fit in all the things I've committed to, and I've found I'm more likely to stick to it when it's on paper, "officially."  As you can see, the inability to "Edit" has been...a challenge.  But even that is a benefit - for example, I go back and overwrite the numbers to the hours I actually worked, and having to overwrite it makes me reflect on the results.

"Hiatus from Tunnel Vision" - readable version at noonlightsonata

And it's nice to have pages in the back, for the poems that pester me when I'm trying to work.  ;)