A Planner Makeover

I can’t believe January is almost over! But as I look back to the first few weeks of 2015 I realize I’ve done quite a bit already, like nail a handful of graphic design work and throw a little party. I’ve also started planning on new and exciting things for the first quarter of the year, which I cannot wait to announce, but well, I digress…

At the end of last year, I wasn’t really expecting to be working and planning on very many new things so I didn’t get myself a planner. I actually have not used a planner at all in the last two years since I left my job, so I thought maybe I wouldn’t really need one this year either. But then, after browsing through all my favorite blogs and seeing numerous posts of many beautiful journals and planners, I realize I do want one and may actually need one.

My father in law had an abundance of 2015 journals from work. I think he may have given almost everyone in the family a notebook. He gave me a planner. And I thought it was pretty cool because it’s a six-ring, brown leatherette binder. I decided I could do so much with it to make it “mine.” So instead of shelling out a thousand or so on a new one, I turned it into a little project.

It was a very simple blank planner so I had to add a number of things like a title page and monthly dividers. I even wrote the dates by hand on each page using a gold brushpen.

I made use of my scrapbooking supplies and mixed different patterns. I also cut out photos from calendars which I really liked and added them in so when I flip through each month, it looks entirely different.

Because it’s a ring binder, I can easily add or replace stuff as the months go by. So when there’s something I know I never want to forget, I can just write it down (as beautifully as I can), and stick it in! Just like this short but amazingly profound quote from the Pope’s visit to Manila a week ago. I knew it was something I had to record and be able to read over and over throughout the year.

Now about the cover. The binder had a bank logo on it and it was embossed, so my only option was to cover it. I found one of these small metal label holders attached to an old storage box. I took it out and attached it onto the binder. I then slipped in some printed paper to make it look less serious and a little more fun.

And that’s my 2015 planner. I hope to be more productive with it and be able to make things happen. I hope to be able to plan things properly but still be flexible and ready for change. I hope to do different things and have new ones challenge me. I hope to learn much and be able record them so I never forget. So please excuse me while I check my binder for today’s agenda…