I have been a #plannerlover for a few years now and I have gone through many different brands and versions. I finally streamlined myself down to a main planner that really works for me where I have everything for my work and my family/home. Before I start, let me say that I use my Google calendar for appointments that need alerts and I block out time in hourly chunks when I really need to be reminded to do things from calling people to having time to work.
Last July, I decided to try the new Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly Planner (on sale now for $22.80, was $38). This was the first time they were offering this version with monthly tabs in the planner like her original LifePlanner. I know people say there is no such thing as planner peace but I have really found it with this planner. It's the only one that I have been consistently using past six months. I will do another post on all my planners (LV agenda, Hobonichi) another time but for now, this is my main go to planner.
I moved late last fall so now I finally have a larger desk in my office where I can lay this planner out flat and still have room for my keyboard and everything else (aka coffee cup and notepad). The best thing about this planner is that it's a planner but really mainly a notebook. I tried bullet journaling but I just don't have time to draw out dates and calendar things each month. I now need to manage two homes and this planner has been great as we were finishing up the last bits of remodeling for our house in Napa. I really wish I had it for the entire remodeling process! I did try the Erin Condren Life Planner for a couple of years but I never really liked using weekly pages. I needed to be free and write! I love the flexibility of having lined pages for each month tab where I can make quick lists and organize my life as I need to. There's been a month here and there where it's too hectic to plan out and I just end up using the lined pages as notes for phone conversations, ideas or quick to do lists. Nothing pretty or fancy but super functional. I also opted to add more lined pages in the back of the planner in the Notes tab section. I was worried there wouldn't be enough pages to write in but when I reorder this again this summer, I won't do that. It comes with 40 lined pages and you can add up to 80. You can also customize it with a personalized cover and there are tons of designs to choose from. You can also choose from 2 different sizes: Her standard 7" X 9" (which is what I got) or the larger 8.5" X 11".
You can read more details about the Deluxe Monthly Planner on the EC site. I just love the functionality so much and the flexibility of all the lined pages. I am hoping that in the future they offer a dot grid page option. I never thought I would find such a functional paper planner but I have now!
Here is a preview of some of my planner pages and how I use them (I have blurred out some of my personal content):
This year at a view is the page I use the most to reference days my daughter has off from school, important dates and vacations. I use the Erin Condren Colorful Circles Sticker Pack ($7) that feature colorful, translucent stickers. They work so well! (Pro tip: use tweezers to get stickers on numbers perfectly. It's much easier!)
I love the inspirational quotes for each month.
I use the monthly view differently each month. Back in the summer I first used it as a meal planner. This month, I'm trying it out as an editorial calendar. So far, I've plotted out the book posts I'll be doing for Coquette Maman and hope to plot out the posts for Coquette here too. I also use it as a budget tracker for expenses in Napa. The stickers I used are from Planner Kate EC Mix Appt Label Sticker for Planner ($5.50). I like that they are colorful and I can easily peel them off and move them around to different dates if I need to.
Here's a sample layout of what I do inside the monthly lined pages. There are 4 pages for each month + 1 page before the monthly tab. I don't really know what to do with the lined page before the monthly tab because usually when I'm in the month, I flip back the tab for the month and continue on from there. Some months I just use it as an overflow notes page for my current month. I like to use the Erin Condren Planner Sticker Sheets ($3 each) for headers at the top. I know they are usually used for her vertical planners but these just dress up the pages for me. I also use her Dual Tip Markers to write the headers for each page. My favorite marker of hers is the Teal color. I need to get one of her ocean packs featuring 6 varying blue colors because I use them so much!
This $22.80 sale price for the Deluxe Monthly Planner is such a good deal, you can't pass it up! Or if you need more weekly type pages (vertical, horizontal or hourly format) you can try the LifePLanner, which are now on sale for $33 (was $55).
Get $10 Off!
If you are new to planning and looking to try out the Erin Condren monthly planner or any one of her amazing planners, notebooks and accessories, use my referral link on the Erin Condren site. Go to "my account" in the top right navigation bar to create an account and get a $10 off coupon for your first order.
