Tis the season of planners. My Pinterest and Instagram feeds are full of my friends’ gorgeous new planners and supplies. And yes…I sort of feel left out of it all.
Because frankly, I hate planners.
1. If they are print, they are too confining.
2. If they are digital, they are too confusing.
3. They usually have pages I don’t need.
4. They usually don’t have the pages (or enough of them) that I do need.
5. I never remember to use them.
Every time I see a new planner come out on the market, I groan. I have a collection of planners started, discarded, and later handed over to my kids as glorified scratch paper. I can’t imagine a planner that ACTUALLY meets ALL my needs without a lot of excess or gaps.
Sure, they are pretty. Sure, I know lots of people who use them successfully. And I certainly *wish* I could make one work for me, but alas, I doubt the system I have in place could ever be replaced by a single planner – no matter how perfect it may seem.
(Although, my friend Lisa insists I would love a Traveler’s Notebook instead of a traditional planner, and I think she might be right, but I would need her to put together a tutorial and hold my hand through the process – *hint hint* Lisa! )
OK, so lest you think I’m hopelessly disorganized, or I’ve written this post just to rant without offering any answers to my disdain of planners, here’s what I DO use to stay organized.
- Google Calendar (Desktop & App) – After I took the Simplified Organization ecourse, I jumped into using Google Calendar and haven’t looked back. I already used Gmail, so it was a natural fit. Everything is color-coded, and I can add in links and notifications to keep me on track. The only thing I don’t like is that my husband uses Outlook, so we are not able to share calendars; however, my older two children do use Gmail, so I share calendars with them. (As part of the Simplified Organization ecourse, Mystie gives a great tutorial on how to pull together a Google Calendar that works FOR you.)
- Cozi.com (Desktop & App) – This is what I use for my shopping lists. It syncs across devices, updates in real time, and my husband will actually use it! I do not use it for anything but the shopping lists. (The calendar on Cozi does not fully sync with Google Calendar, and I’m just not willing to give up my Google Calendar.) I have a list for every store I use, and items can be added from any device and reordered as needed (my husband really likes this feature because I can’t seem to put items on the list in any proper order *snicker*).
- Evernote (Desktop & App) – This is what I use to menu plan and keep track of things I find online in a better order than Pinterest can offer. My menu plan includes links to any online recipes I’m using, and I can access the app from anywhere. Once upon a time, I used Evernote to do my homeschool planning, but I didn’t stick with it.
- Editorial Calendar WordPress Plugin – For keeping track of what topics I’ll be blogging on, I use a plugin here on WordPress called Editorial Calendar. I’ve used it for years, and don’t know how to get along without it. It shows me a couple of weeks at a time, and all the topics I’m considering writing on. I can start drafts and put them on a certain day, I can see what is upcoming, and whether I need to finish a post or reschedule, and I can put notes to myself in the form of draft posts to remind me of upcoming information I might need.
- Good Old Fashioned Spiral Notebooks & Pens – If you watched my Tapestry of Grace planning video, you know that I prefer to make my weekly lesson plans on paper. I also have a homemaking notebook (not a Homemaking Binder like I used to have – it was just too much) and a Blogging Notebook (again, not the Blogging Binder I once used). These are simply pretty spiral notebooks where I jot down ideas and notes to myself – much like the Brain Dump I talk about in my post on Homeschool Parent-Teacher Conferences. Despite my assimilation into the Digital Age, I still like my pen and paper.
That said, I am test driving an online homeschool planner called Homeschool Planet. There is a FREE 30 day trial, so I’m going to work it hard and see if it delivers what I need. I’m willing to pay for something if it has the features I want and need, and so far, I am impressed. (If it works out, I may have to stop saying I hate ALL planners) But, we shall see…
Here’s an update on the planner I finally arrived upon as the perfect fit for me!
Ultimately, you have to do what works for you. If you find a planner that works, great. If you are like me, and the perfect planner doesn’t seem to exist, don’t despair. Get creative and figure out a system that DOES work for you. It might be a mish-mash of stuff like mine, or all paper, or all digital, or all on sticky notes (well…maybe not…). Whatever it is, don’t let it overwhelm you, and don’t let it get all complicated on you.
Jackie says
I started using homeschool planet at the end of last school year, love it!!!
Elise says
For homeschooling: I didn’t see you mention Scholaric which I used for a while. I found it simpler than Homeschool Planet, although I know a lot of people love HP. However, Scholaric fell by the wayside and I transitioned to OLLY (homeschool planner for Mac). Last year was great; this year, I keep stutter stepping with it.
For general life: I have been doing well with the Planner Pad spiral bound organizer. Although I sometimes wish the 8.5×11 size was smaller LOL, I think the personal size (6.75×8.5) would be more frustrating (I fear the lines being too small: 10 kids and a crazy life).
Cozi is my preferred e-calendar but I’m about to work through Mystie’s course so I may change my mind. Thank you for sharing what you’ve tried and giving reasons why things work or don’t work for you – very, very helpful!
Amy says
I used Scholaric for a long time, but I found myself letting it go for longer and longer periods of time. I am just not sure online homeschool planners are for me…we shall see.
Amanda says
I wish I lived close to you! I think we could be good friends. I like your real! I always feel you get me! Even though we have never met…hahahaha!
WiffytoJ says
Great post! Do you know if Cozi works offline on your phone? I have been using anydo but they don’t have a tutorial and it’s confusing but my phone is data over WiFi only and I need to be able to see my list when not connected. Christy Jordan just did a great video on the traveler’s notebooks and I am mulling that over as well. Thanks Amy!!
Christy
Amy says
It has to be able to initially pull the list and then yes, you can use it offline. So, you could let it sync at home, and then head to the store.
WiffytoJ says
Thank you so much!! I will give that a try. 🙂
Melissa says
Check out th idea of bullet journaling!! Seriously helped me get organized, and it is free form. I am even teaching my teenagers how to set it up to help them see what they need to do for homeschool.
Amy says
I watched a short video on it, and got all confused…I need to find a better tutorial!
Lacey S says
I think that I have a love-relationship with planners! I think they are so cute and see so much potential in a new planner. I buy one with all kinds of dreams of becoming organized… and then it doesn’t happen. The last very amazing planner I bought ended up stressing me out because it just sat there all empty, needing to be filled in. My planner was stressing me out as yet another thing on my “to do list”. I have even started to despise the teacher’s guide/planner in our curriculum! I think I’m a bit more of a free spirit than I ever realized! ha ha So the other day I bought a new planner. But my new idea for it is to use it to write whatever WE decided to do for school each day…. after we do it. Now instead of planning ahead, its more of a record keeper. We’ll see if that works! Best of luck with your test drive of the newest planner! 🙂
sajmom says
I am similar to Lacey S, I think they’re cute and I want to buy them all because they inspire dreams of being neat and organized. My problem is that I forget to use it and then feel guilty. But my sister ordered an Erin Condren and was sent the wrong one, so she gave me the wrong one when they sent her the correct one, and now I have this pretty thing to use for free! So I feel I must use it. I’ve been sort of doing a cross between using it how I’m supposed to and what Lacey mentioned. If I didn’t get to it I just rewrite in another spot and I add in the things I did get to! I figure at the end of the year it is a record of what we did anyway. And then I feel less guilty because it doesn’t have all that empty space! And it does kind of help to jog my memory about the things I should be doing in the upcoming week, so even if I don’t do all the stuff I list, I feel that I probably get more done than I would have otherwise. But I think I need to use that brain dump idea, because it’s too much pressure to add all the things I should get done but know I won’t. I’m afraid to write them down, but maybe if I add a notebook to the planner or just add a brain dump page, that would help me get the ideas out and after the fact I could write in the more permanent planner the things I actually got done!
Amy says
I used to keep a notebook for this very purpose. It was great when I only had littles. I tried to keep one again recently, but it was a mess with all the kids and different ages. I’d probably have to leave the older kids out of it to make that work again.
JC says
I agree on the planners. They are a nice idea but I never end up using them. I made my own weekly (for M-F only) planner sheet with a spot for ongoing projects. I’ve been printing it out every two weeks (one week on each side) and writing in each days needs. That’s been working great. I was just given a monthly calendar the perfect size (not too bulky or big but not too small to have room for daily chores) with a nice cover to keep it from getting all dirty (like my paper does). I’m trying that out now. I just need simple. I have a weekly meal planner sheet that I laminated so we can reuse it weekly and magnets glued to the back so we can keep it on the frig. It has a place for daily prep as well so you don’t forget when to thaw the meat.
I know you didn’t mention this but one thing I want to get out there is a way to organize finances. If you have not used YNAB (You Need A Budget) you should check it out. We started using it in Sept. and it has totally changed our lives. It was a one time program buy then but they’ve now changed it to an online program that you pay yearly or monthly. I probably would not have given it a look (I don’t yearly fee’s) if I had not already bought it last year but the new tools are worth the yearly fee. A very easy program to use and I can even have separate budgets for my kids as they get old enough to use it. For this month they even have a 10% discount on the fee so now is a good time to look at it if this is something you need.
Always love reading your posts!!
Amy says
Thanks for sharing!
Amy Morehead says
I just simply use a notebook and I take it one day at a time 🙂 I loved this post. Have a blessed day ~ Amy
Kara W says
I bet that your friend uses some sort of bullet journal system with her travler’s notebooks. I’ve been using that system for the past few months, and so far I live it. All of my lists, plans, thoughts, and memories are in one place! I haven’t been using it Ling enough to truly recommend it, though–I want to see how it will do for the rest of the school year at least. But you can find out all about it by googling (is that a word?) Bullet journal.
Michelle says
I also use a mish-mash of stuff too. I’ve been using Google Keep a lot for checklists. I put my to do/ priority list for the day, my grocery list that I share with my husband. We also use it to list off any questions we think of to ask at our next doctor’s appointment. Then I archive or delete the list when I’m done with it.
Then I use Trello for my long term tasks and lists. If I think of something I need to do that doesn’t need to be done today, I put it there. I leave those out of Google Keep because I’d be too overwhelmed by everything I want to do.
I used to use Plan To Eat a lot for my meal planning and grocery list but when I got pregnant, I never knew what I wanted to eat since my food aversions kept changing. I haven’t used it much since but it’s still a great tool.
Carrie says
Finally! I’ve found another homeschooling mother who hates planners too! What a relief – I was beginning to think something was seriously wrong with me :). I tried Homeschool Planet but it didn’t work for me. I am clearly meant to be forever old-fashioned and write things down on paper.
Amy says
I think I’m coming to the same conclusion with HP. HOWEVER, I have something else up my sleeve…courtesy of my friend, Lisa. 😉 We shall see. lol