How I Use My Erin Condren Life Planner

Hey folks! We're changing things up a bit today so if you're not interested in planners then skip this post because that's what it's all about!

Last month I took the plunge and bought an Erin Condren Life Planner. I say "plunge" because these things are not cheap. They run from $50 to $75 American so I paid a little over $100 for mine with shipping, duty and a few other purchases included. Scott was not too impressed when the charge showed up on our Visa but I can honestly say it was worth every penny. I've been using it for 3 weeks now and I love it! These planners are more than just a planner. People use them as more of a scrapbook I guess you could call it. I have been watching a lot of "Plan with Me" vlogs on YouTube (I work a lot of nights, ok?) and some people go crazy with stickers (see picture below). You can buy monthly and weekly sticker packages that are themed depending on the  month or time of year. Some peoples planners end up not even looking like an actual planner. For me however, the point of it is to keep me from screwing up my work schedule and keep all aspects of my life in order.

*These are not my pictures. I took these last three images off Google so you could see how some people use them. They are so crafty!*

Since I have now had a couple of weeks to use my planner and figure out what arrangement works best for me, I thought I would take you through my planning process. I usually do this on the weekend while I'm at work because when I am home I usually have way too much to do.

Here is what the weekly layout looks like before I add anything to it:

I make little notes to myself and stick them to the page when there are things I don't want to forget, such as a blog topics or ideas.

The first thing I do is look at the monthly layout, which is where I put all of my plans for the month. This seems the most logical way for me to do things because I like to have the months work schedule laid out in front of me so that I can then plan the rest of my life around that. I also like to keep the weekly views as neat as possible so when shifts get switched or plans changed, the mess is on the monthly view and not the weekly spread.

Next I start adding stickers.

I like to separate this planner into three main areas and then have them color coded. Blue is for work (both mine and Scotts), peach is for the gym and purple is for other personal things. So far this seems to work pretty well but I think I will change this up a bit in the future.

Then I write in the labels.

Now I start adding plans for the week in. I begin out by writing in things I know for sure are going to happen, such as my work schedule and appointments. Then I add in other things I need to remember to do such as blog posts and errands to run.

And voila! I am now ready for the week. As the week goes on, the spaces fill up with "To Do" lists and last minute appointments. I also like to keep track of my workouts in here.

For next month, I ordered a weekly sticker kit off of Etsy to try. It is fall-ish themed and I am really excited to give it a try. As I said above, I don't thing I want to stick with this format of planning exactly. I want to dress it up a little and make it prettier (I know, I'm a huge weirdo). When I get that kit and start to use it I will do another post like this one for anyone that's interested in these planners!

Hope you have a great week and see you next time!