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!

Erin Condren Planner!

Hello Folks!

Its been almost a week since my last post but it turned out to be a crazy week! Lots of things going on around the farm, yard work to get caught up on and a few family events thrown into the mix. Today I thought I would touch on something that I haven't mentioned yet; my organization addiction!

Yes, I am a self-proclaimed organizing junkie. I try my best to keep the house in order and I am a major purger (I throw/give EVERYTHING away - I am not sentimental when it comes to "stuff"). However, my love of being organized really goes crazy when it comes to my planner and keeping track of my life. It started out of necessity. I have always had multiple things on the go at any given time and I am terribly forgetful. I need to have things wrote down in order to remember to do them. Most people, given todays technology, use their phone or other device to keep track of schedules. That does NOT work for me! Call me old school but I need to have it wrote down on a calendar in order to keep track of things. Now that I work in three different hospitals, help out with the farm, go to the gym and have other personal appointments to remember, my planner is quite literally my life.

Until now, I have always bought cheap planners from Walmart or Staples, and they worked fine. However, I am going back to school to do my masters in the fall so I thought I needed an upgrade (although after seeing the visa bill Scott thought otherwise!). I bought an Erin Condren Life Planner and I am in LOVE!

I should probably be embarrassed by the fact that I took a selfie with my new planner but I'm not! I thought I would take you through the unboxing of the life planner in case any of you are interested in getting one.

First of all, it was delivered right to my door (which is a big deal considering I live in the middle-of-nowhere ) within 8 days of ordering it. It comes from the United States so I expected it to be a lot longer coming - needless to say it was a very welcomed surprise! The box was very sturdy so even though it was beat up from the trip here, the contents were still in good condition when I got it!

*Sidenote: I apologize for the crappy pictures - it was dark out when I got the package and I couldn't wait until daylight to open it and take pictures!*

I was also really impressed with how it was packaged inside - nice tissue paper and thick bubble wrap!

"Enjoy!" - Oh I will!

When I first saw the planner I was so pumped! It was super pretty and felt like the great quality I was hoping for! The specific planner I got was the vertical 12 month LifePlanner with Watercolor Drops cover and gold coil in the neutral color palate. I also personalized it to have my name on the front.

The neutral color palate means that the "guts" of the planner are in mostly black, white and grey. I also chose the vertical layout because I think that it will work best for me.


The back side of the front and back covers have an area you can write on with a dry erase marker

The first page of the planner

Tabs on the side separating the months



2016/2017 at a glance



2018 at a glance

A space where you can list important events for each month



Each month starts with the full month view

Followed by the weekly layout (vertical)



At the end of each month there is a notes section followed by a quote page

At the back there is a sturdy folder to store things



Flip side of the folder

So there you have it! That is an overview of the Erin Condren LifePlanner. I will probably do some posts showing you how I use it on a monthly and weekly basis at some point. Also, I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of the accessories I got with it. If you want anymore details on the LifePlanner just leave a comment below.

Until next time - happy planning! 

A zippered pocket you can attach to your planner to keep things

Ruler that doubles as a bookmark

Clips that you can stick to things and attach to the coil of your planner

A dashboard you can attach to the coil of your planner. You can use dry erase markers on this

Stickers that I customized to label my calandar 

Just a few of my favorite things - #erincondrenlifeplanner, coffee and the CrossFit Games!