What is your planner/notebook style?

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Lolwlias

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Ever since the beginning (2001 I think) I've been using a three-ring binder for my Christmas planning. It's a very large three-ring binder.
This year I discovered The Happy Planner (or was it last year?) & I've been wondering if I should switch to that format. For those of you that use The Happy Planner for Christmas, is it a year round planner or just basically a fall/winter format for planning? Do you have other planners for your day to day stuff? I don't spend as much time decorating my Happy Planner as I thought I would.
Since it's time to get thinking about my 2018 day to day planner I thought I would ask about your Christmas planner style.
This thread has been very quiet. As we enter the "fourth quarter" of the year this is really when Christmas comes to mind for some of us.
Have you added or deleted anything from your planner over the years? I may check out The Happy Planner today at Michaels. We have a new Hobby Lobby that opened Labor Day but I have not even had an opportunity to check it out yet. I had yesterday off from work but have been nursing a cold & spent most of yesterday in bed.
 
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luludou

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I use a 3-ring binder too. It's been the same for a number of years. will see if I make changes for 2018
 

HouseElf

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I have the 3 ring binder for home, but add the 'week' HGP heading into my daily planner and travel with the master list.
 

tanya

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Our binders here are A4 size but they only have 2 rings. We call them folders.

I used one for the last few years specifically for Christmas planning. I was happy with it but still felt that it was not quite right. Unfortunately I did not know why it was not perfect. I found it good but in reality was too big and cumbersome for me to take anywhere- which meant that I was constantly transferring from this to smaller more manageable pieces of paper.
I don't mind tying and printing from the computer but I really like to work on paper- I need to be able to add quick notes where I want, when I want and a totally digital planner was not what I wanted.

I kind of felt that my big folder- although pretty to look at was not really a working plan in progress. I felt that I was always copying either from or to it.

This year I decided to mix it up a bit. I put the big folder away and got a much smaller blank school book. I covered it in pretty Christmas paper. Im trying it this year. Its still more than big enough but is much smaller and easier to work with. I always use a big handbag- so fitting it in is no issue. So far Im liking it! Its probably not as pretty! But Its working well for me so far. Im not sure yet if Im totally happy but its a work in progress.

I have a separate day planner for through the year. Again its handbag size or it is for me with the large bags I favour. I will get another similar one for 2018. This is not a pretty, sticker filled, decorative item. Its filed with scribbles, changes, dates, appointments etc... are constantly added and updated.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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I think that I am a traditional paper and pen type of girl.
I use a day planner type of journal that has many blank pages in it, one for each person I buy for and pages for meal prep shopping lists etc. It has sleeves for me to add printed pages and such. It has quite large pages so that I have many places to write notes, dates etc.
I have a small note book that I keep in my handbag that I write what I am specifically looking for or what I have got. That way if I see something when I am out I can just check this notebook.
I tried the big folder Christmas notebook a few years back but always go back to my tried and trusted version. It works for me.
 

Cindylouwho

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I'm a complete digital planner girl but the teen girls and I got the Happy Planner and Arc Punch last Christmas and it has really become a helpful addition. I don't decorate it too much but I do try to use bright colors. I started out with the Happy Planner but really now the I think about it, there is nothing Happy Planner left in what I do. After tinkering over the past year I decided that while I loved the Happy Planner I wanted my own custom layout -- so i made one in Word and now print all my own inserts. And I also liked the Junior Size covers better as they are easier to carry and the hardcovers turn more easily. BUT the Arc junior paper is too small. So I use nearly Happy Planner dimensioned paper in a Junior Size Arc cover (which just barely fits) -- and that is working pretty well for me.

I use a monthly calendar on my iPhone for serious appointments. The planner has taken the place of my sticky notes for what I need to get done each day. I was finding that time just disappeared so I use that book to see where all my time goes. It's been really helpful in seeing it all laid out at the end of the week. Helps me in better managing my time for the following week. I'm getting more efficient.

What I really liked about the Happy Planner was the colorful and artistic suggestion it inspired. It got me launched and was completely worth it to me for that -- even if I ended up creating my own. :)
 

Holiday_Mom

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When I first started a Christmas notebook, I used a 5.5" x 8.5" zippered Day-Timer binder. I like this because it was small enough to fit into my "Christmas Bag" at the time and I liked knowing that the chances of loosing something from the binder was less with the zipper. I think I got it on clearance at the end of the year. It looked like this:

I copied and pasted the plan I was using into Word. The paper was landscape size with two columns. One week was pasted in one column and the next week was pasted in the second column. The font is small and sometimes I had to remove extra wording to make it all fit. I printed it off and then folded the paper in half so that the crease was on the right side and the open part was on the left side where I could use a hole puncher.

I used dividers between weeks 2 and 3, 5 and 6, etc. to make it easier for flipping through. The dividers are similar to this:



I was able to buy small folders to store notes, receipts, envelopes from recently received Christmas cards that had new addresses on it, recipes, etc. They look like this:



I now use a combination of the zippered binder with Google Sheets. Sheets is similar to Excel. I do some of my greatest brainstorming with pencil and paper and I like to hold the binder and turn the pages. However, I do not like recreating the same lists over and over and over each year. That's where Google Sheets has come in handy for me. I make a list and transfer it to Sheets. Then the next year, I set up a new Christmas Notebook folder. For instance, I set up a folder for 2017. I copied and pasted the 2016 lists into the new folder. I look through the binder for what I need to do for the week. Then I make a list and transfer it to Sheets. If some of it is the same as last year, then I keep it. If there is something different, then I add it and delete what isn't necessary for this year's list.

I think part of using Sheets is my interest in data analysis. I'm able to look back and see how things changed/didn't change and why. I also like it for when I am out and unexpectedly see something. Because most of the information is also on Sheets, I can access Sheets from my phone app. If I see something I think my daughter would like, then I double check her size right from the phone. If I walk down an aisle at Home Depot and remember that I had new blinds on my Spruce Up list, then I can find the blind dimensions on the Spruce Up list.
 

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AuntJamelle

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I have nothing but admiration of those of you that take the time to create physical, handheld notebooks, binders, what have you!

I love the feel of it, love the idea of decorating it, etc. but all of that has lost out to time constraints in my life - my last attempt at a physical binder was many, many years ago!

I am completely digital and over the last year I have transitioned from Word and Excel files on a thumb drive to Google Docs and Sheets.

I have everything in the cloud and can access from where I need to, including my smart phone. It is so nice to be in the middle of the store and just call up a list as needed!

Each year I start a fresh crop of documents - saved with the same name plus the current year on the end. Old files get saved into their own folder named by year. I can look back 13 years now at what I did, what I baked, what I spent, what I gifted to whom, etc.

I have Google Sheets files for budget, Christmas card list with addresses, make ahead meal planning, master crafting list and a master holiday grocery list.

I use Google Docs for master gift list, baking planning, decor planning, Christmas dinner party details, HGP tasks and one that sums up menu plans for all major events from Halloween through New Years.

This year I started 2 new documents - one for Advent calendar filler planning and one for Pajama Elves box planning.

My docs and sheets are constantly changing and being updated. I note when something gets into the freezer, or when I've purchased something - whether it be a gift or a non-perishable grocery item, or when I've wrapped something and so on. I use a lot of color coding or text font changes to help me keep track at a glance. Works well for me! :)
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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WOW, Holiday_Mom, that is pretty clever. I too admire anyone that can create their own binders etc especially all the computer stuff. I am not very tech savvy to say the least.
I have been getting my planners for the past few years from the same store. When I went to pick it up this year they have changed the format and I am not overly fond of the new style. I have found a new planner that is a bit more like this years one but still not quite right. It will be fine but I would rather have what I am used to.
 

DebbiGall

Santa's Elves
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Ever since the beginning (2001 I think) I've been using a three-ring binder for my Christmas planning. It's a very large three-ring binder.
This year I discovered The Happy Planner (or was it last year?) & I've been wondering if I should switch to that format. For those of you that use The Happy Planner for Christmas, is it a year round planner or just basically a fall/winter format for planning? Do you have other planners for your day to day stuff? I don't spend as much time decorating my Happy Planner as I thought I would.
Since it's time to get thinking about my 2018 day to day planner I thought I would ask about your Christmas planner style.
This thread has been very quiet. As we enter the "fourth quarter" of the year this is really when Christmas comes to mind for some of us.
Have you added or deleted anything from your planner over the years? I may check out The Happy Planner today at Michaels. We have a new Hobby Lobby that opened Labor Day but I have not even had an opportunity to check it out yet. I had yesterday off from work but have been nursing a cold & spent most of yesterday in bed.


The new trendsetter Happy Planner coming out on October 16 will make an awesome Christmas/holiday plan
look at minute 36;26 to see the trendsetter
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Debbi, That is one pretty planner. I very much doubt that we would get something like that here.:(
 

DebbiGall

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It will go on sale at the MAMBI website on the 16th of October 29.99 and I think they ship everywhere
Will probably have to get to it early, I'll set my alarm very early. I think I'll do a setup video for it. I have an exyre deluxe planner cover just begging for a cool planner.
 

Holiday_Mom

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I have been getting my planners for the past few years from the same store. When I went to pick it up this year they have changed the format and I am not overly fond of the new style. I have found a new planner that is a bit more like this years one but still not quite right. It will be fine but I would rather have what I am used to.

Oh, I know exactly what you mean. I hate when a planner format changes!
 

sweetpumkinpye

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It is a rainy day here and it is reminiscent of a winters day. Would love to sit down with my planner and start setting it out. Certainly on my to do list.
 

jampss

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I love reading about everyone’s planners. Thanks for sharing.

I use a 3 ring binder and my digital iPhone. My past lists are in the binder and my current shopping list is on my phone. Well, then I do have some things in the cloud at MS OneDrive. Golly. I’m all over the place. LOL

I use the pages I print from Organized Christmas site.

For daily planning, DH and I share our iPhone calendar.
 

DebbiGall

Santa's Elves
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Got my trendsetter woo hoo I love it, can't wit till I can use it.
I took an old one from last year, {there all 18 months} and I made a franken planner I took out all of the weekly pages and set it up like the trendsetter, with My organized Christmas list in the middle.
I have my Halloween plans in October, my thanksgiving plans in November, and Christmas plans in December. with my new one I can add all of the other Holiday as well. I may have to make a video on it when I am done.