Since 2014 I've been sharing my planners here! I've tried so many different brands of planners, from a Lilly Pulitzer agenda to the Emily Ley Simplified planner. Then last year I decided to switch to solely digital planning. Although I still 100% stand by that system, and will still be maintaining most of it, I did end up buying another planner this year.
There was a shift for me this spring, and as I started juggling a few new responsibilities and jobs I just felt like I needed to start writing things down again. The main way Blake and I communicate with each other's schedule is our Google calendar. So, I will most definitely still be updating our events and family schedule. But, things like my blog, Etsy shop, work, volunteering and personal to-dos need to be written down. I think this is really going to help me keep things straight!
Why I Went With Erin Condren
Erin Condren planning people always seemed to be a little bit extreme to me. All of those stickers! It just seemed time consuming, and more of an art project than a planner. Another blogger recommended the EC notebooks so highly, and as a office supply junkie I had to try one! To say I love those notebooks is an understatement. The paper quality alone is wonderful, and who doesn't love a custom cover??
I was ordering a 3rd notebook when I saw the new release of the 2018-2019 planners. Out of curiosity I browsed the new designs, and of course I was smitten! As I mentioned, I was really feeling the need to begin paper planning again and the great designs sealed the deal. I already knew they'd be of great quality, but I was truly blown away!
My Favorite Features
Year In Review
This is a great yearly overview, and with the clear dot stickers I can easily mark important dates! Fun fact: I keep a list of our friend's and family's anniversaries and try to send them a card each year. I decided to use this page to mark off those dates, so I can quickly glance and see how many cards I need to prepare each month!
Rear Pocket
There are so many uses for this double sided pocket in the back! Right now I'm using it to store my sticker sheets. I can see it being so useful for keeping coupons or mail or really anything. My planner kit also came with a clear zip pouch that is flush with the planner. It's also really convenient to store slips of paper there.
Horizontal Layout
Most of the EC planners that I had seen were the vertical design, and those are the ones that are usually heavy on the stickers! The horizontal layout seemed right up my alley. It's got plenty of lined space to write out your daily schedule. What I most appreciate are the squares on the end of the day's box. It's the perfect place to write your to-do list or a special event. I went through and used that box to write out bills that will be due that day and annual events.
The Cover
Customizing my planner cover was so fun! There are dozens of choices, and then you can customize colors after that. I was stuck between a couple, but I ended up with the Swans design. The color options are amazing-and I of course had to choose cornflower blue.
Monthly Notes
On the last page of the month there is a fully lined page for notes. I decided the perfect use for this page would be a space to write down monthly highlights and gratitudes! I've already numbered each month so it will be easy to quickly jot down something I was grateful for each day.
Stickers
Alright, so I like the stickers! I really don't see the need to deck my whole planner out in stickers and washi tape-but a few stickers here and there are so cute! My planner came with 3 sheets of stickers, and I bought a few more sheets from Erin Condren as well. Their stickers are colorful and most of them have a really nice metallic accent. I have the travel sticker set, the budget sticker sheets and the transparent dots set.
The real find, however, are the customizable stickers! You choose the color and what they say. I did two of these sheets for the events that happen all the time. One color is for vet appointments, another as a reminder to turn in my time, basically the things that are happening monthly that I don't want to write over and over again. Love these! The price is so good too.
Additionally, I picked up a few sheets from Etsy! I adore these pug stickers, and I also really like these payday flags! I accidentally ordered too many of those pay day stickers, and I want to give them away to one of you! Plus a few other goodies. Make sure you enter in the Rafflecopter widget below!
If you don't have an Erin Condren account yet, you can sign up using my link and a $10 gift certificate will be sent to your email!
Don't forget to leave a comment below telling me your preferred planning method! Are you strictly digital, or do you like to write things down? Tell me what planner you are currently using and if you've tried the Erin Condren LifePlanner! Stickers or no stickers?
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