Tag: planning apps

Posted in Type A Tuesday

Bright To-Do review: Could this be my digital planner peace?

Posted on by Babz

Note: This is not a sponsored post; I don’t receive anything if you click the links in this post. That being said, this blog does not receive incentives specifically for positive reviews — please read our new “sponsored post” disclaimer page here.

The first month of 2020 has been a bit (more) chaotic (than usual), and I’m still on the lookout for the digital planer that will help me get my shit together. My used-to-be-perfect paper system hasn’t held up the same as it used to, particularly because my brain keeps spacing out on the things I should be doing (but really don’t want to). My paper planner simply didn’t have the space to hold every single thing that I tend to overlook when life gets crazy… Things like dishes, and laundry, and washing my face. These things might come easily to others, but they’ve never come easily to me, and the more stressful things with the girls get, the harder it is for me to stay on top of them.

It’s times like this that I’m reminded of the true benefits of planning digitally rather than with pen and paper. I can move things around, cancel, and add things relatively effortlessly, and when plans change at the last minute I’m not forced to look at the list of things I wanted to do but didn’t have time. But when you’re used to using quality paper, beautiful pens, and colorful washi & stickers, moving to a digital system feels boring. Thankfully, I found an app that offers enough benefits that I’m actually willing to overlook all of its shortcomings.

Ready to learn more? Read on to hear what I thought of Bright ToDo.

The Good:

There’s no pressure to upgrade to premium.

I’ve been using Bright Todo for about a week now, and I have yet to see a single prompt to upgrade to premium. This was refreshing since one of my big complaints with Artful Agenda was that you were asked for a credit card before you even got to see the site. Additionally, the only benefit that Premium offers is that it’s ad-free — all features are included in the free version and you can watch a video ad every 24 hours to remove the banner ad for an entire day. Your first day of ad-free is completely free, no ad-watching required. Score!

Premium is reasonably priced.

Once I fell in love with the app, I grudgingly looked for the premium upgrade area because I just knew I’d have to write about this one for the blog… and I was pleasantly surprised with the price! At the time of this post, an ad-free experience is only $2.49 for 6 months. That’s literally 1/7 of the price of Artful Agenda, which didn’t offer nearly as many features (and none for free).

The widget is completely actionable.

I mentioned in the Artful Agenda review that calendar widgets are a must for me. Bright Todo has the perfect widget for the way my brain works. I have mine setup so that my scheduled items (from Google Calendar) are on top, then my daily tasks and habits, then my weekly tasks and habits, then my monthly tasks and habits. I can also pick from two different color themes (light and dark) and edit the transparency to my heart’s content. All to-do items on the widget (tasks and habits) have a checkbox so you can cross them off without even opening the app, and it shows your color codes if assigned.

Color coding! In all views! For FREE!

Not everyone uses color codes, and that’s cool, but for those of us who do, it’s frustrating when a planning app charges you for color coding. (I’m looking glaring at you, Any.do.) It took me a little bit to find where the color-coding was hidden in Bright, and I kind of wish that the categories got a font color or something instead of a “dot sticker” with the specific color. However, because of the next good thing, I fully understand why Bright does it this way.

Missed tasks auto-migrate in an accountable way.

Not only does the app auto-migrating my undone to-dos already help keep me more accountable, but auto-migrated tasks are placed at the top of the day’s list in a contrasting color (optionally). The app also shows me how many days overdue the task is so that I know how far off track I am. I’ve found that this helps a lot. If the number starts to grow more than I’m comfortable with, I have to decide if it’s worth keeping on the list, or if deleting it would be a better option.

The Bad:

I can’t find a browser version.

There may be a browser version somewhere, but since the branding is made up of fairly common (and short!) words, searching has yielded no relevant results, and I can’t find any type of link in the app. To be clear, I have my phone way more than I have my computer, so the lack of browser version only really affects me if my phone is on charge.

Exact color matching is difficult.

I can’t easily match my category color codes to their equivalents in Google Calendar, but that’s because the color selection in Bright Todo is so much more customizeable. You can use hex key codes, ASCII color codes, or a swatch-picker with dozens of options. Since Google Calendar’s colors are painfully limited and sometimes a bit garish, I sort of wish that Bright would let me manage my calendar colors, too. Which brings me to…

Event creation and management isn’t handled directly.

While Bright Todo and the respective widget can sync and display items from your Google Calendar, you cannot use it as a calendar app. This is mildly frustrating, since part of streamlining my life is purging unnecessary apps, and having two apps that would be one planner seems silly. But, attempting to add or edit an event directly from Bright will bring up a dialog in your calendar app of choice. I’ve got it routed through Google Calendar, since clearly I love Google Calendar for event creation — I just don’t like it for task creation. This definitely isn’t a deal-breaker, though, since the commands for these non-native functions will open the appropriate app for you.

There is a learning curve.

I started playing with Bright Todo on a day I didn’t have anything else going on, and I’m so glad that I did. It took me probably a good two hours to really get a feel for the app and learn my way around. Once I did, though, it was second nature — schedule items and task items are distributed exactly how I would distribute them in a paper planner. Everything I want to repeat does, on exactly the schedule I want it to — daily, a defined number of days in between, weekly, a defined number of weeks in between, monthly, a defined number of months in between… You get the idea.

Minor complaint: Daily, weekly, and monthly tasks/habits only appear on the pages they were created on.

As a somewhat obsessive planner, I tend to flip between multiple views more often than I think the average person was, so having things split into different views is probably better for my own compartmentalization. That being said, it would be nice if there was an option to show your weekly and monthly stuff on the daily page, or vice versa. The widget does show everything on the same page, though, which involves a lot of scrolling to see it all. If you need everything to be on one view, do what I did and full-screen the widget. 😉

Minor complaint: it feels incredibly digital.

I tend to prefer digital calendars that at least slightly mimic paper planners, but the good ones are few and far between. There isn’t even a slight “paper feel” to this particular planner, which is mildly disappointing to me. There’s a good part of me that wants to destroy the benefits of the “automation” by copying everything down into my paper planner anyway… But a bigger part of me is already addicted to the simplicity.

Overall:

At this exact point in my life, I think Bright ToDo is exactly what I needed. This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to use Bright, but the first time I got frustrated with the lack of a tutorial (and I didn’t have the spoons to sit down and figure it out). This time, I’m glad I gave myself time to learn it, because it made all the difference in the world.

If you’re looking for a digital planner that mimics what you can do in a paper planner, and don’t necessarily care whether it looks “too digital” or not, Bright Todo has a wealth of brain-freeing features. I love the “set it and forget it”-ability of the habit function, and that I don’t have to go to a separate page when I want to switch between one-off tasks and repeating “habits.” While the framework offers a LOT of functions, there’s still room for customization (such as the only tangible difference between “tasks” and “habits” being that habits repeat, so I use them as repeating tasks instead).

Does it sound like Bright ToDo is the app you’ve been waiting for? Download it on the Google Play Store here. I’m not aware of an iOS app for Bright, but if you know the URL, please drop it in the comments.

Do you use Bright Todo for your digital task list? Do you have any tips and tricks for me that’ll help make it even better? Drop them in the comments (or tell me what you use instead)!

Posted in Crazy Life

Another hiatus, and a sneak peak of what’s to come

Posted on by Babz

Hey guys! Sorry about the unexpected hiatus… again. Things have been crazy hectic over here, and yet again, the blog fell to the back burner. Whoops. I could go into the nitty-gritty of what’s been going on, but instead, I wanted to let you know what’s coming.

  1. I received my beautiful Plum Paper Planner! That, of course, means that I’ll be popping out a review of Plum Paper Planners soon. This planner is absolutely stuffed, so there will be tons of content once I get around to doing it. Sadly, I’ve been stuck in the middle of the chaos lately, and haven’t even had a chance to move in all the way (and I got the planner an entire week ago!). I promise, once it’s done, you guys will be the first to know!
  2. I also got a new phone with a significantly better camera and battery than my old one had… which means that photos for reviews (and regular posts) will be way better than they have been in previous posts. In fact, I’ve been putting off taking pictures for the Bright To-Do review. I actually just realized that I haven’t even made that post live yet because it’s missing the pictures… Even though the post has been written for almost a month now. (Quickly adding those photos to my to-do list…)
  3. We’re going to be doing a (partial) rebrand! Since our home situation has changed so drastically since the start of this blog, it makes sense that the blog itself would change too. I’m not entirely sure what all the rebrand is going to entail, but one thing for sure is new categories for posts. I had the best of intentions when I set up the current post topics, but it’s become clear to me that I don’t have the connection with the current post topics that I thought I’d have. So, soon, there will be new ones (and the current ones will be tweaked to fit better).
  4. The entire family is going to be busy with court stuff, soon and for the foreseeable future. I don’t want to spill too much just yet, but I’d love your thoughts, prayers, good vibes, or whatever you believe in — I appreciate any gesture of good will, regardless of whether I believe the same thing that you do. If you mention it in the comments here, I will personally respond to each and every one. 🖤

I think that’s it for now! Let me know what you’ve got going on, and what great things you’ve got coming up soon. I’m excited to hear from you guys!

Posted in Type A Tuesday

Artful Agenda Review: Is it worth the subscription price?

Posted on by Babz

I’m still on the lookout for my perfect planner solution for 2020, and I’m sure some of you other planner perfectionists are, too. Since I’ve had such a hard time finding my planner peace, I decided to give digital planning a try. It’s never really worked for me in the past, but none of my past solutions has been working particularly well this year either, so it was worth giving it a shot.

The digital planning solution I found is called Artful Agenda, a subscription app-and-website combo that promises to combine everything you love about digital planning with the beauty of paper planning. I’m on a mission to simplify my life — could Artful Agenda be just the program to do that?

Well, the short version is no… but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a good solution for you. Read on to learn about what I loved (and didn’t love!) about Artful Agenda.

What I Loved:

Artful Agenda is beautiful.

This is the ONLY digital planner solution that I’ve found that is as aesthetically pleasing as a paper planner. Multiple layout views mimic what I would find in a paper planner, and you can even adjust your calendar colors so that they are more in line with your aesthetics. (Is it just me or does Google Calendar’s color picker leave a LOT of great colors out?) You even get a few tabs to flip from one view to another.

Motivational quotes.

I’ve used a lot of planners where I didn’t really love the layout, but I loved one of the “something extras” that they put into the layouts. Motivational quotes are a big one for me. Some of my favorite old planners had motivational quotes on either the monthly, the weekly, or the daily pages. Artful Agenda has them in all three spots! Sometimes these spots lag a little bit but that’s minor. Sadly, they don’t show up on the mobile app.

(Reasonably) customizable.

You can change some labels (specifically, “custom list”). This allows you to add one label of your own choosing, which will appear over a checklist section on the daily page. This list does not auto-migrate (I was hoping it would!) but the heading for this section does. I tried to use this as a journal section and it didn’t work out well because it auto-formats as a list… which made it a pain in the ass to then remove the “journal entry” (the text doesn’t automatically wrap around, and the delete button appears at the end of the line).

You can make lists.

List screenshot + styling menu

These lists can probably function as journal entries if you want to use them as such (although I haven’t checked to see if there’s a limit to how many “lists” you can have, and you can’t change the section title — they’re called lists no matter how you use them). I actually used the list view to create a list of pros and cons that would eventually turn into this blog post. 🙂 I love that I can change from my list page to my actual planner pages and, when I flip back, I’m still in the same list — I do have more than one but I have to manually click out of the one I’m in to pick a new one. I can also see how that might be inconvenient for someone who wants to use the lists pages as diary pages.

Cute “cover” options.

Most are floral and highly feminine, which isn’t really my jam, but if that’s something you’re into you’re going to love it. I do wish there were more options, especially more that weren’t so girly, but it’s nice that they offer the feature in the first place. An easy workaround would be to allow you to upload your own cover; I would love this feature even if the built-in cover options went away. When I was researching, I also learned that there are a few covers you can “unlock” with referrals, but as of this blog post, I haven’t verified this personally.

Six font choices total

“Handwriting” choices.

Again, there aren’t many choices, but just the fact that there ARE choices is nice. I would love if we could upload our own fonts, although I understand the programming on that would be a lot to ask for at this price point.

Syncs with the top 3 digital calendar services.

(For those not in the know, that would be Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook.) It also syncs automatically and saves everything (I think!) so that you can effortlessly move from your laptop to your phone or tablet, then back again. Unfortunately, that syncing means that you must be online constantly to use Artful Agenda — there is no offline mode.

Clean interface.

For those who are functional planners, the fact that the design is intuitive and well-labeled is nice. I’d like to be able to refine the layout a little more for my own choosing, but I do understand that at that point I might as well learn how to code and do my own. 🙃

There are stickers!

I actually (briefly) used Trello as a digital planner (which was incredibly inefficient for the way I plan) just because of the ability to use stickers. That being said… there aren’t many stickers available for Artful Agenda, and their use isn’t totally intuitive. I’m bummed that I can’t sticker my lists pages because realistically, that’s where I would use the most stickers. Also, some stickers are premium, which blows because of course the first one I wanted to actually use cost $1. Boo. Emojis, however, are free (on the mobile app and with the Google Chrome extension — not through the planner itself), and that’s something I can’t do in my paper planner.

There’s a two-week free trial.

They ask for your credit/debit card information when you sign up for the trial, but mine lagged out and got an error and it still let me start the trial anyway. I haven’t yet added my debit card back in or found a way to cancel the trial aside from picking a plan from the signup page.

What I Didn’t Love:

Not very customizable.

One of my favorite things about paper planners is that you can choose the page layout that works best for you (even if the planner company doesn’t offer multiple page types, you have the option of buying a different paper planner instead). With Artful Agenda, there’s one layout for each view, and just because you like it in the browser version doesn’t mean you’ll like the same view on the mobile version, I’ve found. I wish the layouts were at least consistent from one to the other, even if I don’t get to choose what the layout is. Hopefully the tablet version will improve this.

Font choices are not great.

Some of the fonts are practically unreadable unless you turn up the size so much that it’s no longer aesthetically pleasing (to me). I understand that this is a personal issue (both aesthetics and readability) and also acknowledge that I should be wearing my glasses when I’m on my computer. Still, it would be nice if there was a better workaround. Update: Can see the fonts better when I wear my glasses. Sigh.

SO MUCH LAG.

It doesn’t hit me as hard on the computer, but on my phone, the app can get practically unusable. Specific instance: When I was trying to do type my notes on mobile, the app lagged out and it ended up adding “listlists” when I typed “lists.” Honestly, if adding stuff on the go is going to piss me off, I’m probably not going to do it. Also, I’ve started to find that not all my changes to my lists are being saved when I switch pages on my laptop; I acknowledge that I switched pages a lot for the purpose of this review, but I’m nervous about what notes I may have lost entirely (and can’t remember already).

Discount price = $4/month or $35/year.

This is more expensive than I typically spend on paper planners (although to be fair I rarely use the whole thing for a full year, so if I paid for and stuck with this exclusively for an entire year it would be cheaper). Also, the paper planner I’m currently drooling over costs about twice this much, so I can’t really complain too much.

Mobile setup leaves a lot to be desired.

Three full screens just for one day? No thanks.

It’s not realistic for me to carry my computer around everywhere (not to mention I’m not the type of person who WOULD lug my computer with me everywhere). And, quite frankly, I’m just not impressed with the mobile app version of Artful Agenda. This is a personal issue, of course, but one worth noting.

If you’re the sort of person who really only uses their paper planner at home, and only infrequently needs to add things on the go, this is probably no issue for you. Likewise, if you’re the type of person who already carries your computer with you everywhere, this would be great because the browser version is gorgeous.

Default view can’t be changed.

Monthly view just isn’t realistic for the way that I plan.

Or at least I can’t find how to change it. For those of us who use the “monthly” view infrequently, we’re going to do a lot of clicking-out just to see the stuff you actually DO use. This is a minor complaint, since with paper and digital I tend to flip between views a lot anyway; I already can’t tell you which view I use the most between day, week, and lists. I just so happen to not use the default very frequently at all. I guess that’ll change if I start using this digital planner more, though.

The handwriting font isn’t consistent through all sections.

Aside from the fact that I really don’t need a whole page for just one hourly event…

The calendar section uses a standard, unchangeable font, which sort of clashes with the font I’ve chosen to mimic handwriting. This, also, is a personal issue; the font used for the calendar DOES match with the font used for labels, and I could just use that same default font for the “handwritten” areas… but if I’m going to mimic the look of a paper planner, I don’t want it to look so “digital.”

No widgets.

I use calendar widgets way more often than I use digital calendars, so any digital calendar that doesn’t offer one is hard for me to pull the trigger on, especially at this price point. I found myself putting the app next to a nearly-full-page schedule widget just so I can actually see what’s on it… and the app with the schedule widget is free and came pre-installed on my phone. If there was a way to have this beautifully-designed calendar widget-ed onto my screen, I would be all over it, but there isn’t one currently.

Overall:

I could see the benefit in being able to set Artful Agenda as your browser’s homepage if you love the look of paper planning but the feel of digital. Even though I don’t know how to change the default view, it really is only a click to get to your day, your week, or your lists — not really that big of a deal. I also know that many planners use their monthly view way more often than I do, so I’m probably not even in the majority here.

If you’re looking for a digital planner to take with you on your phone or tablet, I’d hold out. The current mobile version is incredibly disappointing when compared to the browser version, and it’s inefficient to use the browser version on a phone or tablet. (If you’ve got faster internet than I do, this may be different for you.) The Artful Agenda team has teased the release of a tablet-specific app, too, but as of today that version isn’t released. If it comes out before my trail expires, I’ll update this review.

As it stands right now, I can’t picture myself paying for Artful Agenda. It has a lot of promise for converting someone who plans 100%-paper to a digital planner, or for converting a 100%-digital person to more customized planning, but for me it just doesn’t replace enough of what I love about paper or digital. There are definitely some things that are done very well, but the things I like most about it are done equally well by just a few (free) apps. If you’re trying to downsize your app collection anyway, and don’t mind learning an all-new system that isn’t particularly adaptable, Artful Agenda might be a good solution for you.

Still want to give it a try? Head on over to the Artful Agenda website. Don’t forget to use my referral code RB55004!

Posted in Type A Tuesday

How to Redefine Your Planning System in 2020

Posted on by Babz

Anyone who has met me in real life (and many people who have only met me in the virtual world) knows that I’m a planner person. At any given time, I probably have at least one planner in my bag, and that’s not counting journals and apps. Without a solid system in place, I melt into a puddle of anxiety and literally can’t accomplish anything.

I’ve heard so many people tell me, “Planners just don’t work for me. I already know everything I need to do — why do I need to write it down, too?” And, while I can appreciate that some people really don’t need to write down their daily agenda, the fact is that most people do have it written down… Just maybe not the same way that I do. (And that’s OK!)

The truth is… There are many different ways to plan, and if yours is working for you, that’s wonderful. But, if it’s not, I’ve got a few tips for how you can redefine your system and get it working for you instead of against you.

What do you rely on most?

Although we planner nerds have a habit of making “fresh starts” whenever the mood strikes us, the best “fresh start” will utilize some of the same tools we’ve used before, perhaps refined to be even more helpful.

Think of your 2019 system, and what works for you. Chances are there is something about your current system that calls to you… That’s why you started using it in the first place! Step one of redefining your system is figuring out which parts of your current system are non-negotiable.

For me, that means weekly spreads. While I use monthly and daily pages, too, I can do without them if I’ve got a good weekly page. I used to insist on vertical weekly pages, but recently I discovered the Day Designer layout. This particular layout incorporates two sections per day: One for your schedule and one for your to-do list. This is perfect for me because, while my schedule may be set weeks (or months) ahead of time, my day-to-day tasks often aren’t planned until the night before.

What did you think you needed, but never actually used?

So many planners these days try to cram in as many features as they possibly can. To the novice planner, this seems amazing — with so many groundbreaking goal-setting activities, how can you not be successful using it?

The reality isn’t so cut-and-dry, though. Planners that are overloaded with features tend to sit unused on a shelf because they’re overwhelming. Too many to-dos on the page doesn’t magically create a life of balance. It just ends up feeling like more work, and when some of those features aren’t even being used, it can cause even more anxiety. (The truest planner nerds among us tend to dwell on unfinished tasks, and a page full of them before you’ve even written your schedule in can be intimidating.)

For me, the feature I often gravitate toward (but rarely actually use) is the habit tracker. When I first got back into planning, I obsessively made long, detailed, gorgeous habit trackers. However, about halfway through the month, I’d get overwhelmed by how many boxes I’d missed, and I’d end up scrapping the whole thing. (Counterproductive, I know.) The simple, yet elusive solution? Stop trying to do habit trackers. They work well for some people, but I am not one of those people. So, my planner for 2020 doesn’t have one.

What’s your budget (time and money)?

In the past ten years or so, the options for an organization-savvy planner person have absolutely exploded. No matter how much time or money you have, there are options at every price point and every level of customization. Bigger planner companies are partnering with cheaper companies like Blue Sky and making budget-conscious planners that have many of the same features as the more expensive brands.

If you’ve got a ton of money but not a lot of time, pre-printed planners might be your best bet. An hourly layout makes it easy to mark down exactly when you’re busy and when you’re free, while monthly calendars make it easy to plan recurring events and bills. Likewise, digital planners can make the best use of your time by automatically syncing across your devices and your computer, so even if you forget your printed planner at home, you’ve still got access to everything.

If you’ve got a lot more time than you have money, DIY planners can be a lot of fun while also making the best use of your limited funds. Digital planning systems, such as Google Calendar and Any.Do, are free and offer a reasonable amount of customization. Bullet journals can be made for cheap, especially if you buy a good notebook on clearance, and by far offers the greatest level of flexibility — as long as you’ve got the time to set it up.

I’m lucky enough that, while our budget isn’t huge, my wife knows how important it is for me to be on top of our schedule, and for me that’s easiest on paper. I do backup planning digitally because it makes it easier for my wife to check in on the schedule, but she knows there’s always a paper copy tucked away in my purse.

What does your schedule actually look like?

Everyone has their own routine, and for a long time, ready-made planners didn’t necessarily reflect that. If your week started on a Monday, but you live in a Sunday-start country, your chances of getting a planner that started on Monday were pretty slim. Now, most planners offer you the option of starting on Sunday or starting on Monday. I used to prefer a Sunday-start because it gave me the chance to set up my week (that actually started on Monday) at the start of my week. However, these days I prefer a Monday-start. My week still starts on Monday and I still plan on Sunday night, but with a Monday-start planner, I don’t start my week feeling like I’m already behind.

Planners have more than one “start point,” though, and it’s worth factoring in how often your year resets, too. If you’re using your planner mostly for school or college, an academic-year planner might be best; these usually run from August through July, rather than January through December. If you know you’re only going to use your planner sporadically (or if you “year” is liable to reset more often than once a year), an undated or refillable planner might make the most sense. Whichever “year” style you choose, rest assured: You’re allowed to change it if something else suits you more.

(Also, getting a planner that’s already past most of its “year” may be the most cost-effective solution for testing a new planner. Many companies offer deep discounts once the planner is at least partially obsolete. This means academic planners will be cheapest when the January planners drop, and January planners will be cheapest when academic planners are just about to drop. Undated planners don’t usually have any rhyme or reason for when they go on clearance, so if that’s your preferred style, just buy it when the mood strikes you. 😉 )

How well do you know your goals?

I touched on this a little before: planners these days come with a ton of goal-setting activities. For those who don’t know how to define their goals well, this can be a lifesaver. However, if you’re already “grandfathered in” to a particular goal-setting method, changing your method just so it matches a new planner can be inefficient. Keep this in mind while you’re browsing through the different goal-setting methods.

Some planner companies will even let you try out their goal-setting pages for free before you splurge on their planner — try checking their website for a page that says “downloads” or “printables.” These are cost-effective for the planner company because they don’t have to spend any of their own money to create them; the pages are already made for the paid-planner, and the user pays to print them at home. This is also cost-effective for the customer because you don’t end up buying a ton of planners you don’t need just so you can check out the “extras.” It’s a win-win!

Where will your planner “live”?

One aspect that’s often overlooked is the “home base” for your planner. Some people use their planners mostly at their desk, while others use them mostly on the go. Your planner’s “home base” will tell you a lot about what you need from your planner. Spiral binding can make it easy to keep your planner open to the page you need, while a sewn binding and elastic closure makes it easier to keep your planner closed when not in use. A soft cover might make your planner lighter if you plan to carry it everywhere, but a hard cover will make it easier for you to write without a hard surface. No two people have exactly the same needs out of their planner, so it’s up to you to decide what works best for you.

My planner “lives” in my purse, but gets taken out almost everywhere. I personally have no preference between hardcover or softcover (that is to say, my preference between the two changes on a somewhat regular basis, LOL), but I strongly prefer sewn binding, elastic closures, and ribbon bookmarks over spiral binding, plastic covers, and clip-in bookmarks.

When all else fails… Just buy the planner!

Okay, so maybe this isn’t exactly the advice you were hoping for, but it stands to reason that, if you’re drawn to a particular planner, the only way to really know if it’s for you is to try it out. Ideally all planners would let you try them out before you drop the cash, but if that’s not an option, just buy it. Worst case scenario, you find out you didn’t like it as much as you thought you would — and that’s OK.

Now, I know those of you on a strict budget might be a little upset with me here, but let me explain. Planner peace is so worth it, and sometimes the only way you can find peace is to discover what doesn’t bring you peace. Even the most expensive planners I’ve personally seen are under $100 for an entire year* and those ones tend to come with a much higher quality than the cheaper ones. Realistically, though, you can probably think of a million other things you do every day that cost more day-to-day than your planner might. (For a bit of perspective, a $100 planner — exceptionally high-cost — still works out to less than 30 cents per day. Most planners fall closer to the $20-50 range, which works out to 5-15 cents per day.)

If you have any more 2020 planner questions, feel free to drop a comment! What system will you be using next year?

*= I actually looked up the most expensive planners and immediately felt way better about my own planner purchases. If you’re having some trouble rationalizing cost, go check this page out and breathe easier!