2017 PLANNERS

It's that super exciting time of the year again: deciding what to use for the new year. I've pondered this for at over a month, trying to allocate each planner I've collected to a suitable role. I've more or less decided on five (for the moment) planners and hopefully, I'll end up with five full ones by the end of 2017. I've learnt a few things about myself when it comes to planning, and I've come to a few conclusions:

1. I like to have everything in one: I know this highly contradicts my aim of using five different types in the New Year, but I like a challenge. So bring it.
2. I need dated planners: For the year of 2016, I've been more or less using the Bullet Journal system whereby you date your days yourself. It worked for a while, but I must admit, it gets annoying doing so, and I'm not really able to plan ahead due to the lack of forward dating available. And because of the lack of dates, I was changing my system up so frequently that my life is now everywhere. 
3. I need a diary just for journaling. It's been quite annoying not having a set place for all my journaling. I think 2016 is the year where my writings have been everywhere. I need my life to be all in one place.

Taking these points into consideration, here's a look into each of the planners I'll be using for 2017 and what I'll be using them for:

1. JOURNALING - A6 Hobonichi: This is probably my third year trying Hobonichi out, and I hope the third time's a charm. Compared to the last two years, my use of Hobonichi has always been vague - not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with it, its use faltered and was soon thrown aside or sold away. In 2017, it's role is plain and simple: journaling. Nothing more, nothing less. The page size should be enough for my daily ramblings and the grid set up will help get my journaling done without worrying whether or not my lines are coming up straight.
2. TO DO - Small Daily Moleskine: I was at first struggling to find a role for this baby. It was an impulse buy, thinking it would fit in the leather cover I bought in Toulouse, but I realised soon enough that I didn't actually have a notebook to replace my daily to do's that used to take place in an undated passport sized notebook. With it being a dated day-to-a-page, together with its small size, it will be perfect to write all my daily to-dos (without cramping), keep track of my activities and plan ahead if need be. Wonder why I never thought of this earlier!
3. EXPENSES & WORK - Kate Spade Personal Planner: I must admit, I was all for using my new Kate Spade Planner (which hasn't even arrived yet!), but then I saw the Filofax Original Burnt Orange Personal size and my fingers are getting the itch to buy them online! Either way, Kate Spade or Filofax, as this will be a ring planner, I'm sure other subjects will be added in once I discover them. But for now, both my work hours and expenses will be kept in this planner to help keep track of my life.
4. VISION PLANNER - Bloom Daily Planner: I won't be surprised if my usage of this falls off eventually. With it being a Vision planner, I know, can be taken in two ways: the literal and the metaphorical sense. As the planner is laid out like an Erin Condren / Happy Planner, it's perfect for me to make planning pretty again by using sticky notes, washi tape and the such. It will basically be the 'hobby' planner. A place to let loose, try out new materials and document my days. It won't be done on the go, with spreads created every weekend (or so I hope). This planner will also be used as the 'Vision' planner it's intended to be - setting out goals for the month, reviewing them at the end, etc. although this will be a minor part of the planner.
5. DAILY DOCUMENTATION / NOTES - MTN: Lucky last, my Midori Traveler's Notebook. It currently holds my week on one page (with grid on the other). Unlike before, I'm going to keep this diary loose. I used to decorate and put so much pressure on the spreads that it ended up being a weekend project (that eventually fell behind). I'm going to use this on-the-go and forget about trying to make things pretty. This will be my thought process (and hence, 'messy') area

And there you have it - the five finalists for 2017. Looking at the list, I could very well have compressed everything into one planner. But alas, my itchy hands have caused multiple planners to be purchased and so my brain now has to navigate through five different diaries to hopefully organise my life. Ha. Let's hope it works!