Planning self care in a busy life

This isn't the blog I was intending to write this weekend. I was going to go through an update of where my planning is now, half way through the year. However, fuelled by inspiration from all the wonderful posts and pictures from the EBDUK Annual Event I'm finally taking some time to set up a self care journal.

EBDUK DT favourite layouts

When asked this question my initial reaction was to race to all my stored planners of old and leaf through them to find my favourite layout.....and I did....but what came to mind as I leafed through the beautiful finished weeks was that my favourite layout is the one you see here. A crisp, new, pristine week. It's so full of possibilities and hope. A new slate for me to start again and put behind me the things that didn't work. 

Using my Hobonichi Techo for work.

I’ve been using an A6 Hobonichi for my day to day personal stuff and didn’t really want to add work matters to it, although I do put my freelance HR work meetings into it. I acquired another A6 (yay for destashes) and started using that for work. It means I can bring it home with me and jot any “day job” tasks or bright ideas in it immediately. I like to set the work Hobo up a week in advance and that means adding stickers of course. Just because it’s for work doesn’t mean it can’t look pretty!

The EllieBeth Designs' Gratitude Challenge

Each month, I set up my monthly spread in my Passion Planner for the EllieBeth Designs' Gratitude Challenge. Its become a crucial part of my planning routine and I've managed to create a balance between tracking, recording events and appointments as well as recording the daily gratitude that works for me. In this post I share the evolution of my gratitude challenge spreads and talk you through my process of preparing for the June Challenge.

Watch my video to see how it all comes together:

Planning on holiday! (Or not as it may seem…)

So I recently went away on holiday. I stuck to my usual routine of planning the coming weeks in advance as I knew I would be busy and hate getting behind on my stickerating. So I stuck down my usual Washi Tape, Date headers and Half Boxes for Gratitude. I even watercoloured the pages. But then it occurred to me, what am I actually going to plan? Day Trips? What I’m going to eat? (Probably need bigger pages when you’re going All Inclusive) Weather?

This week and the ever repeating To-Dos

I don't know about you but I find myself writing the same tasks week after week  at the bottom of my planner (and let's be honest not doing them). I have good intentions at the beginning of the week but somehow life gets in the way, then the following week the same thing happens.

Planner collections and my top 3 favourite sheets

My favourite collection from Rachel is, of course, the rainbow collection. I will happily spend hours browsing the site and adding new and existing rainbow sheets to my basket. They form the largest part of my sticker collection as a whole and they truly do brighten my day

Hobonichi and me - The Design Team share their thoughts on all things Hobonichi

Love, love, love  my Hobonichi Techo A6! To me this is planner peace. It’s taken 3 years but I’m here. I’ve been using this for 4 months now and I’ve never been happier! It’s the perfect size to carry on the go and doesn’t get heavy! And I can still fill it with my favourite EBDUK stickers. I did have to switch to an Avec ( two 6 month books) over a 12 month planner as it was going to get very chunky which defeated the object of having a smaller planner. I love to watercolour in it which compliments the stickers.

Thankful for the little things - Daily Gratitude Challenge

It’s all too easy in this busy world in which we live to forget the little things that make us smile, think, reflect  and generally appreciate how much goodness there is all around us. Remembering and recording how much it means to us and how much the smallest things can brighten the dark moments.

One way to make sure we get our daily dose of gratitude is to follow a Gratitude challenge. For those of you not familiar with these they are a set of prompts, one for each day of the month that encourage us to ponder for a few moments. The prompt might be a phrase or just a single word but it is designed to make us take a few minutes out of our day and record what the prompts make us feel thankful for.

Plan, stick, repeat

I have two planners and a journal at the moment. A passion planner pro, hobonichi weeks and a B6 TN. I use the passion planner and the Hobonichi for the same thing. I put the same appointments, to do lists and trackers on each week. I put the same photos in my passion planner as I do my TN and I recount my day in my TN. 
 
Why Katie? I hear you ask. Surely you can just put this all in one planner and be done with it? Probably... but I don’t want to and here’s why. 

My planner style – then and now

Last year I discovered the concept of “proper” planning and excitedly purchased my first ever Erin Condren planner, a vertical hardbound edition. However, I found that I was still in a planning rut, as you can see in the first photograph. I’d spent quite a bit on the planner so I wanted it to be visually attractive and user friendly but I didn’t know how to do it. Shortly afterwards, I came across a YouTube of Rachel Blundell talking about  EllieBeth Designs UK stickers and that’s when I had my light bulb moment!

Where I plan - The Design Team share their creative spaces

This week as a Design Team we are sharing our planner spaces with you - from nomad planning to dedicated spaces we all have a different set-up and it works for each of us.  I think most of us dream of a planner room where we can set up our planner systems and work in an area that inspires us and feeds creative thought but in reality a space that works and makes us productive is what we make the best of. Follow our highlighted links for Instagram and YouTube to learn more about us, including new member Tracy Macheta and returning DT member Katie Teage.