Guys, I love planners. I want more planners than I have cats, and that’s saying something (because I have four cats). I enjoy the process of buying a planner and figuring out how I’m going to use it. I love the feel of them in my hand. I even love the smell of a new planner… someone needs to figure out how to bottle the smell of fresh ink and paper, like for real.
I only “need” three planners; one for work, one for planning and memory keeping, and the last is for my health and journalling. But, I want more! There are so many new (to me) planners available for 2024 and it is so hard not to buy more than I can reasonably use.
It started with the planner pre-orders mid-summer. Over the following months, I caught myself trying to come up with ways to use an additional planner, numerous times, just so I could buy another planner. Yep, I had a problem and recognizing the problem doesn’t mean it got easier. And I know I’m not the only one experiencing this, which is why we are here today.
Here are 5 ways to stay focused and avoid planner buying remorse.
- Understand how you will use your planner(s). Before making a purchase, it’s important to determine why you need a planner. Start by making a list of all the things you want to track, schedule, and plan for. Consider if it’s necessary to have separate planners for different purposes.
- Time management: Schedule daily tasks and appointments.
- Goal setting: Set and track monthly and yearly goals.
- Meal planning: Plan and organize meals for the week.
- Fitness tracking: Keep a record of exercise and workouts.
- Expense tracking: Monitor and manage monthly expenses.
- Personal development: Document insights and lessons learned.
- Notes and journaling: Record thoughts, ideas, and memorable moments.
Remember, the key is to align your planner with your specific needs and goals.
Once you know your purposes, you can see more clearly if you can fit everything into one planner or not. The following is how I split what I’m tracking into two planners, personal and family. I have a third planner, just for work, but I don’t feel a need to do a complete breakdown like I do with my personal life.
- Make a budget that fits your finances and stick to it. For me, the goal of planning is to bring ease and joy to my life, and if I overspend it is harder to enjoy planning because I feel guilty. It just isn’t worth it. Also, if the sky is the limit, all the available options can become even more overwhelming, creating a budget helps you create freedom within parameters that work for you.
- Plan to modify your planner. Sometimes, we are merely itching for a change, and if you are trying to scratch that itch, sprucing up your system might be the only thing you need, instead of a new planner. It doesn’t need to cost you any money; you can use stickers and supplies you already have to put on your planner, you can draw on it, you can make tabs, add charms! This is your moment let your creativity shine. You can also invest in a cover that will last you years, but this can become an addiction just like buying planners. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! If you are going to go this route, add it in your budget for the year.
- Unsubscibe to emails. If you are afraid of missing a pre-order date or release date for smaller shops, set a reminder on your phone or, even better, make note of it in your current planner. While it is nice to be reminded via email, it is a marketing strategy to show you all the shiny new things you need or are going to miss out on. Mind you, it is probably better to avoid social media accounts or at least take long breaks from them, but I think unsubscribing from emails is an acceptable alternative.
- Accept that there is no perfect planner. Okay, okay, maybe someone out there has found their perfect planner, but I think most of us haven’t. This is mainly because life is forever changing and our needs change with it. Sometimes we are going to like the cover of one planner, but the paper in another. Key is to figure out what you can and can’t live without.
Overall, it really is about narrowing down the choices, setting limits for yourself, and giving yourself some realistic exceptions when you truly need it. The rest is will power to refrain from buying more than you need and that has to come from you, my friend, but know that I’m sitting right beside you fighting the urge to smell that fresh ink.
If you have found ways to avoid buying planners you don’t need, contact me at infoinkyplans@gmail.com or comment below, I’d love to hear from you!