Inplanner

Planner Pages Using 10 Items or Less!

Planner Pages

Lately, I’ve been trying to simplify my planner. Don’t get me wrong – I still love to decorate. I just think that the purpose – for me – of decoration is to encourage me to use my planner. And sometimes, too much decoration means not enough room to actually write my daily to-dos. It’s kind of like decorating your desk – you want enough pretty objects to inspire you and make your desk a positive place to sit, but you don’t want the decor to become distracting or clutter up your desktop.

Another problem with “overdecorating” is the fear of messing it up with the reality of life. Checkboxes should encourage you to complete the task, but they should not make you feel guilty or stressed when you don’t and have to cross an item out. Plans change, things come up, and having to redecorate your planner should not be an added stress.

If you’re not a planner girl, some of this might sound ridiculous. And I’ll admit: it kind of is. But in my journey to create a beautiful, organized, positive life, I’ve found that having a place to creatively plan my day is essential to keeping myself productive and inspired.

So, let’s get into this week’s Planner Pages Using 10 Items or Less!

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click image for a close-up view!

Told you it was simplified. Granted, my schedule is fairly simple, so that helps. But when I look at my weekly planner, I want to be able to see the important tasks & events of the week without having to search through visual clutter.

I used the bright raindrop stickers from the Studio Calico Jolly Holiday Planner Kit to designate the days I post here on WBT, as well as the day I send out my newsletter. I also used some black dot stickers to mark some weekly priorities, an appointment, and a weekly task. And that’s it for stickers!

I added the pink die-cut banner that reads “THIS WEEK” at the top of the page to add a little color.

I then used stamps and pen for the rest of this spread. I used an alphabet set to stamp “WBT”, and then a set from the new Recollections planner line that included the washing machine, spoon and fork, and envelope icons, as well as the arrow, “REMEMBER” and “IMPORTANT”, and the 1-5 arrows.

By switching between an all-caps font and a messier cursive font with my handwriting, it gives the spread variety without having to add a whole bunch of other elements.

Oh, and I used a cute gold triangle paperclip to mark the page in my planner.

And it’s done! There’s plenty of room to write my daily to-dos, especially on Tuesday and Thursday when I usually have lots of random projects to work on.

So here’s the product count:

1

  1. Ink Pad – I used the Color Theory Dye Inks in Power Suit and Gray Area, but a basic black ink pad would work just fine too.
  2. Black pen – I used a Pilot Multiball.
  3. Adhesive – I used the Scotch Repositionable Tape Runner.
  4. Dot stickers – I just used the inside dots from these checklist-boxes. Two sheets of these were included in the Studio Calico Jolly Holiday Planner Kit.
  5. Die Cut Banner Phrases – also from the Studio Calico Jolly Holiday Planner Kit.
  6. Icons Stamps – from the Recollections Creative Year Clear Stamp Set from Michaels.
  7. Alphabet Stamps – the ones I used are sold out, but any fun alpha set will do, even a $3 set from the Target One Spot (I love their alpha sets!).
  8. Gold Paperclip – also from the Studio Calico Jolly Holiday Planner Kit
  9. Colorful Raindrop/Location Marker Stickers – from, you guessed it! – the Studio Calico Jolly Holiday Planner Kit!
  10. An acrylic block for your clear stamps! (one even comes with the icon stamp set from Michaels!)

That’s it! Well, and my Hello Forever Planner.

I honestly LOVE using stamps in my planner, because I can re-use them again and again with different inks for a new and exciting look. The icon set from Recollections is a great basic set if you’re looking to start using stamps in your planner. Or if, like me, you’ve just been looking for a cute laundry icon… anything to make the chore a little more exciting, right?!

Click on any of the images below to open up a close-up, zoomable image! How cute is that envelope stamp with the @ symbol?! Perfect to mark the morning BrightMail goes out 🙂

And that’s it for this week! I’ll of course be adding in some day-of to-dos and other plans, but this is as much as I plan ahead.

How do you balance function and decoration in your planner? I’d love to hear how you keep yourself from going overboard with decor, but still make it an inspiring place to organize your day. Let me know in the comments!

Wishing you all a bright weekend!

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A Planner Spread Using 10 Items or Less?! Click through to see how I create a simple, colorful, functional, AND beautiful weekly spread using just a few items.
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2 Comments

  • Joan M Harrington

    Hi Haley 🙂
    Thanks for the very informative post on utilizing planners 🙂 Very creative and productive way to keep yourself organized! Great share!!

    May 20, 2016 at 10:58 am Reply
    • Haley

      Thank you Joan! There are so many great planners out there, but really making it your own is the best way to keep yourself on track and moving forward. Thanks for reading!
      xo, Haley

      May 20, 2016 at 1:05 pm Reply

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