It’s A Planner Thing

Welcome back! I hope you’ve all had a great week, and that 2022 is starting off well for you. My week went fairly well. I had some busy days at work, but I made it. I’m happy to have the weekend though.

Yesterday, I did a little retail therapy. And that meant buying new stickers. I probably bought too many, if that’s a thing, but I regret none of them! (The addiction could be worse . . . At least it’s not drugs.) Look at them! There are book ones and Harry Potter ones and ones with cats in banana peels! I couldn’t resist them all.

Last week’s introduction post kind of got you ready for the things I plan to post on the blog. This week, we’re going to jump into the first of my “journals” that I write in most every night.

I apologize in advance for the amount of pictures this time. I hope it doesn’t bother anyone, but it’s an easy way to show you what I’m talking about.

The first journal in my crazy nightly routine is my planner. And everyone suddenly erupts into a chorus of, “But Bethany, that’s not a journal, that’s a planner.” Stick with me here (See what I did there?). Let me explain why I call my planner a journal, besides it’s just easier to lump all of them into the category of journal to save time and breath.

So, first thing’s first, my current planner is from Reminder Binder, and it is my favorite planner I’ve had so far. It has sticker pages at the front to appease my addicted little heart. There are the usual calendar stickers for if you have a doctor’s appointment or a haircut or it’s payday. But there are some other fun ones too.

The first step is to get a star sticker from the star sticker sheet. Yes, these are just like the ones teachers put on papers or to show the good kids in class; I don’t know if they still do that, but they’re still around anyway. I get one of those stickers and I go to the calendar page for the month. And I place whatever color star on the day. It’s like giving that day a little reward, even if it wasn’t the best day, it wasn’t that day’s fault. It still gets a sticker. It needs a little pick-me-up sometimes just like the rest of us. And all I can offer is that star sticker. And honestly, sometimes a sticker just helps, ya know?

I then look at that calendar page to see what I have coming up that week just in case I forgot or there’s something I need to prep for. When it’s time to order my medicine, I put a little note on the day I need to order so I remember and don’t run out of medicine. And I include the prescription number on there as well so I don’t have to get up and get my medicine; it’s already there for me. Work smarter, not harder. (That is not listed on the calendar in the picture because I forgot to write it on there. But don’t worry, I didn’t forget to order my medicine. :)

Then it’s time to move onto the pages that just cover the week. I love this section because there is a space where I can write what happened in my day.

It starts with just a small sticker; nothing too major most of the time, unless it was a particularly great day or something totally awesome happened. The sticker is usually just a small one that probably won’t get used in the other journals; maybe a little flower or heart or something small like that.

Those sections let me kind of reflect just on the summary of my day. Is it Friday and I stopped for breakfast? Did I have something awesome for lunch or dinner? Did I get to spend time with a friend? Was it a good day at work? I just make a list of the things I did and summarize my day.

There is a place at the beginning of each month for a to-do or goal list. There is also a list area for each week as well. I actually don’t use that part of the planner, which is strange considering what next week’s post will cover. You’ll see what I mean then. But those areas in my planner tend to stay empty.

That pretty much sums up my planner. Stickers don’t come into too much play here, but my planner has helped me keep organized in ways I hadn’t been before. It helps me keep track of things coming up, events I’m looking forward to, or the important things I need to remember to do. And it’s nice to have a little reflection at the end of the day, even if you don’t do a full journal or anything like that.

Having a way to reflect on your day is important. So often I have thought I had a terrible day because it got busy or someone was rude to me and it ruined my mood. And then I would go to bed thinking it was a bad day because I let those things dictate my view of the day. But when I reflect on the day, I try to find those other little moments that were good. And even if it’s just something small, that was a way that God showed me that it’s not all bad out there. It’s hard to find those little moments of blessing when you don’t try to reflect in order to find them.

I’m not saying bad days don’t happen; and I even have stickers for those times too; but it’s important to try and find those little moments of good. Those little moments that can really make you think back and see the light.

I really encourage everyone to at least do some kind of reflection at the end of your day to put everything into perspective. It’s not always as bad as we think.

And now you see why it gets the “journal” title. Or maybe you don’t. But that’s totally okay.

Thanks so much for reading today! And a HUGE thank you to those who subscribed to the blog. It means a lot to me. And I hope to keep this up for a long time. And I’m happy to have any who want to come along for the adventure.