#5 Managing Multiple Planners

Are you lucky enough to say that your craft room, office, or even your study is this organized?  Or do you look at your "organization" and panic?  For many planners, we get our first planner, fill it with information, make it beautiful with our own personal touches, quickly find a need for it, and convince ourselves that we need a second, third, fourth, or even fifth planner.  Some may call this a hobby, a habit, or even an addiction.  Sometimes we even buy more than one planner, not because we need more, but so that we can seasonally change the look of our planners like an accessory such as shoes or our favorite hand bags.  This post will be about how to manage multiple planners efficiently.  The reasons that we use planners span from work, home, personal appointments, our kids health, our own health, crafting, meal planning, and even keeping track of supplies.  There are so many different planners used for so many different reasons. Here are some reasons that I use my planners:

1.) Blog Planner (Personal Planner)
2.) Business Planner (Createyou86 XL Fauxdori)
3.) Personal Planning & Appointments (Personal Domino Filofax)
4.) Other Business Planning (Sugar Paper LA)

Here are some of the best ways I have found to manage having multiple planners:

Know Why You'll Use It
This may seem very simple, but some of us create reasons to use things without it being a legitimate reason.  Some of us are "just because" people.  This may seem like it is fine, but when it comes to planning you always want to have a clear, and concise reason for planning.  If you don't you can easily become overwhelmed when your "just because" becomes "i don't know".  I started with one main planner where i kept everything including business, personal, and appointments.  This became overwhelming for me when i was looking at so much information all squished into a very small amount of writing room.  Eventually i decided to divide, and conquer. Hence the birth of the Createyou86 Fauxdori.
Organization Is Key
When you are using a planner, it really needs to be streamlined to you, and only you.  I'm sure most of us watch videos on YouTube, and we think how beautiful other peoples planners look, and we want to emulate them, but unless that is the way your brain sees your planning it could turn out disastrous.  Once you have the right size planner, and have found an insert that you think will suit you, you should try those inserts, and that setup for at least a week to make sure everything is set up just the way you want.  Yes, i realize that planners are ever changing, but your basic way of planning most likely will stay the same (my way of taking notes has not changed from elementary school) with very small changes.  If you find that you don't like the inserts that you have chosen, there are plenty of places online where you can find free inserts such as Facebook groups, MYLIFEALLINONEPLACE, Philofaxy, and even Lime Tree Fruits to name a few.  Once you have your planner set up USE IT, and see if that binder, and planner is what is going to work for what you intended it for.  Like we said before...planners are ever changing.  Also be sure to love the inserts you are using because committing to a full year of inserts, and not truly loving the setup can ruin a planning experience.
Commit To Something That Works
You have enough stress in your life, and planning shouldn't be apart of it.  Planning should be something that you can do carefree, and knowing that it will work.  The best part about planning is the ability to add, and subtract.  The ability to tweak even the smallest part of your planner so that it suits you.  Your planner should help eliminate your to-do lists not add to it.
Join A Group or Community
One day i was on Instagram, and picture of someones beautiful Filofax showed up in one of my feeds.  Being a lover of stationary, and paper it had never even appealed to me to have a planner, or that they could look the way that this one did.  I very quickly found out how enormous the Instagram planning community is.  Just recently i created my own Planning, and Blogging Mastermind Group where myself, and some select planners get together to share our love for planning.  There are countless Facebook groups, Instagram communities, and even bloggers to help out with your planning experience.  Go be apart of them, and learn what others are doing to help themselves.  This may help you in the long run.  These groups are even a great place for photo inspiration. 
You Will Change, So Will Your Planner 
It is inevitable......change.  You will change, and so will the needs of your planner.  At some point one of your planners may even become obsolete, and you may need to find a new use for it, or even sell it because you can't find a use for it.  Planners can be super affordable depending on what you are looking for, and if you are a first time planner, using a simple desk planner might be a great place to start before committing to a more expensive version such as a Filofax, Midori, or Fauxdori.  There are so many places to look for help, and inspiration, but don't let this become overwhelming.  Your road to planning success is right around the corner.  I am even going to include a link to my very own Beginners Planning Guide at the bottom of this blog post is a printable guide to help you on your road to planner peace.  

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out Ty's Blog for even more ways to manage multiple planners that may be helpful for you.  Also be sure to leave me some comments below, and let Createyou86 know how you manage your planners or if one planner is enough for you.