2025 Planners and Other Scheduling or Day Diaries

[Harriet]

Do you use a planner or
small calendars? Do you use any type of
purse/pocket note-taking or
PocketMod.
Do Daily printables work for you?

No matter what kind of planning on paper, feel free to chat here and tell how it helps you in 2025.

The card file box is the Queen of traditional order. And glancing at a big wall calendar as we race out the door can't be beat.

But your tips and ideas for other "Write It Down" methods might be just the inspiration someone needs!

[Harriet]

About 4 years ago, I finally started getting a planner to work for me. The 5 x 8 Inkwell Weekly Planning Calendar by Blue Sky had a configuration that made sense for me - horizontal with about a third of each day separated, which I use for meals. Starting with Monday, 7 weekday areas and then a "weekly focus" and smaller "notes" spaces underneath the last day (Sunday), The vertical types never help me. It seems as though you're stacking words with only room for one or two on a line. Also, big 8x11 planners don't work, taking up too much space on a surface.

The "weekly focus" space is perfect to stick in (glue stick) a small check-off grid each week, with clean, declutter, laundry, sewing, garden and exercise. Inkwells are generous with the notes pages. And there are monthly tabs that are plastic coated.

The last couple years, they have been hard to find. I found one at a brick-and-mortar office supply store last year, but this year gave up, ordering a cheaper Blue Sky one that at least had similar day spaces. But I was disappointed when it came (no pages in between months for notes) and kept trying. Eureka, found one for 2025 on Etsy.

I do allow myself stickers but try to use very few. Mainly, I just set the tone with something positive at the top on Monday. Cute mascots with happy faces. When I had a hard medical outpatient day upcoming with recuperation, I used a kinda tough-looking lion, lol, to remind myself I'm strong and pretty dangerous myself.

Looking around for something different, though, I've found that there are stickers of comfy couches and upholstered chairs with books or lamps, etc. These are comforting and even though not very exciting, lol, I think they might set a tone of coziness for at least the first few months of 2025.

[Nancy]

Harriet thanks so much for starting this thread.
I have been using a classic size disc bound happy planner.
I have been putting down things I have done daily for future reference.
The one for 2025 is an undated one.

I vertical one layout this has helped me to see that time blocking works well for me.
I have a pocket in the back for stickers and notes.
I have a little of this in it and a little of that.
Some guided journal pages and this month I have holiday plans.
I like the quarterly planning approach.

-----
Updated to add.
I put mine in a cover or case with extra pockets, I like that when I use it
it fold back on it self like a spiral bound would.

[Twins' Mom]

Nancy, your disc bound is very similar to what I use. Pages are 8.5 x 5.5 and there's a variety of preprinted pages to insert. The weekly page has days of the week down the right side with a list area to the left. I use the left side for OMM, to dos, notes, etc. and hope to transfer them forward as needed. Lined pages I insert as needed. I also have graph type pages, which I'd like to use for charting, but never got started on. There's a separate OMM section at front, which I rarely use for some reason. I rotate the months out - right now still have November with December, but will add a January section soon with the weekly pages added.

I used to use little lined notebooks. They worked the same way, except there wasn't a place for the weekly list. I could add post-it note tabs for months and as bookmarks.

I've added (mostly political) stickers to the dividers that I keep in year round. There's a plastic pouch at the back for extra index cards, some inconspicuous note cards with passwords, and a band aid for my fragile skin. I keep a clip on the front cover to attach grocery list or errand list as I'm leaving the house.

All in all, it works. I'm using a gray leather binder right now, I've had it at least a year. There are so many pretty binders out there, but I've used this one over a year.

[CathyS]

I use calendars from the dollar store. The price is right and they have a picture on the top half and the month takes up the bottom half from the staples down. Each day has enough space to write in.

My desk is an older large wooden type with boards that slide out on either side. There is just enough space on each board for one calendar. The one on the right has the supper menus and the one on the left has the daily housework accomplishments. This year there will be a third calendar for dh's medical stuff.

We also have a large one on the side of the fridge that we both walk past numerous times per day. That is for any info dh needs to know, like doctor appointments. This year there was also a schedule for Blue Bloods TV show. Unfortunately the series finale is next Friday. At one point in time it also had a schedule of what customers were coming. This year saw a lot less customers and a lot more appointments. I used to buy this size of calendar at a large office supply store until I discovered that the dollar store had a version almost similar, so I saved money for this.

I also discovered a "keyboard" type of calendar. Each page has Monday to Sunday areas and a one inch strip along the bottom for "notes, reminders and appointments" I use this to write down what I would like to do on each day. For example, this coming Thursday says "Compost and recycling out" There is also a reminder that there is an intersection nearby which is closed from Monday to Friday this week to replace a storm sewer and a section of pipe. At the end of each day, I tear off that day's reminders and throw it into the garbage can that is all paper bits and pieces that get burned out in the firepit.

[lucylee]

* Cathy... Blue Bloods final episode Friday... I am in mourning. I have sooo loved Blue Bloods. I may buy myself the complete series box set. I love Tom Selleck. I think he really is a good guy, much like the character he plays in Blue Bloods, and the character of Frank Reagan is just almost too good to be true, isn't he? There just isn't a lot of tv that promotes such true family values and I don't know why they want to cancel this series!

Now -- Planners and Calendars...
Oh my goodness. I could probably win a prize for calendars. (Which is another reason it was so amazing to me that I missed the time of my dentist appt last week.)

* First, there is the 2-year pocket calendar in my purse. Just monthly spreads. EVERYTHING goes here -- appointments, events I want to attend, kids' ballgames & events, Auburn & high school football schedules, family/friend birthdays, everything.

* Second, this calendar is pretty much duplicated on the kitchen wall calendar.

* Third, this calendar is pretty much duplicated in my planner which I keep in the bathroom. I use the Prayerful Planner, weekly view. It has 7 days of the week listed at the top, Sunday start. The very top of the page is for priorities, I think, but I write the "best thing of the day" in this space every day. There is a Bible verse for each week, and an 8th column before Sunday. In this column I list all the things that I need/want to get done that week that don't have specific time frames. My goal is to do at least one of these every day (but I don't always get that done.) On the Sunday-Saturday lines, I keep up with everything. For instance today included -- Mail payment to plumber... deposit Mother's rent check... get address for great-uncle from his son on FB... do laundry... etc... I also keep up with my Bible reading here, chapter a day.
At the bottom of the left-hand page are two boxes, one for notes and one for prayer concerns. Sometimes I just put extra notes to myself there, or motivational quotes, or whatever seems on my mind that week. At the bottom of the right hand page is a dot-grid box, which I have used for checklists, but which mostly gets random notes to myself also.
At the end of each week, there are two pages for devotional notes and sermon notes. I use the left hand side for gratitude. I ask dgrands ever Sunday to tell me the best thing of the week for the past week, and then I try to put at least three things I'm thankful for each day. (I'm not super consistent with the M-Sat part, but I am very consistent with the Sunday thing.) The left hand page, I used to use for sermon notes. I'd keep notes on my bulletin and then transfer to the planner on Sunday nights. DDIL got me a special sermon notes journal, so I use it now. I just put random things, inspirational quotes, etc on this page now.

FOURTH, the bathroom calendar. I duplicate AGAIN, appointments that I have to remember for my planner. I also record daily exercise and daily step count on this calendar.

Finally, I still have my 3x5 box sitting there in the bathroom. This is STILL my lifeline. ALL reminders of monthly things are in there. Christmas prep plan, week by week... monthly card with birthdays... WHB cleaning cards... when to change sheets (I do it EOW, not weekly)... when to check air filters... Some of these cards get written in the planner, but some just stay on the counter until their done.

AND... in the new year, I have plans to keep a sort of bullet journal in a 5x8 looseleaf notebook. This will be a journal/Bible study notebook/reference for notes like the ones I took this morning re: grief and facing the holidays (although I did that on regular 8x11 paper.) Some things just take more space than the one column in the planner and the 3x5 card. I think journaling will help me in a lot of ways, but I want to use loose leaf paper so it's easier to dispose of. I also bought myself a shredder and another plan for the new year is to do some serious clean out of things that might be embarrassing if DS/ddil had to read them after my death. Writing is definitely therapy for me, but some things should probably be for my eyes only.

* whew * How could a person with all THIS still confuse the time of an appointment, I don't know. Plus -- they dentist office had called to remind me and confirm the day before. Dbil's fiance tells me that Widow's Fog is a very real thing, and I certainly believe her.

[Nancy]

I missed doing several days on my planning entries this week that never happens to me.
Interesting but I caught them up as I use the one section for a log after I've done stuff so I can refer back to it for my weekly & monthly, holiday & seasonal reviews. [I need to do the one for this week.]

Looked over my sewing & creative endeavors planner did a bit of update after I cleared off another desk this morning.
Did my weekly review.
Getting ready to do an update in the creative planner.

[Harriet]

My new planner is a mixed bag of good and not-so-good qualities.

Mostly there are forgivable disappointments in what appears to be an attempt to offer less quality.

There is only one color throughout - gray scale. It had already been reduced to 2 colors as of last year, so that is not entirely a surprise.
 
But the wire spiral is smaller diameter than last year. I didn't even consider that possibility. And with 23 as opposed to only 16 holes, none of my previous helpful pages or pockets will fit it either. Flimsy and tight.

Realizing it wasn't going to be able to expand, to hold as many stickers in one area, spurred me to go ahead and order a weekly tracker stamp. I found one that goes Mon through Sun, going along with the pages. I'll get a gray stamp pad. Twins' Mom probably is amazed, but I actually don't have a stamp pad around here.

I guess they are trying to move their customers over from spiral to the more expensive disks. But if I were going to change one of the most expensive parts, why would I necessarily stay with their product next year? Maybe I'd shop through lots of the disk offerings. Their disks cost $22, the price of their whole spiral planner or more.

Nancy and Twins', I am very cheap thrifty and so far, the disks have not been a purchase. Maybe next year.

[Twins' Mom]

Harriet, I believe you can find less expensive discs on Etsy? I've seen them there, I just bit the dust and bought a set of discs years ago and they last forever. I like the versatility of my (admittedly expensive) Levenger system. I did start out with a binder that was discontinued to see if I liked it, but haven't looked back since. I have the clear pockets to hold additional things and monthly tabs and all the bells and whistles. It has a pen sleeve and the paper is satisfyingly thick. Yesterday I finally received the back ordered monthly tabs, which have been backordered all fall. I just inserted them in planner, and took out November pages. I actually will start the January pages on Sunday, since four days of next week fall in 2025.

Yes Harriet, I'm shocked you don't have a stamp pad! But the stamp with the check offs is a good plan!

[Nancy]

I get marked down clearance planners and reuse the discs.

I have one planner for Sewing I got that way.
And the found another one for other creative projects like art and yarn projects.
I have been doing one in Dec. I need to tweak for a seasonal approach for the new year as the
holiday plan is for 6 weeks and needs to be more than just Dec.

I got a ream of paper and project HP on discs. when thrifting one time too.
I can punch with my punch and works great for art in em.

Do you all have a food one or meal and menu planner for recipes?

I have cut a slit on spiral pages and can move them around or put on a larger wire bound one with diff. cover too,
It is tedious but works pretty well it you have a need for that.