I have always been a planner! It's something that has been instilled in me since I was little. I loved to know what was happening on a given day, week, month etc. When things didn't go as planned, I'll be honest, I got a little frazzled.
As I've grown up, and learned very well that life doesn't always go as planned, I've learned to be flexible and to trust in my Creator. But, I still love to plan, make lists, and put upcoming events on my calendar! There's just something so satisfying about checking things off that you've gotten done! I love that feeling of accomplishment! And with work, my side hustle, and now being a Mama, I have so many things to keep up with and I can't possibly keep it all together in my head.
That's where a planner comes in handy! All through grade school and college I had either an agenda or a notebook style planner I would carry with me each day. I would jot homework down, write upcoming assignments and projects, and upcoming tests.
When I graduated college and started my first real job, I continued buying a planner each year, but something changed. I began to neglect my planner! I would write things down, but then forget to look at it! It got to the point where I didn't carry it around and I eventually stopped writing in it and it sat and collected dust for months.
It wasn't until about 2 years ago that I started truly planning again. I was working at Hobby Lobby in the papercraft department. I would see The Happy Planner items every day and became interested to know what made these planners special. (After all, the price is way higher than a regular planner you find at Target.) I began researching about The Happy Planner to see what it was all about. I watched YouTube videos, and started following Happy Planner accounts on Instagram.
In just a few days, I was sold and I bought my very first Happy Planner and I have never looked back! It was a total game changer for me and completely revolutionized my concept of planning!
If you're on the fence about buying one, here's my #1 reason for being a Happy Planner: they are completely customizable! All the planners are on a disc-bound system that allows you to take pages out and add pages in! That is my favorite thing about Happy Planner! They, of course, have template pages they offer for you to insert like daily planner pages, to do lists, etc, but you can also create or print off your own page or template and stick it in your Happy Planner!
If you're interested in trying a Happy Planner, I'll walk you through what you need to consider before purchasing one.
The first thing to consider when buying a Happy Planner is the size planner you want.
Happy Planner has 5 different sizes to choose from! It's up to you to decide what size works best for you.
The Big is a standard notebook size. It is a nice size for teachers, and anyone who likes a lot of space to write things down. The nice thing about the Big is if you want to print a template or form from online to put in your planner, the standard sized paper will work. You don't have to worry with resizing or changing the settings when you print.
The downside to the Big is it's not exactly travel friendly (unless you are a teacher and you already carry a bunch of things with you).
Next size is the Classic. This is the most popular size (and the size I use consistently). The Classic is a little smaller than the Big and to me, it's the perfect size. It's big enough to write all the things I need inside but it's not super bulky and if I wanted to take it with me everywhere it would be doable. Since this is the most popular size, Happy Planner offers more inserts and accessories for this size.
The only downside I can see with the Classic is that it is still a little big if you want to carry it with you daily.
The next 3 sizes are smaller options that are on-the-go friendly. You won't find as many options in these sizes and you will have less room to write, so it just depends on what kind of planner you are wanting and what your needs are.
After choosing the size planner you want, the next thing to consider is the layout of your planner.
Happy Planner has several layout options. The most popular layout is called the vertical.
The vertical layout consists of 3 boxes for each day. Some people use these for morning, midday, and evening. Others, like me, just write whatever needs to be done or what is going on that day. The vertical layout is the most popular because it's the easiest to decorate (in my opinion) and you have a lot of space to write with. There are different styles within the vertical layout. Some are called color block, which simply means some of the boxes are colored. Another style vertical has is a lined version that has lines in each box for you to be able to write straight on. Perfect for the perfectionists.
My only issue with all the layouts is that Sunday is not the first day of the week. They group the weekend together.
The next layout option is the dashboard.
The dashboard is a little different from your traditional planner layout. It has your boxes for the week all on one side. On the other side, it has functional boxes that are sometimes left blank and sometimes labeled with things like "To do", "To buy", etc.
This was the first layout I ever used when I bought my first Happy Planner. I liked the idea of having all those boxes on the left to write my errands, to do lists, and other things like that for each week. I'm a list maker, and for a while, I really liked the dashboard.
As I continued to dive into the world of happy planning, I wanted to add the creative flair to my pages. I would see all the pretty stickers everyone was using and wanted my planner to look pretty too!
With the dashboard layout I found it difficult to put stickers where I wanted. I also found that there wasn't a ton of space in the daily boxes for all that I had going on. After looking again at the different layout options, I decided the next planner I bought would be the vertical.
That being said, the dashboard works well for those who like to make lists. It seems like it was made with the business woman in mind.
Another layout option is the monthly. Instead of a weekly layout for each page, you simply have 2 pages for the whole month. This is great for those who use planners primarily for events, scheduling, keeping up when bills are due, etc.
All the other layouts have these monthly pages included in the planner. So if you like this idea, but still want the daily or weekly pages, that's still an option.
Next up is the horizontal layout. This layout is similar to the traditional planner design. This is nice because it has big boxes to be able to write in and it's a style that's familiar if you have planned in the past. I've also seen some people do some really pretty sticker designs with the horizontal.
Now let's talk accessories!
From the stickers to the extension packs, Happy Planner has TONS of accessories to choose from. It can easily get overwhelming when looking, so my advice would be to buy just a few things, especially if you're just starting out.
Here's what I would buy:
A happy planner
ONE sticker book
Some good pens (I use Sharpie S gels and Papermate felt pens)
These 3 items are truly all you need to get started! Start with one sticker book! There are so many and it is so easy to get overwhelmed. You'll want to buy them all but think pretty and functional. The Happy Planner paper is thicker than notebook paper so most pens will not bleed through. I suggest doing a pen test on the last page of your planner before you start.
Where to buy Happy Planner products:
Hobby Lobby! (Of course!)
I hope this has been helpful! I hope you find the perfect planner that works best for YOU!
Happy planning!
Want to stay updated on all my posts? Subscribe to my email list!
Follow me on Instagram @hobby_lobby_mama for Hobby Lobby finds!
Comments