Hey guys! So if you read my post last week on Finding the Right Planner, you know that I'm currently in mad love with my Day Designer. Yay for planner peace! And I also mentioned that I'm dialing back decorating my planner because it wasn't working for me. However, that doesn't mean that my planner has to be dull.
I bought these cute stickers from Faye Creates on Etsy and they are perfect for the Day Designer without being too busy or overwhelming. I have stickers for word count, yoga, dinner, date nights, blogging, reading, planning, etc. But they are tiny and fit on one line of the Day Designer and are uniform looking--which helps me by having a streamlined, non-distracting look.
Aren't they cute? A little pop of color and functional.
Okay, so that's my sticker plan. Next, my new favorite pens. One of the things I hear a lot of people talk about is how they buy a pretty planner or notebook and then don't want to mess it up by, you know, actually WRITING in it. Lol. I so get that. I can be a perfectionist. But the whole point of getting my planner was to help me be more organized and to streamline things and make it easier. Trying to write and decorate perfectly so that it's ready for a Pinterest photo shoot is not what I need my planner to be. (Not that there's anything wrong with the fun decorated planners. I love looking at those and the creativity people put into them. It's just not my need right now.)
So, how did I get over that "I'm going to mess it up" worry? Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens. I'd heard about these in a few groups, but I was worried it was going to be like the erasable pens of the 80s/90s--you know, the ones that tore the paper and made everything look messy? But these are definitely not like that. The ink flows nicely, they have pretty colors, and they erase by heat/friction. So you rub the end of the pen over it like an eraser and the heat makes the ink disappear. (Side note: I wouldn't use these pens if you're writing something that you want to last years or be a keepsake. Or to sign legal documents. I haven't had any issues with them, but if heat can make the ink disappear, you don't want to risk something important getting erased if it's put in the attic or left in the sun in a hot car.)
And for those things that you aren't worried about erasing, I heart the PaperMate Flair pens. They write really well and come in SO many different colors. Oddly enough, my favorite color of the bunch is the navy blue. It's different than a standard blue pen and I love the rich color of it. I've even been brave enough to use these in my planner for events or tasks I know I won't need to erase. :)
Also, a quick note, someone asked me recently if I have all these colors of pens because I color code things in my planner. I don't. I liked the IDEA of color-coding, but when I've tried it in the past, I've found that it's detrimental to the whole "write everything down" plan. If I'm color-coding and don't have the needed color right at hand, I won't write it down. If I don't write it down, it will be forgotten. So I use these colors at will. Sometimes I just use one color for a whole day. Other times I change it around. There's no rhyme or reason to it. All I want to do is make sure that the schedule and to-do list get written. The color is only for my enjoyment.
Okay, so those are my picks. What kind of pens and/or stickers do you like to use? Do you have different pens for different tasks? And do you color code?
*Day Designer and Amazon links are affiliate links, but I have not been asked to feature these products and have purchased them with my own money.