Unboxing the Inkwell Press Academic Planner (with VIDEO)

Earlier this week I featured 4 Gorgeous Mid-Year Planners. I've ordered the other two on the list that I didn't have, and the Inkwell is already in! So I thought I'd do a walkthrough video for those who may be interested in seeing what this planner has to offer.

Also, things you realize when you tape an up close video of your hands--how chipped your manicure has become. >.<  But anyway, here you go! If anyone is interested in buying one of these or anything else from Inkwell, I have a referral code that will get you 10 dollars off. :)

I know that I've had a lot of planner and organizational type posts lately. Be assured that in the background, I'm writing and planning new books for you guys. :)  But let me know if you like these kinds of posts and if you want more/less. Also, I'd like to know if you enjoy video posts. I'm just learning YouTube stuff, but I think it could be a fun thing to do a video a few times a month (on all kinds of different topics, not just planners), so let me know if you have any interest in that AND I'd love to know what you want to hear about in the videos -- about books, writing, office supplies, planning, etc. 

Thanks, y'all! Hope you have a great weekend!

Still Haven't Found Planner Peace? Four Gorgeous Mid-Year Options

Summer is almost here. Can you believe it? I definitely can't. And what does summer bring besides hot weather and longer days? For many of us, it means shifting our schedules around to accommodate kiddos on summer break, family vacations, and warm weather activities. So I thought it would be a good time to do a quick little planner post because there are lots of gorgeous mid-year options releasing right now. Plus, it's a good time to evaluate if what you're doing this year is working for you so far or not. Or maybe you're like me and you just get bored and like to change things up every few months to keep it fresh.

So I've put together a few of my favorite mid-year options for planners. Ready for some planner p0rn?

1. The Day Designer

I've spoken of my love for the Day Designer before and I stand by that. When I first started using it, I found that I loved the daily breakdown, but I eventually missed my weekly overview. I went back to my Happy Planner, but then missed my daily overview! Lol. I can't be happy. So right now I'm using a two planner system. One for the weekly overview and the Day Designer to (ha!) design my day and track my time. I did a little video about my current system if you care to watch. But if you find that you're having trouble focusing each day, I highly recommend the Day Designer. It's a great way to zero in on what you need to be doing RIGHT NOW and hides all the other visual clutter that you might have to deal with in a weekly planner. Plus, they have some super cute mid-year covers. They also have A5 inserts for those of you who use binders.

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2. The Inkwell Press Planner

I don't have this one in my hands yet, but I've been stalking them online for a while and ordered one yesterday. I'm really, really curious to try out a horizontal weekly layout. And I LOVE the three boxes on the side of each day. I can think of so many things to track there. Meal plan. Word count. Blog posts. I've ordered one of their mid-year ones and should get it this week. I'll probably do a flip through video. But if you'd like to try one or one of their other products, you can get TEN DOLLARS OFF if you use my link. Woot! Besides planners, they also have adorable notepads.

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3. The Happy Planner by MAMBI

This has been my go to weekly since last year (the pic above is my week this week.) I love the colors and ADORE the ARC ring system because you can move all the pages around, and if you have an ARC punch, you can insert whatever you want. This is the planner I keep going back to. BUT I do get tired of the vertical layout sometimes, which is why I want to try a horizontal. I'm hoping in the future, they offer a variety of different kinds of layouts. But the great news about these is that they are inexpensive and you can usually get 40% off with a Michael's coupon or Hobby Lobby coupon. Plus, tons of great accessories.

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4. The Ban.do Agenda

This is another horizontal layout and I've ordered one but haven't received it yet. My guess is that I'll end up putting this one head to head with the Inkwell to see which one I like better. This one is very hip and stylish. Bright colors, quirky graphics, lots of fun little touches. I'm not sure about the quality of paper and such since I don't have one in my hands yet, but I'll do a video or review once I get it. 

By this time next week, I'll probably have all four of these in my hands and will be able to compare. Planner addiction anyone? Lol. But hey, that means I can rotate out every few months and keep it fresh. :)

Anyone else figuring out what's working for them so far this year and what needs to be revamped? Does the summer dramatically change your schedule? And for you planner lovers out there, which one are you loving right now?

(Full disclosure: Some of these are affiliate links, which doesn't cost you anything and actually gets you 10 dollars off in one case (yay!), but I always like to be upfront about that. And I never endorse something that I don't love and/or haven't purchased myself.)