Video Flip Through of the Ban.do Agenda and Sticker Books

Hey, guys! I didn't plan to do a blog post today, but I realized that I filmed a flip through of the Ban.do Agenda and their sticker books and never posted it here. So for you planner nerds out there, here it is!

A flip through of the large 2016-1017 Ban.do Agenda.

And here's a quick flip of the sticker books that you can buy to go with the agenda (or for any planner, really.) This one has music in the background, no narration, so feel free to mute. :)

A quick flip through of the Ban.do agenda sticker books.

Have a great Thursday! 

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.)

Seeking Novelty vs. Finding Tried and True: What's Your Style in Life?

This week when I was buying yet another planner (the Ban.do Agenda in the photo), I had that moment of "you're being ridiculous." And maybe I was. I don't need another planner. And do I think I'll use that planner for the next 18 months? Hell, no. I doubt I'll use any one planner for more than three months in a row. 

But then I decided the hell with it because a) planners have become my hobby, b) I recently posted about not apologizing for the "silly" things you're into if it's not hurting you or someone else (or spending money you can't afford to spend), and C) This is a personality quirk. I like variety. The variety is what keeps me interested and motivated to continue planning.

I get bored easily. And that's when I saw that this is an overall pattern in many areas of my life.

Some examples:

1. I rarely cook the same recipe twice because what keeps me excited about cooking is testing out new recipes.

2. I have trouble reading books in a series back to back (unless it's a cliffhanger book.) I need to read something else in between.

3. I never reread books, even my favorites.

4. The books I write don't follow a standard pattern even though they are in a series. I need a new concept, conflict, taboo topic, trope, setting, whatever it is to hook me into writing it. 

5. Vacations - I don't want to go back to the same places all the time. The world is too big and I want to see as much as I can. But my parents love going back to the same spots and I know a lot of other people love that idea of having their same summer getaway each year. 

The only areas I could think of that I don't seek variety and prefer tried and true are:

1. The hubs - Which is a good one to be tried and true about obviously, lol. We've been together 17 years and it still feels new every day. :)

2. Favorite movies and TV shows - I enjoy watching my favorite movies or TV shows over and over again. Every few years, I'll pull out my Dawson's Creek or Friends boxed set and watch them from start to finish.

3. My car - I'm on my third Hyundai Sante Fe. I found the vehicle I like and I'm good. And I keep my car long after it's paid off. 

But anyway, all this got me to wondering how other people are when it comes to this. So I want to hear from you. Do you tend to seek out variety? Or do you like finding the thing that works and sticking with it? Or does it vary depending on what area of your life?

The Collecting of Things and a Little Enabling #ListifyLife

Happy Monday, everyone! Yeah, I know that's an oxymoron. :) So first, before we get to the Listify post, I thought I'd do a little enabling for those of you who love pretty notebooks and planners like I do. (None of these are affiliate links. I'm just passing along the info.)

First, May Designs is having a 50% off sitewide sale today for a Good Morning America promotion. If you're not familiar with them, it's a company that makes lovely custom notebooks and stationary. You can get your notebook covers personalized and even pick from all kinds of layouts, including meal planners, fitness planners, weekly agendas, graph paper, or just regular lined paper. Have fun!

Next, for those watching all the mid-year planner releases, Ban.do is launching their planner today. I wasn't familiar with these at the beginning of the year, but I've since seen some people instagramming them. These are really adorable and fun. Quirky artwork, silly sayings, fun holidays listed. It's a really stylish, modern looking planner. And even though I'm currently working with both my Happy Planner and Day Designer, I ordered one of the Ban.do to try. I've been wanting to try a horizontal layout and the price is reasonable. Plus, they have really great stickers. (Yes, I'm a planner addict. I will freely admit. :) At least it's cheaper than being addicted to designer shoes or purses or something, right?)

Next up, the #ListifyLife challenge. This week is Thing I Collect. I have a feeling my answers will be of no surprise to anyone, lol.

Things I Collect

1. Books - This is both print and ebooks. My TBR pile is somewhere in the 700 range last I checked. Yeah. 

2. Planners - I have two Happy Planners, a Day Designer, a Hobonichi Weeks, and just ordered a Ban.do agenda. I think my perfect planning system would involve changing planners every quarter so I don't get bored, lol.

3. Stickers - This is directly related to the planner addiction right now, but I've always loved stickers since my years of Trapper Keepers and Lisa Frank. :)

4. Pens

5. Cookbooks - I've been doing this since I got married. I cull them every year but still maintain two full bookshelves of them. I love trying out new recipes.

6. Story Ideas - I have way more ideas than I have time to write. But I always keep good ideas in a file because I never know when I might get a chance to write them. 

So that's my collects (*cough* addictions) laid bare. Now I'd love to hear yours. What do you collect?