If you’re anything like me, your planner makes or breaks your productivity. Having a yearly and monthly calendar, to-do list, and planning space at your fingertips helps you to feel in control over life’s chaos. Think of a planner as a centralized area for all of your organizational needs. I am OBSESSED with planners and I think you should be too!
The planners I love the most are the ones that offer more than a calendar. My goal with this post is to equip you with space to dream, outline goals, and plan this next year with purpose so you can achieve success!
Currently, I just moved into my first Day Designer planner! I love it so far! But, what I have found after using many different planners throughout the years is that everyone is “meant to be” with a different planner. The planner you use is really dependent on what you are using it for and what you hope to achieve by keeping a planner.
Planning and using a paper planner is a HUGE part of my life! I hope to do a “Plan with Me” video using both my everyday planner and wedding planner by the end of the month. So be excited for that!
Here are my top planners for 2017!
I reached out to fellow blogger and planner girl, Innovative Latina, to see how she started blogging, why she uses a planner, and what planner she is currently using.
TNL: Introduce yourself. =)
IL: I’m a 40-year-old Latina mom living in Connecticut. I have one 15-year-old son named Manny. I’m also from Orlando, FL. I have gone back and forth for many years. I have been here for about 20 years. I do work outside the home. I am a Senior Admin Assistant for 4 doctors at a nearby university. I have been there for 11.5 years.
TNL: Why and how did you start blogging?
IL: I started blogging almost 2 years ago to the day. I started it as a creative outlet slash stress reliever. My family and friends had always told me I had a gift with words and writing, so I decided to go for it. I wanted to do it years ago, but I just didn’t have the time.
TNL: Why did you choose “The Innovative Latina”?
IL: The Innovative Latina came about two months ago when I decided to re-brand. My former name was The Bloggin’ Mamacita. Last year, when I turned 40, I decided that I needed something a little more mature. I do know that I want to expand my blog in order to grow it, so I decided changing the name of my blog was the best way to do that.
TNL: When did you start using a paper planner and why?
IL: Almost two years ago to this month! Haha I found a “planner guru” on YouTube and she pulled out the Erin Condren planner and SHE HAD ME HOOKED. She explained all the logistics about our phones and technology. She went on to say how we could lose our phone at any minute, it could shut down, or we could easily lose all our data. And that is why i started using a planner.
After using a planner for two years, I realized that I like to see things visually and in my face. I like crossing things off my checklist. It makes me feel more accomplished. I do, aslo, manage my household and it’s a lot of responsibility. And, with that comes organization. So a planner has done nothing but keep me ORGANIZED for the past two years.
TNL: How does using a planner tie into your blogging journey?
IL: I used to keep a separate planner for blogging as I was on a blogging schedule before. But, that just wasn’t for me, so now I just blog when I want to. But, now, I do keep track of my blogging posts, posting to social media, responding to comments, responding to emails, and every single little thing that goes into it. So, doing it this way, I am still keeping my blog planner separate from my everyday planner. I am using the Michael’s Recollections Goal Planner as my blogging planner.
TNL: What planner are you currently using? Why is that planner “The One” for you?
IL: I am currently using the Mini Happy Planner from me and my BIG ideas. I like that it’s small, but still has a ton of space. I can’t exactly say it’s the planner for me just yet. The verdict is still out on that, so I will keep you all posted. ;)
TNL: What would you recommend to someone new to planners and the planner community?
IL: do your research, set a budget, you have to have willpower (there is ALWAYS going to be new and cute planner stuff out there), find what works for you, start off small with decorations, make sure exactly what you want to use your planner for, figure out about how many different planners you are going to actually need, and do not fall into the Etsy sticker trap (it’s easy to go overboard and go waaaay over budget).
Mitzi Perez is a proud Latina Mom of a handsome 14 year old son. She loves coffee and blogging about life, beauty, shopping, planning and more. You will find that she writes about a variety of topics simply because she wants to keep things interesting so that you will want to keep going back to her blog and hopefully become a loyal subscriber. The truth is that she wanted to start a blog years ago however life just got in the way so at the beginning of last year, she decided to go for it with the hopes that she could help and inspire others one post at a time. You can follow Innovative Latina on her Blog, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Do you use a planner?
What is your favorite planner?
How did you start using a planner?
Stay in love,
