My 2018 Planner with Plum Paper

*This post is sponsored by Plum Paper.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support Lindsay’s Sweet World.

**UPDATE AS OF MAY 2018 - UNFORTUNATELY THE COUPON CODE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE!  SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE!**

‘Tis the season for… planning for 2018!

The new year is right around the corner which in my book means… TIME TO GET ORGANIZED!! 

I have used a paper planner my entire life.  When everything went digital many years back I tried using a digital planner on my phone for a few months and nope, BIG mistake.  I dropped the ball on many things almost right away, so I immediately resumed my love affair with all things paper.  I’m a very visual person and I like to be able to see everything lying out in front of me.  I also like tangible things.  And highlighters.  And fun colored pens.  The digital way was just not for me, so yes, I am one of those weirdos that still carries a paper planner in 2017.

As most of you long-time readers know, I have been a faithful Erin Condren user for the last 3.5 years.  However, since the kids have started having different activities this year, I found that my ECLP wasn’t cutting it anymore, mostly because the layout no longer suited my needs. 

I started doing a lot of research on some of the other brands of paper planners, and the one that stood out the most was the planner from Plum Paper.  They have so many customization options, y’all!  It’s unbelievable!  I ultimately decided on that one and absolutely cannot wait to use it.

Want to take a peek inside?  You know you do!

The cover is very sturdy and also water resistant which is great since we have two littles, one who spills everything. 

When you open the planner there is a yearly calendar so you can see the entire year at a glance.  There are also very sturdy tabs for each month, similar to my ECLP.

Each month begins with an overview page where you can list goals, birthdays, events, and things to remember for each month.  There is also a plain lined page to use for whatever you want!  When you flip the page over, there is also a monthly view which is a must have for me.  I like to be able to see all of our appointments, etc. at a glance for the entire month.

Turning the page, you will see the individual days.  I chose the weekly layout and it is arranged very similarly to my ECLP in that there is a single column for each day.  However, the kicker with the Plum Planner is that they allow you to divide each column into however many sections you want AND YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE EACH SECTION.  Y’all!!!!  This was the absolute selling point for me.  It makes my Type A heart so flipping happy I can’t even take it. 

As you can see, I divided each day into the following categories:

Brian – tennis matches and practices, work trips, etc.

Lindsay – appointments, meetings, lunch dates, etc.

Jacob – soccer practices, games, notes for school

Olivia – future extracurricular activities, notes for school (no more forgetting to bring something for Show & Tell on Fridays – haha!)

Blog – post that’s going live that day, link-up reminders, things to do for future posts

Other – section for miscellaneous to-dos that day

Daily – what I’m cooking that day, exercise I did that day, etc.

And the columns have lines!!  #GameChanger

Y’all, I’m giddy.

Behind all of the months I opted to add some blank notes pages.  I will be adding tabs to these for budgeting, Christmas lists, party planning, and other blog stuff.

Behind my blank notes pages, I also opted to add some To-Do List pages.  I have no clue exactly what I’ll use them for yet, but they were so pretty I had to have them.  I love me some list-making!  I am the queen of lists!

Side note, Plum Paper offers oodles of different add-ons – wedding planning pages, budget planning pages… it’s amazing.

Finally at the back of the planner, there is a two-sided folder with pockets.  I typically keep my master to-do list folded up in there along with stamps, and some fun stickers. 

Y’all, I am so excited to get this new planner set up for 2018 and I’m even more excited about putting it to use in January!

I’ve had numerous people ask me to do a post about using my paper planners and I’m hoping to finally do this in the new year!  I will keep you guys posted!!

*Linking up with Sparkles and Lattes for Confessional Thursday and Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.