Happy Planning...

I'm usually one of the last to pick up on a craze, but I think this could be a keeper - for the next few months at least :)

I found this Create 365 planner cheap on ebay. I confess I don't know why they run for 18 months (especially given their name!), but as several months had expired (from July 2015), it was a bargain!

I didn't like the garish outer covers, but I was thrilled to find you could swap the covers around, and this is much more inviting...

I then found online various pockets and pouches that just slide in...

The pouch is perfect for pens, markers and STICKERS!!

I've found the most wonderful UK seller on Etsy :) 

I'm using the pawprints for my 6-weekly pedicures; the bunting for birthdays/anniversaries; the wheelie bin stickers so I can answer when hubby asks every Tuesday evening, 'Which bin is it?'; the pencils to mark my writing progress and E's exams; the happy mail stickers to mark when I've posted letters/parcels, and she even custom-made a set of pill and blood stickers so I can keep track of my medication and blood tests :)

I'm loving the large spaces to write in each morning, afternoon and evening, and the two-page spread for each week. (There is also a two-page monthly spread at the beginning of each month.)

Finding the 'perfect planner' is quite a Goldilocks quest (I've tried such a variety over the years - none of them proving 'just right'...) But this one seems to have the right balance of overall size (about 9" x 7") and daily space to write; it's colourful enough without being over-the-top; and it's flexible with a vast array of elements available to add and remove.

My only concern is how the individual paper pages hold up on a day-to-day basis (they are pre-punched and slide onto the plastic discs which make up the spine), which doesn't seem the most robust method. But we'll see...

So far, I can only say I am, indeed, a very Happy Planner :D