My 2015 Planner

So if you’re like me you like to be organized. I mean really really organized. You are the washi tape addict, highlighter advocate and pen hoarder ( in the best possible way ). I kept shying away from owning a planner for a while beacuse I found that nothing I came across really did it for me. It wasn’t exactly what I needed. It either had to much or to little, but never the right amount.

I’ve come to realize that my life is rather hectic and important things sometimes falls through the cracks. More so lately with doctors appointments, work loads, freelancing, commissions, etc. We live in a digital age and I love my iPhone to schedule things buuuuut sometimes I just need that paper and pen! Besides I can’t washi tape my iPhone screen and that makes me sad. I’ve been looking high and low at all the planner options. You’d think “Come on… this is EASY. Just pick one and go!”

No. There are about 10+ popular type of ‘planners’ out there. Some are expensive other not so much. It’s a searching nightmare.

So…after spending countless hours on pinterest I finally settled on a planner that works for me. Let me introduce you to Arc by Staples! Why? Because I can customize it! I’m all about designing (I’m a freelance web/graphic designer) and I LOVE the ability to put my own twist into my daily life. Can I just say, I LOVE the Arc system.

I started out with the blue arc but was given the white cover for my birthday! I have to say I am in love with the lighter color and what the white brings out! It’s fresh and vibrant! Plus I was thinking later on I can draw a piece of artwork, stick a sticker on it, or washi tape it up to give it more ‘vibrant’ choices!

“YOU create your own opportunities.”

On the inside I created my own ‘cover’ art. I laminated it and used my circa hole punch to punch it. Unfortunately my portal hole punch had a hard time punching through lamination. Rightfully so, you can only punch about 1-3 pieces of paper with the portable punch so I’d assume if I want to punch through that type of material, I’ll need the bigger one. I just don’t have the money to spend on the big punch.

I have my own cover page, next I’ve got a cardstock holding some sticky post it tags, then I’ve got all my sections. My sections/dividers are currently To-Do / Notes. Calendar. Special Dates. Work.

I created all the dividers by hand using some pretty card stock! I’m experimenting with this method. I did buy some Girl Of All Work Peel stickers that I want to apply to my own card stock to make my calendar tags stand out better! I don’t mind the default, but they are so bland and who doesn’t need a splash of color in their lives?

So let’s talk about the inside. I’m just getting used to how to effectively use my planner. This is my first ever real, bonafied planner so it’s in it’s infancy as far as how I’m organizing stuff, but it’s getting there. I use washi tape for all the things! Specifically I use different colors for different things. Example the “red/orange/maroon” tape is for work. Teal chevron is for trips. Etc. I love to highlight special things so they stand out in my calendar. The calendar I have is the one you can buy at staples for the Arc specifically. Its ok but it isn’t really me. I’ll be printing out my own 2016 calendar I think. There’s some awesome free ones online you can download and print yourself which is what I’ll be doing!

So you get a calendar view, monthly view and weekly view. I love having the calendar view and being able to see at a glance what’s going on. I don’t use the weekly view a whole lot yet as I’m still getting used to it, so I might modify this to my own liking. I am also working on special “artwork” planner pages! Especially for commissions!