Erin Condren Update: How I’m Using My Life Planner + Sticker Shock

I’ve had my Erin Condren Life Planner for over a month now, and I’ve definitely been getting use out of it.

I have a vertical planner, and have to decided to divide up the boxes into Work (freelance and my regular job), Personal Projects (things like this blog and Style Syntax), and Personal (stuff I need to do at home/appointments outside of work). Using the Life Planner has definitely become a part of my routine, and it’s been especially helpful at work. I track not only the things I have to do, but write down what I do as I go along, so if someoone asks me what I did to Tuesday, I can turn to my planner and check. Before, I would often forget whether or not I had worked on a certain text. I also put post-its with reminders of things I need to check.

I’ve also found it helpful for keeping track of my non-work goals. When I was actively working at home full-time and thus using my Filofax as much as I’m using my ECLP now, I would punch holes in a page from a memo pad and keep it in the middle of my week-on-two-pages spread. With the ECLP, I write those goals down the left side of the planner. Special monthly goals and goal tracking go in the monthly spread.

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So far, what I’m liking about the ECLP is that I don’t feel like I have to be as precious with it. I can just throw it in my work bag, and since I carry a backpack, the size doesn’t bother me. The layout also works well for me, since my life currently can be divided up nicely into three separate boxes. Right now, I’m basically using my Filofax as a place to store personal information and documents that I need, but don’t want to carry with me all the time. I could foresee that if the time comes when I’m not working outside of the house, like my situation last year, having two planners might seem extraneous and I could go back to my Filofax with whatever spread suited my needs. But for now, using a bound planner to do my actual planning seems to be working for me.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I made it over to Staples, planning to maybe pick up some Erin Condren things without paying for shipping. I left empty-handed, however, because $7 for four coil clips looks a little outrageous in person. It doesn’t feel that was when you’re on the website, because you’re not surrounded by much cheaper products by Martha Stewart and Cynthia Rowley. This brings up the question of whether the Life Planner is overpriced. I think it is, but I do really like it, so the cost won’t be a factor in my decision-making when I decide whether to purchase one for 2018.

2016 Goals: September Update

See January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and .

1. Go to bed/wake up earlier.
I’ve actually been doing really well with this so far!

2. Make dinner 3x/week
I’ve done it a few times.

3. Keep living space clean.
I’m KonMaring this month, so…

4. Live off salary and save freelance income.
I had to sacrifice three weeks of salary to take time off, so this isn’t going to happen.

5. Save $1000.
See above.

6. Then get a secured credit card.

7. Finish dissertation by end of July January/Finish draft of middle-grade novel by December.
My new goal is end of January. I’ve started writing every day, but I’m not sure if it’s going to turn into a middle-grade novel, exactly.

This month, I’m trying not to drink any kind of soda. It’s been hard, but not as hard as the other times I’ve tried to quit soda. I think before, I was letting myself drink Sprite, seltzer, etc., and somehow that’s harder than just giving up the entire class of fizzy beverages all together.