HELLO AND WELCOME TO BLOGMAS DAY 6! PLEASE CHECK OUT MY HOME PAGE ON THIS SITE WHERE YOU CAN SEE ALL MY BLOGS FOR BLOGMAS THAT I HAVE WRITTEN AND POSTED SO FAR!

In today's post I am continuing with my planner series AND IF YOU HAVEN'T READ OR SEEN MY PREVIOUS POST SHARING MY PERSONAL PLANNER THEN PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK HERE TO SEE: my-personal-size-filofaxs-for-2019.html, because I love seeing pictures on Instagram and Facebook and videos of those who decorate and do different things in their planners and who share the love of having many planners throughout the year. 

To plan my my blogs, schedule posts and mark down special dates to blog about, I have used many systems which haven't quite worked.

This planner has been the best Work Planner I have had so far, where I schedule my blogs, when I want to work on my books and do research, or make goals for my work to continue and grow, and I also use this with a couple other planning systems and notepads too (I share why further down in this blog). 

With creating content for my blogs there is, and those who create Youtube content, podcasts and write books aswell as write blogposts will be familiar with too, is that there is a lot of work involved and so its important to have a good work system that you can stick to change slightly if you need to, but is there to help guide and not get you overwhelmed or lost.

A GREAT PLACE TO FIND PLANNERS!

​I found this Planner in TKMaxx. They do if you don't want to buy one online and you want one that has different areas to plan and has a good set up for lots of items to jot down, then TKMaxx do quite a lot of Planners and after finding this one there were others there too I discovered and really had to rein myself in, because I could feel myself wanting another one. 

First of all talking about the front of the Planner and what attracted me about this one is that I love the cover. I love marble type patterns and the colour blue is gorgeous. Not sure that the picture I share above of the front of the planner even does it justice. 

I like Planners that lifts my heart because I know because of how gorgeous it is I will make the most of it, use as many pages as I can and can stick to without wanting to use an alternative planner. 

The reason why I use another planning system and notepads aswell as this planner for my blogs and writing content is because of that fact I have so many ideas, that I need extra to do lists and areas to put my ideas, however I still would not have been able to have written the blogs I have posted which many have gone down well so far, without this planner I bought for planning my work this year. 

When you open the front cover of this Planner from TKMaxx on the inside of the front cover there  is an area to put "Who the planner belongs to" and if found (in case you lose it) a contact number. I didn't use this because this planner stays at home and I take my notebooks with information in, instead. 

However it is not too bulky so if you did want to carry it in your bag then you can and it is quite lightweight for a planner with many pages to fill. 

Then on the next page there a inserted folder where you can put important documents into, and then on the next page after that you have a full calendar page with months and dates for 2019 and on the other side the same, but for 2020. 

What I tend to do and I will be doing for next year to get ahead to put into my next years planner, is circle or highlight any important dates that I need to keep note of. 

GETTING AHEAD IS HOW I ROLL!

Moving onto the next page, there are areas to put contact details of people into and this carries onto the other side. Then you have another tab with January 2019 on it with a marble pattern on it just like the front cover and this is the beginning of the actual planning/diary pages. 

At the beginning of each month in this planner after each monthly tab which is brilliantly marked out and one of the reasons I liked it because I can quickly turn to that month if I need to change or check something, is that there is a page which has an area for Goals, To do's and an area to mark an Anniversaries. I covered these sections with stickers as I was using it to mark my writing work and I even used stickers to cover over the month written at the top of the page as I wanted it to be a bit more personalised and to stand out. 

Following on to the next two pages you have a full month on two pages and again really great to mark out when I would blog, work on my books, do research, special dates and any deadlines. 

I did use a few stickers for these pages aswell as you have a full layout of the month on two pages for each month as you go through the planner and within in these pages there were details of the previous month and the next month listed too. 

After that you begin with a horizontal layout and a good size lined section  of each date of the week and have a full week on two pages. Some of the dates at the end of each month in the planner as it is marked out month by month follows onto the next months pages. 

At the end of the each diary section where you have a full week on two pages you have another page which is graphed page and I used this section to write down any blogs listed in the planner that I didn't manage to post for that month. 

At the very end of the planner as it is more or less the same for each month and the layout of the planner is month by month, there is a section that has a page with 2019 U.S holidays details and dates. 

I have already bought my 2020 work planner which I will share soon along with the other planners I am going to use for next year. The one I bought for next year is slightly different and is opened dated, but this years planner for 2019 did work well for me and I would definitely buy a planner from TK Maxx again. 

So I am going to see if I can blog some more today, but if not I will see you in tomorrows blog for Blogmas day number 7. 

You can follow all my blog sites on WordPress.com aswell as this one and remember I also post my blogs on my Pinterest and social media pages aswell (see below): 

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/carriesrealworl/
 
Social media:
https://www.instagram.com/cazzasrealworld/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/carriesrealworld
https://www.facebook.com/Carries-Everyday-Living-and-lifestyle-261704010959953/
https://www.facebook.com/czavonuk/
 
Twitter
https://twitter.com/carrie82434764

Many thanks for reading and have a great day!

Carrie X 

Above is my Personal Planner that either stays on my dining table downstairs which now acts as my work desk too, which was bought by my husband as a Christmas gift last year from Whsmiths. 

I have really enjoyed using this planner, but I still managed to forget a few things using this diary, so now with the art of technology as I forget that Henry could have come in his own sports gear last Friday but forgot, now put any important school dates such as dress down days onto my Google Calendar and my desk planner in my bedroom which is on my cube unit by my bed. 

I do still like writing things down though and I do take this planner out and about with me, however the planner/diary section is quite small and so I tend to highlight the most important items with a few other items if I have space and use a separate notebook or planner for other items to be done on specific days too.

Inside my Personal Planner as you open it up there is a section to put any important bank size cards inside and large inserted area for bigger items. I tend to store my work details, a photo of my son and a piece of card to help keep the inside of the Planner in good condition as they can wear very easily. 

I also keep important letters, any birthday invitations for my son that he often gets from his school friends and make sure I have a regular clear out, which I did just before typing this blog, of what I still need to keep inside the planner and what can be put away or disposed of.  

Planners of any size can often get clogged up with paper work, cards and the inserts can often begin to wear and tare aswell, so if you have tabs that are interchangeable and separated then you can changes these up and there are lots of varieties for inserts on stores like Etsy and Ebay. 

The other option is to make your own. I have done this in the passed for my A5 planner on occasions but I found that you have to make a lot of time as I am not naturally creative in this area to make these. 

This Planner comes with a little booklet rather than individual separated pages, and so far have stayed in tiptop condition, unlike a normal Filofax and is refillable. I have already purchased my booklet to reuse my personal planner for 2020 and the refills are available from Whsmiths aswell, but is expensive. Advice if you are coming up to a birthday of your own, someone else's or want a new insert for your planner like this one from stores such as Whsmiths ask for a gift card. 

Sometimes Whsmiths will do vouchers when you buy something, but these can exclude certain items. 

I do find Whsmiths to be a little pricey, not sure if you can buy the little inserted booklet as it seems to be stores own brand, but I am sure if you shop around you could possibly because planners are now so popular that there is bound to be others out there that are similar. 

When first turning the pages of the little booklet you will come to a Personal Notes page, where you can put your name, address, telephone number, mobile, email and a emergency contact name, with an area to put down your doctor's details, however I don't tend to use this section in any of my planners.

Then on the next few pages you come to a 2019 year to a page calendar and a 2020 year to a page calendar. The next pages you have Notable dates such as valentines day, Good Friday, spring holiday, Christmas holidays etc, with Religious Festival details on the next page. 

Then you have International Information, which is currency, dial code and time zone information. 

Next page there is International Public holiday details, which I feel can be important if you are someone who travels a lot but want to avoid such holidays, as the prices of travel to those countries can often go up and be extra busy, especially if there are theme parks and plenty of beaches. 

On the next pages are details of when you will see Sunrise and Sunset in 2019 in the different months, dates and times of the year. Conversion Factors of different lengths, Area, Volume, Mass and Capacity. Useful if you run or walk as I like to keep account when I do my exercise of how far I have done and if you are decorating or giving a room a makeover as often when buying furniture or new interiors for a home I have forgotten to measure and have found out that the item was the wrong size. Plus stores measure things in different ways, so helps to convert any measurements if need be. 

After these pages you come to the Diary section and each section has a tab with the month separated. I like this because I do find it easier to quickly get to the date or week I want, and was why I changed from using my Personalized Filofax to this one because of that factor. 

With all my planners I try to get one as I do use different ones for my blogs and writing for example and for my finance details, with similar month by month tabs now. It just makes life a lot easier and planning too.

On each month to month tab which is also another set of pages with a tab on it that has on the front the whole lot of dates of that month and a line to write anything down. Not great if you have a whole load of events or appointments in one day, but I have used this page to list important school events, charity events, birthdays, when Henry breaks up for half term and Christmas holidays, etc and then on the other side of each month to month tab you have an area to put a list of To do's for the month, which I haven't really used. 

After the diary section you have another tab which is the 2019 planner which is basically one long inserted page, which you pull out and has a full month to month view of each month of the year with the date, which again is great for putting holidays, appointments and events in. I didn't use this part but I will probably do so with the one I will be inserting into this planner for next year. You don't get much space but one way I am thinking of using this page is to have coloured dot stickers to mark special dates down in this section for next year. 

Then after the Planner page you have a notes page and on the other side of this you have an area to put any expenses for each month which is followed by another tab with Expenses on it. Again I didn't use this because I have a separate financial planner but thinking of using it because keeping tabs of what I spent whilst out and about,  each week and month I do find useful, and my financial planner is kept upstairs and indoors. Its a bit big and heavy to carry around unlike this planner. After this you have another tab for Addresses and then the last one is a tab for more Notes, which I have used for confidential details, but you can use this for anything you want to keep notes for. 

To mark the note pages I have used I have used a sticker on each of these pages, to help highlight that there is information here that I may need to refer to. 

The section for addresses I haven't used because I like to keep other peoples information separate for myself and their safety, and use a separate address book for such information which is kept indoors or sometimes we put it in the car when we travel. 

Like I shared at the beginning of this blog, I have really enjoyed using this planner and have decorated it with stickers on each page. I haven't gone overboard with stickers, but would like to decorate it more next year as I do enjoy that, but I still want to make sure that the most important information I need to take around with me is listed at all times, and thinking of a way I can doing that, that will help me refer and check the diary information more frequently and have important school dates so I don't forget highlighted in a better way just in case I can't refer to my Google Calendar. I always think like with all technology, it is okay to go digital, but for me you can't rely on that too much, because all technology can breakdown and so I still think you can't bit the good old fashion paper form as a back up just in case, that you can still check for upcoming important information.

The stickers I have used this year is from these booklets purchased from Amazon, which I has been so useful and once I use this up, will definitely be buying another. If you go on sites like Etsy then thee are loads of people selling planner stickers, but always check delivery price because this can mount up the cost, and I found using a booklet form to be more cost effective. 

Alternative like I have done also, I have purchased many stickers from stores such as Poundland, Wilko and other stationary and local craft stores. 

You can get planners like this one in different colours and sizes from Whsmiths, but do check out stores such as Paperchase aswell, because yes their diaries and planners prices can mount up too, but often they do better deals on planners, diaries and Filofaxes, and if you have a Paperchase card this can also get you further discounts on products.  items. 

Wilko also now have a Filofax opened dated type of planner and this year for next year I bought one from Poundland, which is again opened dated and plan for this to be my Work Planner (where I plan my blogs and writing my books) and yes it is for kids but that doesn't bother me at all. 

I will post more about my planners this year in more blogs as we move towards 2020, along with other stickers I have bought to use aswell for next year. 

WATCH THIS SPACE!

If you would like to check out my other sites I share with this one where I write blogs too on various subjects then please check the links listed below for details:

https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com/
https://everydaylivingandlifestyle.wordpress.com/
https://theparentingadventurestipsandtricks.wordpress.com/
https://theparentingadventuresthebirthofmyson.wordpress.com
https://sportsandfitnesspassion.wordpress.com/
​

Many thanks for reading, 


​Carrie X 

I have posted a new video on my Youtube Channel as part of my planner series of my work planner, which I bought from TKMaxx. 

Check out my new video showing my two Personal Filofax's for 2019 

Come and check out my new video showing my A5 Filofax/Financial planner for 2019.

Disclaimer: The company you see advertised in this post I am an affiliate for so any purchases made I will receive a small royalty for. 

If you haven't yet bought your 2019 planner then why not check out Paperchase. They have loads of different planners available that you will be spoiled with choice. 

They have plenty of journals to choose from too. There is nothing nicer than to receive a diary as a gift if you have begun your Christmas shopping already. 

Why not check out their Mermaid Squad products, great for those children who love stationary.

Sticking to, To Do lists can be hard, so I came across this video by Erin May Henry about How To Stick to Your To Do List/organisation advice. 

Everyone has their own unique way of planning and I came across this video of how this lady uses a ring binder as a planner, and could help but share this video as she gifts some real good tips. 

She does many planner videos so if you want to check out her channel, then please go to Milk and Honey Life 

I suppose this blogs follows my blog I wrote on my WordPress site, about Find a good routine can help have more structured life. 

Without planning there is no routine for me, planning sets me up for the weeks, months and year ahead.

To me it is important to have a good planning system in place, where you can set a side parts of my day that I can for example write my blogs, go for a walk, exercise at home, spend time with my husband and son. 

I live by my planners and I make sure I plan each week as soon as one is about to end. 

Finding a good planner or Filofax is a must and I like the fact with a Filofax I can refill it take bits out I no longer need. I love to decorate my pages, as it motivates me continue to use them. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Here as promised is a new Filofax and Planner video, showing my planners I am using for 2018.

Planning helps me stay focused and to stop me feeling overwhelmed. 

I do love a good diary that I can keep important documents in side, bills and other important details in. 

I will be doing a video soon on How I Plan my life. 

I hope you enjoy this video and let me know if you have any questions regarding my planners I would love to hear from you. 

Many thanks for reading, 

​Carrie