Hey friends! How was your August? Mine was epically productive, which was a great primer for me to jump into autumn with some new energy and fresh plans! One of the best ways that I find helps me to have a great month is to organize my plans for the month before it begins and layout everything I want to do, goals I have laid out, books I want to read and important dates I want to remember for the month. That’s why I created my monthly dashboard printables that I share with you all!
Since September is now upon us, head on over to my shop to download your FREE September Printable Planner Dashboard available in both A5 + Personal Sizes! Once you have your dashboard printed out and in your planner, I want to see how you are using it to plan your key plans for the month so make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat and use the hashtag #CharmedGTD so that others in the community can find your pictures and get inspiration from you as well!
Yesterday I got a message from a friend telling me to check out a recent scope from Lewis Howes. It was called “The #1 Thing That Separates You Online from Your Competitors,” and it was all about how the best brands online have the best photography, a topic I had just posted about with the launch of my #CharmedDSLR Photography Challenge and Mini Course. As soon as she told me, I joked “I’m a trailblazer!” Then I proceeded to insinuate that perhaps Lewis Howes was one of my blog readers. Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t (hi Lewis, if you’re reading this!) but this was certainly not the first time that I had covered a topic on my blog or in a YouTube video and then began to notice other creators discussing the same topic. It’s synchronicity and it’s a concept that I believe every creator needs to be fully aware of and comfortable with as they learn to navigate the online space.
If you have never heard of this concept before, synchronicity is that sometimes eerie occurrence when things happen simultaneously, and although they may appear to be related, they really have no connection. Personally, I find that this happens to me all the time, I’m sure it has happened to you, or will happen to you, and I think it’s something you need to be mentally prepared for. Too often, I see online creators tear themselves apart with grief or anger over an innocent instance of synchronicity. You write a blog post on a topic and then another blogger you are familiar with covers the same topic. You make a YouTube video about a subject and another YouTuber you follow makes the same video at nearly the same time. Is this coincidence or are they copying you might ask yourself? More times than not, I find that this is a simple case of synchronicity and I’ll explain to you in very simple terms why I believe this happens and why you should use synchronicity to empower your brand instead of allow it to destroy you.
In my opinion, synchronicity happens because ideas are cyclical. Like fashion trends they rotate through the seasons and during certain periods of time, it’s natural that more than one person would have the same idea or concept. This is especially true if people have the same interests to begin with. Take the planner community for instance. I find that ideas rotate through the planner community constantly. A few years ago when I made my first planner video, I showed a Martha Stewart disc bound planner that I had purchased. At that time, I didn’t notice very many people using this notebook, and as time progressed I naturally began to rotate into new styles of planners. Now, a few years later, I am right back where I started using a disc bound planner yet again. Why? Because the planner world is small and there are only so many directions you can go before you end up right back where you started. Now, I see people talking about disc bound planners pretty often and its all part of that same cycle! Do I think people are copying me? Absolutely not! I would like to think that I have influenced people in the community, but I certainly can’t claim credit over their choice of planner because planners are a small world. And I think the same thing happens in other communities online as well. In the beauty community I will notice that a certain brand or product is getting a lot of attention from beauty bloggers or within the business community I will notice that everyone is launching a course on branding. Ideas come and go and there is bound to be overlap!
Now, personally, I love synchronicity and I think you should learn to love it as well. To me its validating to know that the topic I am currently passionate about is getting notoriety via other figures online. While some people might think of these other figures as competition, I take a more reasonable approach! The way I look at it, the more people that are talking about a certain topic, the better! More people talking about it means that more viewers are noticing the topic and searching for the topic because there is a buzz in the air. Now, this is my opportunity as a creator to really step my game up and make sure that when people are searching for this buzz worthy topic, they find me and that I put my best foot forward to get their attention so they engaged with my content, join my community and hopefully purchase one of my products! Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what someone else is doing, the only thing I have control over is how I manage my brand. That is how I am going to stand out and overcome any perceived competition.
What you really need to watch out for when it comes to synchronicity is that concept of competition and getting into a victim mentality. I have watched as other creators have torn themselves apart with anger and grief because they took a simple instance of synchronicity out of context and accused someone of copying them. This is such a dangerous mental state to be in. I can understand how frustrating it can be when you believe someone is copying your content, I have definitely been there, but it’s so important that you keep a calm head and a clear mind and really see the innocence in a situation of synchronicity. Not understanding synchronicity and allowing that victim mentality to overtake your mind will only cause you mental destruction and will put a serious block on your ability to create in the future.
So, I hope this has helped you to understand the concept of synchronicity a little better and that this helps you avoid any unnecessary anguish if you find yourself a party to content sync up! Let me know down below if you have ever found yourself in a situation like this and how you handled it. Did you take the synchronicity as a sign from the universe that you were on the right path, or did you have a negative experience that you had to learn from? I’d love to know your thoughts!
When it comes to growing my brand and business online, there is no doubt in my mind that the single external factor that has helped me attract a community, share my story and promote my products and services, is my photography. I get dozens of comments, emails and requests each week regarding my photography.
Questions like…
Which camera and lens do you use?
What software do you recommend for photo editing?
Do you use any specific apps on your iPhone to enhance your pictures?
What techniques do you use to get great shots?
What advice do you have for someone who wants to improve their photography skills?
If you have visited my blog or Instagram account before, you may have wondered one or more of those questions yourself! Great photography is really at the cornerstone of my business because when it comes to interacting with people online, few things convey a message and a brand the way a great photograph does! As a blogger, I write at least a dozen blog posts a month, and each of those posts require my own unique stock photography! Why my own unique stock photography? Well, because no stock photo from a stock photo website is ever going to convey my brand better than images that I have taken myself. Stock photography definitely has it’s time and place, but for me, I never want to rely on stock images because I want images on my site that you can’t find anywhere else! How many times have you ever been to a website or perusing Pinterest and seen the same exact image being used by more than one blog or site? No, the sites probably aren’t related. Those images came from a stock photography website where people can purchase images, and to me, seeing an image on multiple sites or blogs, really dilutes the brand experience for me!
So, to combat this, I have made myself a master of digital photography styling! I’m not a professionally trained photographer by any means, but I did spend a good amount of time in college studying photography and for the past several years, I have been relying on my own original photography for my blog, shop and social media accounts!
If you are a blogger who really wants your posts to stand out online or if you are a business owner who needs to learn just enough of the art and skill of photography to take beautiful photos to promote your products or services, I have a super fun and FREE resource for you!
I have put together a very special Photography Challenge and Mini Course called…
#CharmedDSLR!DSLR as in Digital Styling Lightroom!
#CharmedDSLR is kicking off on September 1st, 2015 as a 30 day Instagram photo challenge where you can put photographic concepts into practice to improve your skills! To help you along and make this more of a learning experience, I have also intentionally broken down the major concepts of photography that you will be learning into a 4 week course and created an exclusive course book with additional information and guidance! I’m also going to be hosting a FREE webinar towards the end of the month to wrap up our mini course and give you even more information on how I approach my photography, but invites are only going out to those who sign up below!
So, if you would like to participate in the #CharmedDSLR Photo Challenge and Mini Course, sign up below to get your FREE course book and information on the wrap up webinar at the end of the month!
I’m so excited to get started helping you improve your photography skills and serve you daily doses of photography inspiration, so please make sure to share this post in your social media accounts so we can help as much of the community as possible! Make sure to repost the graphic above to your Instagram account and use the hashtag #CharmedDSLR so I can see who is participating and of course “like” your photos!
Welcome to my latest installment of #InspirationMBA, a monthly post on the blog where I will take a single piece of highly valuable content from around the web and break it down into something of a lesson plan, outlining why I think the content is important and what you will learn from it. I know you don’t have all the time in the world to learn all the ins and outs of business and productivity, so I want to make it easier for you to learn by identifying the best content that you can act upon immediately. So many people just don’t have the time or the money to spend on additional education, but I hope that this series helps you to open your mind and continue your own education through self study guided by me! Enjoy!
Lesson #3: Tony Robbins on the Secret to Finding Happiness
For my third lesson in the #INSPIRATIONMBA series, I wanted to share with you a motivational speech by one of the worlds single greatest life coaches, Tony Robbins. Whether or not you believe in life coaching or not, this man and the concepts he outlines during this presentation are serious food for thought. One of the big reasons I started this series was to help people get over the hurdles they believe are present in their lives, hurdles that to be completely honest, are usually self-made! Tony is world renowned for his ability to help even the most powerful and influential people on the planet make breakthroughs with their lives, performance and business, and if you do enjoy this video and want to learn more, I would highly suggest picking up his book Awaken the Giant Within. For now, however, I want you to sit down with this video, a notebook and a pen and really spend the next 30 minutes in this video thinking about what Tony is teaching and how it applies to you and your life, and hopefully, you too can start taking down those hurdles and barriers you have in place to fulfilling your own happiness!
What you will learn
• The one thing people need to feel happy.
Hint: It’s a journey you are on in this very series.
• The one archetype of a stereotypical life that still exists in our world.
Hint: It’s all about being special and unique.
• The formula you can use to figure out an area of your life that you’re happy with.
Hint: You must take a moment and think about it.
• The formula you can use to figure out an area of your life that you aren’t happy with.
Hint: It’s a comparison game!
• The situation where unhappiness turns into pain.
Hint: It’s a control issue.
• The one choice you can make to ensure your future unhappiness.
Hint: Playing the blame game.
• The important choices you have to make in the direction of your current and future happiness.
Hint: There are two options.
• The two things you need to do in order to have a meaningful life.
Hint: They both start with G.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this 3rd installment of my #INSPIRATIONMBA series. Now that you are done the video, I hope you have some good notes to help you begin living a happier life through strategies that will help your reality merge with the blueprint life story you have in your mind! If you enjoyed this post, please share it on social media, put it on Facebook, tweet out the link or take a screen shot and post it to your IG- anything to help me get the word out and help to make this series a success. You know I truly believe in the message behind this series and I want to see it help as many people as possible, but I can’t do it alone, I need your help to get the word out! Thanks so much for spending time today on your #InspirationMBA and of course, if there is anything I can help you with, let me know!
This past weekend I had the most amazing opportunity to teach my very first Productivity and Planning Master Class Webinar! It was two hours packed with theory, strategy and my personal tips to being more productive and the key role your planner plays in keeping you productive and organized. Here’s what I covered in the webinar:
Why Productivity is important to me and how I approach it.
The important relationship between Productivity and Planning.
What Productivity is and what it is NOT.
The things you need in order to be Productive.
How to find Focus.
Learning how to prioritize and my strategy for handling conflicting priorities.
How to define and track your productivity objectives.
Digital and Analog planning tools, their pro’s & con’s and how to choose between them.
What to use your planner for.
Choosing your planner style
Choosing your planner size and why the size planner you carry matters.
The different options of calendar styles.
Different trackers to use to organize your tasks and items.
Pretty planning.
My personal productivity strategies.
Specific productivity strategies to consider .
How to avoid burnout and overwhelm.
To-Do list strategies to help you get more done and see your progress.
And then, of course, after my two hours of teaching, there was an hour long Q&A that went into even more specific topics that were brought up by the audience. Here are a few of my favorite questions from the Q&A session:
How to organize your planner as a college student?
How I evaluate my processes to ensure I am as productive and efficient as possible?
How to keep up with a planner and productivity if you have trouble sticking to your plans?
How to stay productive when working with a team?
How to be productive if you are constantly interrupted at work?
Those were just a handful of the many great questions and topics we covered in the Q&A in addition to all the content I covered above! Overall, the event really seemed to go over well and the attendees on the live call were so wonderful and thoughtful in their questions and insights that it truly made the event a joy to host!
Thank you to all who signed up for my first event and for all your support and encouragement in my endeavors. You are truly all wonderful people and I hope I can rise to the occasion to serve you to the best of my ability!
Did you miss out on my first Productivity & Planning Master Class Webinar? I have received emails and messages from many of you asking if and when I will be hosting another event or making the reply available for purchase on my shop. At this point, I haven’t decided how I want to proceed with this, however, I have gone ahead and added an interest list to the info page for the webinar so if you want to be the first to know how you can get access to this awesome webinar, sign up for my interest list and if I see that there is enough interest, I may open up the replay or even schedule a second webinar event!
I decided to do a little something different today for my Productivity Playlist! Last week I learned about this hysterical new video that was making it’s way through YouTube. It’s a guided meditation for people who perhaps don’t normally find guided meditations to be useful! Seriously, if you have not listened to this video yet, you absolutely have to stop what you’re doing right now, put on headphones and spend a few minutes listening.
I happen to be a big fan of guided meditation. I’ve shared numerous resources on the topic of meditation and using music to help you boost your productivity and brain power, check some of those resources out here if you missed them! I do believe that these sorts of resources can be pretty helpful for you if you use them regularly. For example, whenever I start getting a headache while I’m working, I take a short break, pop on my eye mask and listen to some easy listening tunes or use one of my many meditation and brainwave boosting apps!
Just a warning this guided meditation isn’t safe for work or children, but I still hope you find some clarity from it or at least get a good chuckle!
Let me know how you enjoyed this video and if you’d like me to share more meditation resources in the future!
Last month in this series I gave you all the original concept I had for my new home office! Now that we have moved and we are in the space, I have been piecing together my office bit by bit and I wanted to share with you all the new direction I’m going in with my office decor. Although not much has really changed stylistically with the new pieces I’ve chosen, now that I am in the new place I have a better sense of the types of furniture would work best in the room. I do already have my desk and credenza, and this weekend I’m heading back over to IKEA to check out options for pendant lighting and simple shelving. Here’s where I’m at so far with my office concept!
1. Spacious Credenza: I knew I was going to need a lot of storage in my office and when I found this lovely credenza from IKEA, I knew it was meant for me! It was a complicated piece of furniture to put together (thanks dad for the help!) but now that it’s in place, I love it and it really does give me most of the storage I need for my office plus additional counter space for photography and displaying my favorite office knick knacks!
2. Tufted Swivel Office Chair: I am still on the hunt for the perfect office chair! I really love the idea of a tufted swivel office chair, but this gorgeous choice from PB Teen may not be my winner. Unfortunately, the back support isn’t exactly what I’d like it to be, so I may have to find one elsewhere or go back to my original concept of a more traditional and modern looking office chair!
3. Flowery Pendant Lamp: Unforuntaly, the office in my new apartment doesn’t have a built in light in the ceiling so I am going to use a pendant light to brighten up my space! I love this lotus inspired Knappa light from IKEA. It’s been a favorite of mine for years and I’m actually very excited that I finally have a need for one in my life!
4. High Gloss X Leg Desk: The last desk I was eyeing was a similar style as this Pangea modern office desk that I eventually settled on. Once I saw the high gloss finish and the chrome legs, I knew I found the desk for me and I’m currently loving and using this beauty!
5. Metal Frame Shelves: Like I said, I need a little bit more storage for my new office, so I am on the hunt for some simple metal frame shelves to store just a few other bits and pieces from my office!. I think this IKEA option may be the right style for the right price!
Well, what you do think of how my new office space is coming together? I can’t wait to show you the final result once I have the room in order and can film a room tour! Let me know in the comments what your favorite piece of office furniture is, because I would love to know your thoughts on how to style my room!
It dawned on me the other day that I have never told you the story of how I left my job, started my online business and replaced my income all in the span of six months, so that’s what I want to share today. I also want to take some time, as I recount my tale, to highlight some important details that may help in the event that you follow a similar path as I.
Let’s go way back…
… To sometime in the spring of 2008. I had just graduated college, didn’t have a job, and I was looking for ways to entertain myself online while searching for employment. I had been reading a few blogs and watching some interesting people on YouTube, and I thought to myself “I can do that!” So I did. I started my first blog in the spring and my YouTube channel launched a little less than a year later in January 2009. At the time I used my blog to talk about lifestyle things I was enjoying, basically using it the way many blogs were used back then, as a digital scrapbook of things I liked, my opinions and the occasional recipe. My YouTube channel, however, was the place I shared my love for all things technology. You may not be able to tell so much today by looking at my site, but I was obsessed with Apple technology, gadgets, and the whole online/virtual space.
At about the same time that I started on YouTube, I also found full time work at a fortune 50 company as a lowly administrator. At the time I thought that this job would be a temporary thing until I found better work, some career that truly fulfilled my love for writing, creating, and hopefully, technology! Of course, I had no clue at the time that by the time I did finally leave the company five and a half years later, I would have risen quite substantially to a management level position complete with bonuses, a company car and an expense account. What can I say? I’m a smart cookie!
So while I worked my way up the corporate ladder, I continued to work on my online presence. I kept up with blogging, although it was not anywhere near the scope of how I blog today, went through a few iterations of blogs as I decided on what it was that I really wanted to write about, and of course, made YouTube videos in my spare time! Being tech obsessed, I also stayed up to date with social media and used those platforms in an attempt to promote and connect my content to other like-minded women.
Now, this is the thing you need to take away from this part of the story. My success, although I agree, seems to have happened overnight, was really the product of years of effort setting up systems and communication methods that would support my eventual leap into working for myself full time. I learned a lot about the online world in the years before I officially started my business, made a lot of mistakes, but also stumbled upon some great information and practices that would eventually bring me success once the moment was right!
The Months Leading up to my Launch
In the months leading up to my launch, a lot of things started to happen very quickly. In early 2014, I got intimately involved with the planner community, fan girled on planners, and made some videos about it. This was the tipping point for me and my business. I knew that this community I had stumbled upon was going to be my salvation and would enable me to go full time for myself.
You might be wondering how I knew this? Let me explain. First and foremost, my subscriber count jumped significantly. I was already making a steady income from YouTube before this shift, but after it, my income grew substantially. Second, I had a few things going on in my personal life that were leading me to be unhappy at my job. That isn’t necessarily a unique situation to be in, however I began to notice a weird pattern. I would have a very bad day at work, and then I would have a great day on YouTube. I’d start a day feeling terrible because of a conversation with my boss, but by the end of the day, my community on YouTube had me feeling like it was the best day ever. For lack of a better explanation, I felt like the Universe was telling me that it was time to leave my job and do YouTube full time. I also began to get opportunities I had never been offered before that ended up supplementing my side income even more! Once things reached a certain point, I knew it was time to make the leap!
What I want you to take away from this is that often times, things happen for a reason. I do believe that God or the Universe (however you prefer to think of it) does guide us and we need to be vigilantly watching for the patterns that can show us exactly when we need to make our move. I personally feel like I get signs from a greater power all the time that help me to decide which path I should take or which opportunity to explore, and as this story illustrates, following the signs can lead to major success!
Setting Goals and Preparing for Launch
It would be convenient for me to say, follow the signs and leave your job and the Universe will catch you, but we all know that’s not how it works! Once I decided that 2014 was going to be my year to launch my own business, I made specific preparations and set important goals to measure my progress. First and foremost, my husband and I began putting away as much money as possible. We have always been savers, but we wanted to make sure that we had enough money in the bank so that we could live comfortably if we both were out of work for six months to a year! Let’s be honest, in this economy, it was a real risk for me to leave my secure Fortune 50 job, and although I was confident that I could find another job if things didn’t work out with my business, we wanted to have the money in the bank to ensure our solvency.
The next goal I had to hit involved the income I was making outside of my job. My husband and I set a specific amount of money that we wanted to see my side business make before I was able to leave my job. It was like a challenge and an exercise in law of attraction all at once. If the Universe wanted me to go full time, the Universe would need to bring me x amount of income per month through my #sidehustle! As soon as I hit the number, I gave my notice!
For those of you who are looking to start you own business and go full time for yourself, you really need to make sure you follow my lead on this one. Make sure you have money in the bank just in case things don’t work out of or if you have to supplement your income as you get off the ground! Also, set those financial goals if you have a side hustle that you want to turn into your full time gig. It’s a great way to measure your progress and it gives you a concrete number to work up to instead of a vague concept.
How I Replaced my Income in 6 Months
Once I left my job I made a plan to focus on YouTube as it was a significant portion of my income when I launched my business. My plan was to make YouTube videos five days a week, and continue supplementing that content with my blog and social media channels. This strategy didn’t end up panning out for me, and after a few months of this crazy filming schedule, I decided to change course. So for a few solid months I continued to research and concept out ideas for where my business would go, and then I decided to turn to my community.
My community on YouTube had asked me time and time again to sell my printable planner inserts because they were unlike anything available on the market. I decided that if YouTube wasn’t working for me, I should go ahead and set up a shop and make a bit of money from the inserts I had already designed. So, I tested the waters a bit, offered my inserts for sale in my shop and something wonderful began to happen. People were buying my inserts! So, I started making more inserts and designing other printable planner accessories like stickers and journaling cards and by the end of the year I was officially bringing in the same income I had been making at my Fortune 50 company. It was a pretty awesome end to my year, that’s for sure!
What you really need to take away from this portion of my story is that you need to be flexible and persistent in your business if you want to find success. My original plan to do YouTube full time didn’t yield me the results I was looking for, and because I was willing to try new things, I found a business model that worked for me. Likewise, persistence is also key in business. I didn’t let the fact that my first plan failed stop me from finding a new path. I wanted my business to work, was open to what that business would look like, and eventually found my solution. Sometimes the path to success isn’t linear, so you need to be ready to take detours and turn to plan B, C, or D if you truly want to run your own business!
So what does this whole story mean for you?
I really hope that hearing my story helps you to understand the nature of online business, and that you see parallels to your own situation. I am here as a resource for anyone who wants to find success as a business owner online, because for me and my story, that was the one thing I didn’t have. I had my own passion and intelligence, but I didn’t have a mentor. Yes, I made it on my own and I can be proud of that, but I often wonder how much easier it would have been for me had I known someone who had done this before and could help me through it.
This is exactly why I developed Empire Building, my online business program that teaches you all the information and lessons that it took me over 6 years to learn!
So I want to ask you. How important is starting an online business to you?
How much would you pay for the tools and lessons to get you from idea, to launch, to building a successful brand? Too many of us pay tens of thousands of dollars for traditional four year educations that unfortunately don’t yield us, not just our dream job, but even a job that pays a living wage upon graduation. There are many online business programs out there that offer the same caliber of content and information as Empire Building, but will cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars for access to notable figureheads that end up being MIA when you need them most. Empire Building isn’t here to put a premium price tag on information and education. Remember, the secret to building a successful business online isn’t secret, it’s based on tried and true methods, tips and lessons that I myself learned through years of trial and error. I’ve just packaged up all my knowledge of the online sphere, my methods for growing a brand presence, and my best tips for earning income online to save you years of effort and error so that you make a strong start when you enter the competitive business world online!
Like I said before, I am here to help you, to mentor you and to make this process of building a business easier for YOU! Let me know in the comments what business issues or questions I can help you with and if you’d like to join Empire Building, I’d love to have you!
Let’s be honest, loving and playing with planners isn’t always the most affordable hobby! Luckily, there are a number of free or low cost planner supplies that you can DIY or print yourself at home to help keep your planner organized and beautiful at the same time. I love planner printables because once you have a file, you can use it over and over again, saving you tons of money on repeat purchases, which are especially helpful if you love to decorate with stickers or washi!
So now we’re getting to some serious money saving techniques! Stickers are one of those simple planner decoration items that seem innocuous but end up costing us hundreds of dollars on repeat purchases! If you love using stickers to decorate for their simplicity, but hate waiting for Etsy orders to arrive and stress out over running out of a cute set, I have a solution for you: print your own! I have a whole DIY on how to make your own printable stickers! I love stickers because they can be decoration, inspiration or add extra organization. Check out this free printable sticker set I made if you want to give printable stickers a try or feel free to browse my collection of printable designs that you buy once and can print hundreds of times over! It’s like having a never ending supply of stickers!
Step 5: Wrangle your tasks with printable PDFs
At the end of the day, using your planner isn’t just a hobby, but also a method of organizing your life, tasks and priorities! Never forget that when you strip away the stickers, washi and colorful inks, your planner is just a simple tool that you can choose to use however you see fit. If task management is a priority in your planner, you have plenty of options for organizing the information that matters to you. Plan your projects, build a meal plan and manage your social media all with printable inserts and yes, stickers! Of course, I have another great freebie for you to break down and organize your planner that is an editable PDF that you can use to create custom labels and task items for your planner! Enjoy!
Which of these steps to personalization do you enjoy most? Let me know in the comments!
Are you currently looking for a new planner system but aren’t sure where to begin? Perhaps you are overwhelmed with all the options or are looking for a planner that is discontinued and have no clue how to begin tracking it down? If this sounds like you, then you are in luck because I have assembled this planner resource guide to give you one place to review the most popular planner systems so that you can choose what works best for you!
6 Ring Binder Systems
I happen to be a big fan of 6 ring binder systems because of the beautiful variety of binders available and the fact that these planner systems are reusable year after year. These aren’t cheap planners that you buy for a year or 17 months and then toss out, these are durable planners that often last years when well maintained. Here are the top brands that I see most often, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but these brands are pretty popular and I have experience with many of them.
Currently, the discbound system is my preferred planning method. I like that it combines the personalization of a reusable binder system with the physical flexibility of a spiral or coil bound planner system. Unfortunately, there are only currently a few manufacturers that I know of for this system, but as I have seen them grow in popularity, I have hopes that more will crop up eventually!
Coil bound planner systems are also a very popular option in the planner world. They are one of the spiral bound options, however, they are distinctly known for their heavy metal coil that is extremely strong and durable. Now, these planners are not reusable, which is important to keep in mind, and many coil bound systems can run you the same price as a reusable binder, but many folks rely on this style of planner and find it worth the money!
Like coil bound planners, wire bound planner systems are also not a reusable option because they are spiral bound, however, these planners are slightly different from coil bound planners because their binding is a cinch style wire, instead of the heavy duty coil. Generally speaking, these planners are less expensive because of the lower cost binding method used, but that isn’t the rule!
As the name suggests, these planner systems are bound like books! Again, they are another non-reusable option, but generally speaking these planner systems are much more compact, which gives them a certain advantage! For years I actually used a Moleskine squared notebook with a modified bullet journal system as my planner, and that is actually the system my husband uses to organize himself at work as well. So this is a serious option for those of us who prefer simplicity.
Traveler’s notebooks are a planner system type that I have very little experience with, however, they are incredibly popular in the planning and crafting world! These notebook based systems are based on a unique binding of a reusable cover with a string band system that holds a variety of small cahier style bound notebooks together within the cover. In part this is a reusable system because you can use one cover over and over again, and in part this is a non-reusable system because the bound notebooks inside tend to be smaller notebooks and are easily filled up and need to be replaced depending on the frequency of their use.
Fauxdori ( Fauxdori is a term used to describe the many non official Midori notebook covers available. Many small businesses online manufacture the covers and even the refill notebooks for this type of system, and because of this, the range of colors, materials and sizes for these systems vary greatly. Because of the simplicity of this style of planner, many people also enjoy creating their own covers by following easy DIYs like this one!)
Planner Accessories and Refills
If you purchase a reusable style planner from a manufacturer, for the most part your planner will either come with a selection of inserts to get you started or you will have the option to select your inserts from the manufacturer. However, there are a number of resources and shops online that sell an even greater variety of refills and other accessories comparable with many planner systems. Here are the online sites I recommend to look for refills and accessories for your planner!
Unfortunately, when it comes to finding and buying your perfect planner online, it’s not always as simple as going to the manufacturers website and selecting your model! Many binder style planners are actually out of production and a little tricker to find. If you have your heart set on a planner and it’s discontinued, don’t worry, because there are places you can go to search for used planners for sale!
Facebook Groups (Many planner related groups on Facebook allow for the swap and sale of planners. In addition, you can search for dedicated Planner For Sale groups if you are looking for a specific planner.)
