October is rapidly coming to a close so it is time for our November Free Planner Printables and Tech Wallpapers! Novembers task list is called 30 Days of Thankfulness, and it contains a list of 30 easy to accomplish, feel good actions that you can take throughout the month of November to express your thankfulness to yourself, your friends, family and the world around you! I know I am a major proponent of making gratitude lists (which I do recommend in this printable!) however, I feel like there is so much more we can be doing on a day to day basis to show how thankful we are, and to really create memories through experiences that bring us to a greater understanding of the big picture of life. Obviously, since November happens to be the month of thankfulness in terms of the Thanksgiving Holiday (in the US), this is an appropriate time of year to cover the topic of thankfulness, however, you could technically use this printable over and over throughout the year, whenever you feel like you could use an extra jolt of positivity for your life!
Along with the November Thankfulness Task List, you will also get your November Dashboard, both of which come in A5 and Personal Filofax equivalents. Click here to download yours now!
And don’t forget your November Tech Wallpapers while you are in the shop! Click here to access those free designs as well and make sure your favorite gadgets are decked out for a month of productivity and gratefulness!
I hope you enjoy your monthly freebies and I truly hope they add to your holiday spirit and brings some extra light into your life!
Fall is here and for many of us planner girls, it also happens to be our favorite time of year! September brings that fresh start, back to school feel, embellished with sweet but spicy candle scents from Bath & Body Works, Pumpkin Spices Lattes from Starbucks and of course beautiful autumn accessories like riding boots and blanket scarves! The best part about the fall, in my opinion however, is Halloween! Other than my birthday and Christmas, Halloween is one of those days I wait for all year! I can’t wait! So, to celebrate this season I put together a set of printable planner goodies to help you personalize your planner for the Fall months in style! Let’s take a look!
The first part of my fall collection is called “Let’s Fall in Love” and takes inspiration from a Parisian Cafe! This collection includes 5 unique graphics that can be used as planner covers, dividers or dashboards for your planner, as well as a set of journaling cards as pictured above!
And of course, no collection would be complete without a set of vertical square planner stickers as pictured above! Print these out on full sheet labels, cut out the simple squares and Voila! You have a never ending supply of inspiration for your planner!
The second half of my fall planner collection is a homage to Halloween called “I Put a Spell on You!” Don’t you just love the lyrical inspiration for the names of these collections? No matter if the title of this collection evokes Nina Simone or a trio of witches from Hocus Pocus, this collection is going to have you spellbound with a collection of 6 cover art graphics and journaling cards. Take a look below at the designs and I’ll bet you’ll be enchanted!
And last but not least, a printable sticker set that you can use to cast a spell on your planner for inspiration and productivity this fall!
I can’t wait to see how you use these goodies in your planner, so make sure to take a picture and share it on Twitter or Instagram, tag me @MissTrenchcoat and use #CharmedGTD so everyone in the community can get inspiration from you as well!
It’s back and better than ever and I want to spend just a few moments giving you some important details about this year’s launch! First of all in case you didn’t know, the Charmed Life Planner is available in both A5 and Personal size Filofax equivalents.
2017 Charmed Life Printable Planner A5/Half Letter
The A5 version, pictured above, has a vertical week on two pages layout for your daily planning, along with month on two pages layouts, a master monthly task list and an expense sheet for every month! It’s a complete printable planner solution but this year I’ve made it even better. Printing inserts at home isn’t always the easiest, printers are not all created equal and there are different paper sizing standards around the globe that make designing a single usable file difficult to manage. After talking to many customers who use and love the Charmed Life Planner, this year I’m adding 2 additional files to your A5 Charmed Life Planner purchase to give you options when printing your planner at home.
The three (3) files you will now get for this size are:
US Standard Half Letter File (same as last year’s design)
US Bordered Printing Option (so those with printers that cannot print borderless don’t have to guess on how to scale the file)
True A5 File designed to print on A4 paper (for those of you who use A4 as your standard).
The 2017 Charmed Life Printable Planner in personal size is the same great day on one page design as last year with the muted time table for scheduling a full day of events and tasks! Due to its more compact size that prints well on US Letter or A4 , this planner was easier to print without issue and so there is no major design changes or additional files necessary. This size, as well, includes the month on two pages layout, a master monthly task list and an expense sheet for each month of the year.
This year I have decided to swap the Business Planning Bundle with a Functional Planning Bundle for both the A5/Half Letter and Personal size planners. The bundles will include the Charmed Life Planner in your choice of size, the Yearly Project Tracker, Project Planning Sheet and an additional Task List.
For a limited time, when you purchase ANY 2017 Charmed Life Planner or Bundle, you will receive two (2) great freebies!
#CharmedGTD Quick Start Guide: Inspiration and instruction for working smarter, not harder
Exclusive Downloadable Graphic “I’m a List Lover with a Planner Problem!”
Both Freebies are included in the downloads for your purchase automatically!
Make sure to check out my recent planner set up video for my full announcement and my updated planner set up video and I can’t wait to see how you set up your 2017 Charmed Life Planner, so make sure to take a picture and share it on Twitter or Instagram, tag me @MissTrenchcoat and use #CharmedGTD so everyone in the community can get inspiration from you as well!
HELLO OCTOBER: 31 Things to Do in October {Planner Freebies}
OMG October is upon us! This is it, my favorite time of year and my favorite single month other than March (birthday obvi)! There are so many fun seasonal things to do during October and I always want to make the most of the month, that is exactly why I created the 31 Things to Do in October to-do list.
Did you know that this is the list that started it all? This was my first monthly task list ever!
Are you looking for a recommendation for a planner that will fit in your purse? If so, you are in luck because I am going to give you some insight into the way I think about portable planners and planning on the go and hopefully give you some ideas on the best type of planner to keep with you in your bag. Whether you are toting your planner to and from the office, you are taking it with you to run errands, or you work from a mobile office scenario, there are plenty of reasons why you might be concerned about getting the right planner to fit inside your purse or briefcase! So, let’s get started by identifying your specific needs!
Do you need to bring your planner with you?
Obviously, the reason we are discussing the best planner for your purse is because you think you need to bring your planner around with you. But ask yourself, do you really need your planner with you or do you simply want to bring it with you? I love my planners as much as the next planner addict and for a long time I would tote that thing around in a big bag so I could have it by my side, just in case I needed it! I imagined myself sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office or at lunch with my husband, making notes and plans in the downtime, writing a grocery list, or generating new blog post or video ideas. But the truth was, I rarely ever pulled the planner out of my bag to do anything but admire it. Sitting in a waiting room at the dr’s office isn’t very conducive for taking notes. I always have a hard time writing in my planner when I’m not sitting at a desk or table and inevitably any notes I made while just sitting would end up looking like chicken scratch and my type A brain would make me re-write the list when I got home. Even at lunch, I might pull my planner out for a moment, but tuck it back into my bag worried that a drink or condiment might spill on it at the table. Point is, I carried around that planner for months and months before I realized it was just dead weight in my bag. Sure, I do have times occasionally when I do need to bring my planner out with me, but those occasions are few and far between. It stays in my office where it is safe and whenever I have information I may need to bring with me, like a shopping list, I pull that list page out of my planner and put it in my pocket or wallet so I have it with me. When I’m out and about and have an idea, I open up a notes application on my phone or send myself an email. So, think about it. Do you really need that planner with you? Be honest with yourself!
What exactly do you need with you?
Okay, so you if you got this far and you are sure you need your planner with you on the go, the next step to figuring out the best planner for your bag is to understand what exactly you need with you. Does your whole planner need to come with you, or can you use a more portable planner as a little sidekick in your purse? I am not a fan of the two planner system, but I do see situations where it can be useful. If you are someone who works at an office and you bring your planner to and from work with you, it may be a good idea for you to just keep a separate planner at work, particularly if you work at a job where you do not take your work home with you. If your work obligations end as soon as you leave the office, perhaps keeping a separate planner at work would be easier than toting one back and forth. Perhaps you are someone who keeps perfect records of their finances and expenses and you need a small planner to keep in your bag to track spending, make shopping lists, and note the occasional address? Having a pocket sized planner that doubles as a wallet may be a good supplement without having to take a larger planner with you. Finally, maybe you are someone who can make due with one smaller planner for everything in their life. A personal sized planner tends to fit in a variety of purses and many people make do with that size on a daily basis. Consider what you need this portable planner for and how much you really need with you to avoid carrying around unnecessary information and weight.
What is your everyday purse style?
Now, the final point we need to cover to determine the best planner for your purse is what style purse you actually carry. If you are a professional who works from a mobile office and needs everything with them from their hour by hour schedule, project notes, client information- the works – you probably already carry a large tote bag or briefcase that a larger planner would fit into. But, if you are used to a shoulder bag or cross body type, you will need to find a portable planner that fits into your smaller bag or resolve to carry a larger tote. Also, does your bag tend to be messy or orderly? The state of the interior of your bag will determine whether or not you need a zippered planner like this beauty from Kate Spade or if you should perhaps consider keeping your planner in it’s own storage bag to keep from damage. Many spiral or coil style planners like the MAMBI Happy Planner may need extra coverage in a purse because they lack protection- nothing is worse than the edges of your planner cover and pages bending or ripping. These are things to think about when choosing the best planner for your bag.
Making the best fit
Here are some things to consider when choosing the best planner for your purse. Keep in mind, these opinions are just from my own experience, but hopefully they will help you come to a decision about the best planner for your purse!
Pocket sized planners tend to fit in a variety of smaller bags and can double as a wallet if you need to save space in your bag.
Personal sized planners also work in many common styles of handbag and can also double as your everyday planner so no need to split up information.
A5 sized planners and larger would require a large tote or briefcase.
Softcover and/or spiral planners should be kept in their own storage bag or in their own compartment if being transported in a purse or briefcase.
Filofax planners tend to be on the slimmer side as opposed to Kikki K planners which are often wider, puffier and have larger rings.
If your planner will be on the go often, opt for a zipper style closure as opposed to a button or elastic closure that leaves the edges of your planner exposed.
Keep in mind the material of your planner, some leathers are extremely durable and easy to clean in comparison to vegan leather options, and cloth exteriors are also difficult to keep clean if they are being handled in a variety of locations.
Charms or embellished paperclips that stick out of your planner may be a bad idea for your on the go planner as they can get easily damaged in transport.
I hope this post helped you to determine the best planner for your purse! Obviously, this post was designed to help you figure out first and foremost whether or not you need to bring your planner with you on the go, so hopefully you have some clarity on that going forward and can make the best choice for you! Of course, if you do decide on a on-the-go planner, I’d love to see your selection, so make sure to take a picture, post it to Twitter or Instagram, tag me @MissTrenchoat and use #CharmedGTD in your description so others in the community can get inspiration from your planner as well!
The 7 Items to Track In Your Planner for Less Stress and More Productivity
I’m always on a quest to identify the best way to use my planner! There are so many options out there for how I could use my planner, but many of those options don’t align with my personal priorities. When it comes down to it, I use my planner to keep me organized, productive and to prevent me, as much as possible, from getting stressed out or overwhelmed by the tasks of daily life. Now, I’m pretty sure the vast majority of us already use our planners to list our daily to-dos and keep track of our calendars more or less, so today I wanted to share the 7 things you should track in your planner for less stress and more productivity.
Yearly Goals: Goal setting is an essential element of leading a productive and meaningful life. That’s why I created a whole workbook dedicated to the topic to help those who know they have aspirations but aren’t sure how to get started executing them. I think it is very important to keep track of your yearly goals in your planner so that the information is front and center in your life. If you don’t have your goals mapped out yet, it’s never too late to get started so check out my You Got This workbook and get to your goal setting!
Monthly & Weekly Tasks: Beyond the day to day, it’s important to keep track of the things you want to accomplish during a specific time frame. On a monthly basis I keep track of specific tasks and projects I want to work on during the month. Then from those tasks I like to assign specific items to certain weeks. Many projects and tasks take longer than a day to complete and in order to prioritize their completion assigning them to a week helps to carve out time for them to get done.
Weekly Meal Plan: Meal planning is legitimately a true time saver. I know there are many strategies I suggest that don’t necessarily help everyone to be more productive, but if you aren’t meal planning, you are wasting time in your day for sure and probably even money. You don’t have to meal plan for weeks in advance, I find that a week at a time is good for me, and you don’t even have to map out exactly when you are going to eat which meal, but instead I keep a running list of meals and choose which I am going to eat on a daily basis so that I have an element of choice. Just the act of planning out a set number of meals for the week and then buying your groceries in accordance with that, can save you money and time. If you are looking for a great way to add meal planning into your planner, check out this meal planning bundle of printable inserts from my shop!
Gratitude List: It’s also been scientifically acknowledged that people who incorporate a regular gratitude practice into their lives are happier and less stressed. Whether that means you wake up in the morning and make a quick gratitude list or spend an hour journaling what you are grateful for, it really makes no difference. The main thing is that you are practicing gratitude on a regular basis. I use these weekly gratitude list inserts that are quick to use but very impactful in my gratitude practice.
Master Project Log: Once you have set your goals as per above, you will most likely have a number of projects you want to work on throughout the year and of course different projects may pop up from time to time as well that you will need to track. I suggest having a place in your planner dedicated to tracking and breaking out those projects so you can adequately manage them throughout the year. In my planner, I use my Project Planning Bundle and the yearly goal tracker specifically to map this information out for myself over the year. It creates a roadmap for me to follow on a monthly basis for where I want to spend my time and energy.
Victories & Accomplishments: It’s very easy in life for us to become jaded and feel like we aren’t making progress. This is why I think it’s so essential that we actively track our victories and accomplishments as they occur. These don’t have to be crazy victories, small wins in our lives and just great events that inspire and empower us should really be tracked so that we can see all the good and positive that happens in our life. No one’s life is perfect but it’s easier to get yourself through the tough times if you acknowledge that every once in a while good things happen as well.
Your Daily Routines: Your routines are in essence, your life. As they say “You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” Routines can be established to help you achieve excellence in any goal you wish to achieve. Tracking them is an important step to either keeping them consistent or making an adjustment. I talk about creating daily routines in You Got This and I highly encourage you to track and establish your own positive routines in your planners so that you are reviewing them on a regular basis.
Which of these essential productivity items do you plan to add to your planner? Drop me a line in the comments below!
It’s the last week of August and I am so thrilled that September and Fall, are around the corner! So, it’s time for me to publish your monthly free planner inserts. This month, along with your monthly dashboard, I have created a Self Care September Checklist. It’s filled with 30 self care related tasks for you to try out in September. I know that for me, Fall is all about those cozy night’s in and adjusting to shorter days. I’ll be spending a good amount of time working on my rest and relaxation routine in September and I highly encourage you to take some time for yourself as well.
I also designed a new set of FREE Tech Wallpapers for you this month. I love this Black & White Marble theme and for some extra motivation I included one of my favorite little coffee cup illustrations! Remember, the #PSL is almost here!! You can download these awesome wallpapers here.
I hope you enjoy the inserts and wallpapers, and of course, I love seeing pictures of them at home in your planners, so if you download them, please snap a picture, post it to instagram and tag me @MissTrenchcoat as well as #charmedGTD so the whole community can enjoy your images as well!
Who’s ready for a Mid-Year Refresh & Review? July is right around the corner and with half of the year behind us, it’s the perfect time to take a moment and reflect on everything we have accomplished so far and what we still hope to accomplish before the year ends. So, to help you with this process, my Free monthly task list for July is centered around 31 things you can do to get a fresh start at this mid year mark and get yourself into a positive mindset to tackle everything else left on the to do list for the year! Of course, like always, I also have a new July Dashboard as well, so if you would like to download these freebies for the month of July click here and you can download them from my shop!
Of course, your planner isn’t the only accessory that gets to have all the fun this month, so make sure to check out my new July “Sunnies Out” Tech Wallpapers to give your computer, tablet or smartphone some summer inspired digs for the month! Click here to access my free wallpapers over on my shop as well!
I hope you the first half of 2016 has been good to you, and I wish you the best of luck with your Mid-Year Refresh & Review! If you do download these inserts or wallpapers, make sure to share about them on social media. I love when I see your photos on Instagram sharing how you are using and loving your monthly freebies, so make sure to use #CharmedGTD if you post a picture on Instagram or Twitter, and feel free to tag me @MissTrenchcoat as well so I can see you photos and give them a big heart 😉
So, yea, it’s June! How about that?!? I literally can’t believe that nearly half the year is over already! It’s also that time of the month for me to share with you my latest freebies. This month I have a lovely little list of 30 Ways to Enjoy June to go along with your June Dashboard. Now, I know that June may mark the start of summer in the US, but that isn’t how it is across the globe, so I made sure to incorporate activities and simple tasks for this list that aren’t region specific! Since June is the start of my summer, however, I really wanted to focus on little things that I could do each and everyday to put me in a good mood and help me to enjoy the summer, instead of stressing over plans and tasks and whatever other nonsense usually plagues my mind during this time of year. I don’t know about you, but I always feel a great deal of pressure at the start of summer around making plans and enjoying the warmer weather since summer is stereotypically the time of year that everyone waits for. This printable is an attempt to be more mindful and take summer slowly and with purpose. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
If you do download these free inserts and wallpapers, please let me know about it by taking a picture and tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #CharmedGTD so I can see how you are making use of these inserts in your own planners. I love seeing your pictures, and I can’t wait to like them and interact with you on IG! Make sure you’re following me @MissTrenchcoat!!
Next up are your TWO Free Printable Planner Inserts that are sized for Filofax A5 and Personal equivalents. The Monthly Dashboard for May is ready for you to print and fill with all your amazing May plans, and your Oh Hello, May insert will help you keep busy this month with a list of 31 things to do in May! Grab both of them in this listing on The Charmed Shop!
As always I hope you enjoy your Freebies for the month and I’d love to see how you are using them, so make sure to snap a picture of your tech gadgets or planners and use #CharmedGTD in your IG description or tweet, and tag me @MissTrenchcoat in the image as well so everyone in my community can see your May style!
