And So The Adventure Begins | Erin Condren Life Planner Review

Okay... so I usually don't stray too far away from book blogging, but today, I wanted to share with you, my lovely readers, my newest obsession - The Erin Condren Life Planner.

Yes, I know it's not exactly bookish, but I have been using this planner to not only keep track of life but to also keep track of my blogging ideas and needs. So technically, this could be considered a bookish post...

So what made me make the jump from buying $5.99 planners at Marshall's to buying a $60 planner? Well... it was mostly because I was sick of having multiple planners! You see... I'm one of those people that usually gets sick of my planner a few months into it, and as soon as new ones are available, I buy them. I even had separate planners for my work and home life and for my book blog. To me, that just didn't make sense because blogging is as much a part of my life as my job is. I thought that the Erin Condren Life Planner would be the solution I needed to help keep everything in my life running smoothly.

Right now, I'm using the neutral Horizontal Layout version of the planner. I've always had horizontal planners, so it made sense to purchase an upgraded planner in a familiar layout. 

With each planner, you get a bunch, and I mean a bunch of extras! Each planner comes with a snap-in ruler, which you can use to draw with, cut washi tape, or as a bookmark. The planners also come with a zippered pouch so you can store stickers or anything small you'd want to take with you. You'll also receive some compliment cards, which you can give to someone just to brighten their day. And my personal favorite because I love saving money - the coupons! Yay!

BrennDesigns

Now I'm all about customizing my planner, so I've been buying and using stickers to plan. It's not something that you have to do to use an Erin Condren planner, but a lot of the Erin Condren fans plan with stickers. 

I want to show you a few of my favorite sticker spreads so you can see how I plan, and how I incorporate my blog into my planner.

The picture above is actually my spread from last week before I started filling it in. These stickers are from one of my favorite Etsy sticker shops, The Planner Fairy. I love her stickers because they over the whole box and really allow you to plan your own way and outside of the box.

Above is another kit from The Planner Fairy that I think is absolutely stunning. Each box has a different girl, and the theme is "Girls Rule the World."

 The Castles & Fairytales kit from The Planner Fairy was inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Naturally, I used it for the week the movie came out!

I even use stickers on the monthly pages.

No matter what my spread looks like, I sometimes always find a way to squeeze in something about reading or blogging. I have a lot of reading tracker stickers that I put in my planner, and they are great ways for me to see how long it's taking me to read a book. 

For the first time ever in my planning life, I've begun to utilize the notes pages inside my planner, and I found an adorable note page kit from Pretty on Paper Company to track the books I've been reading. Unfortunately, work has been really busy for me, and I haven't had much time for reading, but I love seeing what I've read come together on paper, in addition to on Goodreads.

I just love that bookcase, and how I can add the titles of the books I'm reading to the spines.

Am I more organized than where I was a year ago? I'd definitely have to say so. I'm better at keeping track of dates, appointments, and general random things. I've also added weird memories to my planner to help me remember if something good, bad, or strange happened. 

I will say that blogging on top of working and looking for a full-time teaching job has been tough, so I'm glad that I have this handy planner to help me keep track of everything.

Next Year's Colorful Vertical Layout

And the fun news!! Erin Condren's 2017-2018 Life Planner goes on sale this week! I want to try the vertical layout during the next year, so I'll definitely have another planner review for you after the new year.

If you're interested in ordering an Erin Condren Life Planner for the rest of this year and next, I have a surprise for you! If you shop through this link, you'll get $10 off your order! For me, the investment was definitely worth it, and it's actually been really therapeutic to plan with stickers. 

Anyway... I know this post was a little off topic, but I thought this would be the perfect time to share with you how I've been keeping track of blogging and reading lately. I'd also love to know who also likes to use paper planners to keep track of reading and blogging, so feel free to share below!