Goodbye Planner Slump Era
Remember that planner slump I was stuck in? Well, guess what? I've got an update to share!
Admittedly, it's been a while since I made that post sharing my struggle, and I haven't posted anything else since, which is somewhat embarrassing. But I've been neck-deep in juggling my not-so-new job along with a complicated family life.
That said, I still managed to stick to my goal of just checking in with my planner regularly.
Initially it wasn't daily like I wanted, but it was at least once a week if not more.
And although I'm still not quite there yet, in that my planning routine isn't as dialled in as I would like, it's most definitely better than it was back in March and April.
So, if you're in a planner slump and didn't read my previous article, you should definitely check that out first, then come back here to finish reading the progress report.
How Did I Turn Things Around?
As mentioned above, the main crux of my plan was to simply check in—an easy-breezy affair of opening my planner and being chill.
No big goals to smash.
No productivity system to swim through.
Just a "Hey, how you doing?"
I also upgraded my planner inserts, in that I made tweaks to the designs I was already using—tweaks to help make life easier for me and make me want to use my planner because it was so simple to follow and fill.
Why Hello New Inserts!
I created a week on two pages with hourly schedule style insert that I’m totally in love with for this season of life.
I also zhuzhed my monthly inserts. Shocker: I'm now using a grid-style month on two pages. Now, this insert could be further improved in my opinion, but it's definitely far more useful than my previous setup (which I still love for many reasons but maybe not for this season of life).
However, it's worth noting that I didn't just make up new inserts as a knee-jerk reaction to my slump. I spent time just checking in with my planner first, keeping things low-key, while also calmly reflecting on what I could do to make things a bit better. So these inserts actually went through at least two iterations each before finally getting to the version you see in my planner today.
So, it's been a journey for sure!
I'll do a dedicated post for those inserts soon (which I'll link here once ready 😘).
And the Newness Didn’t Stop There…
I didn't want to fall into the trap of buying new planner supplies in a bid to avoid facing the pain of actually getting to the root of my planner slump problem.
I had posted a couple of YouTube videos about this here: Planner Chat: I'm doing THIS to get out of my planner slump😅, and here: Planner Chat: These tweaks will FIX my planner setup.
But in the end, I did buy a few things, one being a brand new planner cover—or at least new to me. I shared about it in this video: New Season, New Planner - Getting out of my planner slump.
Well, it's been a few months now, so an update felt appropriate.
Not Quite a Planner Jedi, More a Planner Padawan
And I'm 100% okay with that.
Because it means I don't have to feel embarrassed if I don't quite nail it. If I stumble on my planner journey, that's okay too because it's all part of learning and making progress.
The thing that is MOST important to me right now is that I enjoy my planner. That I feel a sense of pride in all the small wins I've achieved with it and for it.
If you're in a planner slump and you're still following along with me, firstly, God bless you because I've been silent over here for MONTHS.
But also take courage—at least that's what I hope sharing the painful, wobbly bits of my journey, along with the micro wins, will do for those who need some sort of solace.
Until the next one, which won't be far behind this one, I promise…
…let's keep planning a life we love
Chloe x