Do you remember January 1st? Did you create resolutions or goals for this year? Would you still like to achieve those before the end of this year? You don’t have to forget about them now that the year is halfway over. You can start…right NOW! Here’s my story of how I found the best planner that allowed 2018 to become a super organized, productive, and accomplished year! And I’m still going strong and staying motivated in 2019!
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It was September 2017. I was smack-dab in the middle of still trying to settle my dad’s small, yet very complicated estate. (Or really my parents’ estate since my mom had died only a few years earlier.) It seemed that there were a million and one little things that needed to be done to finish everything. Add to that working full-time and raising three little boys ages 4, 2 and 2. Life could spin out of control in a split second.
How could I become more organized?
I decided I had to become more organized because I was running on fumes and frustrated with myself for always being late and never feeling that I had my life “together”. Desiring to become more productive and to get rid of regret over wasting time, I began the process of becoming more aware of my time. I tried several methods, including using a time tracker app, to see where my time was going and what time I was “losing.” I did have a LOT of time wasters, and probably what I tracked showed less “wasting” than before since I was actually thinking about it.
After doing that for a few days, I decided to write down my different schedules and routines (based on my retail work hours) with times out beside to keep me on track. This helped a ton! My two primary focuses in addition to following those schedules and routines were 1) building better habits and 2) writing down what I would like to accomplish this year. In other words, I got super intentional about my habits and goals.
Still, I couldn’t figure out the “perfect” system to stay organized and focused. I tried numerous digital apps and listened to all of the productivity and organizational podcasts I could fit in. I was able to keep afloat for the most part, but it wasn’t really easy or fun.
What is the solution to becoming more organized with my life?
At some point, I heard about Ruth Soukup’s Living Well Planner. I had seen ads for it occasionally, and it piqued my interest, but I have never stuck with a planner before, so I kept glossing over it. Ruth did a goal-setting webinar that I decided to attend, and that is where I finally decided to take the plunge. I told my husband that that planner was the ONLY gift I wanted for Christmas!
***In case you want to check out the planner yourself before reading the rest of my post, you can view it at this link: Living Well Planner RIGHT NOW the planner is $10 off AND you can use the code LWPLOVE to take $5 off of your order of $40 or more in the Living Well Shop!***
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Note: the blue striped version of the planner shown in my pictures is no longer available. I’m now using the floral design and there’s also a super fun multi-stripe version available! You’ll love them! View them here whenever you’re ready to take a peek!
I set out with some primary goals for year 2018–most importantly, finally closing my dad’s estate. It had been a long, time-consuming process, and I was so ready to be done dealing with it all.
I can tell you with certainty that using the Living Well Planner helped me accomplish that in much less time than without it. As much follow-up and time as I had to spend just to take care of one little thing (and there were tons and tons of “little things”), it was way too easy to get distracted or let something slip through the cracks. But this most amazing planner kept me organized and on top of each task I needed to complete.
Another primary goal was to get our home ready to list on the market. We accomplished this, and it sold in one day–yes, one! We also were able to find a new home–practically our dream home–and close on both the old house and new house within a month and a half of selling our old home!
I am now focused on another goal that this planner actually allowed me to dream about and inspired me to get started! That goal is this blog! And this goal is so much fun to work on as opposed to the other two tedious, but necessary, goals 😉
Why do I love the Living Well Planner and consider it the best planner?
Here are my primary reasons:
Monthly Goal-Setting and BIG THREE goals to accomplish for the month–helps me narrow down my focus and keep me on track for what’s really important!
Weekly Plans–includes time slots to keep up with appointments or a certain schedule for the day. I also use this for time tracking my day and to make sure I don’t waste away a whole day–something that is waaaaay too easy for me to do!
Blank Dates–So you can start using the planner at anytime! Any month or even any day! You can see how I even take advantage of the fact that each monthly tab includes a five- week spread.
Monday Start—yes, Monday is the start day for the calendar week. This seemed a little odd at first, but it totally works! If you have a weekend project or activity, then that activity on a different planner would be split up between Saturday and Sunday. But with the Living Well Planner I can keep my weekend activities together as one (which makes much more sense given that most of us plan our weekends as a whole, rather than plan our Saturday and our Sunday as two completely separate days.)
And my favorite…the GOAL CRUSHINGⓇ page! Ruth gives step-by-step instructions and the perfect page in your planner so you can write out your goal achievement steps and know exactly what to do next to accomplish your goal! I love the clarity it has given me to decide on and work toward achieving my goals!
Here’s an example from when I started my blog. I LOVE that I was able to “map” it out and implement my plan. I had to adjust slightly as I did NOT have enough time to write 20 posts…boy, did I underestimate how long they would take to write, add images, and post! 😉
If you have never been successful with budgeting, or are wanting a new system in the same place as your “life,” this planner is PERFECT to start! Ruth walks you through it step-by-step and the Monthly Budget and Monthly Expenses pages are great for keeping track of your finances.
If you already have a way of keeping track of your budget through another means, those pages can be adapted to other life goals or habits. I have been so inspired by other ladies who have adapted these pages!
Those are my favorite pages of the planner, but there are also some other goodies throughout including a gratitude page at end of each month and a blank page just for brainstorming any notes or ideas. There are also blanks for meal planning at the bottom of each day in the weekly planning page.
And, in general, this is one of the things I love about this planner! I pretty much use it as is, but It is EXTREMELY easy to adapt any page to fit your life. So you can completely customize and make it your own!
Here is the new look, and the floral print one is what I am now using for 2019! It is super cute!
Ready to take a look at the planner, outside and inside?? Check it out here!
Probably one of my most favorite aspects of this planner is the Facebook group called the Crushing It Community. You get exclusive access to it with the purchase of the planner. The ladies in this group are AMAZING!! They keep me going when it gets tough and when I want to quit on my goals. Everyone is so encouraging! That is rare to find on social media these days, as you well know. If you decide a page in this planner may not fit exactly what you need, there are so many ways to adapt or change it to what you want. And the Crushing It Community is ready to offer suggestions to help you with that too! There are some very creative ladies in that group! I always love to see what they’ve come up with!
I cannot tell you enough what a difference in my life that this planner has made. It has allowed me to increase productivity and focus, and even gave me inspiration to start something I never thought about before—this blog! I have enjoyed every minute of planning in the Living Well Planner.
If you think this planner could benefit you and really make a difference in crushing your goals, you are correct! So what if it’s July? 2019 still has five full months remaining! PLENTY of time for you to continue (or start over) with your New Year’s resolutions and goals and still make them happen! If you need a way to get organized and start tackling them, this planner is IT! (Not to mention, school will be starting again soon!)
Remember, it has blank dates for you to fill in, so you can start ANY day or ANY month! You will absolutely LOVE it! I don’t know how I ever lived without it! Oh wait, yes I do. My life was crazy chaotic, and I couldn’t keep up with anything. And I had given up on achieving my New Year’s resolutions by January 3rd. Not anymore!
Thanks to the Living Well Planner, I have been able to stay focused and CRUSH my goals this year (and STILL crushing!) I can’t believe it took me so long to find it!
Grab it now—and for $10 off—before they’re sold out! (They’ve sold out every year!)
I can’t wait to see how productive you are and how many goals you crush by the end of 2019. You still have almost half a year left! You can do this! Continue to steward intentionally, and let’s start crushing those goals together TODAY!
Heather
P.S. I would love for you to come join us on Facebook in the Accountability | Penny Steward Mama group! Our members are full of ideas and inspiration as they work on their money and life goals!
Do you have any content you would like to hear about in the future or any questions for me? Definitely contact me at pennystewardmama@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!
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Thank you so much for reviewing this journal, as I was on the fence on buying it! Your honest and real review got me, I ordered one and can’t wait to get it in the mail.
This looks like a great planner! Staying organized is something I’m so bad at. I may need to give this method a try! Thanks again. Dayna xx
Thanks for this honest review of this planner! I have had my eye on Ruth’s planner for quite some time…but I don’t have the greatest track record with planners/trackers so I am not sure I want to spend the money on this and not end up using it…although the sale does make it sound much more tempting…
Hi Sandy! I had never been consistent with a planner before either. I was determined to make this work, and the accountability in the Crushing It Community has been huge! If the current system you are using to organize works for you, then there’s definitely no reason to purchase an additional planner. I also use my Cozi Calendar app and a blank spiral notebook for “brain dumping” before I organize. Then the priorities get put in my planner, where it is all in one place! Thanks for the comment!