Life Planner SetUp – How I Plan

I am showing you my Erin Condren Life Planner Setup and how I plan my days, weeks and year.  I am a busy mom of three, and I am often asked how I am able to manage it all.

I was not always organized, and I didn’t always have the planning system that I use today.

However, the planning system I am sharing is a system that has worked for me regardless of my lifestyle.

I have used the Erin Condren Life planner for several years now, and I have used this system while being a working full-time mom, a stay at home mom, side hustle business owner, blogger, and even while doing some sort of mix of working outside the home part-time.

I love planning this way for my weeks and months. it just helps me see in advance everything coming up and everything else I need to do or accomplish as a crafty life mom.

I do also love to use the time-blocking method to schedule myself specifically for days that are jammed packed and heavily relied upon for me to accomplish a lot in a specific amount of time.

However, my go-to method is the one I am sharing today. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it is at no additional cost to you)! Read my full disclosure here.

 

Life Planner Set-Up

I created a video showing the specific planner stickers I use. I do know how to create my own planner stickers using my Silhouette and Cricut machines. I also have a heavy collection of stickers.

Over the years, I have minimalized my sticker usage and only buy from a few select planner shops. I prefer to buy these stickers because they can change up the planner from week to week and month to month.

I also and a little more frugal when it comes to purchasing stickers for my weekly layout. I tend to buy 1 sticker add-on sheet that I spread out over two weeks.

This is very cost effective in the planning world.

Watch the video below to see the stickers I use and the set up for my weeks. And follow the links below to see the Sticker Planner Shops and resource list.

Planner Resources and Sticker Shops

I typically buy a monthly layout for the monthly spreads in my Erin Condren life planner. I prefer doing this because it adds a little bit more fun to my planner, and it helps me to enjoy the seasons as they change with the month.

If you have followed along with me for a while now, you know I love decorating and living life seasonally.

Monthly spread sticker sheets typically include at least 2 half sheets and possibly a third. With coupons, you can get monthly spreads as low as $5 printed and mailed to you, or you can print and cut a downloadable printable.

Sticker coupons for Etsy shop owners can usually be found on their Instagram handles. So before you buy, look them up on Instagram for a possible coupon code mention in their profile.

My favorite shops for monthly spreads are Lexie Kylee Designs, Paper Focus planner shop, Wendy Prints, and for printable versions The Planner Shack. 

Weekly Planner Layouts

For the weekly layouts, I used to use the planner shop LibbieandCo. However, that became very expensive weekly.

I also like to use function over my planner just being pretty.

Don’t get me wrong, I love making it pretty because it helps me feel focused. Plus I enjoy it. But, I like a little practicality in my life.

I know there are much cheaper planners out there that offer pre-decorated weeks with different colors and themes. In my opinion, they just don’t stack up to the Erin Condren planner.

The Erin Condren does come a little plain. You can even choose between plain or color options. The spiral on this planner is top notch, and no other planner company has the durable large spiral and thicker paper for its pages.

When it comes to filling in the days I like a little extra color. So, I add mostly headers to the three boxes which I break down in categories.

Each box represents the same category each day. The top is for family things, and places I am going or my kids. The middle box is my to-do list. I put orders here that are due from my shop, along with errands to run, and things that must get complete. I Iimit my tasks to 3-5 things per day.

The bottom section is for my blog. I like giving it it’s own box because this is one thing I am focused on growing, and consider part part-time time work along with the thing I love doing and most enjoy.

The weekly planner stickers I get are actually addon sticker pages to the shop’s regular weekly layout. I do not use a ton of decorative stickers, but I do love headers. And the shop It’s Planning Time offers these addon sheets full of headers.

The addon sheets are perfect because I can use one sticker sheet for 2 weeks in my planner.

From there I fill my boxes with my Family events, daily to-do lists, and blog planning. I also use the bottom section for menu planning and diet exercise tracking.

Related Post: Free Printable Planner

What do you think? Which planning system do you use?