OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What Inserts do I Use?

The planning community is so amazing.  It's fun and creative but OMG it can be sooooo overwhelming!  There's so much to see and learn and obsess over ;) There are so many different types of planners and inserts and stickers. So I've got this great series for you coming over the next few weeks.  It will help simplify everything and make choosing your first (or next) planner much easier.

Today we are talking about PLANNER INSERTS and I will compare the two main types to help you make a decision on which one would work best for you.

If you've been around the planner world social media scene a little bit, you may have heard about vertical vs horizontal or #teamvertical and #teamhorizontal. You may have thought ‘what in the heck does that even mean?’  Well, I’m here to clear the mud! These refer to the different orientations of the insert pages inside your planner.  The days may be arranged in a vertical or horizontal set up. 

In a vertical day, your space for each day is long and runs down the page, but in a horizontal it runs across. Here's a video that shows a bit more the two orientations.

 

A lot of planner girls feel very strongly one way or another, once they get settled in a planner system that works for them. Some girls change their minds, after loving one orientation for a long time they suddenly discover the other arrangement suits them better, at least at particular moment in time and what their needs call for.  Both set ups have their pros and cons and both may work for you, just for different needs. Or maybe there’s one that you’ll prefer over the other.  Of course, there are even more differences within each set-up, but let’s just stick with vertical vs horizontal for now.

 

Team Vertical

This set-up works really well for those planner girls that like to list out their days or tasks. Listers gotta list! It’s also ideal for those who have a lot of appointments or things to schedule in because the times can be aded along the side. 

With a vertical planner you can have your whole week laid out one day after another, in a natural procession. It’s great for linear thinkers and those who like to check things off. And it’s easier to break up your day into boxes going down.

Even though the surface area of the boxes may be equal to those on a hortizontally laid out page, it seems easier to decorate for a lot of planner girls in a vertical box.

However, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for writing, like with journaling.

 

Team Horizontal

This set up is great for people who plan like they read, left to right and then top to bottom.

Horizontal spreads, when well designed, look more appealing (though I have yet to master decorating a horizontal layout!) It's very good for noting appointments, events and activities. It’s easier to decorate by crossing over the lines with bigger stickers for a more coheasive design.

It lends well to journaling, memory planners and telling the story of your day.

It’s also great for doodles and cute activity stickers.

 

So there you have it!

I have to say that I was stumped when it came to the horizontal layout, I’m team veritcal all the way, except when it comes to my Heidi Swapp memory planner. So here'sa big shout out to my girls on periscope who helped me come up with all the awesome things about horizontal pages. Thanks ladies!!

If you liked this post you can check out the other posts: 
Newbie Planner Girls START HERE!!
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: Choosing a Binding
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What SIZE to choose
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: How to Make Multiple Planners Work
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: 4 things to do Before you Buy All the Things!

And if you're new to the Planner World and would like a free (and pretty) Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet with some of the definitions of those terms and acronyms that seem so foreign to you, but everyone else seems to know what they mean, then just click here:

Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet

See you next week when we resist buying all the things! 

 

OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What SIZE to choose

The planning community is so amazing.  It's fun and creative but OMG it can be sooooo overwhelming!  There's so much to see and learn and obssess over ;) There are so many different types of planners and inserts and stickers. So I've got this great series for you coming over the next few weeks.  It will help simplify everything and make choosing your first (or next) planner much easier.

Today we are talking about PLANNER SIZES and I'll go through and help give you an idea what size can work for you. Planners seem to come in as many sizes as they do colours!!  8.5x11, A5, personal, pocket and a variety of other sizes in between!  How to choose if you've never used a planner before? 

Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding what size planner to choose.  Now I can't answer them for you, but I'm going to give you some food for thought so that you can make the best decision for you.

How PORTABLE does this thing need to be?
If you plan to take your planner with you on errands or whenever you are out and about, it needs to be portable.  If you want a big planner you can always buy a bigger bag, or you can get what Jenny Penton calls an errand runner.  I have one that doubles as my wallet and it has a simplified copy of our schedule so that I can schedule appointments and things when I'm not at home.

Portability is usually the first thing that people consider when deciding on what size planner to buy.  Will it fit in my purse?  Often times, it's the only thing they consider, but I've got more questions below for you that are just as important so keep reading :D  

How much space do you need to WRITE?
This can mean how busy are you, do you have a lot of tasks and appointments to write in your planner? Or maybe you like to journal in your planner as well.  Maybe it's not just space for writing that you need, but also room for stickers and other decorations.  The more space you need the bigger the planner you want.  If you like to write a lot but don't want a huge planner, you can always use a traveller's notebook.  Because they don't have the bulky rings, they are not only a lot slimmer but the whole notebook tends to be smaller.  For example, my Cakedori holds A5 sized notebooks inside, but the book itself is only slightly wider (less than an inch) than my personal sized Color Crush.

How many SECTIONS do you need?
This will determine more how thick of a planner you need.  The more sections you want the bigger the planner ring or spiral size needs to be.  Even if you have a lot of sections but there are only a few pages in each, if you laminate each of those dividers, that takes up a lot of room.

Do you have space in your home to LAY IT OUT?
Your planner needs a place in your home.  If you are going to use it and make it your minion, then it needs to be open, laying on some sort of flat surface. Some planners will fold back over on themselves, but some won't and if you have a ginormous planner that's a lot of desk or counter space to take up.

Of course, it won't always be open, but I know a lot of productive people who always have their planner open and at hand at all times.  Do you have room for your planner or could you clear some space for it?

Do you schedule your WHOLE FAMILY in your planner?
Who are you scheduling for?  Is it just you, or do you need to fit your entire family's schedule in there.  Maybe you don't plan for your family, but for an organisation or church group. Or maybe you are a school teacher with 25 children :)  Who ever you are planning for you need to consider their schedules too.

I have 6 children and to schedule everyone in my planner would be impossible!  Or at least it would have to be in a very large planner.  So to get around this I only schedule my tasks and appointments in my planner and I use a wall calendar for the family.  I like this global view so that I know (and everyone else knows) what every one is up to on a certain day, week, month.  This keeps my planner trim.  Maybe your children are older and have a busy schedule, maybe they can have their own planner.  

 

Here is a short video that shows some of the planners I have on hand and I compare their sizes.

So to wrap up, I'll run down my planner system to give you an idea of what I do.  Hopefully it can help you in your decision in what planner size is best for you.  

My main planner is an A5 notebook inside a wide traveller's notebook, which is slim and small but has lots of room for writing.  Next is our wall calendar to keep the family organised and last is a simple copy of the family's schedule in my pocket planner that doubles as my wallet.

If you liked this post you can check out the other posts: 
Newbie Planner Girls START HERE!!
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: Choosing a Binding
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What inserts to choose
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: How to Make Multiple Planners Work
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: 4 things to do Before you Buy All the Things!

 

And if you're new to the Planner World and would like a free (and pretty) Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet with some of the definitions of those terms and acronyms that seem so foreign to you, but everyone else seems to know what they mean, then just click here:

Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet

 

See you next time when Team Horizontal and Team Verical battle it out :D 

 

OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: Choosing a Binding

The planning community is so amazing.  It's fun and creative but OMG it can be sooooo overwhelming!  There's so much to see and learn and obssess over ;) There are so many different types of planners and inserts and stickers. So I've got this great series for you coming over the next few weeks.  It will help simplify everything and make choosing your first (or next) planner much easier.

Today, we are talking about the BINDING and weighing the pros and cons of some of the most common types, so let's go!! Stay tunes until the end because I have a video where I show you some examples and go into more details.

 

Classic Ring Bound Planners

Most ring bound planners have a 6 ring system but they also exist in 4 or 3 rings. If you choose 6 you'll have an easier time finding inserts, dividers and dashboards that are prepunched.  However, you can always order them unpunched and add the correct amount of holes yourself.

Examples of ring bound planners:
Kikki K, Filofax, Gillio (pictured above), Carpe Diem (by Simple Stories), Colour Crush (by Webster's Pages), Louis Vuitton, Heidi Swapp's Memory Planner (4 rings)

PROS:
*You can easily move pages around
*You can change out inserts, dashboards and dividers to whatever you'd like
*You can easily remove and add pages

CONS:
*It can't fold back on itself
*The contents of your planner are limited by the diametre of the rings and ring bound planners tend to get full fast.
*The rings can get bent or damaged easily
*Some ring bound planner don't lay completely flat when open
*Difficult for Lefties to write on the right hand side pages

 

Coil Bound Planners

These are bound books, similar to a coil notebook, with planner pages inside. The coils range in size from very small to an inch or so in diametre.  The quality also varies, there are cheap plastic or metal coils that catch on everything, right up to sturdy double coils that can stand the wear and tear you can put it through in the run of a day.

Examples of coil bound planners:
the Day Designer, Commit30 (pictured above), Inkwell Press and Erin Condrin Life Planners

PROS:
*It folds back on itself
*Small coils results in a slim planner
*It lays flat when open

CONS:
*Some coils can bend really easily
*You can't move pages around (easily anyway!)
*You can't add or remove pages easily.  You can rip pages out, but you can't put them back in with out painstaking patience!
*Difficult for Lefties to write on the right hand side pages

 

Disk Bound Planners

photo by Stephanie Howell

Instead of rings or coils, these planners have a series of plastic or metal disks that hold the book together.  This could be a 'best of both worlds' type of planner as it combines the benefits of both the coils and ring planners.

Examples of Disk bound planners:
The Happy Planner by MAMBI (pictured above) and The ARC system by Staples

PROS: 
*It folds back on itself
*It lays flat when open
*You can easily move pages around
*Not only can you change out inserts, dashboards and dividers to whatever you'd like but you can change the cover too
*You can easily remove and add pages

CONS:
*Difficult for Lefties to write on the right hand side pages
*Disks can be bulky
*Some disks can be too lightweight and feel a bit cheap

 

Traveller's Notebook

This group includes the trademark Midori as well as traveller's notebooks (TN) and fauxdori's.  They can be leather or fabric and even laminated paper.  There is a system of elastics down the spine that are designed to hold up to 6 or so notebooks in the one cover.

Examples of Traveller's notebooks:
Midori, Chic Sparrow, Cakedori (pictured above), Confettidori, Pigdori

PROS:
*Perfect for Lefties, no big rings or coils to get in the way
*Sections are naturally divided up by each notebook
*You can have A5 sized pages without having a big bulky planner.  A TN with A5 pages is only slightly bigger than a personal ring bound planner

CONS:
*You can't move pages around (easily anyway!)
*You can't add or remove pages easily.  You can rip pages out, but it's hard to put them back!

This video goes over all the pros and cons of each type of planner and compares them for you:

If you liked this post you can check out last week's post: Newbie Planner Girls START HERE!! 

And here are the other posts in this newbie planner series:
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What inserts to choose
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What SIZE to choose
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: 4 things to do Before you Buy All the Things!
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: How to Make Multiple Planners Work

And if you're new to the Planner World and would like a free (and pretty) Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet with some of the definitions of those terms and acronyms that seem so foreign to you, but everyone else seems to know what they mean, then just click here:

Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet

See you next week when we will tackle choosing the right planner size for you.