Blacksburg Belle

  • Home
  • New? Start Here!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
    • Courses
    • Get My Book
    • Sunday Society
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Connect
  • Blog

My 2018 Planning System

- December 20, 2017 | by April -

Two weeks ago I published an in-depth blog post about the top 14 planners for entrepreneurs.

The most common question I got from that blog post was, “What planner are you going to use for 2018? Why did you leave us hanging?!?!?!”

I didn’t reveal which planner I picked from the bunch, because I hadn’t figured out which one I wanted to use when I published that blog post.

I adore the concept of the Desire Map Planner and was suuuuuuuuuuper close to choosing that as my main planner for the upcoming year. I don’t focus enough on how I want to feel and what I can do to create those feelings and I plan to do that a lot more in 2018.

But, I couldn’t overlook how much I loved the design and every single page of the Inkwell planner. From the moment I opened that planner, I felt like it had been made for me.

The Productivity Planner also caught my eye with its simplicity and focus. I tried it’s system of focusing on one to five tasks and rating my productivity in my bullet journal and got a lot done on those days.

And then there is bullet journaling…the planning system that has my heart and has kept me organized this past year.

I also can’t forget Lara Casey’s Powersheets which aren’t a traditional planner but help you plan out your goals for the year and then help you take action and review how you’re doing throughout the year. I immediately knew I was going to use the Powersheets when I opened that package.

So what’s a planner addict to do when she has a stack of planners she loves but she can’t use them all?

It kinda felt like choosing a wedding dress all over again.

Luckily, I found a way to take the parts of the planners I really liked and put them together.

First, I decided that I would use three planners throughout the year.

I know…that’s a lot. But, I don’t care. This is my business and I can do what I want and I want three planners and one of them isn’t even a traditional planner for those of you who are counting.

I’m using: 1) the Powersheets to plan out my goals and track them throughout the year, 2) the Inkwell planner either just for Sunday Society or BookTube (I haven’t decided yet) and 3) my bullet journal for everything else.

The bullet journal I purchased for 2018 is huge.

Seriously, it’s a big boy. It’s still a Leuchtturm1917 but it’s the size large and the difference between the medium and the large is big.

I supersized because I want to fit a good amount of stuff on my daily spreads. I’m taking things I like about each of the planners I mentioned earlier and combining them into a custom daily spread.

Before I made this decision, I thought a great deal about whether or not this would be a good use of my time–creating the daily spreads and filling them out.

I came to the conclusion that I need to make more time in 2018 for journaling and thinking about the things I’ve included in my daily spreads. So, I believe it’s more than worth my time. If I decide later that I’m spending too much time on it, I can limit what I put into my daily spreads or move into one of the other planners.

For now, I’m excited about the system I’m setting up in my big ol’ bullet journal.

Let me give you a tour of what I’ve done so far.

Here’s the yearly spread (what some in the bullet journaling community call a future log) where I can put in launches, vacations, sales, birthdays, holidays, etc:

And, here’s my daily spread:

Here’s the breakdown:

At the beginning of the day, I want to think about what Danielle LaPorte calls your core desired feelings. Basically, it’s how I want to feel. I’m going to write them in the little honeycomb shapes. This will remind me of what’s really important–how I want to feel and if I can achieve that, then I’ve won that day.

Then, each morning I’ll also write a sentence or two to respond to the soul prompt (all of those come from the Desire Map Planner).

Next, I’ll write a sentence or two in response to the business prompt. I’m putting together a list of business prompts for this part of my planner.

The picture below shows you the bottom of the first page of my daily spread.

The three things that are circled come from the Full Focus Planner (which I didn’t know about until after I published my post on the top planners for entrepreneurs or this one would’ve made the list). In the Full Focus Planner, every day there is a spot to check off that you’ve completed your morning ritual, your workday startup ritual, your workday shutdown ritual and your evening ritual.

Each day that I do my morning ritual and workday startup ritual, I’m more productive and I’m happier! My workday shutdown ritual consists of making sure my daily spread for the next day is ready, looking over my schedule and filling out my to-dos for the next day.

In 2018, I would like to post on Instagram every weekday and share more of my work on Instagram stories each day. I’ve added three boxes for exercise–they’re for 15 minutes each, so I can check them off if I break it up throughout the day or get in a longer workout earlier in the day. I also have some checkboxes for water to make sure that I’m staying hydrated.

The box at the bottom of the page is for ‘something learned’ because I try to learn something new every day and writing it down makes it more likely that you’ll retain it.

The top of the second page (picture below) comes straight from the Productivity Planner which I looooooooooove. This planner is all about focus. If you’re a creative that has a hard time staying focused, you should seriously think about investing in this planner even if you use it as a secondary planner.

Anyways, instead of a standard to-do list, I’m using the Productivity Planner’s set up for my to-do list. It gives me room for five items and the five little circles next to the checkboxes represent 25 minutes each. The Productivity Planner encourages users to use the Pomodoro technique–25 minutes working, separated by short breaks. I’ve been doing this recently and I’ve been getting a lot more done.

At the end of the day, you look at your task list and what you accomplished and give yourself a productivity score.

Below my productivity score, I’ll wrap up the day by thinking about a few more things: what I want to stop doing, what I want to change and what I’m grateful for. Each of these prompts came out of the Desire Map Planner and they change each day. For instance, ‘Stop Doing’ and ‘Want to Change’ and ‘Gratitude’ all stay the same each day, but ‘Speak Up’ and ‘The Solution Will Come’ and ‘Ask for More’ will be different the next day. I write whatever the Desire Map Planner has for January 1st…January 2nd…etc.

Then, I’ll consider the wins for that day and list them. This is something I think we all need to do more of. We constantly think about what we should do differently and how much we didn’t get done, but we need to congratulate ourselves on the good stuff.

And, I always like to have a place for notes in my daily spreads.

There you have it. That’s my planning system so far for 2018. I hope it gives you a bit of inspiration for customizing a system that will work for you!

13 Comments · Filed Under: Bullet Journaling, Productivity

The Planner Dilemma (Plus, My Question for YOU)

- November 1, 2017 | by April -

What knows all your secrets, sometimes makes you feel like scarfing an entire box of Oreos due to shame but also gets you giddy with excitement thinking about your goals?

Give up? Got an answer? Kind of annoyed that this blog post starts with a silly riddle and are imagining smashing one of those whipped cream pies in my face? (That’s cool…just make sure it’s dairy free, please!)

It’s your planner.

When you find the right system, you feel like you’re in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory and you’ve found the golden ticket.

You spend an entire day planning and you can barely go to sleep that night, because you’re so wired from your brainstorming and drafting session (not to mention the seven cups of coffee you might have guzzled during the plan-a-thon).

And, this system does help you stay on track.

You post on Instagram regularly, blog more, and even send emails to your list. YAY!

You use it consistently for three months when the inevitable happens.

Your friend (aka, a random person in a really large Facebook group that you sporadically check in with) mentions that her life has been changed by such-and-such planner and you spend the next two hours reading everything you find about that planner.

Your stomach flips with guilt when you think about cheating on your current planner that’s been helping you get more done, but you can’t help but wonder if this new planner will help you not only get more done but also drink more water and exercise more like that woman from the previously mentioned FB group.

While you fold laundry and load the dishwasher, you think about it some more.

You try to write a blog post, but this other planner invades your thoughts. You try to paint, but once again, this other planner wiggles its way to forefront of your mind.

Finally, you give in and order this other planner, gulping when you realize that the shipping costs you an additional $8.95.

You don’t get a lot done until it arrives four days later, because you figure that you can’t do much until you have your new planner. I mean…how are you supposed to plan anything without it?

This time, you spend two full days working in your new planner and you’re even more sure this is the right system for you.

Do you feel like you fall into this ‘do I have the right planner’ trap? Do you waste time researching, moving into a new planner, and planning things you’ve already planned before?

Are you the person who gets stuck in planner mode–never really moving into action mode?

Maybe you plan a whole sales funnel but never set it up? Maybe you plan out a big launch and then go with something small? Maybe you’ve got products to sell but you never do the marketing?

I want to help you pick the right system for 2018, so that you’re satisfied going into January and you don’t have to play the ‘do I have the right planner’ game throughout the entire next year.

Let’s make it one and done, shall we?

That’s why I’ve bought most of the BIG planners out there–along with some that aren’t as well-known–and am putting together a huge blog post that will compare all of these planners and help YOU figure out which one you should pick for the next year.

I’m photographing all of the planners, to show you exactly what they look like. I’m also writing up a summary, including the pros and cons and what’s included and what’s excluded within each.

I’m also creating a quiz to help you figure out which planner will be the best fit for you.

But, I need YOUR help.

I haven’t used each of the planners day in and day out. While I can flip through them and get a pretty good sense of what it would be like to use them, I would love to hear from creatives and entrepreneurs who have used them on a regular basis.

If you have used any of the planners in the list below on a regular basis, all I need you to do is leave a comment below letting me know:

1. Which planner did you use?

2. What industry are you in? What’s your job title? (This will give me a sense of what industry a particular planner might work best for. For instance, if a bunch of photographers love the same planner, that says something.)

3. What did you love about the planner? What did you dislike about the planner?

4. If there was one thing you could change about the planner, what would it be?

That’ll be a HUGE help when I’m putting together the in-depth blog post on these planners. Thank you in advance! (As a heads up, I’ll be using these comments as quotes in that blog post.)

Here’s the list of planners:

  • The Desire Map Planner
  • Simplified Planner
  • The Day Designer
  • Passion Planner
  • Get to Work Book
  • Daily Greatness Business Planner
  • The Happy Planner
  • The Happiness Planner
  • Productivity Planner
  • Conquer Your Year
  • Daily liveWELL Planner by InkWELL Press
  • Lara Casey’s Powersheets
  • Melbourne Planner
  • Bullet Journal

If you don’t see the planner you absolutely LOVE on the list above, please add it the comments and I might include it in the post, especially if it’s mentioned a bunch. I can’t include every planner and I’m trying to focus on the ones that I think will help creative entrepreneurs reach their goals, but I’m open to including more. Thanks!

58 Comments · Filed Under: Bullet Journaling, Creative Business Development

Bullet Journaling 101

- March 15, 2017 | by April -

I’ve wanted to publish a blog post about bullet journaling since I started back in August of last year but decided to wait until I tested it out for a bit.

Don’t know what bullet journaling is? Let me introduce you to this wonderful world, but be warned that you may fall down a rabbit hole that sucks up every single second until you realize that it’s 4am and you’re still watching bullet journaling videos on YouTube.

Bullet journaling is a customizable organization system that was created by Ryder Carroll. A way to plan, track and brainstorm things all in one notebook. According to bulletjournal.com, “It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above.”

I must be growing up, because normally, I would’ve bought every single tool any bullet journaler ever mentioned to get started.

Instead, I pulled out my Micron pens and bought a Leuchtturm1917 in a hot pink color (so maybe the little girl who loved My Little Pony is still in there somewhere) and got started.

I searched for bullet journalers who focused primarily on bullet journaling for business and couldn’t find any (recommendations would be appreciated!).

I found bullet journalers who mainly used it for school or tracking their health and their everyday lives.

For a while, I used my bullet journal to track my habits, document what I was eating and how it made me feel and all of my ideas for my business.

I’ve continuously tweaked things to figure out a system that works best for me. And, that system isn’t the traditional bullet journal method.

Many bullet journalers include daily and weekly planning in their journals, but I knew that wouldn’t work well for me. So, I continue to use my Day Designer for daily planning.

Part of the appeal of the bullet journal is that everything is in one place, but at least I’ve cut it down to two planning tools. I used to have multiple notebooks going at once and by multiple, I mean like 14.

Now, I use a Day Designer to plan out each day and have a month at-a-glance and I use my bullet journal for everything else.

I use my bullet journal to:

1. Document my week.

I don’t plan out my week in advance in my bullet journal. Instead, I wrap up each day by documenting something from it. This gives me a chance to flex my creative muscles without spending more than 10 minutes if I’m pressed for time.

2. Jot down all of my lists.

Like many creative entrepreneurs, I’m a list maker. Creating and checking things off of a list gives my inner Paris Geller a little thrill. I used to keep lists in multiple notebooks: my blog post ideas in one, my brain dumps in another and my project-specific lists in their own special notebook.

Keeping all of that stuff together has simplified my planning process which makes running my business easier.

3. Track my income.

I have a spread in my bullet journal where I write down how much income I’ve made at the end of the day. This helps me to focus on what’s going out and what’s coming in and it helps me to concentrate on high-leverage tasks that are going to move my business forward.

Each month, I set a financial goal and reward if I reach it. It makes the finances part of my business a lot more enjoyable.

4. Keep a reading log.

With three overflowing bookshelves in my house, you can probably guess that I love to read. I like to keep track of how much I’m reading even though it’s a fun hobby for me.

5. Sketch and doodle.

I enjoy having a low pressure place to sketch and doodle. And, if I don’t like something, I can always cover it up with a journal card or sticker.

6. Plan for my Sunday Society calls.

Whenever I’m hosting a topic-specific call for Sunday Society (like this month’s call on creating systems for your business), I plan out the call in my bullet journal.

7. Take notes.

When I listen to a podcast or watch a CreativeLive segment or read a nonfiction book, I keep my bullet journal next to me and take notes.

8. Track my health.

I have autoimmune health issues, and it’s good to know what makes my symptoms flare up. I track what I eat, what medication I take and my symptoms. It’s how I realized that I need to avoid mangoes and nuts.

9. Plan for launches and projects.

I’m a planner. I enjoy creating a plan even more than doing the work. Bullet journaling makes keeping up with the plans that I make a lot easier. I constantly review my plans because they’re all in one place.

10. And, more.

The nine previous items are what I use bullet journaling for the most but I’m regularly adding to the list. Whenever I stumble upon an idea I want to try (like habit tracking), I create a new spread. That’s something I love about this system–you can continuously update and tweak things until you find the right fit.

If you’re frazzled by all of the tools you use to plan for your life and business, you should check out bullet journaling.

If you’re interested but don’t know where to start, you’ll find my favorite bullet journaling tools and some videos below. Enjoy!

My Favorite Bullet Journaling Tools:

Leuchtturn 1917 (with dotted pages)

Micron Pens

Pilot G-2 07 Pens

Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers

Koi Coloring Brush Pens

Washi Tape

Stamps

Stickers 

Bullet Journaling Videos That Will Give You Some Inspiration and Help You Get Started:

My Bullet Journal Set Up 2017 by AmandaRachLee

Bullet Journaling 101: Make It Your Own by Boho Berry

How to Draw Planner Icons by Doodles by Sarah

Plan with Me March by Amy Tangerine

I publish pictures of most of my bullet journal spreads on Instagram so make sure you’re following me there if you want to see future spreads.

16 Comments · Filed Under: Bullet Journaling

Blogging for Business

Get in Touch

Get a FREE Copy Here

Follow April on Twitter Follow April on Facebook Follow April on Pinterest Follow April on Youtube Follow April on Instagram

Get in Touch
Get in Touch

Blacksburg Belle. All Rights Reserved.© 2021 · Designed by Amanda Creek Creative On the Genesis Framework

We use cookies on this website. Read our cookie policy here.