Plan. Adventure. Live.

A blog about planning, traveling, and living this crazy life!

Planning

Finding Your Planning Style (and what to do when it stops working)

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Hey planner babes!

Today I am going to talk a little about my planning style and how you can figure out what works best for you. When I first came to know the wonderful world of planning, I did a lot of research through YouTube and Pinterest. I wanted to know what methods worked best for organizing a ring-bound planner. I heard/read a lot of terms that other planner girls used to describe their planning style. For example: cute, functional, decorated, customized, color-coded, bullet journal, etc. My head was spinning with all of the different possibilities. I decided to take the information I had gained through the great and powerful internet and sit down with my empty planner.

My Personal size, Ocher Malden Filofax. My Personal size, Ocher Malden Filofax.

Where do I start?

When it comes to determining your planning style, the best place to start is from scratch. Do not let any generic inserts or dividers be your starting off point. Now, make a list of what is important for you to have in your planner. Will you be planning by the day, the week, or the month? Maybe it’s all three! That’s okay, too! Do you need to have your planner sectioned off by dividers or would you feel more comfortable using an open and uncategorized format? How do you feel about decorations? Stickers? Washi Tape? Both? Asking yourself these types of questions will help you to start figuring out what style will work best for you.

Personally, I love dividers, but I also don’t need as many sections as some do. My happy place is a personal size planner, with 4 sections: Monthly, Weekly, Goals, Home. I usually make my own dividers using scrapbook paper. If your style is both “cute” and “functional” then the idea of having personalized divider sets probably sounds awesome to you. If you prefer more stickers and washi to actual lists and plans, then you have a more “creative” planning style.

A good way to figure out what suits you best, is by trying it out! Give yourself a trial week. Print off the inserts you have been eyeing online or request some sample pages if its a purchase you aren’t ready to make. Decorate, write out your plans, and just do what comes natural. If you find that you are using it daily and it is accommodating your needs, then congratulations! You found the style that works for you!

My current setup involves a week on one page inserts and a gridded page for lists and habit tracking. My current setup involves a week on one page inserts and a gridded page for lists and habit tracking.

What if it doesn’t last?

So you figured out what you like or at least you thought you had. This is something that I see all of the time in the planner community. Planner burnout. You found the perfect style to suit your needs and it worked wonderfully…for two whole months! Now you find yourself not even using your planner. You can’t even remember the last time you picked it up. Maybe the system that worked for you no longer gets the job done. That is the beautiful thing that I love about ring-bound planners. If something stops working you can dump the whole thing out and start over!

When I get a serious case of planner burnout I don’t just pick and choose sections to remove and “oh maybe I will add this” or “I will take out this last few pages, because I don’t really use those…” No. I start from scratch again. I empty it all out, I write out what is working and what is not working, and I make fresh new dividers. Usually this is the inspiration I need to start using my planner on daily basis again.

In the past my planning style looked like this. However, it is constantly evolving and changing. In the past my planning style looked like this. However, it is constantly evolving and changing.

At the end of the day, your planner is meant to work for you. It is meant to make your life easier and better. Try not to let any one person’s style greatly influence you. Collect advice and tips from multiple sources and let them guide you towards what style will fit your needs.

Until next time!

Much Love,

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Planning

Habit Tracking Tips & Ideas

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I enjoy planning for multiple reasons. I love the feeling and security of having physical, written reminders of what I need to accomplish each day. There is nothing more rewarding than having a completed to do list every evening. In the past I have focused mainly on appointments and tasks. It wasn’t until recently, after discovering bullet journaling, that I wanted to take my planning a step further. Instead of just having a daily “to do list” and my schedule of appointments each week, now I keep up with my daily habits as well. These are things that I really need to do for my mental, physical, and spiritual health. They include, but are not limited too: daily devotional, medications, water consumption, work outs, and calorie monitoring.

What format works best for me?

Daily Page Tracking

When it comes to habit tracking, there are a few different methods you can use. If you use daily inserts that have a large amount of extra space you can track your habits each individual day. If you plan more by the week, but do not have very many habits to track, you can include them on your week-on-one-page or week-on-two-pages inserts. I used to simply include a couple items each day on my weekly inserts as shown below.

I listed items that I needed to do daily on each day's to do list.

This may work for some, but it didn’t last long for me. I was crowding up my daily to do lists, with routine tasks that should really be done every single day anyway. There is nothing wrong with this method, but I personally found that I wasn’t accomplishing anything else that needed to be done because I was so focused on the habits that should be done automatically. Now, I like to save my daily to do list for items that are not necessarily a daily routine, but they need to be accomplished on that specific day. Items such as: home tasks, bills that are due, and business/blog related tasks.

Dedicated Tracking Page by the Month.

I decided to switch my habit tracking to it’s own dedicated page in my planner. I stuck it in under my “Goals” divider, which I thought was fitting since my mini goal is to accomplish these particular habits on a daily basis. Each month got it’s own tracker:

I color coded each task and filled in the boxes as I completed them.

While this method was much better than what I had been using, I still found that I wasn’t accomplishing these habits like I should have been. Not only that, but I would also forget about the tracker completely and sometimes not even document when I had done something on the list.

Dedicated Tracking Page for Week.

This is what has led me to condense down to weekly habit tracking. I still have a designated page and it is still listed under my “Goals” divider. However, now I fill out a new tracker every single week. It’s easy to keep up with, because I just do it at the same time I do my weekly planning. Also, it keeps the tracker fresh on my mind so that I don’t forget to use it daily. I’ve also added more items and I am much better about accomplishing my tasks.

I typically start my morning off this way. Coffee, planning , and Jesus!

I keep a cute little clip attached to this page, so that I can flip right to it when I’m ready. I am much better about tracking my habits, using this method.

Now, let me know how you track your daily habits! Comment below or send me an e-mail at kimberly.hysler@gmail.com. Also, don’t forget to check out my Instagram for more planner goodness. You can find me @plan.adventure.live.

Later lovelies!

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Crafting

Creative Lettering and Beyond (Review)

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This book was on my Amazon wish list for quite some time. I have wanted to improve my hand lettering skills, but did not actually end up purchasing it until I was in a Paper Source store and happened to see it on the shelf. Initially, I flipped through the pages and I was not sure if it would be helpful or not, but it turned out to be the motivation I needed to improve my lettering.

The instructions are very easy to follow and the examples are great. I have spent most of my time with this book just copying exactly what I see. However, recently I have started to branch out and take the skills this book has given me and tried to add my own personality and style to my lettering.

One really awesome thing this book does is instruct you on how to take your own handwriting and transfer it into a digital format so that you can edit it in Photoshop.

There are also thorough descriptions on different writing utensils. There are hand lettering instructions for chalk, marker, pencil, pen, and even paint. You can learn to make a temporary tattoo with your handwriting or create coffee mugs with cute sayings. There is ample space in the book for practice, but I do suggest having a sketch book nearby. That way you can mess up and not feel bad about about having mistakes be forever in your book.

I have been extremely pleased with this purchase! I plan to continue to use this book to increase my creative lettering skills!

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Make-it Monday, Planning

“Make-it Monday” – DIY Happy Planner Week Marker

Hey there crafty ladies!

I decided to not post a blog last Monday, due to the Easter holiday and the fact that many schools were on Spring Break. But now I am back and ready to make some more cute stuff with you!

This week’s DIY craft is planner related. We are going to be making removable week markers for The Happy Planner. If you gals are like me, you tend to keep your planners pretty stuffed. It’s always good to have a marker so that you can quickly and easily find the current week. One of the tricky things about The Happy Planner is that it has “arc” style punches. If you want to make inserts of any kind for it, you don’t necessarily have to have the arc punch. I am going to show you how to make them using a good, old fashioned, hole-puncher.

So, lets get started!

Here are some of the supplies you will need. Here are some of the supplies you will need.

Materials

  • Scrapbook paper of your choice
  • Scissors or paper cutter
  • Happy Planner or other Arc-style planner
  • Pencil
  • Ultra Fine tip Sharpie
  • Single Hole-puncher
  • Laminator and laminating sheets (optional)

Directions

Start by measuring your scrapbook paper to your Happy Planner. You can make it whatever width you would like and the height should be slightly taller than the planner, so that a little piece sticks out over the top. Use your pencil to mark off where you need to make your cuts. Then, get to cutting! I rounded the corners on mine, but that is totally optional. Also, if you would like to have anything written or stamped on your week marker, now is the time to do it. I used a stamp to put “THIS WEEK” at the top of mine. You can use your Sharpie to write whatever you would like.

This is where you can be creative. Use stamps, a sharpie, or a sticker to identify what your marker is being used for.

Get Creative.

This is where you can be creative. Use stamps, a sharpie, or a sticker to identify what your marker is being used for.

Now, it is time to laminate. If you don’t have a laminator or don’t want to bother with it, then feel free to skip this step. I like to reinforce my page markers so that the edges don’t get frayed. It does make it a little harder to hole punch, but as long as your puncher is sharp, you should be good.

BONUS TIP: If you are using an old hole-puncher that has seen better days, then get a piece of aluminum foil. That’s right, aluminum foil. Now punch a bunch of holes in it. Now your puncher is (kinda, sorta) as good as new!

After you have finished laminating, trim the excess laminating sheet away.

Now, lay your marker down on top of your planner and line it up how you would like. The photo below shows how I lined mine up.

I lined the bottom of the bookmark up with the bottom of the planner. As you can see, that leaves a little sticking above the top of the planner. I lined the bottom of the bookmark up with the bottom of the planner. As you can see, that leaves a little sticking above the top of the planner.

Now, take your Sharpie, and make tiny marks where you will need to hole punch.

Here is a close up:

Now, make your punches. Close to the edge, but not so close that it breaks through the side. After you have your holes punched, go through with scissors and cut slits into the side of each hole, so that they will snap into your planner.

Your final product should pop in and out of your planner, easily! Your final product should pop in and out of your planner, easily!

That’s it ladies! Now, when your planner is closed you should easily be able to open it up to your current week and plan to your hearts content!

This is what mine looked like, with the planner closed:

Until next time!

Much Love,

Kimberly

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Make-it Monday

“Make-it Monday” – DIY Greeting Cards

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Hello Krafters! 

Another week is upon us and that means another edition of “Make-it Monday”! Today I will be showing you how to use common household craft supplies (at least for those of us that keep craft supplies on hand) to make an adorable little greeting card. In my project, I am using it for a friend’s birthday, but you may use it however you like. Get well, a baby shower, or just because. The options are limitless!

So let’s get started!

This is what you will need:

Craft Supplies Needed
Craft Supplies Needed

Materials

  • US Letter size Card Stock
  • Scissors or craft paper cutter
  • Different size and color buttons (2 or more preferably)
  • Multiple colors of fine tip pens
  • Craft glue or hot glue gun and sticks (not pictured)
  • Stamps and ink pads (optional)

Directions

You will start by cutting your card stock in half. Turn it so that the orientation is “landscape” so that the longest side faces you. Now cut it right down the middle. This should give you two equal size pieces (you can actually make two cards!).

In my opinion, it's easier to use a cutter like this so that your cut is even.
In my opinion, it’s easier to use a cutter like this so that your cut is even.

Now, sit one of the pieces to the side. Fold your remaining piece in half, as shown in the photo below:

Before you start decorating, decide how you would like your card to open. I will be making mine to lift up from the bottom. You can also do a side opening card. 

Now it’s time to incorporate our buttons. You should have 2-4 of different sizes and colors. Go ahead and glue those to the front of your card in a grouping, as demonstrated in the photo below.

Different styles work too, as long as they are all a round shape.
Different styles work too, as long as they are all a round shape.

After you allow a few minutes for your glue to dry (check the suggested wait time on whatever glue you are using), it’s time to had some additional touches. Use pens that are a close color match to the buttons you chose and draw a little triangle underneath each button. Now take a black pen and draw squiggly strings from the bottom of the triangle to the bottom of the card. It should look something like this:

I have used a bow stamp and a banner stamp to add a little extra to my card. However, this is optional. If you don’t have stamps available or you rather not pull them out for this, you can draw some of these by hand or leave them out completely. It will look cute regardless!

The next an final step of your decoration will be to add whatever words you would like on the front. Since mine is for a birthday I chose to say “Happy Birthday” and add my friend’s name. Get creative. If you don’t like your own handwriting, you can use stamps or stickers to do this.

This is what my final product ended up like:

Happy Birthday DIY Greeting Card
Happy Birthday DIY Greeting Card

That’s it! A quick, easy, and super cute way to make your own greeting cards! You know your friends and family will love receiving something made with love as opposed to something you bought last minute at the store.

So as always, kraft away!

Until next time,

Kimberly

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Make-it Monday, Planning

“Make-It Monday” – Planner Bands

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This blog is still fairly fresh, so I am always trying to come up with new ideas and a good posting schedule. That has led me to “Make-it Monday.” This will be a weekly post (every Monday, duh.) that has a DIY craft project for you to try. Sometimes it will be planner related. Other times it may be a holiday themed project. The options are endless. So be sure to check out this website every Monday for a new post!

For my first ever “Make-it Monday” I am going to start with a super easy and fun project. It’s an awesome and inexpensive way to pretty up your planner. It is quick and requires very few materials.

Just a little elastic ribbon can glam up a planner or book! Just a little elastic ribbon can glam up a planner or book!

Material Needed:

  • Elastic Ribbon
  • Scissors
  • Craft Glue (optional)

Directions:

Take your elastic ribbon and stretch it around your planner as show below. It should be snug enough to hold your planner or book closed, but not so tight that it over stretches the ribbon.

Now hold it together where you think the two ends should meet at the bottom. This is where you will tie it. Slide the band off of your book or planner, while trying to keep your fingers grasping that same spot.Then, use your scissors to cut the excess ribbon. Leave a little more than an inch of ribbon below your fingers when you do this.

Next, you will hold the loose ends together and tie your knot about an inch from the bottom (as shown above). At this point you can trim down the ribbon more if needed. I like to cut mine at an angle.

If you do not want a pen loop added, then your job is done! Go ahead and put on your cute new accessory and enjoy! If you would like to add the extra pen loop then keep reading…

The next thing you will want to do is cut about an inch more of the same elastic ribbon.

Now, go ahead and turn your planner band inside out. Around midway up one side of your band you want to wrap this little piece and have the ends overlap (as shown below).

At this point, I use the craft glue (I recommend a good sturdy one like E6000) to secure the ends together and to secure the pen loop to the back of the band. Allow it to dry for a good 30 minutes before you try to stretch it over your book or planner.

This is what your final product should look like:

Also, if you have any cute buttons or small decorations you can always glue those to the outside of you band as well!

I hope you have enjoyed this first edition of “Make-it Monday”!

Much Love,

Kimberly

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Planning

Staying Organized in 2016

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My current planning system took awhile to establish. I have been experimenting with different sizes and styles and I think I have finally found a set-up that works great for me. I use three different planners for multiple reasons. I know you are probably thinking, “Why in the world do you need that many?” The truth is that I could condense it into one, but I personally enjoy using three. Let me break it down for you…

The Everyday, Anything, and Everything Planner

This is my Filofax Malden. Will it always be a Malden? Probably not. I switch out binders like I switch out purses. That is one of the many reasons I prefer the ring system of planning. In the past, this planner has been a Filofax patent leather Original, an aquamarine Saffiano, and another Original in patent leather nude. I like to switch my inserts out from one to another, depending on the season, holiday, or just my mood. However, the contents have always remained about the same.

I will be doing a more in depth look at this planner in a future post, but just as an overview, I will say this is my “life” planner. My month view, week view, my goals, my brain dump. It goes almost everywhere with me and it houses a ton of information.

The Wallet and Financial Planner

I like to refer to her simply as Kate. She is my financial planner. I used to carry around a pocket size Filofax Pennybridge, but recently upgraded to a personal/medium size, Kate Spade Wellesley. I keep all of my cards, my driver’s license, and my checkbook here. I use it for keeping up with bills and my bank account status. I typically house my coupons and shopping lists in here as well. This planner is low maintenance. I don’t do any weekly decorating or really intense planning in Kate. At least not for now!

The Busy Day, Home Planner

Last, but not least, is the beautiful, Purposeful Planner. This baby is huge. She is definitely meant for a desk and not for a purse. This is what I use for keeping up with chores, in depth meal planning, and busy days that need to be scheduled out. This is my “get down to business” planner. I don’t use it everyday. I only break her out when I have a lot to get done.

The pages are large and account for every hour of your day from 6 AM to 10 PM.

There are also little sections on spending, water intake, your meal planning for the day, and a prayer or praise item you may have. If you are looking to really structure your time, then this is the planner for you. I know it has helped me to organize my chaos.

So, there you have it! That is my current, 2016 planning system, in a nutshell. Let me know what you think. Do you currently use more than one planner? Have I inspired you take the plunge?

Until next time,

Kimberly.

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Crafting

Fujifilm Instax Printer (Review)

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This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through these links is at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own.

I have always been a big fan of the Polaroid cameras that printed their own photos. Digital cameras and smart phones have started to take the place of that technology. However, it seems recently the quick print and develop technology is making a comeback. A few different brands have been releasing both the classic photo printing camera and the stand alone printers that can be used through bluetooth or WiFi on your smart phone. Since I am a fan of the quirky , photo booth style, vintage prints, I had to put the FujiFilm Instax Printer on my Amazon wish list. My husband was happy to help me out, by purchasing it for Christmas. I could not have been more excited to open that gift!

First Impressions.

It has been very easy to learn how to use it. The printer came with its own set of AA batteries and my husband also purchased two packages of ink cartridges for me to use. I followed the directions on the box, which said to download the instax SHARE app onto my iPhone. Within just a few minutes I was able to print my first photo.

Any photo editing should be done before you use the instax SHARE app to print. Also, before opening the app, you need to go connect to the printer’s WiFi. Once you have connected to the WiFi, all you have to do is go to the app and select that photo that you would like to print. There is a very short waiting period while the app searches for the printer and then your photo will start to print. Just like with any photo printers, it takes 5-10 minutes for your photo to develop. When it finishes, you will have a cute little keepsake that you can display or use for scrapbooking purposes.

My Thoughts.

Overall, I have loved using this to print cute snapshots for my planner and other projects. It has been super quick and easy to use! If you are in the market for a photo printer, then this one is definitely worth checking out.

Find it here on Amazon: Fujifilm INSTAX Share SP-2 Smart Phone Printer (Gold) (This is the newer model)

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Planning

The Beginning.

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Hello, all Filofaxers (Hey, it’s a word and you know it)! My name is Kimberly and this is the beginning of what I hope will be a beautiful friendship. If you have somehow stumbled upon this blog, then I am sure you are a fan of planning, crafting, filofaxing, or all of the above. This first post will be an introduction and will hopefully give you a good idea of what I will be posting about in the future. I hope it strikes your fancy!

How it Started.

I have been a planner nerd since I got my first Lisa Frank notebook (with colorful paper!) when I was in middle school. It was then that I started making lists and keeping up with my life…or as much of a life as a middle school kid can have anyway. Since that very first notebook, my planning tastes have changed throughout high school, college, and starting my real world, adult life. Before I even knew the word Filofax or had any thoughts about major life planning, I was already bedazzling my school-issued planners. I mean let’s face it…those things were just plain ugly. I covered them in stickers and used colorful pens to write in my high school, homework assignments.

Through college I used a combination of school planners that were spiral bound and binder-style planners that were purchased at Target or Wal-Mart. Most often they were a plain black or brown and used the standard issue inserts and dividers. Nothing too fancy…except for my stickers of course!

Planning and Adulting.

Then, I hit my mid-twenties. Real life was in full swing. I had my first car payment, I purchased my own home, started dating an amazing guy, and had a very hectic, full-time job. Not to mention, trying to keep up with friends and family through all of that. I desperately needed a better way to plan my time, so that I could fit everything in.

That is when I started browsing Pinterest fervently in search of a planning method that could meet my ever-changing needs. I had no idea I would find a HUGE community of awesome ladies that first introduced me to the term “Filofaxing”. My life as I knew it changed! So, a little over a year ago I purchased my first Filofax. A beautiful, personal size, patent leather original, in Fuscia! It was love at first sight!

So it began! I was on Etsy, Pinterest, and so many blogs, doing research and trying to find the most efficient and cutest (obvs!) way to organize my new planner. Since then I have branched out to other brands and styles, but Filofax still remains on the top of my list. I am now the owner of three Filofaxes and one Kikki-K. Also, dozens of different washi tapes, hundreds of stickers, a fine tip pen in every color imaginable, and sticky notes galore!

So, I guess you have figured out what this blog is going to be about…

I hope to be able to offer my own thoughts and ideas to the planning community. Maybe, I will be the one to introduce this fabulous hobby to a girl that is frantically searching the internet for ways to organize her life.

With Love,

Kimberly <3

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