The Planner That Has Kept Me Sane
I have always thought of myself as a digital girl living in a digital world. But graduate school has changed me. You might remember me saying during undergraduate school that I used the free reminders app that iPhones have downloaded on them to remind me of important assignments and deadlines. That held true until seamster 1 of 3 in my graduate program.
A large part of the fall semester in my Master’s program is the opportunity to recruit with fantastic organizations for summer internships (more on that in another post). With all of the recruitment information sessions, application deadlines, class assignments, exams, quizzes, group projects, and work responsibilities (I was working two part-time jobs last semester) to say I was overwhelmed with the buzzing of my phone would be an understatement. The reminders began to make me feel more anxious than secure or like I wasn’t missing something. I needed a change!
Way back in high school (just saying that makes me feel old) I used to use a physical, paper planner. It was a great way for me to visualize what I needed to complete academically and gave me a spot to place those plans. The reminders app did not and does not do that so much. Plus, it is much more satisfying to cross or check items off my to-do list with a paper planner!
After the horrors of the first semester, I took the opportunity of a new year to find a new planner! After some intense research and pricing, I settled on the planners from Papier. This brand of planners is based in the U.K. but also sell their items in the U.S. What I liked and still enjoy about this planner is how it is broken up and the items it offers me to really apply my thoughts. There is a monthly calendar for the entire year where I write down all of my appointments and meetings, a weekly section where I can expand my to-do list by the days of the week, a goal setting area for each month, password and contact list section, and lined paper for random notes. In addition to all of this, I have adopted a color coordinated system for separating work projects from classes (and even sub-categorizing classes from one another) using colorful pens!
What’s more, Paper offers a variety of styles that are all unique and fun! Mine is a classes navy blue and white color scheme with a fun and feisty jaguar print on the outside. Quite a few of the planners Papier offers have the option to personalize the outside at no extra cost. Mine says “Sarah’s Planner”, of course, and features my initials on the outside. Paper has several different types of planners and calendars available on their website, I love the desk weekly planner and look forward to purchasing one of those for when I start working full-time.
One of the best benefits to having a paper planner now instead of constant reminders on my phone, besides keeping my sanity, is that I am able to document all of the exciting events that are happening day-to-day. For example, when I received information on the location where I will be interning this summer, I marked that in my planner so I will always be able to remember the date. To me, that is special and I am very happy to have made the switch over to something much more fun than just digital reminders.
With Love,
Sarah
