franklin covey Archives - Page 2 of 3

Planner Resource Guide: Pick Your Planner

Are you currently looking for a new planner system but aren’t sure where to begin? Perhaps you are overwhelmed with all the options or are looking for a planner that is discontinued and have no clue how to begin tracking it down? If this sounds like you, then you are in luck because I have assembled this planner resource guide to give you one place to review the most popular planner systems so that you can choose what works best for you!

6 Ring Binder Systems

I happen to be a big fan of 6 ring binder systems because of the beautiful variety of binders available and the fact that these planner systems are reusable year after year. These aren’t cheap planners that you buy for a year or 17 months and then toss out, these are durable planners that often last years when well maintained. Here are the top brands that I see most often, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but these brands are pretty popular and I have experience with many of them.

Filofax
Kikki K
Franklin Covey
Kate Spade (Kate Spade may no longer be making binder style planners, however, you can find them used online.)
Webster’s Pages
Louis Vuitton
Gillio
Paper Chase

Discbound Systems

Currently, the discbound system is my preferred planning method. I like that it combines the personalization of a reusable binder system with the physical flexibility of a spiral or coil bound planner system. Unfortunately, there are only currently a few manufacturers that I know of for this system, but as I have seen them grow in popularity, I have hopes that more will crop up eventually!

Arc
Levenger
Martha Stewart Discbound (This system is discontinued but you may be able to find pieces of it on clearance at Staples or online via Amazon or Ebay)
MAMBI Happy Planner

Coil Bound Systems

Coil bound planner systems are also a very popular option in the planner world. They are one of the spiral bound options, however, they are distinctly known for their heavy metal coil that is extremely strong and durable. Now, these planners are not reusable, which is important to keep in mind, and many coil bound systems can run you the same price as a reusable binder, but many folks rely on this style of planner and find it worth the money!

Wire Bound Planners

Like coil bound planners, wire bound planner systems are also not a reusable option because they are spiral bound, however, these planners are slightly different from coil bound planners because their binding is a cinch style wire, instead of the heavy duty coil. Generally speaking, these planners are less expensive because of the lower cost binding method used, but that isn’t the rule!

Book Bound Planners

As the name suggests, these planner systems are bound like books! Again, they are another non-reusable option, but generally speaking these planner systems are much more compact, which gives them a certain advantage! For years I actually used a Moleskine squared notebook with a modified bullet journal system as my planner, and that is actually the system my husband uses to organize himself at work as well. So this is a serious option for those of us who prefer simplicity.

Travelers Notebooks

Traveler’s notebooks are a planner system type that I have very little experience with, however, they are incredibly popular in the planning and crafting world! These notebook based systems are based on a unique binding of a reusable cover with a string band system that holds a variety of small cahier style bound notebooks together within the cover. In part this is a reusable system because you can use one cover over and over again, and in part this is a non-reusable system because the bound notebooks inside tend to be smaller notebooks and are easily filled up and need to be replaced depending on the frequency of their use.

Midori
Fauxdori ( Fauxdori is a term used to describe the many non official Midori notebook covers available. Many small businesses online manufacture the covers and even the refill notebooks for this type of system, and because of this, the range of colors, materials and sizes for these systems vary greatly. Because of the simplicity of this style of planner, many people also enjoy creating their own covers by following easy DIYs like this one!)

Planner Accessories and Refills

If you purchase a reusable style planner from a manufacturer, for the most part your planner will either come with a selection of inserts to get you started or you will have the option to select your inserts from the manufacturer. However, there are a number of resources and shops online that sell an even greater variety of refills and other accessories comparable with many planner systems. Here are the online sites I recommend to look for refills and accessories for your planner!

Where to find discontinued planners

Unfortunately, when it comes to finding and buying your perfect planner online, it’s not always as simple as going to the manufacturers website and selecting your model! Many binder style planners are actually out of production and a little tricker to find. If you have your heart set on a planner and it’s discontinued, don’t worry, because there are places you can go to search for used planners for sale!

EBay
Facebook Groups (Many planner related groups on Facebook allow for the swap and sale of planners. In addition, you can search for dedicated Planner For Sale groups if you are looking for a specific planner.)
Philofaxy Adspot

So tell me, which of these planner systems is most interesting to you? Leave me a comment down below and tell me your favorite and why!

xoxo,

Filofax

August Dashboard Free Planner Printable

Hello friends!

It is that time of the month again and I have a new free monthly printable dashboard for you! Since so many of you told me that you loved the dashboard style freebie I introduced last month, I decided to continue with this printable for August! Of course, this printable is available in both A5 and Personal sizes and can work with the equivalent planner of your choice. As some of you may have seen, I am currently using an Arc style planner that I designed myself. Check out my latest YouTube video “How to Make Your Own Planner” for a tour of my latest planner set up and also a giveaway and some other freebies you’re gonna love!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE AUGUST DASHBOARD!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Productivity

The Charmed Life Planner & Vertical Planning Supplies!

Hey dolls! How is your July going? In case you didn’t know, I just moved this past weekend to a new apartment and I am slowly but surely trying to get my life unpacked and reorganized from the mess of boxes I am currently living out of. Thank goodness I have my new Charmed Life Planner inserts to keep me organized through this process! In case you didn’t hear, last week I launched a totally new set of inserts in my shop that I have dubbed “The Charmed Life Planner.” The planner is a printable PDF like all my other productivity inserts, however, this is my first continuous planner, meaning that you get one file with a rolling Month on 2 pages, week on 2 pages, master monthly task lists and monthly expense sheets dated from August 2015-December 2016! That is a whole 17-Months of planner inserts in one printable! The fun new thing about this planner insert is that I’ve designed a whole new vertical layout.

Vertical layouts have been all over the planner world lately and I have been personally obsessed with them. It’s a completely new way for me to visualize and plan my week, and one that I am enjoying immensely! Because this planner is a half letter or A5 equivalent size, you can use these inserts in a variety of planners. Mine is pictured inside my Martha Stewart A5 disc bound planner, however, these inserts will also work with A5 Filofax, large Kikki K, Franklin Covey Classic, and standard 3-Ring A5 binders! How cool is that? And of course, because this is a printable planner insert, you can print and reprint the pages of this planner as much as you need. Have more than one planner? Great, buy the file once and you can use it in as many planners as you’d like! Mess up a week in your schedule and no amount of white out will fix it? No problem, reprint the pages you need and you’re back in business! Or worse, make a mistake with your decorating and want to fix it? My printable planner inserts have you covered at every turn!

One of the best parts of this new planner is that I have a whole collection of new vertical planning supplies that I have also launched along side it that integrate perfectly with the planner to help you maximize and personalize your planning experience! I have a total of five new printable sticker sets that you can use in this, or any other planner. The stickers are what I like to call “vertical squares” and are 1.5″ wide, by 1.9″ tall. Yes, they will fit in the Erin Condren Life Planner, if that’s the planner of your choice, but you can also use them in a variety of different vertical or horizontal planner layouts or just decorate your favorite notebook or scrapbook with them. Included in this collection are the following sticker sets!

Vertical Square Planner Lists: a 2 page PDF with 6 unique planner list designs to help you organize your vertical planner.

#BLOGBOSS Set: 5 unique designs created by a #blogboss for a #blogboss. Get your blog and social media organized in your planner with this awesome set of printable stickers!

Everyday Hustle Set: Inspired by my Girl of All Trades journaling cards, this set of 5 designs will help keep you inspired, no matter which planner system you use.

Empire Building Inspiration Set: For all my online business babes, this set of designs inspired by my Empire Building program will help keep you motivated and inspired to build your business and hustle like an entrepreneur!

Charmed Words of Wisdom Set: This freebie set of 5 unique quote designs is inspired by my popular blog post 5 Things I Learned in my First Year in Business. Keep these words of wisdom close so you can persevere in all that you do in life!

Now, if you are feeling curious about all my new printable planner goodies, I have one more surprise in store for you! To give you all a taste of what my new vertical weekly layout feels like, I have created a one page sample week for you to download, print and test in your own planner! This free insert is dated for this week only so make sure to download yours now, take the layout for a test drive and of course, visit my shop before the week is out to download the full Charmed Life 17 Month Planner to keep your plans rolling through into August and beyond!

I hope you all enjoy these new planner supplies I have created for you! I’d love to hear what you think about them and, of course, see your pictures of how you are using these great productivity supplies in your own system! Make sure to tag me @MissTrenchcoat and use the hashtag #strangeandcharmed for any images on Twitter or Instagram!

xoxo,

Filofax

Oh, Hello May! {Free Printable}

Sometimes, I legitimately wish that I could have a time turner because the days really do pass too quickly! Well, it’s nearly May and it’s time to say a warm hello to one of the most welcoming months of the year. The first quarter of the year is over and done and we are well into the second. I know for the past few months I have been creating these free printables with a bit of a theme to them, but this month I decided to go back to basics and make a good old fashioned To Do List for the items I want to accomplish in May. It is just so important to make the most of each and everyday, and I think this is seriously a lesson I am learning on an ongoing basis. So, I hope you’ll join me in the month of May by getting your free printable and checking off the tasks along with me so we can celebrate the unofficial start of summer together!

If you would like to download these free inserts (available in both A5 + Personal Size), click here to hop on over to my shop where you can access and print them immediately!

If you do download these free inserts, please let me know about it by taking a picture and tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #StrangeandCharmed so I can see how you are making use of these inserts in your own planners. I love seeing your pictures, and I can’t wait to like them and interact with you on IG! Make sure you’re following me @MissTrenchcoat!!

xoxo,

Filofax

How to Organize Your Filofax like a Productivity Genius!

Ask yourself, what is keeping you from being as productive and efficient as possible? If you are a Filofax or planner user, you may be thinking that you have the tools to be organized and efficient, but if you aren’t using that tool wisely, it’s just another collection of random paper weighing down your life. There really is only one thing that is separating you from being a productivity genius in your own right, and that is clarity. Clarity in what you are supposed to be doing and when you are supposed to be doing it. This is where your Filofax can be an asset or a liability. Making sure your planner is set up for maximum productivity isn’t always an obvious thing, but here are my top 5 tips for organizing your Filofax like a productivity genius.

1. Use dividers and page markers to quickly access sections

The concept of using dividers in your planner is nothing new. They help you to keep your information sorted and arranged so that everything is easy to find with a turn of the page and the flick of your wrist. Make sure you have all your information properly divided out and that any and all pages of importance are marked within those sections so that you can quickly access information you need at a moments notice.

2. Keep a running list of tasks by context

Through the study of David Allen’s Getting Things Done, I learned about this concept of “contexts” for the tasks we need to complete. Essentially a “context” is the setting or set of circumstances that apply to your task. Many tasks that we complete regularly have the exact same context and therefore should be grouped together so that when it comes time to take care of a task, instead of doing one single task you have a group of like items to work on at one time. This inevitably saves you time because you aren’t jumping back and forth between different contexts and situations and therefore are able to batch your work. So, if you have an inbox full of emails to respond to, don’t just write one email and then move on to a completely different task in a completely different context. Instead, complete a batch of emails at one time while your mind is in “email mode”. Obviously, email or digital tasks don’t necessarily need to be listed out on your planner as individual tasks unless they are very important, but for other tasks that you may deal with often, keep a running list by context on individual pages in your planner. That way, when it comes time for you to run a report on x, you can refer to your planner and see a running list of all the reports you need to run so that you can batch the work and cross a number of items off your list at one time!

3. Organize Projects into their own dedicated section

Keeping a dedicated project planning section is a great way to keep related tasks clearly organized. Often times when it comes to organizing and managing projects, we start with a list of obvious tasks and then new tasks pop up as we progress. So keeping a page for your project with notes and space for additional tasks and items to be added is a great way to keep organized and stay efficient. Obviously you will want to group these project planning pages all together in one section of your planner so that when the time comes to review the overall progress on all your projects, you just need to flip through this section and take note of any gaps in your projects and outstanding items that need to be completed. If you are looking for some Filofax specific project planning sheets, make sure to check out these from my shop!

4. Keep spare notepaper and sticky notes in the front of your planner

When it comes to my planner and the frequency of it’s use, by far the number one task I use my planner for is to jot down quick notes. Because of this, I like to keep spare pieces of notepaper towards the front of my planner so I can easily jot a note down for future reference or review. I also like to keep spare sticky notes in the front as well, that way I can make a note and stick it to a particular page in my planner that it applies to or use those sticky notes to quickly flag a page that I may need to reference. Remember, it’s so important that you are capturing all the tasks, information and ideas that come to you in a day that you want or need to act on, so these simple tools can be productivity gold!

5. Store useful extras in a pouch or DIY folder

One of the hallmarks of a productivity genius is that they are prepared for anything! So, make sure you utilize your planner as a toolbox of sorts, storing extra supplies and tools in a dedicated zip pouch or DIY planner folder! Tools like a small pair of scissors, postage stamps, paper clips, and writing utensils can help to keep you organized and productive in the office or on the go when you know you have everything you need stored neatly away in your Filofax. DIY folders, like the ones I have made tutorials on, are also great places to store extra notepaper for jotting down and sharing notes, as well as great storage solutions for receipts and paperwork that you may need to fold up and keep in your planner. Make sure your planner has all the storage you require so that you can keep important and frequently used items with you at all times. I know many people use a separate pen case for these sorts of extras, but that pen case is one more thing to have to take care of, and a productivity genius knows that it’s important to keep your supplies lean so you can keep focused on your tasks!

I hope these tips help you to set up your Filofax in the most productive manner possible so that it becomes an essential tool that keeps you on track instead of being a time waster and a major liability to your efficiency! Remember, if your planner is taking too much time to use, you really want to reevaluate your system and decide which areas are causing you the most strife and adjust as necessary! I’d love to see your planners set up using these methods, so please snap a picture of your planner, post it to Instagram and be sure to tag me @MissTrenchcoat so I can see them!

xoxo,

Filofax

Make Your Own Luck {Free Printable}

The time has come once again for me to announce my Free Printable for March and this month I have decided to something a little different! First of all, this month I have created my monthly free printable in both personal and A5 size! I know this has been a request from many of you, so when you download the insert, you will actually have access to two inserts, one for each size! So, the second thing that is a little different this month is that I have created a 31 step process for creating, following and executing your goals, so you can Make Your Own Luck from now on! Don’t wait around for your life to change and your big dreams to just magically happen, you need to do the work yourself if you want it done! Luck is something you control when you work hard and make a game plan!

So if you would like to download these free inserts, click here to hop on over to my Shop where you can access and print them immediately!

If you do download these free inserts, please let me know about it by taking a picture and tagging me on Instagram with the special hashtag #MakeYourOwnLuckMarch so I can see how you are making use of these inserts in your own planners. I love seeing your pictures, and I can’t wait to like them and interact with you on IG! Make sure you’re following me @MissTrenchcoat!!

xoxo,

Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor: Love is in the Air!

Hello my Strange & Charmed Ones and welcome to the start of February! If you haven’t noticed, February is really setting itself up to be the perfect month. With its 28 days, it may be the shortest month of the year, but when you take a look at your calendar, it starts on a Sunday, and ends four complete weeks later on a Saturday, making it literally a perfect calendar month! I don’t know about you, but I’m taking that as a sign! I plan to make the most of this little month and fill it with love and laughter and I hope you join me.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I just released my February FREE Filofax printable task list entitled “28 Ways to Love Yourself!” I hope you will go and check it out and use it in your planner to add some extra meaning to the month. I know we all get wrapped up in Valentine’s Day and spreading love to our friends and partners, but we can’t forget about ourselves and this February I am going to be making myself a priority. I know that may sound a little funny, but I sincerely hope you do as well! One of my Instagram followers who downloaded the insert made a very good suggestion that we should start a hashtag and tag photos of our progress with the tasks to IG! So, if you would like to play along, tag your photos with the hashtag #28waystoloveyourself and of course make sure to also tag me @MissTrenchcoat so I can see your IG photos, comment and like them! Other than my free printable, I currently have another great piece of planner related content out for you, my latest YouTube video which is all about making reusable to do lists for your Filofax or planner! This video outlines a technique I use to create and utilize these awesome planner additions, and I even give you a peak into how I use mine!

So, you may be wondering what I have in store for you this month on the blog? Well, glad you asked! This month I am going to be doing a few very informative posts pertaining to blogging and youtube! You will be getting a very rare book post from me as well coming up soon that I hope you enjoy. I’m very excited about this months Picture Perfect post, which is going to be some helpful tips for you fashion bloggers & amateur photographers, so make sure to keep an eye out for that! We’re going to talk about love a little more this month (can’t help it, it is February after all!) and I even have a fun and delicious recipe to share for any of you who LOVE eating cooking dough!

Well, I think that is enough of a monthly preview for you! I don’t want to spoil all the fun, and there are even a few surprises I didn’t mention, so I hope that keeps you on the edge of your seat! One major thing I did want to say, however before I leave you, is how overwhelmed I am with the amount of love and support you all have been showing to my Instagram account! I work so hard to create interesting and beautiful images for you all and apparently you noticed because suddenly I am over 6,000 followers on Instagram! So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart! I feel so lucky to have a wonderful group of friends as supportive and encouraging as each and every one of you! Well, that will be it for now, so make sure you stay tuned for all of the great content I have in store for you this month!

xoxo,

Filofax

28 Ways to Love Yourself {Free Printable}

February is right around the corner, and so it is of course time for another Free Filofax Printable themed with a monthly checklist and made especially for you! So many of you have been reaching out to me to ask me about this month’s printable and it was so difficult for me to keep the details under wraps! I get so excited about each new insert I make, and I on one hand I want to scream it from the rooftops and see what you guys think, but then on the other hand I want to keep it secret until the very special reveal day! As you can tell from the title of this post, the free insert is themed for Valentine’s Day with a checklist of 28 Ways to Love Yourself. So this isn’t your traditional Valentine’s Day, lovey-dovey romance sort of list, this is all about you focusing on the number one person in your life: YOU! Yes, that is right, I said you! You are such an important person and without you, your whole world would go upside down! So, for February I thought it would be rather appropriate for this insert to focus on ways that you can show yourself love and focus on important self-care items!

To download your FREE copy of my 28 Ways to Love Yourself Personal Sized Filofax Insert, click here to head on over to my shop! As always, I do only have this insert available in personal sized dimensions, however, it is easy enough to scale the image up to fit into an A5! To print in personal size, make sure you are printing at 100% scale, and then increase or decrease the scale as necessary to fit larger or smaller planners!

While you are also over on my shop, make sure to check out another new printable, my newest set of Journaling Cards Titled Girl of All Trades! This beautiful set of 12 unique designs is inspired by the #GIRLBOSS inside of each and every busy women, and includes a variety of lists, quote and inspiration cards, as well as a few unique designs echoing the elegance and femininity of a woman who knows how to #HUSTLE! Download your set today for your planner, desk or project life collection at a special reduced price for a limited time only!

Of course if you do download my 28 Ways to Love Yourself OR the Girl of All Trades Journaling Cards, I want to see pictures of these beauties in your planners! Feel free to add washi tape and stickers to your insert, snap a photo to Instagram and make sure to tag me, @MissTrechcoat so I can like and comment on your photos! As always, I hope you enjoy your free insert, make sure to check out my shop if you are still on the hunt for some wonderful new inserts for your planner, and I hope you have a wonderful start to February!

xoxo,

lifestyle

{In the Bag} Black and White Basics for Winter

I feel like it has been quite a while since I did a normal What’s in My Bag post. You may remember my last WIMB was all about my “Blogger Bag” that acts as my own personal work bag, and before that, I shared a themed post with a “Back to School Bag!” This time I thought I would start the year off with what I carry in my everyday bag!

You may remember this bag from my November Favorites, I picked it up for a really great price during a sale at Old Navy during the fall. I love the overall shape, it reminds me a lot of the Givenchy Antigona bag, but it was thousands of dollars less and a surprisingly good quality. I don’t normally purchase bags like this from clothing retailers, but when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist! Of course, I had to dress up the exterior a bit with my cute teal tassel that I purchased from Kate Spade. Ironically enough, I think that tassel was more expensive than the bag itself, which was something like $17! It’s currently on sale as well right now, so if you want to snag it, I’d act fast!

This bag is a really great size for me. It fits a variety of items and pouches and has a few key pockets that are nice and roomy! Of course, I normally carry my personal sized planner with me, and it fits very well in this bag. I especially like how my planner can stand up in the bag, which I think helps keep the bag organized and compartmentalized! Right now I am going through a very strong black and white phase as well with a lot of my accessories. Of course, I always have a pop of turquoise and pink in my bag out of habit! I just think this color scheme is great for Winter. It’s simple and clean, which is exactly what I want in the colder months.

Here are the complete contents of my bag. Since it is winter, I keep a pair of leather gloves from Kate Spade in my bag at all times. I also keep a few pouches with makeup necessities for on the go, plus a backup iPhone charger from Ban.do, a mint box that stores my pills, my favorite chapstick (another winter necessity), a Baggu, extra card cases, my Rebecca Minkoff glasses case (holds my Rx sunglasses from Warby Parker) and wallet, my Kate Spade stationery pouch, and of course my planner and cell phone!

So, that is everything I carry in my bag! I won’t be doing a video on this, but I am thinking about giving you guys a more frequent peek into my bag whenever I switch them out! I know everyone likes a good What’s in My Bag post, so perhaps we will make this an ongoing series as well! Let me know what you think about this post and of course, let me know about your purse necessities. Carrying a new bag I need to know about? Let me know in the comments below or take a picture of your bag and contents and tag me on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat!

xoxo,

Filofax

{Filofax Coffee Break} New Binders

Hello my Strange & Charmed ones! I feel like every time I chat with you about my planner, it’s always in the form of a long formal post, but sometimes I just want to give you all a casual update to let you know about anything new in my planer. Hence, I am starting this little series called Filofax Coffee Break! Just something light and informative to read over a cup of coffee or another hot beverage of your choice! I hope you enjoy it!

Okay, so for today’s update I just wanted to fill you in on some new binders I recently received. If you are caught up with my YouTube channel, you would have already seen that I posted a video on my new everyday binder from Franklin Covey, this beautiful blank faux leather binder called the Macaroon!It’s gorgeous and I moved in as soon as I received it, which really surprised me, because I never thought it would be that easy to get me out of my Fluoro Pink Filofax, but this new binder is just so beautiful and elegant! If you would like to watch my overview video, I will go ahead and link it here so you can check it out if you haven’t seen it already!

The second and final new binder I received recently was the Webster’s Pages Color Crush Planner in Light Teal. I had preordered the Color Crush Planner a few months ago and they were set to ship in December, but after some delays they finally shipped towards the end of the month and I received mine last week. The Color Crush Planner is a great new addition to the planner market. It’s very affordable, I believe I paid under $30 for the planner alone, but if you wanted additional inserts, it’s only a few dollars more! It comes in a variety of colors with nice large rings and is personal sized equivalent in Filofax terms.

So, that is that in terms of the new binders I have acquired recently! Other than that, the only other planner related news I have for you guys is that I have been obsessed with making cute paper clips for my planner! In case you missed it, I will go ahead and link you to my DIY on how to make your own. Not only have I been using my regular method to make bow clips and chipboard peieces into cute deco clips, but I have also started using puffy stickers like these cute cupcake paper clips pictured! The options truly are endless when it comes to making these paper clips, just take a good look at the objects and items you have in your stash and figure out if you can turn them into paper clips and page markers- it’s super fun and a great way to add unique personalizations to your planner!

I hope you all have enjoyed this post and if you would like me to continue to give you these sorts of informal updates on my planners and supplies on a regular basis let me know in the comments below! Stay tuned to my site and channel because next week I should have another fun DIY for you guys that has also been very highly requested! I won’t spoil the fun, but go ahead and leave me a guess down in the comments below!