life (layhf) | erin condren life planner

Last year I used a day planner as a way to track my weight, food, etc while I was pregnant. Although technology makes it easy to keep track of things with all the fancy apps, there's something to be said about writing things down. I rely on a planner more now than ever since we use it to track Liam's daily schedule and also write upcoming events/plans - especially since my husband is constantly asking me, "Do we/you have plans this weekend?". Even after I've talked to him about it multiple times. :)

I look for a lot of things from a planner and it was tough to find one that I really liked. A couple of important features that I was looking for were daily and monthly calendars, enough room to write more than 2 words and a bookmark so I wouldn't have to flip through the pages finding the right day. After endless searches, and rave reviews, I came across the Erin Condren Life Planner. Before I had a chance to be impressed by this amazing planner, I unfortunately had a bit of sticker shock. $60 in my head was a little more than I wanted to pay for a glorified notebook, but as I dove into the details of this Life Planner and scoured through the great designs, I realized that this was it. So I sucked up my cheapness and paid the $60 plus change on this planner and let me tell you - it's the best money I've spent in 2013!

The design and details of this planner make me want to be an organized person. I love every single page in this planner and I especially love that it has been customized just for my family. Erin Condren has a ton of great designs to choose from with the option to customize the cover. As a bonus, there are some great labels and stickers that come inside customized with your name as well. As you're shopping around there are many optional features like customized pads of paper, address labels and much more. I couldn't be any happier with planner and it's a step towards the right direction to be organized in 2013!

|Do you rely on a planner to organize your life? What are your favorites?|

life (lahyf) | daily planner

I had been in search for the perfect planner since late November. At first I strongly considered the coveted Erin Condren Life Planners, but even though it had everything I wanted, the design really wasn't..."me".  And trust me I did consider shelling out $50 for this organized calendar notebook, but instead I searched for something similar that better fit my lifestyle.  A few weeks after searching, scoping Target, Staples and other journal sites, I saw Refinery 29 post this awesome article highlighting 12 stylish day planners.  Not only were each of the planners unique, but they were all within reasonable price.  After checking out each one with a fine tooth comb and scoping out the layout of each page, I finally landed on the MMMG Draw Your Tomorrow planner from The Hach.

Just like me, this planner breaks a few rules.  It is neat and very organized, but the entire planner isn't pre-dated with the 2012 calendar.  I have the flexibility of writing in my own dates and making it more like a journal notebook than a structured planner.  It's been a while since I have kept a physical daily planner around, but I find that writing things down keeps me accountable.  There's something so satisfying about writings lists or goals on a piece of paper and crossing them off when you've accomplished them.

Not only do I use my planner to help me remember important dates, doctor's appointments, weekly to-dos and what I need from the store, but I'm using it to track my daily meals and workout.  I forgot how much I loved writing things down on paper.  Although I love technology and how convenient it's making life, sometimes reverting back to the original way of how things were done is a lot more satisfying. 

|Do you keep a daily planner?  Are you someone who prefers to track your life on paper or with technology?|