My "New Calendars!" Planner Layouts

I can't tell you how difficult this decision was for me. It may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but choosing my planner for the year is a big deal. A year ago I decided to make my own planner because I couldn't find a preprinted calendar that I liked, and that worked for me for several months. Then real life kicked in, and it was a chore to find time to print and decorate my own pages. 

It took some looking, but I needed up finding two planners - I couldn't choose between them, so I'm using each one for something different. On the front of my calendar planner, I wanted something meaningful, something that would last the entire year. So this verse from Esther about being created for this moment really touched my heart.

It has both monthly and weekly views, so the monthly pages will be for keeping track of my daily devotions and blog posts. For January, I found a sticker book with small words and images for each month of the year. I matched the colors to four washi tapes I had in my collection and lined different boxes, as well as the top and the bottom of the page.

The weekly pages are perfect - big and open and empty - designed for decorating and personalizing.

For this coming week, I pulled out my favorite work-themed washi tape and some great motivational stickers. I'm taking on some new responsibilities at work starting Monday, so I'm going into the week with both excitement and the need to be productive. 

This planner is so very different from last year's, and I'm thinking of it as an upgrade and a time saver. I'll be able to be creative in its pages, use the supplies I already have and be prepared for each day and week of the new year as it comes.

 

Ok, I'm also super excited about my second planner. Underneath the year on the cover, it says Prayer on a sticker swoosh. I have always had prayer journals, usually in my prayer closet, but this one I'll be keeping with me all day to keep more diligent prayer lists.

The monthly spread is where I'll keep birthdays, anniversaries and special dates to pray over on a daily basis. Because of the size of the pages and the boxes, I can use many of the smaller embellishments from my sticker books. I also have these large washi tapes that haven't fit in other places. I love the way they look in all the empty spaces on this calendar.

The daily pages are set up in a fun way, too. The Saturday and Sunday blocks are stacked on one page with a full page for Monday through Friday. On some spreads I've covered up the times down the side of each day, but left them on others. I also added some journal blocks to add prayer requests as they happen during the day, like from our church family's emailing. It's nice to have a change, even if it's simple like this, to jumpstart the new year.