Planner Peek: Alyson

I  am so excited to bring you another installment  in the Planner Peek series!  I don’t know about you, but I just LOVE being able to sneak a peek inside other people’s planners. I love to see how they use them, how they decorate them, what type of planner they use, etc. I have asked my readers to submit photos of their planners and to tell us a bit about how they use their planning system. (You can submit your planner by filling out this really short and easy form. If you’re selected, you’ll get a free copy of the digital Sweet Life Planner worth $35!) All of the Planner Peeks in this series have been so fun to see.

Alyson uses a Levenger Discs, Martha Stewart Covers Planner for everything except appointments; for that she uses an online calendar that syncs with her phone.

Alyson could not find more pre-made dividers with enough sections so she just made her own with cardstock and laminated them. For a while she used dividers made for filofaxes that she punched with a Levenger punch. Alyson said they worked fine, but just weren't very colorful.  Alyson has dividers for a daily to-do sheet, budgeting, meals, projects, goals, cleaning, notes and ideas. (If you're having trouble finding dividers for discbound planners, you can find some in Laura's divider shop here.)

Alyson edits wedding and corporate videos for her own business.  She has a section to keep herself on track long term and keep her focused on the daily work. She likes to keep it open in front of her as she works and logs her progress. If she gets distracted, she takes a moment to write down where she is at and notes the time on her time log. Before Alyson had the time log, if she wanted a momentary break she would switch over to the internet and usually get lost in a rabbit hole of emails or blogs.  Alyson says, “My Timeline page uses repositionable tape to show me where I'll be extra busy working on multiple deadlines and where I'll have some breathing room to tackle projects on the back burner. As I think of them, I keep a running list of all the “back-burner” projects and revisit them when I set monthly goals and when I have a slow day.”  What a terrific way to stay organized and on top of your tasks.

I love how Alyson has accountability for her monthly goals.  she says, “I write my monthly goals in the planner, but I also email them to a friend once a month and she emails me hers. At the end of the month, we set new goals and report progress, or lack of, and I write that in the planner.”

All of the printables  Alyson used were free from different online sources. She cobbled them together in Photoshop as needed.  Since Alyson uses her planner for everything, she has discovered that she has to be consistent about cleaning it out. As part of her Sunday routine, she transfers notes to files and takes editing logs out as soon as projects are completed. In the meals section of her planner, she does not  keep every recipe she has ever made, just the tried and true ones.

I found that Alyson had some very practical and useful organizing ideas utilizing her Levenger Discs, Martha Stewart Covers Planner.

I just love taking these planner peek tours.  For even more inspiration with your planner, check out all the Planner Peeks in this series.

Do you want your planner featured in this series AND have a chance to get the Sweet Life Planner worth $35 for free? Just click here to fill out the super short and easy form to have your planner considered for the series.

Leave a comment and let us know how you liked the planner peek and how it’s inspired you.