Ahh, the feel of a new year and a fresh new planner! Is there anything better? I am probably a little too obsessed with finding the *exact right tool* for each job, particularly when it comes to paper goods. I’ve tried everything from Day Designer, Simplified, Appointed Co, and every variation sold in a Target aisle and this year I may have landed on the best planner yet. I’ve been eyeing Golden Coils for a while and when I started playing with layouts on their website I was sold sold sold. They ran a pre-Black Friday sale and I jumped on it.
Golden Coils are completely customizable. Their site has page options and you get to choose exactly what goes in your planner and how it is set up. I appreciate that their pages and covers have a very simple, minimal aesthetic because a colorful planner feels overwhelming for me once I start writing in it. What I am really excited about is that I was able to put in pages for lists I have been keeping in separate notebooks for years. I’ve had a cleaning calendar taped to the inside of my kitchen cupboard, an Asana board for my blog and Instagram posts, a note in my phone for meal planning, a Google Sheet for budget, and there is *always* a scrap piece of paper by me for to-do lists in ADDITION to my actual paper planner. I was able to consolidate all of those things into one handy book that will go with me everywhere. Add it to the Big Mama Cup and EOS chapstick – the growing pile of things that never leave my side. For me, this ain’t just a calendar ya’ll. This is a compass to my entire life. Ha!
Here’s my design.
Cover & Start of Year
I chose the linen cover “Sea Glass”. I put my own contact information in the cover page but chose not to use their “contacts” option to save pages. One thing I wish I had done differently is setting the calendar view to start on Sunday instead of Monday, but not a big deal! I’ll get used to it. I stuck to the standard “US Holidays” calendar and didn’t add any of my own, mostly so that I could get the order placed before their sale ended, but I would definitely consider taking the time to add family birthdays and anniversaries the future.
Year At a Glance (x2) (calendaring) – I had a very specific idea for these. I have wanted to keep a little journal of things I want to remember about Ginny as she grows but it’s just something I never get around to. I wrote Ginny’s name at the top of one of these pages and will write the new baby’s name (once we know it!) on the second one and my hope is to jot down a few memories or new things they’ve learned each month.
Habit Tracker (x2) (health) – I *love* data a little too much and so I keep a spreadsheet of how often I work out, just for my own personal accountability. If that stresses you out, don’t do it! But for me, it is a helpful reminder and I love the satisfaction of glancing back at the month. I will be using one of these pages for fitness and I haven’t decided on what other habits I want to track. Possibly time spent outside or practicing piano.
Monthly Pages
Each month automatically includes a monthly calendar view, which I love! Then these are the pages that I added, they come after the monthly view, before the weekly view and repeat monthly. These are what I’m most excited about!
Home Care (lifestyle) – I will be throwing away the checklist hiding in my kitchen cupboard! I can write out what I want to clean/care for/declutter/organize each month.
Social Media Planner 2 (projects) – I will use this to keep track of blog and Instagram posts and jot ideas down as they come.
Blank (standard) – I LOVE having a blank page (no lines!!) to write out my to-do lists. Because I’m balancing a few different areas (home, food, church commitments, KGP, blog/Instagram, kids, and occasional freelance projects) I like to make smaller categorized lists so this is what I’ll use this page for. Then I’ll grab items from this and move them to the weekly page for whatever week they need to be checked off. Having this at the start of every month is perfect!
Budget (lifestyle) – We have always used Google Sheets to manage our budget but the past few months I started keeping a scrap paper in my planner to write out each transaction. Something about pen to paper makes things stick in my head, feel more real, and keeps sticking to the budget top of mind.
Weekly Pages
I chose the “Sections 1” from the category “Weekly – Single Page” – I went back and forth between several layout options for the weekly pages and this is the one I landed on. I liked the blocks for scheduling, the checklists for to-do’s and the option to add our meal plan to the spread.
End of Year
Grid (x3) (standard) – I had a few pages that I could use left so I chose to throw in a few grid pages, because I love grid paper! Who knows what I’ll use it for but I’m sure they will be scribbled with notes by the end of the year!
Pocket Back – I was pleasantly surprised to find a pocket in the back of it as well! I didn’t know this was included! Yay!
If you haven’t checked out Golden Coil, go play around on the website! It’s so fun and the possibilities are endless!
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