Not that others are dishonest. I tried the Van Der Speck Touch Me Planner, and in the end, it didn't suit all my needs.
People who purchase organization products do so with this hope that it will fulfill all their needs. Other people love it, so it must be fantastic.
I feel that way about lots of things that others claim are THE BEST! The most expensive, the most exclusive, the most trendy, the most TikTok worthy: often I am left to discover that what works for others doesn't work for me. I cannot use coconut oil on my hair, I did not enjoy the Magic Mud mask, the Quartz roller made me feel idiotic rolling it across my face, and Frye boots never fit right. So I will stick with my Justin's, my Tresemmé, and more often than not -- with my apologies to my Kentucky bourbon aficionados-- Wild Turkey.
So what happened with the Van Der Spek planner?
Probably, it was a little too good.
I went to purchase a Van Der Spek Touch Me planner during last year's holiday season. I didn't want to go through the process of customizing, so I selected an A5 size from the Touch Me collection. It was a large planner -- like a large Happy Planner or a good-size notebook -- and it had large rings inside. I imagined using it as a large workbook for my multiple jobs -- writer, educator, shameless self-promoter. The rub in the plan was that all the black planners were on backorder. I added myself to the waiting list.
Months later I received an email that the wait was over and I placed my order quickly.
I was so excited when it arrived. I filmed an unboxing video. My best friend made fun of how I kept pronouncing the word leather (like lea-thah). I moved in with new dashboards, dividers, and an intention to make this the go to book.
And for a while it was. It held everything. There was a pocket for all of my needs, including one that made it possible to store a full printer printout page without folding it. The family referred to it as The Big Book! It was a monster once everything was loaded into it. And as long as I was working from home, it was fine. I couldn't carry it anywhere, it was so heavy. It was both thicker and heavier than my laptop. I couldn't fit it in my tote bag. So when I had to return to campus, I didn't want to take it with me.
I am not a full-time work from home person. In the summers I can lean into my writer life, working on finishing projects, research festivals and conventions, run promotions, set up online courses, etc. And being able to set goals and check those goals off in one place is incredibly helpful. But whenever I had to hold The Big Book in my hand felt like lugging around a copy of War and Peace wherever I went. I wasn't writing a doorstopper of a book, but I was lugging around one.
So I adapted. I created a smaller A5 just for campus things. But that didn't help my non-campus life. For months now I haven't been able to keep up with appointments when I am out of the house, relying instead on text-messages and digital calendars. The result, I'm texting my hair-dresser to reschedule my monthly appointment because it over laps with a doctor's appointment, which is stacked right next to my kid's orthodontist appointment, and it's just been chaos.
I know people are adamant and content with a digital calendar life. I have tried. It doesn't work. I've tried Happy Planner, Traveler's Notebooks, and now Van Der Speck, only to inevitably shelf them. I've BuJo'd. I've Notioned. I've created custom digital pages on my tablet-- drawing them in with a stylus. What works for me is the Filofax Personal Size.
I pulled my Filofax Original in black from my shelf, pulled some old unused inserts from my cabinet, and went back to my highly mobile, smaller planner life.
But because I am me, I also decided that I wanted to add a little color to my Fall. I have been rocking the dark capsule collection, limiting my color-scheme to only black and white. Any color that enters my world is through my accessories. Consider my planner an accessory, I was excited to add a bright red planner to my collection. I purchased the Filofax Saffiano in Poppy red. It's a gorgeous color. And it will be easier to find my planner in my black on black everyday tote bag.
For more planner ideas, check out my Pinterest page for my own photos as well as others that I enjoy. Also, follow me on TikTok and YouTube for more planner videos.
Read Books. Wear Boots.
XOXO,
B.
Pretty Girls Get Away with Murder won't be ready until March. But get a taste of Detective Lindy D’Arnaud with this short piece, "Local Monsters" about conspiring teens accused of murder.
Comments