Let’s talk about notes pages.
The notes pages in my planner plague me. The way I see it, the notes pages are the bullet journaling part of my planner, and while I appreciate so much that bullet journaling exists and even envy people who can consistently be creative and express themselves in images, that’s just not me. It feels like too much pressure to start from scratch. (Side note: Do you see this? The psychology of this is a little bit crazy; I understand this.) Either way, they’re the pages that are just free, you know? I’m comfortable with a planner instead of a notebook because I like boundaries and the confines of the calendar and a daily boxes limits options, and then I don’t have to worry about trying to fill it or make decisions. I feel paralyzed by the infinite options of what I could use the free space for and then end up doing nothing.
UNTIL THIS YEAR.
This was the year that I did some research (aka scoured Pinterest and Instagram) and made some decisions about what I was going to do with those blasted blank pages.
Behold:
So, sure, I ripped off this idea that I saw on Instagram, but still. I did it. And, now, I have a filled notes page AND it’s functional. I’m really in love with it.
Plus, don’t they say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery? I think I heard that somewhere. And, if we’re being honest, if someone saw something in my planner that they thought was cool and copied it and then put it on the internet saying they liked it so they did it too, I would just be heart eyes all over the place. 😍
So, in case you’re wondering how I did this amazing spread, I am going to show you my set up:
Plannering for me is no joke. I mean, I just turned it into a verb, if that tells you anything. I honestly spend actual time thinking about it and drawing it out, drafting to make sure it’s exactly right. Other people who planner to the degree that I do totally understand this. For all of you normal people poking in on this page and looking at this with confusion, just know that this really is a thing.
So, I always make sure I have enough room to work because I like to spread out and have all my stuff out and around me so I can really consider all of my options. I usually have a pad of paper so I can brainstorm and make lists of what I want to include and what the ultimate goal is. The other thing I grabbed this time was the handout I’d made for myself as a handy checklist for a weekly cleaning schedule.
When we made the decision for me to stop working and stay home with Sam, that meant I was going to have to give up my cleaning lady. Gasp. 😫 #firstworldproblems, I know. 🙄So, because of this, and because I’m a list-maker and a person who lives to make lists just to be able to check things off, I created this weekly cleaning handout for myself to put on the fridge and used a dry erase marker to check it all off. It worked for about a week but then I found I didn’t like cleaning my house how I had laid it out on the handout, so I lost interest in it. Anyhow, I used this handout as a framework for what I would want to include in my new-and-improved version that I was going to include in my planner.
So, the first thing I did was draft it out using a pencil so I could make sure my spacing was right and I could try getting my lettering good enough that I could stand it. Once that’s done, then I can go over it with my Sharpie Pens. I love the Sharpie fine point pens because they just write so nicely and they’re not permanent so they don’t bleed, for the most part. Plus, using them in this planner just feels so nice because of the quality of the paper. #nerdalert Once it’s all in pencil and I approve of my own handiwork, then I fill it in with the pen. Then I usually congratulate myself and bask in the glory of a job well done. 🙄🤣
The last thing is to contend with stickers. I knew I would need to fill that lower left corner because I opted out of some of the aspects from the example that inspired my page. That’s when I went trolling through my sticker binder. Yes, a binder of stickers. It’s a sickness. So, I ultimately selected stickers from this book from The Happy Planner, the Gold Star Quotes value pack and this book. I found these at Michaels and Hobby Lobby this past February while we were spending part of my maternity leave in Florida.
Ultimately, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I’m a big fan of trackers and being able to check things off a list, so I think this will work out well for me, and it’s another way for me to use my notes pages in the back of my planner.
Leave a comment with how you use the notes pages in your planner! Better yet, tag me on Instagram @glimpseatgrace so I can see a picture of your pages!!
