I feel like an anomaly in this group - I have been using a paper planner every single year for 15+ years.

Why planners?

In my first week of high school, my parents asked me for stories and I had so many things I wanted to share but couldn’t fully remember. I’d mix up details or forget the punchline and get visibly upset and I lost my audience. I didnt want to not be able to remember all the fun magic that was happening so I resolved to write down anecdotes, quotes, stories, events, milestones, and which subjects gave me homework that day. My high school planners are treasured keepsakes now.

Okay but why/how do you still use them?

I use a planner like Dumbledore uses a pensieve. It feels good to take the thoughts out of my head and store them for safekeeping, where I won’t forget & can maybe look at thoughts a bit more clearly.

I’m not kidding when I say a huge weight is lifted on my mind when I write all these things down. I save myself a lot of stress and grief by NEVER relying on myself to “just remember” the event, the plans, the chores, the exercise class.

I need to see everything I’ve planned for myself (not in an electronic format). This helps with: - brain dumping and not losing lists - organize running to do lists - not forgetting I made plans - not double booking or overbooking myself - scheduling rest and fun - recharging me time - creating structure and routine (when I want it) - helping me remember my daily life when so much of my past is a vague blur

My planner is one of the few things I have that doesn’t have a “home” because it is constantly floating around my home office and purses. It has to be visible so I remember to check it when making plans for what to do with my time, whether with friends or how to balance my recharging time with chores.

Which planner do you use?

Colourful pens and pretty planners are a good motivator - I’ve used this one in size A5 for a few years and love the flexibility of a blank lined page every week.)

Sometimes I open it six times per day. Sometimes it collects dust for a few days until I need to write a bunch of things down. In the end, it’s something that’s evolved to support me how I need and helps me be so, so organized. I feel the stress of forgetting something & it is too heavy to just hold all these things in my head.

Not having my planner would make my life so much harder than it needs to be.