Spotlight on a Planner - featuring Phoebe
Welcome to Chasing Planner Peace's 'Spotlight on a Planner' series. We aim to show the world how planning has changed people's lives and showcase the different methods people use when chasing planner peace. This month, July 2019, we chat to Phoebe from the Mornington Peninsula about creative planning in the form of bullet journaling.
Please tell us a bit about yourself
Hi! I’m a mum of 3 kids, 3 cats, 1 dog and a husband. I grew up in a large family of 5 kids in country NSW but currently live in on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. I love all things colourful, vintage, retro, pop culture, steampunk and anything that’s a little bit different. I’m a little bit of a Star Wars fan (ok more than a bit) and remember watching the originals on Laser Disc when I was about 6 and wanting to have a pet Ewok. I’m also a sucker for anything Star Trek (I blame growing up with 3 brothers for that one).
How did you get into planning?
I’ve always loved stationery. I have fond memories of going shopping with dad when I was a kid doing the “back to school” shop, where a 36 pack of Crayola coloured pencils were always on the list. I studied Visual Art and Photography in year 12, and also did a Graphic Design and a Business Management course after high school, so the creative side has always been there – the planning side didn’t really come into play until my first job when my sister bought me a fabric covered Kikki.K personal diary and I was hooked! Fast forward to almost 15 years later, with 3 kids and a full time 9-5 management job, planning is a necessity – especially having one kid in high school, one in primary school and one at day care.
What products are you currently loving?
Dot grid paper is currently my go-to for all my planning. I loved the idea of a bullet journal, but hated that if I didn’t like a page, or my smallest child drew on it – the book would be ruined. When I found you can get dot grid paper punched to any size, I was sold. Easy to pop it in my A5 or personal rings and if the cat chews it I can just take that piece of paper out. I’m using the Chasing Planner Peace dot grid paper in my A5 as it’s the nicest one I’ve come across. It’s not off yellow or cream, it’s a nice bright white - and the inks from my stamps don’t bleed through. The other bonus to dot grid paper is I can rule up the weeks and months any way I want. Horizontal, vertical, or upside down! As my working week is Tuesday to Saturday, I rule smaller boxes for Sunday and Monday, and larger ones for Tuesday to Saturday.
What are your best tips for achieving planner peace?
Don’t fall for the hype about fancy new products and copy what everyone else is doing, find what works for YOU. Test out things first. Grab a cheap dot notebook for $6, not the $45 one as that’s what everyone else uses. Buy a $20 planner, not the $100 + leather embossed one cause it’s REALLY pretty. And if you want to get different inserts, or refills, get them ‘undated’ so you’re not stuck having to use them at a certain time. Stick to one type of planner for at least a month to decide if it’s going to work or not. A lot can happen in a month, and you’ll quickly work out if the system is working for you. if it’s not, then try something different, if it is, then you can go get that pretty leather embossed planner with all the accessories to match 😊
