Why I Chose the Day Designer (Again)

I have been a planner addict for as long as I've had homework to do, so I've tried my share of different planners, calendars, and agendas! To date, I don't think I've ever re-bought a single brand of planner because I always prefer to try a new planner style or set-up! While I love pretty much all planners, there's been nothing so far that has fit my lifestyle quite as well as the Day Designer has. I swear this post isn't sponsored - I'm just a planner loving girl with a particularly strong love of the Day Designer, so I thought I'd share a bit on why I've chosen the Day Designer again for year 2017!

Just a Planner vs a Life Planner

For me, my planner is much more than just a to-do list - it's what I live and breathe out of! Everything from to-do lists to wish lists to random daydreaming to writing down my events for the day. Without it, I'm utterly lost! The Day Designer is perfect for people who live out of their planners. It has a spot for everything you can imagine - your to-do list, your daily calendar, what you're grateful for etc. It's truly designed as not just a planner, but a fully comprehensive guide for living life in a well-organized, purposeful manner.

Daily Schedule

One of my biggest issues with past planners was running out of space! I write down nearly everything, because if I don't write it down, it simply won't get done! The Day Designer solves this issue for me because I have an entire page dedicated to each day and can write down each to-do without running out of space. It also includes a daily 5 am to 9 pm schedule, which is pretty in line with the hours I'm awake! So if you're an early bird, Type A, plan-every-single-thing-you-do type of person like me, you might like the Day Designer, too. :P

Gratitude + Inspiration

I love reading about positive psychology research and one finding shows that if you keep a gratitude journal by writing down one thing you are grateful for each night, it increases your happiness! The Day Designer has a gratitude box for each day that gives you enough space to jot down one small thing each day. I've been wanting to maintain a gratitude practice for quite some time and this daily reminder has helped me kick start that habit.  On top of each page, there's also a little motivational quote, which I find comforting to read if I'm having a particularly difficult day or just need a little motivation for the day.

Realistic Goal Setting

When it comes to setting goals for myself, I always have too many things to do and not enough time! The Day Designer tries to be more than just a planner and includes goal setting worksheets that help you create and set realistic goals for yourself. For me, this has been a huge help because it forces me to break down my goals into smaller, achievable mini-goals.

Beautiful Design

The most obvious - the Day Designer has a collection of very beautiful designs to choose from. There are so many different colors and patterns, it's almost like choosing an outfit or piece of jewelry! I love that it adds a little bit of color and fun to my desk. 

The Cons

Of course, no planner can be absolutely perfect - although this planner does come preeetty close. The main con I have experienced with the day designer is that it's heavy! Luckily, since I am currently out of school, I don't have to haul around too many random books or devices, however, it can still be a little bit of a hassle to lug a big book around. If you're like me and you commute to work, lay your planner on your desk, and then commute home to lay your planner on a kitchen table, then the standard Day Designer weight isn't too much of a problem, however, if you are a student or constantly up and about during the day, it may be worth considering a lighter planner option. The weight of the standard Day Designer is actually what made me consider the mini Day Designer for 2017. The mini Day Designer is a tad smaller but otherwise, has almost all the same page setups as the standard Day Designer.

Another con is that the Day Designer is a little bit on the pricier side when it comes to planners. The standard size Day Designer will set you back $59 and the mini will set you back $49. Since you can pick up any old planner at Target for closer to $20, a $50-$60 planner is definitely a much tougher decision! That being said, for me, the Day Designer is well worth the price I paid. It brings more order and enjoyment to my life and is a planner that complements my lifestyle much better than standard planners have in the past. 

As for 2018 - I still love to try new things, especially when it comes to planners, so maybe I'll be trying a different planner when this time rolls around next year - who knows! But even then, I know that the Day Designer will still be a solid choice no matter what the situation! It's a planner that fits all of my early bird, type A, write-down-everything needs and I know that it's a product that will continue to develop and improve. I am always looking to improve as a person and I love the idea of a planner that continuously improves as well.

What are your favorite planners? Do you love the Day Designer or have another planner that you think I should try? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Tips for a Less Stressful Move!

Moving is always a painful experience for me. I’m currently smack in the middle of moving between two different apartments, have moved five times in the last five years, and I’m always on the lookout for strategies to make my moving experience go more smoothly. Maybe it’s because I have zero muscle mass, so physically moving a box is actually a huge issue for me - I don’t know - but I dread moving like the plague! I’ve tried just about every tactic: labeling all my boxes neatly, trying to balance heavy and light objects so I can actually carry things, playing real life tetris with my car - the works. Not everything has worked for me, but after moving so often, I’ve figured out some personal moving strategies that make life just a teensy bit easier when I’m on the move! 

Overlapping leases (if possible!)

This time, David and I were lucky enough to find an apartment that we loved and conveniently overlapped our current lease. This gave us an extra month to plan out our move and take a look at the layout of the apartment before we arrived. Since I'm someone who doesn't have a ton of upper body strength and therefore can't help out as much on moving day, it has been easier for me to help coordinate the move by taking smaller loads intermittently throughout our overlapping month. Although this might not be possible in every situation and is a little more expensive because you are paying double rent for that one month, I think the amount of stress it eliminates is worth it!

Make pre-moving agreements with your roommates

While I absolutely hate physically moving boxes between apartments, I don't mind packing and unloading boxes at all - in fact I kind of enjoy it! David, on the other hand, hates packing boxes but doesn't mind moving them, so during this move, we decided to make an agreement that I would pack all of the boxes and stack them in a place where he could take them and load them in his car on his way to work. This worked perfectly for us because we both love and hate different things and it made our moving lives more enjoyable. This may only apply when you are living with a significant other, but I think if you have a good enough relationship with your roommate then you could also make a similar agreement.

You need more boxes than you think!

I always always always under estimate the number of boxes that I think I'm going to need in order to move. Believe me when I say that you probably have more stuff than you think you do! If anything, it's always safe to have more boxes than you need since they can easily break down and store other things in your apartment once you are moved or they can go straight to recycling when you are finished moving. Repeat after me: you can never have enough boxes!

Utilize bags as well - not just boxes! 

When it comes to moving, we always talk about using boxes to move, but I have found that bags are just as useful when it comes to moving, especially when you don't have a ton of upper body strength. When I decide to pack things in bags as well as boxes, I find that I am able to be more efficient as I load things because I can carry a box in my hands as well as carry 2 to 3 bags on my shoulders at the same time! 

Plan your new apartment set-up in advance

This may not always be possible, but I think that being able to plan the set up of your new apartment ahead of time can be a huge help! Then, when you move there, you know exactly where to put each piece of furniture and do not have to go through the hassle of moving things around after your initial move. On top of that, if you have a planned set-up, then there is already a place for everything which makes unpacking easier. Being the crazy organized and colorful decorator that I am, I love being able to make my space exactly the way I want it to be because it is actually an enjoyable process for me!

Leave a cleaning essentials box in your old apartment

My favorite tip of all is to start a “packing and cleaning essentials” box! I like to put things like Windex, packing tape, paper towels, rags, etc in this box (A peek at my current in progress box is below!) Typically, I start this cleaning essentials box as soon as I start packing up my old apartment. A lot of times, while I am packing up my old apartment, I'll run across things that I might need while cleaning my old apartment and it's nice to be able to have a place where I can throw everything that I might need and not have to think about it later. Then, when the time comes for me to actually clean, I already have everything in a box ready to go - which makes my life so much easier!

I can't wait to make our big move soon and get to the fun part - binge shopping at IKEA so I can decorate!!!! I hope these tips have been helpful and make your move go smoother! Thanks for reading♥

Adding More Learning into Everyday Life

As cheesy as it sounds, I really feel that learning is one of the greatest joys in life. Even though I'm no longer in school, constant learning is something that I have continued to try and insert into my everyday life. With smart phones and the Internet nowadays, learning resources have become so available and accessible to nearly anyone! I know everyone is busy so it can be hard to think about learning when there are a thousand things to juggle at work - and I totally get it! That's why I do my best to place learning into the little breaks in my life that already exist and thought I'd share some of these strategies with you all today :)

1. Duolingo

Truth be told, I probably pick up my phone to scroll through Instagram or Snapchat at least once an hour at work. While these are both enjoyable activities, they aren't always the most productive! Instead, I try to open Duolingo every once in a while so that even if I need a short distraction, it's one that is teaching me something new! Duolingo is a language learning app that turns learning a language into short game-like sessions. Currently, most of the languages offered are European languages so I am working on maintaining my Spanish skills while also learning French!

2. Coursera

Coursera is an online platform that offers University classes for anyone to take online for free! As one of those kids in school who was always getting FOMO because I couldn't fit "Intro to Cooking" or "Yoga 101" into my class schedule, Coursera is this nerd's dream come true! Most of Coursera's classes are very low pressure and many can even be completed at your own pace - which works perfectly for people like me who have full-time jobs. I'm currently enrolled in Child Nutrition and have loved every minute of it!

3. Documentaries

Like most people, I love binge-watching TV shows. It'scomforting to have something playing in the background while I'm cooking or doing household chores. Recently, I've gotten into watching documentaries as I'm tidying up my apartment and I feel like I'm learning so much more! Don't get me wrong, there are days when I really just need a Gilmore Girls marathon to lift my spirits, but on the days when my brain is ready for new information, documentaries have really become a great way to learn a little more every day (while getting chores done!). I use Amazon Prime for this because they have a great selection of documentaries to choose from.

4. Podcasts

I'm pretty sure I've already raved about podcasts in previous posts but they really are a commuter's best friend! Currently, I drive to work, so outside of listening to the radio there's really not a whole lot I can do to keep myself occupied. Podcasts have really come in handy here and I love that there are so many different topics available to podcast listeners. Being the psychology nerd that I am, most of my educational podcasts focus on new psychological research but I've also listened to quite a few language learning podcasts in the past.

5. Other People!

I am lucky enough to work with and meet a lot of talented, and intelligent individuals. As a kid, I always loved hanging out with older kids because they were one step ahead of me and I felt like I learned so much from them! As an adult, I still love learning from people - whether they are older than me or not! As we become adults, everyone becomes an expert in one thing or another and there is always at least one topic or theme where the other person knows more than you! I find this to be such an awesome opportunity to learn from someone else's real world experience - and it's really the best form of learning you can get :)

Is there anyone out there who is as obsessed with learning as I am? I just feel like there is so much out there that I still don't know - it makes me want to go out, grab it, and cram as much of into my brain as I possibly can! Let me know how you fit everyday learning into your life - I'd love to hear from you!