I tried to resist, but it turns out I’m not immune to peer pressure. Well, I can bypass it when it comes to tequila shots, but when it comes to paper products? That’s my Achilles’ heel.
I have an undeniable love for paper supplies, office tools, notebooks, and everything in between. Once, while at The Container Store, I may have revealed my slightly obsessive side as I excitedly brandished sticky notes the size of my head. So, it was only a matter of time before I succumbed to the allure of the Erin Condren Life Planner.
What’s not to adore? Charming designs, an excuse to stock up on washi tape, markers, and all backed by friends promising that it would revolutionize my life. With this planner, I was told I would achieve organization, world peace, weight loss, and even a “My Kid Is on the Honor Roll” bumper sticker—all simply by planning my life.
I finally bought one. I caved under the pressure. I found it at Staples and spent way too much money, then proceeded to buy all the accessories—markers, dividers, stickers, and washi tape. I even scoured Pinterest for ideas on how to utilize this supposed magical tool. I carefully considered which colors to assign to each of my family members, wrote it down, and instantly forgot who was associated with which color, ending up writing everything in my daughter’s designated shade.
I bought a white-out pen but eventually decided it was easier to abandon the color-coding altogether.
I made an effort. I dedicated a morning to mapping out my week, trying to determine how best to make the planner work for me. I kept my expectations in check with a modest to-do list for the week. But then, I set the planner aside and did whatever I felt like doing. My to-do list remained untouched; tasks intended for Monday were pushed to Tuesday, then Wednesday, and eventually neglected entirely as I stopped engaging with the planner altogether.
“But it’s life-changing!” my planner-obsessed friends would chant, their eyes glazed over from marker fumes and washi tape. “Just give it a shot; you’ll adore it! You won’t be able to live without it! You’ll be as addicted to planning as we are!”
So, I gave it another go. I sat down, mapped out plans, and aimed for smaller, more manageable steps toward a productive life. Once again, I set the planner aside, only to remember I had jotted down a doctor’s appointment in there that I hadn’t entered into my phone.
I thought about giving the life planner another shot as I placed it back on my desk. But I never did. It now rests at the bottom of a stack of other papers on my desk.
I knew this would happen. This isn’t my first encounter with the temptation of planners and their promises of enhanced productivity. I’ve never managed to complete a full year with any of them. It’s clear that having a pricier planner to decorate with stickers and color-code family events was not going to magically alter my habits.
Have I learned my lesson? Of course not. But perhaps next time, instead of being drawn in by the flashiest option, I’ll try to utilize the one I already own. I mean, there are still 13 months left in this planner, 13 months in which I can either finally master its use or let it continue to serve as a paperweight beneath my other notebooks. Place your bets on which scenario is more probable.
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Summary:
I succumbed to the allure of a trendy planner, hoping it would transform my life and boost my productivity. Despite my excitement and attempts to utilize it, I found myself slipping back into old habits, leaving my to-do list untouched. Reflecting on this experience, I realize that investing in an expensive planner won’t change my life unless I make an effort to use it.