Planner Love: A Necessary Obsession

Picture it, Sicily, 1942.  Wait, that can't be right.....

The coffee is kicking in and the chemo is working on doing the same. I'm a Special Snowflake with nowhere to go. Since I spend a solid chunk of each day studying my planners like I'm cramming for finals, I thought I would share some of what I love.

I started using planners about 25 years ago, in high school. At the very least, I was able to keep my homework focused. The same was true for college, but then I also added my work schedule to the mix. Thrilling stuff, huh? I know. Even I'm wondering what will happen next?  What? ! I even planned as a fully employed adult?! Shocking!

Okay, smart assess, I get it. Get to the good stuff. Right. Cut to today. Chemo Brain hits hard on my current treatment routine. If I don't write things down, they will disappear from memory. That includes appointments, family schedules, bills, notes on side effects, pretty much anything you could imagine. What's worse is that there are some days that my cognitive abilities are so impaired (ie, it took me 45 seconds to find "impaired" floating around in there) that I respond faster to icons than words. As a result, I'm a 39 year old woman who has a thing for stickers.

Yeah, there are actual planner pages underneath all of that. Some weeks show more white space. The following two weeks certainly do. I used to feel self conscious about this, but I learned to get over it. Most of what I use is functional and keeps me aware and engaged. I have a space for my chores, a space for meds, The Boy's education, appointments, fitness and TV. Since I still use it, even five months in, it clearly works for me.

If any of the details spoke to you, I recommend you check out the following Etsy stores and companies:

*Plum Paper Planner (this is the family planner) https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlumPaperDesigns?ref=pr_faveshops
*Vintage Gypsy Road (for pretty much everything else) https://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageGypsyRoad?ref=l2-shop-info-name
*Add A Little Shine (for the foiled pills)https://www.etsy.com/shop/AddALittleShine
*Crafted By Corley (for the martial arts kiddos) https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftedByCorley