A Planner You'll Keep Coming Back To
There are so many things I love about using a discbound planner. I love the satisfaction of ticking something off my list, having somewhere to write ideas before I forget them and knowing I can rearrange my planner whenever life changes. Over the years, planning has become much more than a way to organise my days; it has also become a hobby and a creative outlet.
One of the biggest reasons for that is decorating my weekly pages.
I've always loved decorating my planner. Long before dream.design.bloom existed, I found myself reaching for stickers and adding a little colour to each new week. At the time, I never imagined it would become one of my favourite planning rituals, but years later it's still one of the first things I look forward to whenever I prepare for a new month.
Some people probably wonder why anyone would decorate a planner. After all, isn't it just somewhere to record appointments and write a to-do list?
For me, it's so much more than that.
Decorating Is Part of My Planning Routine
Every month begins the same way.
I start with my Monthly Planner, looking over the month ahead before moving into my weekly pages, where one of my favourite planning rituals begins.
Whether I'm setting up my Dashboard layout or my Vertical layout, I always start with a fresh set of blank pages. Before I write a single appointment or task, I spend a little time choosing stickers and colours that make me smile.
It isn't about creating the perfect planner or making it look like everyone else's. It's about creating a planner that I genuinely look forward to opening.
That small ritual has become part of how I prepare for the week ahead. It gives me a chance to pause before life gets busy and enjoy a little creativity.
By the time I've finished decorating, those blank pages no longer feel blank.
They feel like mine.
Why I Use Both the Dashboard and Vertical Layouts
One of the questions I'm often asked is whether I prefer the Dashboard layout or the Vertical layout.
The truth is, I use both every single week.
My business planner uses the Dashboard layout because it suits the way I work. I like having dedicated spaces for different parts of my business and being able to see everything I need at a glance.
My wellness planner uses the Vertical layout because it gives me a completely different way of planning. I enjoy seeing my day from top to bottom and having dedicated space to write down my food and exercise and track the bits and pieces I want to for my wellness.
Although the layouts are different, my routine never changes. Every week starts with a blank layout. Every month I decorate those pages for the weeks ahead.
That's one of the things I love most about using a discbound planner. The layouts provide the structure, but I get to decide how each week will look.
There Isn't A Right Way To Decorate
My Facebook and Instagram feeds are filled with beautifully decorated planners, and I love seeing how differently everyone decorates theirs.
Some planners fill every space with beautiful stickers and decorative elements. Others prefer neat handwriting, coloured pens and very little decoration.
None of them are wrong.
With a discbound planner, you have the freedom to create something that reflects your own personality and planning style. The Dashboard layout and the Vertical layout are simply starting points. What you create with them is entirely up to you.
That's what makes planning so enjoyable. No two planners ever need to look the same.
Why I Still Love Decorating My Weekly Planner
When people ask why I've continued planning for so many years, there isn't one simple answer. There are many. From adding a tick to a task, having somewhere to capture ideas, decorating my weekly spreads and, with discbound planning, the flexibility of being able to move pages around whenever my planner needs to change... I could go on and on.
Every month I sit down with another set of blank weekly layouts, decide on my colours and then the fun begins.
Decorating my planner doesn't make my to-do list any shorter, and it doesn't magically make me more organised. What it does do is make me want to come back to my planner. And I think that's something we sometimes forget.
Planning doesn't always have to be about being more productive. Sometimes it's about creating a planner that makes you smile every time you open it.
The best planner isn't the one with the most pages or the prettiest stickers. It's the one you'll actually keep using. Whether you decorate every page or prefer a clean, simple layout, creating a planner you genuinely enjoy opening makes all the difference.
Because a planner you look forward to opening is a planner you'll keep coming back to.
