Planner & Stationery Chat

Hello! I wanted to talk about some planner changes I have implemented for the new year as well as my thoughts on un-used subscription items we may have on hand.

So first, with my Franklin planner, I have some new goal inserts (still from Janes Agenda, but I feel like they are a bit more streamlined). I think they’ll be really useful for the new year. However, they might take a bit of time to get used to the new format. They do however have a quarterly review section which I look for in a good goal insert.

The main inserts I’ll be using for 2026 are the Franklin Planner classic sized inserts. The weekly choice is the Modern Grace and the dailies will be Her Point of View (Day on Two Page). I am very familiar with the Beautiful Life inserts Franklin Planner used to carry, and the Modern Grace inserts have a very similar layout to that. I think I was prepared to dislike the new inserts, but actually, I enjoy them even more than the old ones. They are elegant and streamlined.

The daily inserts are also nice - they have a bit of color on them which is something I like when I don’t have time to decorate. I usually decorate for the monthly and the weekly, just not the daily. I don’t have time and I feel like it’s uneccessary.

My main basic idea is to streamline my planner to the point where I only have what I use the most often. When I was going through my planner for my 2025 Systems video, I realized that my reference section was just as big as my schedule section. I want to really narrow this section down so I simplify it and make it easier to find things. I detest having to flip through a bunch of pages to try to find what I need.

I’ve added back in bottom tabs to help me organize my life categories better. Again, I can simply lift the tab to get to the section I’m looking for. The little amount of room that four dividers takes up is worth it for my sanity.

I’ve added pages to my planner that help me achieve my goals. An example of this is having an insert to organize and clean my house. Also, I want to devise a chore chart for my kids so they have a visual in helping out around the house.

You can watch my Preliminary Franklin 2026 Setup here.

Now, let’s talk about subscription boxes. A lot of subscription boxes are themed and are meant to last for one month. Companies such as Janes Agenda will offer a sampling of inserts, but will include stationery or lifestyle items that you can use whenever and will last forever. Companies like Cocoa Daisy offer a large variety of choices in stationery products.

Personally, when I first found Cocoa Daisy, I was very confused and didn’t even know where to start. I think I was scared away at first because it was just a lot. Then, a few YouTube videos later, watching other people use the products had me searching with renewed interest.

It’s easy to justify purchasing subscription boxes, because usually you get such a good value. If you buy those items outside of the subscription, it will normally cost way more.

I find there’s usually two ways of thought when it comes to Cocoa Daisy. The items might be so pretty (or not your taste at all) that you end up saving or not using your items, so you save them for another time. If you’re smart, you either choose less products when buying, or, you can sell unwanted items. If you don’t end up doing either of those things, you end up with a stash in your storage area.

That was one of my goals for 2025 - was to start using up my products that I purchased, or had on hand. So every time I got a new subscription, I would use it to its fullest capacity. Did this mean that my planners were over-stickered? Maybe just a little. But they looked pretty and it brought me joy to page through them. Who am I kidding - it brings me joy playing with stickers!

For those of you finding that the “stuff” is piling up, feel free to cut back. If you just can’t (because everything is too cute), then keep it for now, but use it in a planner that you plan to keep forever. (You’ll still have the “stuff”, it will just be part of your plans, memories, journaling or whatever you decided to use it on). If it’s Cocoa Daisy, I have noticed that the designs and patterns repeat over time. A new kit that just came out can be very similar to older designs. (Case in point: The Wisdom and Wonder kit that came out for January 2026 looks very similar to Nordic Nights and Nordic Skies). So for those of you with larger collections: each time a new kit comes out and you want to grab it, check to see if an older kit matches it. Then use as much as you can, and once the month is done, consolidate all of the themes for that season into one pouch or plastic folder.

I hope this has given you something to think about!

Let’s continue functionally planning and playing with our stickers so we keep coming back to our planners day after day!

xoxo!

Sandra 💜