When Your Planner Gives You the Ick
Hi everyone! So maybe you’re going to get a kick out of this post - but don’t worry! I’m not talking about my Franklin Covey or my wide Planner Perfect TN setup. I’m referring to my business planner that I set up for this year, 2026.
It’s been a few weeks now, and for some reason, every time I glance or use my business planner, I get kind of ill. I have no actual reason why this is - I’m just not loving it at all right now and I’ve already mapped out ideas starting in July and for next year.
So here’s a little background:
In 2025, I was using a Janes Agenda junior half letter disc-bound planner with mostly Janes Agenda planner inserts. I had been using this system for a couple of years, and I wanted a change, as well as something a bit smaller.
I had a collection of Planners Anonymous Melodies that I realized I hadn’t used in a long time. These planner covers can be used in multiple ways, and they are B6 sized. Since I was using Planner Perfect for my wide-sized TN, I thought I would try a combo of Janes Agenda, Planners Anonymous, Planner Perfect and then some other random inserts specifically used for business. (These come from thelistlab.net). So in my head and on paper, this setup sounded like a dream. To be honest, I thought it would be a dream setup.
Well, I have been using it since January and we are almost into April and the setup is not all I thought it would be. However, I did just change my Melody cover which may help a little bit. (This is how I have found planner peace with my other planners. It’s something I always tell others who can’t seem to find planner peace - simply change your cover or style of decorating and it gives your creativity and motivation a boost). In my case, I think there may have been a variety of factors that led me to feeling this way.
I hadn’t switched my planner cover in two months. (This basically broke my golden rule). The only reason I didn't this time was because the Cocoa Daisy kit I was using didn’t match any of the PA Melodies I had. The best one was the one I was already using. While it was cute - it was the rainbow one! I just stopped feeling the vibe.
The second reason is because I was using Janes Agenda two inch discs within my system. As you know, two inches is bigger than anything Happy Planner stocks, and really stretches your planner thin. Since changing my cover (see pic below), I also went ahead and put in one inch discs and these seem to suit my system way better. (It’s just really hard because I have a fairly large collection of the two inch discs and the colors they come in are really pretty).
3. The Planners Anonymous Melody comes with four strings (the convertible planner can be a TN as well as hold other types of books). I attempted to add three other books inside the cover along with the two inch discs and this basically made the whole thing not usable for how bulky it was. What’s the point of using a small planner if it’s going to be huge?
4. I really didn’t like how I was planning for the weeks and months in my Planner Perfect books. Before, when I was using Janes Agenda inserts, I would plan weekly for my business content online when I filmed my Franklin video. Currently, I have been doing separate videos for just business content. The first couple of times I filmed the monthly and all four weeks and since I was rushing, I didn’t love the way it turned out. Plus, since I was planning weeks so far in advance, a lot of things would change and I had to bring out the whiteout. As of March, I decided to do one week at a time. On my setup video, I did one week and the other weeks were completed on my own time (off camera) with the exception of one Planner Perfect video.
I recently completed my April monthly setup and the first week of April, and it’s so cute.
5. I’m using two Planner Perfect books along with a B6 sized Simply Gilded notebook for notes. The first Planner Perfect notebook is a 12 month planner and contains my stats, reviews and goals. This book is fine as it will last the entire year. The second book however is a six month agenda and ends in June. This is the book I plan my monthly content and weekly layouts in.
So now, I’m rethinking if I even want to order another six month agenda for the remainder of the year. I was actually thinking maybe I could try planning the content on my Franklin monthly and weekly layouts (seeing as I write down the business stuff in my daily layouts anyway). Potentially, I could always try it this way for the next little bit and see if I like it. I could then either keep the discs in the Melody, or use it on it’s own. The notebook and 12 month planner would simply sit in the Melody like now, or I would put them in the back of my Franklin.
To be quite honest, I actually like the disc part of the planner on it’s own, outside of the cover. It’s small and cute, but it doesn’t contain all of the information that I need for my business.
The possibilities are endless. For next year, I was even thinking maybe I could pick up a Planner Perfect 6 ring binder and use the 12 month and 6 month agenda in the same way I’m using them now, but get them punched for the binder (using them as loose leaf). It might make it easier to plan as everything would be in the same area.
The pull of also having everything in one planner is pretty strong too. I have tried this before - having everything in my Franklin Planner and I found it was just too tight a fit. However, things have changed in the last three to four years, so maybe it’s worth trying again.
Let me know if you have any ideas! I would love to hear from you on how you manage your business and personal planner content.
Cheers!
Sandra
