Let’s do this! So it’s July and that means it’s One Book July time. I know I know, it’s now the end of July and I am just mentioning this. Not good right? I’ve come across this through the planner community across the last few years. However I’ve never been settled enough in one planner to go for it.
Now I’ve come across this over the last couple of years through the planner community but never been settled enough in one planner to go for it.
So what is One Book July?
One Book July is a chance to strip down your system to just the nuts and bolts and explore what works for you, what doesn’t work for you, what you truly need, and what needs to go.
(From Carlie Harding‘s 2015 set up post)
I’ve been a fan of the Traveler’s Notebook setup of planning for a number of years now and had a variety of different ones including Midori, Meadowgate Leather and Lyra and Co. I’ve been drooling from a distance over the Chic Sparrow and Foxy Fix Traveler’s Notebooks but the shipping and custom charges have often put me off. When a Chic Sparrow Deluxe Pemberley came up for sale in one of the groups on FB. I debated whether to purchase or not but postage would be normal first class and there would be no customs – so a win right. Yep definitely. Especially as inserts were included to get my started with the B6 size.
I started using it for to do lists and planner spreads but I hadn’t really properly got into using it. At the beginning of July, the boys had just returned from their adventure so I hadn’t had the chance to sit down and write about my setup. I had wanted to do a video but again with Jaxon trying to assist me I was limited time wise to when I could record videos.
My chosen set up is the Chic Sparrow Deluxe Pemberley in the B6 Size. It’s in Aubergine – I’m not entirely sure it would have been my first choice colour wise but I do love it now and it works for me. It’s got enough space to write it but doesn’t dominate my handbag like my A5 or even Leuchtturm bullet journal can do sometimes.
Insert One: Diary/Planner – July to September
At present, my first insert is my July to September one by AnniePlansPrintables. These are printables rather than pre-printed inserts. I print them on 120gsm paper (cheap copier paper is around 80gsm). This gives the pages a more durable feel and means they don’t crumple so easy if you’re taking your insert in and out a lot. As I’ve been taking part in the Refit on Demand Challenge as well I’ve had lots of extra stickers in my planner this month.
Insert Two: Camp Reset
And another thing in July has been Camp Reset by Cori aka The Reset Girl. Now, this was a bit of a fail. I joined the group and I was active in the group but things weren’t always happening once I stepped away from the computer. With August starting tomorrow, I think I’m going to restart and try and complete the challenges across August rather than just surrendering.
Insert Three: To Do Lists
I am a list maker. Always have and always will be. Occasionally this rubs off on Chris and he’ll ask me to help him with a list or three. For his birthday challenge, this year he actually has his own insert in my Chic Sparrow. I figure that way I can keep the notes all together and then journal about it too. Currently, the first goal is to finalise a route and then get some maps purchased or printed. Normally my lists are just written out and then I work my way through the list. I started July and wanted to figure out what I was spending my time on, and following this video by Anna aka Mrs. Brimbles, I decided I would colour code the tasks and see if something on my list was taking up more time than other things. This list in the picture shows that, that day I had lots of household things to do (orange) and that I had two tasks for Jaxon (he’s yellow because he’s my sunshine!). Red denotes family, dark green is personal, I think work stuff is then pale blue. It definitely made for interesting reading although towards the end of the month I got a bit slack on it and need to focus again.
Those Random Bits!
From spare inserts to lots of stickers (oh and a post card from JuliaVDesign), there is a whole mix of bits tucked in the back of my planner. In this picture alone there is a postcard from Spotlight Stationery, stickers from Mrs. Brimbles and Elliebeth Designs. There is also a sheet of stickers from Chocho and Mimi (that’s the sun stickers in the middle).
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