My 2015 Choice of Planner: The Day Designer

Happy 2015, dearest readers!

One of the few things I actually love about the holiday season is that I get to spend time by myself, planning out my upcoming year, usually with a bottle of wine and some cheese. I read somewhere that Bill Gates {and other visionaries} spent a month in solitary confinement to think about the future. I don't exactly have the privilege of taking off a month, nor can I disappear off the grid just like that but I can hunker down on my desk, with the wall to ceiling windows streaming sunshine and I can plan my life out at least for the next year. I know I promised not to be too far out looking but I can't live in complete spontaneity. That's just not me.

For the last seven years, I've chosen Belle de Jour planners, my friend Dar's planner, all of which I now have in my archives. It was home to my daily tasks, monthly themes {I still have those}, annual strategies, daily expenses, when I've paid my bills, gift trackers, appointments. I am fond of the 2015 Belle De Jour planner, and I will always be a fan of the articles. This 2015 though, I'm allocating my BDJ to my lovely BFF.

Belle de Jour Planner 2015 is available online through this link.

Ladies {and, maybe, gentlemen}, meet my Day Designer, Limited Edition from Belle & Blush:

I was drawn to the pink ikat design most of all, but what really pushed me to give my credit card info to the online shop was the clean day sheets, where anyone who has dreams of becoming efficient would greatly benefit from.

The simple layout, serif fonts against white paper spoke to me like a vision. I don't know what that's telling me about me and my live colorfully mantra in life but for now, this is what I like best. The blank spaces are calling out for washi tapes, colorful Sharpies, colored pencils, my fun Muji pens. Most of all, I wanted the only words in the pages to be mine, I wanted to own my life, minus the frills.

Tara's Thoughts on the Day Designer:

Took me a long time to choose which design I really want:

I leaned towards the gold and white stripe, then the Carrie floral design before eventually finding the pink ikat design in the Belle & Blush website. I bought it in an instant -- and when I look at it, the hefty $58 price tag is still worth it.

Speaking of USD, I had to get it 7,000 miles away, from Little Rock, Arizona. I am grateful my friend was ok to have it shipped to him, with enough time for it to arrive to me before planning begins. It was imperative that it arrives before 2015 or I'd lose momentum.
It's humongous. I thought a bit whether I was ready for a humongous planner but most days, I walk to work so what's the problem, right? I'm glad to be carrying such a pretty planner but ask me again this time next year. Then again, the reason I even considered a bigger planner is that I was running out of space!
That said, I'm super excited to be using this planner! One of the best moments was when I unboxed it, and it came with a velveteen ribbon, because like the velveteen rabbit, you can't be ugly if you're real. :P
What Else: Portable Size: 9 x 9.25″, 12 Months of Dated Pages, Heavy 50# White Paper, The Original Daily View Format, Dinner, Gratitude, Top 3 T0-Do prompts, Month-At-A-Glance, Year-At-A-Glance, Combined Weekend Pages, Daily Inspirational Quotes, Inside Front Cover Pocket, Durable Cover (wipes clean with a damp cloth!), Gold Corner Protectors, Sophisticated Brass Wire-O Binding, Made in the U.S.A.

For the best year yet, only the best planner + a bottle of champagne waiting to be popped on my 30th.

She’s been known to eat cake for breakfast. Her favorite movies are vintage espionage flicks. She has a secret obsession with office supplies. Her style hints at preppy, but she’s always classically modern. She thinks that every girl needs a signature cocktail, lipstick, and dinner party recipe. She believes that thank you notes and a good pen just might change the world. She finds boutique businesses charming, and loves a good underdog success story. She dreams of summering in the mountains and wintering on the beach. She knows joy is found in gratitude, so she practices savoring the little things. She values authentic hearts and original ideas. She loves with abandon. Her secret formula is heart + hard work = a well-designed life.

The Day Designer by Whitney English is available {at least, I hope} through this website for $58. It was totally worth my money. :D

Happy planning!
xx