The Best Planner For Busy Moms
This is the best planner for busy moms. Moms MUST have a system in place to keep from forgetting an appointment, a deadline, or a kid somewhere.
Managing a family of six is not for the weak. With four kids in four sets of extracurriculars, one dad who travels for work and one mom who tries to keep it all together, there’s little room for error. You MUST have a system to keep that many moving parts going in the right direction, or you are running the risk of forgetting an appointment or a deadline or a kid somewhere.
The Best Planner For Busy Moms | Erin Condren Life Planner
In any given week, I have a large number of things to keep track of:
- My blogging commitments (due dates)
- The kids after-school activities (sports, dance, etc)
- Church events
- Blogging tasks (social media scheduling, photoshoots, etc)
- Meal planning (grocery lists, scheduled meals)
- Errands I need to run
- Travel for me
- Travel for the husband
- Lists of tasks for the future
- Ideas for blog posts
That is just a small tip of the iceberg that makes up the massive amount of things I need to keep straight to keep my family running. It’s a fairly epic amount of balls to juggle, I cannot even play it down.
I had to find a system that worked for my family before I left a kid at Awana, missed early morning meetings at school, forgot a blog post deadline, or something equally horrifying. Trial (and a little bit of error) led me to the Erin Condren Life Planner, with the vertical layout.
The covers are interchangeable, so you can switch them up easily as your moods change. The boxes for each day give just enough room to fit all of your appointments and the kid's various destinations, and the monthly calendar gives you the month spread across two pages so you can see the whole month at a glance. It is the perfect canvas for me to keep my whole life in order.
I also love the hourly layout. It's been helpful as I block out time for projects, appointments, and extracurriculars. I'm finding myself more organized and I kind of like it!
What Kind of Accessories Do I Need for My Erin Condren Planner?
When I first got my Erin Condren planner, I hopped onto Pinterest to take a look at what other people are up to with their Erin Condren (affiliate link) vertical layouts. And then I was promptly very overwhelmed. There are pages and pages and hundreds and hundreds of pins. Instagram might be more mind-boggling, with nearly 46k results when you search #erincondrenvertical.
It can be enough to chase you away from your Life Planner before you even begin. It scared me a bit when I first tried to find some basic ideas, but don’t let the VERY VERY intricate layouts that people post on social media scare you away. Here are some accessories you'll want to add to your order.
Ruler
While this seems like an odd thing to add to this list. It can be used to divvy up sections with precise lines, to tear washi tape with a stick-straight edge, to make fun shapes in your empty boxes (if you have any!). It can be an indispensable tool when used correctly. There are small versions perfect for slipping into your planner pouch, so you don’t have to carry a massive ruler around.
Stickers
There are so many stickers out there (created to fit either the vertical or horizontal layouts!) that you could probably blow your whole grocery budget on stickers, have a fun-colored planner and never get anything done because there’s no room in your boxes for words. However, Erin Condren (affiliate link) carries a nice selection of stickers, so you don’t get too overwhelmed. (Some of the stickers even coordinate with the Oh Joy covers!)
Washi tape
There is a rainbow of colors and patterns and widths and sparkle and shine in the washi tape world. You can get it for whatever floats your boat, be it music or football or glitter or cheeseburgers. It’s a little easy to get carried away, so watch your budget.
Fancy pens
This is the best way to jazz up your EC Life Planner without spending too much time or money. You can use different colors for different people’s activities to keep them straight, or just use them to doodle or make your planner look fancier. It’s a quick and simple way to make your Life Planner a bit more fun to look at.
Plus, you'll get 15% off accessories when you buy 4 or more!
Using a planner can be the best way to keep yourself from forgetting picture day or sending your kids to school wearing random clothes that aren't theirs. Stay sane and organized with Erin Condren (affiliate link).
Don't forget to register for the Erin Condren Insiders Program and get $10 off your order!!