I’ve made many advancements to the 21st century. I’m no techie by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m also no Luddite. And though I’ve tried to leave it behind, I am here to declare loud and proud, “Long live the paper planner.”
I have found that paper planners are my destiny. There is something so fulfilling and tactile about having a paper planner to record my life for the year. While I have tried at various points to make the move to digital, my paper planner beckons me back each time. Whenever I find my appointments and obligations lost in the depths of some online platform or tapped into the wrong date or time, my paper planner calls to me in a soft whisper, “Long live the paper planner.”
I also like the seasonality it gives me. I love getting my new planner each year and reflecting on what has filled my time in the last year while thinking about what is to come. Even before I had children, I had always operated on an academic calendar planner. (I truly think this is a game-changer for moms) I am a teacher, so it makes sense for my personal calendar to operate on the same calendar schedule. I love that I can add all those dates to my calendar at the beginning of the school year to help me stay organized. It also is the perfect way to record each “season” of the school year—point team paper planner.
I’ve experimented with a lot of calendars over the years. I’ve discovered I am not going to cover it with stickers or fancy accessories, despite my best intentions. I want elegant utility. For the third year in a row, I will record our family life using the MomAgenda. There are so many reasons I love this calendar! It’s simple and beautiful in its design. The pages are a perfect weight for standing up to frequent use. My favorite feature is that there is a space designated for recording the activity for up to 4 kids. I use it for my three kids and our dogs. Being able to designate my own obligations along with each child (together but separated) helps me to keep track of where everyone needs to be. It also helps me recognize when one child might be getting too overscheduled. Some other paper planners that came highly recommended by other Indianapolis Moms writers include Plum Paper, Happy Trail, and Purple Planner.
Maybe it’s the historian in me, but I often wonder what future generations will know about us. With so much of our lives online, will historians comb through our emails and texts? Will they offer the same insights into the lives and inner thoughts of us as the diaries, date books, and letters of past generations? While I have never been great at journaling (again, despite my best attempts), I am drawn to the idea that my paper planner will someday provide insight to how I spent my days. It will offer a glimpse into how I prioritize my time and what is important to me. While the debate on the best planner to stay organized will continue, you will always find me cheering, “Long live the paper planner.”
