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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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Picking a Planner

July 22, 2017 by Taylor 3 Comments

Picking a Planner - Espresso and Ambition

So before we get into this post about planners, let’s just take a moment for a little something called irony. I’m usually pretty good about posting on a regular schedule (every Tuesday and Friday), which is often a result of planning well. Yet, as fate would have it, this post is a day late. Yes, the post about planners and using them to get organized and get things done on time is late. Irony.

That being said, this is quite possibly one of the posts I’ve been most excited to write. I freakin’ love planners. My whole life is organized in my planners (yeah, plural), and it’s a huge part of how I manage to balance all of the different aspects of my life at once. However, there are a ton of different planners to choose from. I’ve actually used a number of different planners over the years, so I have a pretty nice grasp on how each planner system works.

 

Lilly Pulitzer/Kate Spade

 I feel like these are the standard fare as far as planners go – I used them all throughout high school and my freshman year of college. They’ve got a pretty standard monthly and weekly display with plenty of room to write in meetings and assignments. I usually divided each day into a column of tasks that needed to get done and a column of meetings/plans, but I’ve seen these arranged in so many different ways. If you’re a no-frills kind of gal when it comes to your planner or if you’ve somehow made it this far in life without a planner (I’m impressed honestly) and want to dip your toes in, one of these is your best bet.

 

Erin Condren Life Planner

 

The customizable covers on these are the absolute greatest. Not only can you get your name/monogram on them, but you can switch covers to suit your fancy. I had a Life Planner sophomore year, and I adored being able to switch between the three covers I had for it – it feels like a whole new planner! The inside of the Life Planner has a standard monthly layout, and the weekly display gives each day a vertical column with three sections. These sections are unlabeled, so you can really divide them up however you want. I’ve seen people do morning, afternoon, and evening, I’ve seen people do to-do, today, and little things, and I’ve seen people divide it up by topic. Personally, I went the sticker route, and went full-force into Etsy planner stickers to decorate the living daylights out of my planner. That was, however, incredibly expensive, so unless you’re in the mood to blow an extra $40 or so per month, stick to writing on the page and using stickers sparingly rather than on every spare inch of space.

Picking a Planner - Espresso and Ambition
This is what I mean.

 

Day Designer

As someone who enjoys really getting into the weeds with planning out her day, a Day Designer planner is so perfect. I used this planner for my fall semester last year, but it was a bit too bulky to come to Oxford with me – I’ve bought a new one for this upcoming school year though. Instead of a weekly display, each day gets an entire page and you can plan your day down to the hour. There’s a huge space for to-do lists, and the top of the page features a “top three,” along with small spots for “due,” “dollars,” “dinner,” and “don’t forget.” If you’re a super-detail-oriented person, this is an amazing planner for getting anything and everything written down.

 

Bullet Journal

I’ve already written two posts about my bullet journal (you can find those here and here). It’s the ultimate customizable planner and you can fill the pages with whatever you wish, from a traditional planner layout to meal planning to anything in between. It’s also the most cost-effective option out of all of these, because all you really need is a plain notebook and some pens (and a ruler doesn’t hurt).

PS: I’ll still be using my bullet journal even though I just got a Day Designer, I’ll just be formatting it a little differently. Keep an eye out for another update!

 

Google Calendar

While I will eternally be an advocate of paper planners (they’re just so satisfying), there’s some situations in which using a paper planner just isn’t feasible and using an online calendar makes sense. If you’re the type of person whose schedule changes like crazy or if you’re balancing a bunch of different schedules simultaneously, sorting everything out via Google Calendar may be preferable. It’s easy to edit and color code, and you can get push notifications for certain events if you think you’ll need a reminder.

 

There’s no one planner that I’m recommending above all others, because I really think that the best planner depends entirely on what you want to use a planner for. If you’re a super-detailed person, the best planner for you will be totally different than the best planner for someone who really only needs a place to write assignment due dates. Just pick which of these formats best fits what you’re looking for and what you need.

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Organization

Comments

  1. Caitlyn says

    July 23, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    I recently decided I wanted to start a bullet journal, so it’s nice to see a journal recommendation. I like how the one you linked already has squares drawn in it!

    Reply
    • Taylor says

      July 23, 2017 at 12:45 pm

      The squared paper is seriously so helpful!

      Reply
  2. Kimberly Fairchild says

    July 31, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    I’ve wanted to try bullet journaling for so long. I just don’t know that I’m creative enough for it and I love when planners are already decorated. Lol. Just ordered a new one from Michael’s because mine is looking rough.

    xo, Kimberly
    http://www.lifeofkimberly.com

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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