Every year, a swarm of ADHD folks will gather online (this year, I've noticed it most on Threads) and ask:

"What kind of planner should we get for [insert new year here]?"

And every year, without fail, they will geek out about which shiny new planner is gonna work THIS time, because [insert super important and very different from last year reasons here].

However...guess how many planners we have collecting dust on our shelves?

(actually - don't ask 🫣)

While I absolutely love Asana for big picture planning (I knocked out three entire months of blog post & podcast ideas thanks to that over the weekend!), for my day to day tasks, I prefer the instant visibility - and lack of distractions - of good old-fashioned pen & paper.

Normally, I have worksheets that I design and print myself. They're fun. They make me want to use them. They have a very, very distinct purpose so that I am laserbeam-focused on ONLY THE ONE SINGULAR THING I NEED TO DO in that exact, particular moment of my day.

(if you're also ADHD - or neurodivergent in any other way - you are probably chuckling softly at me in your comfy pants while wrapped in a fuzzy blanket or giant hoodie, surrounded by your 3 emotional support beverages...but also nodding your head in solidarity because you GET IT. you are my people and I love you)

Anyway - back to worksheets...

The GOOD ones get laminated once I have found my groove, and no more iterations need to be made.

The funny part about all this is, I had literally *just* created a "daily worksheet" to print (and one day, possibly laminate) when I stumbled across this PLANS + NOTES planner from PAPERAGE:

I'm pretty sure I wasn't even looking for a new planner (I think I was looking for some small yellow notebooks that I could apply my logo to for client giveaways), but when I clicked on this one to learn more, I was excited with what I found.

As a left-handed person, I am the weird one who uses all my spiral notebooks from "back" to front. It's why I don't like Moleskine or other bound, book-type notebooks - you can't really flip the pages around cleanly, and instead of smearing ink on only ONE page, now it's all over both.

I have also been prematurely excited in the past too, when I see a notebook design that is super cute on the "front" page (as in: if you open the cover with the spiral on the left), but come the back? Just plain. Vanilla. Abandoned. Forgotten.

Whatever feature drew you into that planner initially no longer applies if you're left-handed, apparently - especially one of those weird people who uses spiral notebooks backwards. 🙄

But this PAPERAGE one?

Has the SAME FEATURES on both sides of the sheet!

So no matter which way you use it, it's an equal opportunity planner. ❤️

Another feature I loved: the circles on each line!

I usually either put a dash or star in front of all my tasks when I handwrite them, to separate them from each other when it goes beyond a single line.

But this planner?

It has a tiny little column on the left, AND a circle, along with a line to separate the side note from the main character.

Which means;

• you can categorize your tasks AFTER you write them down (one of the things I lament about pen & paper - you can't drag to reorder the way using a digital task app would)
• every. single. time. you complete a task, YOU CAN CHECKMARK, PLACE AN X, or SHADE IN THE CIRCLE. Like one of those standardized tests when you were a kid. But wayyyy more dopamine potential.

And?

Since this planner is UNDATED, I can use it for-EH-ver (well, at least until it runs out of pages).

I can also use it now, "fail" to use it for a few weeks, get back on the wagon later, fall off it again, then keep having the most amazing revolving door relationship with this planner forever and ever, amen (or, again, at least until it runs out of paper):

So yeah. I wasn't actually planning to post my very first blog today.

But, thanks to this planner...I couldn't gatekeep this gorgeous, colorful, happy little tool any longer, and had to blurt it out for all the world to see! 🥰

While I got mine off Amazon, the links inside take you to the PAPERAGE site so you can choose to support them directly if you wish!

You can also find them on:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperageofficial
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperageofficial/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/paperageofficial/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PaperageOfficial

No, I do not get any kickbacks from this company for sharing this, btw. 😆

But every time I find something GOOD, I make a point to share that with my people in case it helps keep your own systems functioning smoothly. At least, for the first few weeks of January. 😉

(plus - us ADHD small/solo business owners gotta stick together, yeah?!?)

Happy Planning!

-Stella-