Journals, planners, and more

Gratitude Journaling

2026-04-23T04:48:25Z

Posted by: i_like_the_stars

Firstly, hello! I'm new to the comm.

Nearly three years ago now, I stumbled upon an Instagram reel that suggested you write down one good thing that happened to you every week on a piece of paper, and collect them in a jar. I thought this was such a lovely idea, so I naturally took it one step higher: I was going to write down one good thing that happened to me every day, in a journal.

Surprisingly, I've maintained this consistently for over two years, since the start of 2024. I'm the queen of never following through with my ideas/ambitions.

Naturally, the idea has evolved into its own thing. I generally write down something that made me happy in the day, if even just a little bit. I typically ask myself, "what am I grateful for today?" The answers don't have to be deep or philosophical, they can be (and often are) as simple as "the weather was nice."

On the surface, I know the sound of "gratitude journaling" can sound corny and even useless, but this has genuinely become an important part of my daily routine. It feels even cornier to admit that, when I truly reflect on it, this has positively affected my thinking as a whole. Apparently taking a moment to reflect on your day and pick out the happier parts does, in fact, do something!

A quick sampling of "answers" I've written down:

* Finished book, found a really cool sonic comic

* New intern was at work

* Had a BOMB ass nap

* The sunset was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

* Got on my computer finally and did some Tumblr editing

* Dinner was yummy soup & grilled cheese

These are all short ones. Sometimes I list a couple of things if my day was eventful.

I find that on more "boring" days, I struggle to find something truly "good." Since on these "boring" days I typically have done nothing out of the ordinary. On eventful days, I have a plethora of things to write down. I even find it easier to find something to write down on crummy days, since the happier parts are more shiny and sparkly against a backdrop of grey.

I want to leave this off with an encouragement to try this for just one week to see if it works for you. I started it because it sounded fun and very, very simple—and it is! I also had a journal I needed to do something with. I wasn’t considering the positive impact it would have on me in the long term—so don't expect this to be some miracle ritual, if you're anything like me. Anyway, try it out and see if the routine fits comfortably into your schedule.

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Nature

2026-04-20T02:56:39Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

Spring is a perfect time to start a nature journal. I've been talking about it with some friends so I wanted to share some resources here. It doesn't have to be fancy. It can have text, art, photos, pressed leaves, whatever you want to include. There are different approaches; all of them are good. Grab a blank book with plain or lined pages as you prefer, something to write or draw with, and head out to your yard, garden, or a nearby park.

( Read more... )

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Sharing my planner

2026-03-22T06:52:29Z

Posted by: diaryoflife

Hi! I'm new here! A little late but sharing pics of my planner, it's a custom pre-printed from So Typical Me (as I said in a comment here, I'm a creative person trapped in a body that can't draw for s*** so I like preprinted, though I'm sad at the same layout EVERY week. Oh well)

( Planner )

(sorry if I haven't tagged this properly

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Journal flip-through: Jan-Feb (Hobonichi Cousin A5)

2026-03-19T04:22:10Z

Posted by: halfcactus

Made a little flip-through video to celebrate me surviving two months of Hobonichi Cousin a.k.a. my first daily journal:

How is everyone doing with theirs?

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2026 Journal Stack

2026-03-11T23:15:13Z

Posted by: seleneheart

I meant to post this at the first of January, but because I didn't put it on my planner, it didn't get done. So here we are.

I started doing subscription boxes last year and like a gas expanding to fill its container, the addition of more notebooks in my life caused me to start using more notebooks. I put the really pretty ones aside as gifts, but I've been using the rest.

First up, the planners I have been using for years:

EC Life Planner - my work planner. I've been using this for seven years at this point.

Leuchtturm1917 A5 dot grid - my bullet journal workhorse. While I haven't used this exact notebook the whole time, I've been bullet journaling for nine years at this point. I use this for my personal life, as both a planner and a record/tracker.

Then we come to the new ones as of this year, although I started some of them before January 1.

Archer & Olive A5 dot grid - memory keeping journal. I paste ephemera in here along with stickers that suit my fancy. I write down reflections and more extended records than what is in my bujo. I draw a monthly calendar at the beginning of each month and write things down as they occur to me. There's no set schedule of entries.

Archer & Olive travelers notebook - this is a bit of a butler's book for my house. I have lists of repairs, contractors, expenses, and schedules.

Archer & Olive B6 dot grid notebook - this is my workout/physical therapy/recovery notebook. I'm using this to keep track of my recovery from breaking my leg last winter. I'm slowly getting back to where I was and this notebook gives me a track of my progress.

Archer & Olive 8x8 dot grid - home to my reading journal. I started this last year and filled it about halfway so I predict it will last me until the end of 2026. I keep track of Book Bingo, series tracker, my 'want to read' list, and a running tally of the books I've read. I also make decorative spreads for each book including a book data sheet that I created and the book cover.

There you have it!

Anyone else have a large planner stack this year?

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my 2026 planner

2026-01-23T14:23:10Z

Posted by: summerstorm

Hi! I'm new to this community, here from a sixbeforelunch post. I've been using planners on and off for many years now, the main difference year to year being whether I found a planner I could afford and liked enough, because I'm shallow as hell. Having an actual planner works much better for me than setting up weekly spreads; I still get the Monday ritual of decorating the week's pages, but I don't have to fuck around with a ruler (for the most part).

Last year I found and began using a weekly spread planner from Kokonote, and got really into stickers.

( many pictures under the cut )

This year I swapped to a page-a-day model, and I'm still learning what does and doesn't work for me in terms of decoration. Each page has a checklist on the side and a portion that's dotted. This is what I've done so far:

( many pictures under the cut )

EDIT to say two things: most of my stickers are from TEDi, who have a veritable fucking mess of a corner that I often just crouch and make my way through trying to drop as few things as possible off their hooks; and I am also on Finch, if anyone else uses that? It's been a really nice companion to the planner this year. My friend code is LWQMXDV9J56. I think you get a ghostie micropet if you sign up and tell them I sent you, and I get app currency or something I think.

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Sticker printing alternatives (updated 1/24)

2026-01-20T16:42:09Z

Posted by: paperghost

ysabetwordsmith suggested I share this short list of resources for printing stickers and other relevant accessories.

This is old news, but Stickermule has shown their asses again by giving away free pro-ICE merchandise, so people have been scrambling for other suppliers for custom stickers. I'm thinking about ordering stickers of my art by Harmonycon. I can't keep up with a million tweets and my Bluesky feed is already scrambled, so here's what I've found:

https://www.standoutstickers.com/
https://stickerguy.com/
https://thestickybrand.com/en-ca (limited time deals page is worth looking at)
https://thestickerlad.com/home (website looks like a WIP but furry-owned. Prices are ok)
https://stickerninja.com/ (this looks like Stickermule's biggest rival)
https://unionmadestickers.com/en-ca (you can probably use them for non-union stuff lol)
https://stickerblitz.com/ (another rival with good prices)
Vograce orders from China but I've had a good experience ordering sample packs and one-off keychains from them. YMMV. It's better for physical goods. Not sure of any alternatives that let you do one-off orders.

ETA 1/17: Found some more options.
https://wiki.scumsuck.com/resources:stickers (guide on how to print your stickers at home. Lists options for scanners and paper to buy, etc.)
https://zapcreatives.com/en-us (UK based)

ETA 1/24:
https://bearandbeagle.store/ (furry-owned, worth noting because you can input a "due date" for an upcoming convention)
https://www.copybaracreations.com/contact (also furry-owned and convention-oriented, currently no TOS / quote guide but you can contact for one)
https://stickerjerk.com/
https://stickerapp.com/
https://www.stickerbunnies.com/ (I've read good experiences on Bsky, but you have to email to start instead of using an on-site form)

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reading journal

2026-01-10T19:17:52Z

Posted by: sixbeforelunch

I'm back.

As part of spending a chunk of last year reconsidering how I use technology and shifting parts of my life back to analog, I decided to start a paper reading journal. Figured I'd show it off here in case anyone is interested.

( Image-heavy )

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Planner question

2026-01-03T04:51:23Z

Posted by: dialecticdreamer

Does anyone else in this group create their own planner? Not a BuJo, in that it's got a framework and elements of a commercially sold planner.

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my 2026 planner and tracker

2026-01-03T01:41:20Z

Posted by: sixbeforelunch

I don't know how interesting this will be to people other than me. I'm not the most artistic or creative person, not by a long shot, but I've decided to share my current primary planner anyway. This set up served me really well last year. This year I've made a few minor improvements, and it's possible that some of these ideas will be useful to other people.

The journal I'm using is the Panobook from Studio Neat. I love the wide landscape layout and the dot grid, and I can vouch for the quality of the paper. I use cheap ballpoint pens (I might experiment with fountain pens at some point, but I haven't yet), and also cheap markers. Neither bleed through these pages. The cover is sturdy, and the spiral binding is resilient. It's 50 sheets, 100 total pages long, which is enough for the entire year and then some. I stay on one side of the page, and then when I get to the end, I flip it over and start writing on the reverse side, so the spiral is always on the left side as I use the notebook. You could obviously just use both sides of the page as you go, but I found this works better for me. (If you're a lefty, in theory you could do the opposite and keep the spiral on the right as you go. The pages have no set orientation.)

( Image heavy below the cut. CN: brief mention of weight tracking. )

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bird journaling :)

2025-12-30T12:37:49Z

Posted by: halfcactus

I got into documenting neighborhood birds in 2025. What I did was take pics on my phone (if the zoom could capture them) and try to trace them on my journal (since I can't actually draw). Technology!

Planner: 2025 Laconic (A5)

Photos here!

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Photos: Testing Pens on Plant Labels

2025-12-17T06:47:49Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

This year I've been running an experiment to see which type of pen lasts the longest for labeling plants outdoors. I have compiled links to the previous posts and added pictures from each month where I hadn't already posted them. Results: Sharpie Oil Pen lasted longest, Craft Smart Oil Pen was still legible at the end of the year, and Sharpie Permanent Marker faded very fast. If you're labeling plants outdoors, buy an oil paint pen, preferably Sharpie. If you want to test how colorfast or fugitive your journal inks are, you can run the same kind of test indoors on paper that is in a window with sunlight.

These are the other posts regarding the labels.
1/3/25 Photos: Testing Pens on Plant Labels
2/3/25 Photos: House Yard and South Lot
3/3/25 Photos: House Yard and South Lot
4/4/25 Photos: South Lot
5/6/25 Photos: South Lot
6/2/25 Photos: House Yard
11/3/25 Photos: Lantern Terrarium Assembly Part 2 Testing the Fit (labels at bottom)
Photos: House Yard 12-16-25

( Let's do science to it... )

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Fountain pens

2025-11-01T06:24:11Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

First/Early Fountain Pen advice

( Read more... )

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Ferris Wheel Press Review

2025-10-18T13:49:19Z

Posted by: seleneheart

Many of the stationery people that I follow on social media rave about these pens and ink from Ferris Wheel Press. I decided to get two fountain pens and a couple of bottles of ink in August.

I have some thoughts.

First of all - no complaints about the inks - they are amazing, gorgeous!

The first one is called Copper Carnival. A lovely brown with hints of glitter. Perfect for autumn journaling!

Next is Frozen Fortress. This was part of a line released under license from Warner Brothers when the last Superman movie came out. A gorgeous teal that looks amazing on my bullet journal paper.

I don't have as much positive to say about the two pens that I got.

The first is called Book of Botany in their Carousal pen line, for $90. It is very pretty, although it's a lighter green than showing here:

The barrel is aluminum and I got the fine nib. It writes very well, and feels great in my hand. My issue with this one is the converter. All of their pens come with a universal converter. However, the converter absolutely will not stay put on this pen. Every few days it works itself off the connector and I have to take the whole thing apart to push it back in place, getting ink all over my fingers in the process. I have it loaded with the Frozen Fortress above. Overall, the aggravation is manageable and I enjoy using this pen.

The second one is unusable. I suppose that's what I get for buying a $22 fountain pen (although my $25 Pilot Metropolitan has lasted for years and writes beautifully). This one is Lost in the Leaves, also in the Carousel line.

The barrel is plastic, and it comes with the same converter as the other pen. It also has a fine nib. I absolutely cannot get it to write. My original idea was to load it up with the Copper Carnival ink above. That has glitter, and I know that can sometimes clog pens. When it wouldn't write with that ink, I emptied it, soaked it in rubbing alcohol, cleaned it out, and tried another ink. This time was Windsor & Newton Calligraphy ink in sepia. Same result. Finally I loaded it up with Noodler's Ink in Feather, which I know damn well works because I have it in some of my other pens. No matter how much I tried, this was what I got with this pen:

There you have it - I highly recommend their inks. As for their pens, they have some for $180, maybe those would perform better. But I cannot recommend the Carousel line for the problems that both pens have. I will say that the packing is gorgeous and I couldn't bear to throw it away.

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Planning Ahead

2025-10-13T00:48:16Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

Would anyone be interested in talking about 2026 planners or other annual journals over on goals_on_dw ...? Crosspost is fine if you already intended to write about it here or on your blog. I could throw together some review links, but I don't actually shop for the things because I get a comp copy of the Witches' Datebook from Llewellyn, so I don't know much about what's out there.

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Planning for 2026

2025-10-12T19:49:04Z

Posted by: octahedrite

Last year I made the mistake of waiting too long to order the planner I wanted before it went out of stock, so here's a reminder to start thinking about what you want to buy for 2026!

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My/Our 12 Pen Person Questions

2025-09-22T11:46:55Z

Posted by: abyssal_sylph

"My/Our" put in the title because we're plural, but hi I'm Jade (she/they/bark)! I wanna get this system more into journaling again :] but for now here's my/our anwsers.

( Read more... )

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12 pen person questions!

2025-08-28T02:17:19Z

Posted by: spookyjim

Here's my own response to the 12 pen person questions, below the cut because it is pretty long. i did skip a couple of questions as i simply didn't have an answer.

( Read more... )

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Pen Person Questions

2025-08-27T22:02:45Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

My reply wouldn't post, so I'm putting it here.

If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance?

I am primarily a user and content with that.

What is something you want to understand better or develop more informed opinions about?

I generally do that if I have a need for it or stumble across something that looks interesting, but I have no active searching for such at this time.

In the pen community, what's something someone has said or done that stuck with you?

I like tests and comparisons. This year I have one going about which of three pens lasts longest on outdoor labels. The Sharpie Oil Paint pen is winning by a landslide. Sometimes people post pictures of swatch tests for different colors, which is fun to see.

There are now 25 hours in a day, a bonus hour is available to use however you like as long as pens or stationery are involved—how do you spend your hour?

Writing.

In the pen community yearbook, what would your superlative be? (i.e. "Best ______", "Most _______" "Most likely to _______")

Most likely to make a photo-essay.

How do you feel about your handwriting?

It reflects my personality, my history as an activist, and my journey through various languages.

What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

Writing a huge amount of crowdfunded content.

You're going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

If I rule out the places where I could use a computer, my usual writing method ... that leaves a nature hike and writing with a pencil on a spiralbound notebook. If I planned to go somewhere especially soggy, I would likely invest in a waterproof fieldbook and its attached writing implement.

What's a current or favorite creative outlet?

Writing. The September 2 Poetry Fishbowl will be on "Communication Styles."

With pens in particular, I sometimes use them for scrapbooking.

A recent thing I did was write an inspiring quote on watercolor paper, which then had a decorative seal applied to it -- there was a booth selling this activity at the Oddities Market. So that was super fun.

What's something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

I admire calligraphy and fountain pens. My experiments with them suggest that these are not skills I could readily acquire. About the best I can do is decent little flourishes under a name on a holiday card or similar.

What's a comfort item, material, or color?

Certain modern plush or microfiber blankets are worlds above other blankets in terms of comfort and energy restoration. My favorite color is blue.

Regarding pens, I like one with just a little weight, enough that it feels solid without feeling heavy. Some have a really nice grip too. I've got a whole pile of pens I collected from a trade show -- I will always check the swag at events -- and I gravitate to using the prettiest ones with the nicest feel. Some are just cheap flat sticks. Others have little rubber grip pads. Several have metallic copper parts. It's interesting to see how, at the same event, people made very different choices about their swag -- and that's not even getting into the high-end swag like the tape measures. :D

I also like pens with different colored ink. I use those for color-coding some things, like writing deadlines in red on my desktop calendar.

What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

Worldbuilding a shared world. I would adore being part of a worldbuilding project with a mix of artists, writers, and other skills. It would be fun with a pen maven talking about the respective levels of literacy and writing technology in different cultures. I was part of the Torn World collective while it ran, and that was awesome.

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#12PenPersonQuestions

2025-08-27T19:52:12Z

Posted by: phantomtomato

Blogger Olive Octopus put together a list of 12 questions for stationery fans that I thought would make a fun discussion here. They primarily blog about fountain pens and inks, so that’s the focus, but I think that most of the specific questions adapt quite well to any sort of stationery that you use. Questions below in both list and HTML-copyable format!

If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance?

What is something you want to understand better or develop more informed opinions about?

In the pen community, what's something someone has said or done that stuck with you?

There are now 25 hours in a day, a bonus hour is available to use however you like as long as pens or stationery are involved—how do you spend your hour?

In the pen community yearbook, what would your superlative be? (i.e. "Best ______", "Most _______" "Most likely to _______")

How do you feel about your handwriting?

What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

You're going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

What's a current or favorite creative outlet?

What's something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

What's a comfort item, material, or color?

What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

Copy/Paste:

If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance?

What is something you want to understand better or develop more informed opinions about?

In the pen community, what's something someone has said or done that stuck with you?

There are now 25 hours in a day, a bonus hour is available to use however you like as long as pens or stationery are involved—how do you spend your hour?

In the pen community yearbook, what would your superlative be? (i.e. "Best ______", "Most _______" "Most likely to _______")

How do you feel about your handwriting?

What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

You're going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

What's a current or favorite creative outlet?

What's something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

What's a comfort item, material, or color?

What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

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A5 A'Zone Notebooks

2025-06-26T14:32:32Z

Posted by: g_uava

Got these brand spanking notebooks today! Where I live, this brand is pretty popular among students.

The pages insides are coloured and make doing homework a little less boring:

Anyone else prefer writing on off-white or coloured paper? It's easier on the eyes and basically the analog version of 'dark mode'.

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Archiving Fandom Stuff Analog Style

2025-06-21T18:08:10Z

Posted by: abyssal_sylph

So, because of i found my mom's secret fanfiction stash by ColeyDoesThings has made me wanna archive my own fandom stuff analog style (maybe even the fics & art I find beautiful). I'm currently not in a possition to do this project because of lack of cash, sadly. But I'm not sure how to go about it, so I thought of asking here if people had done similar things?

Here are some ideas of my own for now:

Printing my fics at my shared housing, and printing my art by my parents' house because they can print in colour.

Same for others' fanfics & fanart, but seperate them into a diffrent folder.

This might give me the excuse needed to make collages &/or mini-shires? IDK

One of the things I'm not sure how to handle is how to organize the future folders. I thought of doing it by fandom, but my fandoms can change rapitly. And I also thought of doing specific challenges like minifemslashfebs in their own categories (since I'm not doing them on time anyway). The reason I wanna do this besides "I can" is that the comments in Coley's video mention the archiving of this is basically helping archaeology &/or anthropology. Which I think is important and cool/neat, so I wanna do my part.

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First Agendio Planner

2025-05-14T13:46:57Z

Posted by: greyliliy

My Agendio Planner had arrived! Due to the custom nature of the Planner, I was able to get one to finish out the year from June to December.

I am in love already. The cover is lovely. The paper is smooth (went with the medium weight). And it looks exactly as I designed it, including the custom events (like birthdays and anniversaries).

I can not wait to start using it in two weeks. It cost much more than a typical Planner but I can already tell it's worth it to get an interior that is *exactly* what I wanted.

And best of all, if anything doesn't work, I can edit it in their app and have it fixed for next year. :D

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Book Themed Bullet Journal - Last Few Spreads

2025-04-27T17:43:00Z

Posted by: seleneheart

These are the last spreads of my year-long childhood book themed bullet journal, being spring, March, April, and May

I didn't get this one done until the middle of April due to still recovering from my injury. But I left pages for it, and got it finished eventually.

LOL, March. I was two days post-surgery and high as a kite on painkillers when I made this. I forgot to take a picture before I filled it in, but frankly, I'm just glad I managed to do this one.

A childhood book so beloved that I literally have an illustrated copy of it on my coffee table as we speak.

And finally, the series of books that made me reluctant to even taste mushrooms until well into adulthood. If you know, you know. I'm still not really a fan of eating fungus.

I really enjoyed have a theme for the entire year, with this being the second year in a row that I've done so. I'll spend May getting my next bujo set up - the theme will be medieval. I'll post at the end of summer. Speaking of, do you know how hard it is to find examples of the letter "J" in the various medieval texts? I'm guessing it wasn't much in use back then. However, there's 3 months out of the year that start with that letter in English.

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Journal pages, Q1 2025

2025-04-24T12:26:05Z

Posted by: halfcactus

Posted a bunch of photos of my journal for the first three months of the year here! I've mostly been using it for personal media reviews because I read so many webtoons I can't keep track of them. ^^;

I'm using an A5 Laconic planner... Thinking of switching it up next year because I've been using the layout for 2 years and I'm not sure if it's still right for me haha.

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