Now that my time is primarily devoted to wedding music, food, and apparel, I didn't realize until today that I've put no thought into what poor Mr. Malden will be "wearing" next year. Which makes me feel a bit guilty, especially with all the wedding overload he has taken on... poor guy!
Fortunately, my decision on 2013 inserts should be a bit easier than it was last year, namely because I am about 99.999999% positive that I will be sticking with my beloved Franklin Covey inserts. Which brand to choose was the big decision last year. Although some days get pretty crazy, I've been pretty happy with them all year and haven't had any huge desire to change.
But, since a new year is kind of like a bonus to change your format without the hassle of buying new inserts mid year, I'm of course thinking about what I really want out of my planning system for 2013. So, of course I've started thinking about what changes I would make to my current pages. Here's yesterday, for example:
Not terrible, I'll admit. Between colors and location, I've managed to keep all of my tasks, notifications, etc. pretty well spaced out. But there are a few things that bug me. For one, the daily notes section can get a bit cluttered, especially if I need to add extra items, like the list above. This is the space that I track my dinners in (not for nutrition, I just find it fun to look back years later and wonder why I had grilled cheese three nights in one week!). I also track my gratitude list here. Most days it's fine, if it is only those two items. Anything more and it gets to be a bit much.
Second, the 8 to 8 schedule drives me a bit insane. As you can see above, my train leaves at 7:51, so I've notated that in the line above my calendar slots. And see this arrow next to clean?
Nope, I didn't finish cleaning at 9 p.m... it was more like 1 a.m. And while I know (without creating my own inserts) that I won't get a 24 hour calendar, my biggest gripe with my DPP Franklin Covey pages is probably the fact that any scheduled items that happen outside 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. need to be drawn in outside the lines.
So, I checked out the FC website for my options. That's when I stumbled across these guys:
Notice the difference? Here's what I'm using this year:
Yep, even though I decided against them last year, I'm seriously considering the bump up to a 2 DPP layout for 2013. For a few reasons.
In the photo above, the left page is actually the appointment side of the 2PPD format, while the right side is my current DPP layout. I know the photo is a bit blurry, but can you see the difference? Look at how much more space the appointments have! Instead of running 2/3 down the page and going from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the 2DPP layout runs the whole page and goes from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a whole blank hour above AND below. Mind blown.
Seriously though, I am definitely in love with the amount of non 9 to 5 space the 2PPD inserts have... I'm already thinking that I can use that above and below box to fill in any time I start or finish something, even if it is 1 a.m.!
In addition to the more logical time schedule, there are also more to-do spaces, along with an entire page for notes. Or post its, or whatever I want!
I'm already thinking this could be useful for clipping day-specific items like coupons to- right now I just clip them to the daily page, but since there is only one page for each day, I am constantly annoyed that I always have to move the coupon if I want to add something to the page. I could also use this space to elaborate on any to-dos or appointments so I don't have to cram everything into the smaller spaces on the left page.
Sounds like I have my mind made up already, right? It would appear so, but there is still one teensy problem with the 2PPD that I might not be able to get over. Since I have yet to invent a binder with rings that grow with my needs, I am still worried about the same problem I dealt with last year: the 2PPD format just takes up so much space! But is it worth it for a possibly even more ideal layout than what I've had in 2012? I'm also trying to remember that my whole wedding section will be coming out at the end of September, which is easily the size of a month of 2DPP inserts now... I am going in circles.
That's where you come in. I've set up a poll to the right- please vote on what you think I should do, based on what I've shared, or what works for you! Also, please add additional comments below if there is anything that you think might help me make up my darn mind!
Thanks, you guys are the best!
Labels: Filofax, Franklin Covey, Malden
