Paper Planner Essentials August 2020

Paper Planner Essentials

PLANNER MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020

VISUALIZE YOUR BUDGET PLANNER BROS: THEY DO EXIST!

INTERVIEW WITH HP SQUAD MEMBER KEVIN AND GET TO KNOW PPE'S SERGIO SAVAGE

MY SQUAD JOURNEY

PLANNER CHALLENGE: WHY WE PLAN

PLANNER SPACES

STEP INSIDE THE CREATIVE SPACES OF PLAN_ON_IT AND KELL OF A PLAN

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR MICHELLE MCCOLLUM

BUDGET LIKE A BOSS

BUDGET BOSS ELAINE MICHELLE SPILLS THE TEA

Contents Issue 6

03 Editor's Note 06 Cover Story: Budgeting with Elaine Michelle

10 Visualize Your Budget 12 Planner Spaces 14 My Squad Journey Guest: Michelle McCollum

15 Memory Planning 16 Reader's Gallery 18 Planner's Corner 19 Wellness Chat 20 Planner Bros They Do Exist!

22 Planner Challenge Why We Plan Paper Planner Essentials Magazine™ is owned and published by Keisha Greene Copyright © 2020 Keisha Greene All rights reserved No part of this magazine, electronic or print, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any other means without the written consent of the publisher. This magazine is a collection of articles and information designed for educational and entertainment purposes.

Requests for permission should be directed to: Keisha Greene 3436 Warpath Rd. Macon, GA 31217

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editor's note Money...you can't take it with you!

That is what I always heard growing up. So, naturally, that became my #1 mantra as an adult. If I had only known then what I know now. Adulting is hard....

In this issue, our writers tackle a very touchy subject- one that could even be considered taboo in some households.

We are talking about MONEY! Specifically, how creating a budget can actually help a person save money. I'm one of those people who always thinks "I see it. I want it. I buy it." Needless to say, that has not always ended well. My spending habits seem to mirror my mood. In the event of an emotional crisis, I turn to retail therapy. My compulsions usually manifest in planner supplies and cute shoes. Reckless spending has always been a part of my, let's say, genetic make-up (because, of course, it has to be genetic). About three years ago, I happened upon this new thing in the planner community: budget planning. Immediately, I took off to the nearest craft store and bought all of the budget-focused planner products I could find. I know, ironic, but stay with me...Then I did the next logical thing: I binge-watched YouTube® videos by Elaine Michelle and Shay Budgets. After watching hours of video and taking copious notes, I sat down to examine my finances. Let's just say the proverbial light bulb exploded. I discovered that by budgeting my money in a deliberate and methodical way, I could pay off debts, save money, and still fulfill my innate desires to shop for things I really don't need - just on a smaller scale. Take a look at our articles on budgeting. I'm sure there is something here for everyone.

July was a month of phenomenal growth for Paper Planner Essentials™ magazine. We have made a ton of new friends on our social media platforms. We received a shout-out from The Happy Planner®. We had the opportunity to work with social media influencers Elaine Michelle, Heather Kell, Michelle McCollum, and Kevin Girad. ALL IN ONE MONTH! I am immensely proud of how hard my team has been working to ensure that the magazine is a success. I want to personally thank each one of you who bought a copy, liked a post, followed our IG account, or joined our Facebook® groups. Thank you for all the support that you have blessed us with. It is confirmation for me that this wasn't just another one of my crazy ideas. I am convinced that we are doing the right work, I cannot wait to see what this month holds!

Happy Planning!

Keisha Greene Editor In Chief IG: DrinkCoffee.MakeStuff YT: Drink Coffee. Make Stuff

The Contributors PAGE 4 PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS

Interested in being a contributor? Do you have a unique gift to share with the planner community? Why not join our team? Contact us via email or send us a message through social media for more information

SHAUNA Creative Designer Content Writer IG: Shauna Devereux

MONIQUE Creative Designer Content Writer IG: The May Flow

TOMECA

DEATRICE

FRANKLIN

Social Media Manager Content Writer IG; Cheasy Planning

Resource Manager Content Writer IG: Deeplannerbabe YT: Dee Plannerbabe

Public Relations Coordinator Content Writer IG: Sergiosavage.co YT: Sergio Savage & Co

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Let the shopping begin!

The second half of the year is in full effect. Since we are talking all about budgets this month, why not budget for your planning supplies? Take a look at these shops. We're sure there is something for everyone.

Do you know of a shop that we should check out? Let us know by sending an email to paperplanneressentials@gmail.com DISCLAIMER: PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES. SHOPS ARE LISTED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND CONSUMERS ASSUME ALL RISKS INVOLVED IN PURCHASES.

Planner Shops

Elaine Michelle

Scripts by L&C

Freckled Sticker Co

According to Ali

Let's Make It Sparkle

Cinderella Paper

Fancy Plans

Shop XOXO Prints

Paper Panduh

Chrishia Latoy Designs

A Glittery Life Plans

Scribbles by KP

Minna May

Planning City

Brianna Nicole Designz

Burgundy Butterfly Co

Plan the Day

By BAD Designs

Lux Kitty Designs

Shameless Stickers

The Jewel Box

Hustle and Shine Design

Golden Goddesz

Lily and Lola Co

Budget Like a Boss

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BUDGET BOSS ELAINE MICHELLE SPILLS THE TEA

PPE GUEST CONTRIBUTOR ELAINE MICHELLE WWW.ELAINEMICHELLE.COM IG ELAINEMICHELLEOFFICIAL YT: ELAINEMICHELLE PODCAST: ELAINEMICHELLE

Dear Elaine Michelle, I have been watching your channel for a while, and I think I am finally ready to get started. I need to be honest and tell you that I am scared and don’t know exactly where to start. Can you give me some tips to get started?

Your Bestie in my head, L.

create a pie chart of your spending.

3. Set goals for where you want to see yourself financially.

Think about where you are now and some ideas you have of where you want to be. Maybe you want to have a real emergency fund or cash flow for a vacation or just have money before Christmas time. Write down three goals you want to achieve.

Pro Tip: Its always easier to stay on task by creating smaller goals to get you to a bigger goal. Start with a weekly goal, then a monthly goal, and then where you want to be this time next year.

Hey Bestie!

You know I am always happy to help get my besties together. So first, congratulations on taking this step to getting your finances in order. That's actually a big step in the process. Here are some quick ways to get started with your journey to better money management: 1. Track your current income and expenses for at least two paychecks. Before you can create a budget, you need to understand where your money is coming from and going. Track everything from eating out to vending machines. You need to account for where ALL of your money is going.

Pro Tip: If you are hourly, use an average based on normal working situations; Do NOT use overtime to calculate your income.

Overtime isn’t guaranteed and can really inflate your budget if planned for and not received.

2. Identify problem areas in your spending habits. After you have tracked your expenses and income, create categories for your expenses. Once you have determined those categories, you can begin to create averages based on your spending and the number of weeks you tracked (or month). Now you can use this information to see where your spending is the highest.

Pro Tip: Create a spreadsheet (Google Sheets works just as well on mobile) and color-code your categories. Use the spreadsheet to

Now you should have what you need to get started with your budget. Now, go grab The Budget Planner from my shop and tune in to the Monthly and Paycheck videos available on my channel KK Bye E.

BUDGET PLANNER STARTER PACK

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Planner Printables How to use this page: cut out and use glue/tab adhesive to place on page Visit our website to gain access to a downloadable version..

Website News

Don't forget to visit the website at www.paperplanneressentials.com. We have updated the site, so take a look around to see what's new. As always, you will find exclusive content like YouTube creators of the Month, Faith Journaling monthly prompts, and so much more! By visiting our "Exclusive Magazine Content" area, you can download each month's downloadable printables that are aligned to each month's theme with the access code: PPEAUG2020

PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY.

Mermaid's Logic Handwriting Challenge

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Have you ever wanted to improve you handwriting? Here's a great activity to use in one of your planners. Former HP Squad member, Ashley Layce Marie, also known as MermaidsLogic on Instagram, is the creator of a monthly hanwriting challenge. Grab a planner and your favorite pen and join her on IG using the hashtag #mermaidslogichandwritingchallenge. According to Ashley, here's how it works: For 4-5 minutes each day for the month of July,

YANETH MARTINEZ IG: PLANWITHYAN

practice writing the word of the day in the photo prompt ~ in any handwriting style you choose!

You can use a planner, a blank piece of paper, or anything you wish to use to practice the handwriting challenge each day. You can even save your pages to reflect on your progress. If you are going to participate on IG, share your handwriting challenges with others using the hashtag. Remember to have fun and strive for progress not perfection.

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3 Tips to Help You Better Visualize Your Budget

BY MONIQUE MAY IG: THE MAY FLOW

The beauty of using planners, stickers, tape and the likes is in the opportunity to customize and add a little pizzazz to the mundane. We choose planners that grab our attention. We are drawn to sticker themes with whatever aesthetic fits our mood. We add these touches to make us focus more on our basic routines and tasks.Since this month is all about budgeting, let me show you how you can make your budget something worth paying attention to.

To be quite honest, budgeting can be difficult —especially with the uncertainty of the times. Plus, tracking and keeping up with expenses can be tedious. We may plan a budget only to leave it right in the pages in which it was written down. However, budgeting doesn’t have to be so forgetful!

Especially with all this creativity at our fingertips! We budget to make life easier and to keep us accountable. We should keep those same goals in mind when it comes to the methods we use to monitor and record the financial details.Here are some tips to make the budgeting section of your planner POP or have more visual appeal.

1. USE COLORS STRATEGICALLY: Sure, a colorful budget page is cute! Even better, you can use colors more intentionally to code your spending and billing categories, as well as what is going in and coming out.

In the

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example below from June each spending category is

3. MAKE GRAPHS OR CHARTS:Â

a different color. Just by glancing at the page, I can tell where I need to tone down my spending.

Using a planner allows you to be more involved in seeing exactly where your money is going. A great way to use the color coding is to turn it into a quantitative visual. Seeing the graph of my spending was shocking and let me know what I needed to change for the upcoming months. Here, stickers were used to show the total dollar amounts of each category. Alternatively, I could have used my markers or even washi tape.

2. USE STICKERS: Stickers are for decoration AND functionality. The Happy PlannerÂŽ budgeting stickers are useful for marking pay days, no-spending days, and even savings goals. If you really want the page to pop, you can use the stickers that flip up or open! These can add more fun while also helping you remember more important things about your financial plans. These green corner stickers let me know exactly when I can expect my direct deposit.

So, there you have it. There are more ways to make the budget plan easy to understand and analyze. Now look at your monthly budget. What can you add that would make you want to visit it even more?

Planner Spaces

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BY TOMECA HARDIN-HOWARD IG CHEASYPLANNING

For most planners, having a place to call your own can be a very important part of your creativity. It’s important to visualize what you would like it to look like so that you get things that will make you feel comfortable in your environment. This is exactly what these two planner babes did with their own planner spaces. They made their spaces a reflection of themselves, and they are proud to share their creative spaces with us.

HEATHER KELL IG KELL OF A PLAN YT: KELL OF A PLAN WEBSITE: KELL OF A PLAN I used paper planners through middle school and high school, but somewhere along the way of becoming an adult, I fell out of this habit. I still loved paper planners, though. I was a teacher for nine years, and I'd buy a planner at the beginning of every year. But after a few weeks, it would find a spot on my shelf and never came down again. I just couldn't commit to it. But when I discovered decorative planning, that all changed! I loved the creative outlet it provided. Combine that with the fact that it organized my life, and I was hooked! I started the @kellofaplan Instagram® in 2015 and my YouTube® channel in 2016 to share my creations with the world. I was having so much fun and wanted other people to see, too.

Since then, planning has changed my life! My husband and I have paid off thousands of dollars in debt thanks to my budget planner.

My faith planner provides me a consistent place to journal my studies and grow my faith. My social media planner has helped me to grow @kellofaplan to a point where it is now my full time job! I quit teaching in 2018 and jumped into being a full time content creator. That is when I really poured myself into creating the perfect home planning office for myself, too. This room in our house had been my planning room since 2015, but I hadn't done anything to personalize it. Once I knew that it would be my work space, day in and day out, it was time to make it a reflection of me.

My husband and I spent a weekend painting the walls a beautiful mint color AND the ugly, brown built-in shelves were painted white. I lettered some of my favorite quotes and hung them on the wall and spent hours organizing my supplies in the perfect way.

This room has become my sanctuary. It is the place where I feel the most creative, and it is also the place where I push myself out of my comfort zone. I dream of the future of my business in this room, but I also come into this room just to escape from the business of life.

I think that creating a space for yourself is so important- a place you can call your own and a place where you can plan for a life that you will love. I'm so thankful that this space is mine!

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My craft room is the one place in our home that is exclusively mine, so it is filled with things that spark creativity and inspire me. Not only do I love creating here but also reading or just relaxing.

My craft desk is from IKEA®, and I have a small desk that was thrifted and painted. I also wanted to include a day bed for lounging. I love being surrounded by all of my Happy Planners® stickers, paper and pens. Most of these are stored in my craft cart and cube shelf unit, along with some of my favorite books. My washi tape collection is stored on a wall unit that also functions as a fun décor piece.

MICHELLE MCCOLLUM IG: PLAN ON IT YT: PLAN ON IT

I have been married to my sweet husband for nine years.

He’s always making me laugh and supporting my love of paper and stickers. I have a 23-year-old daughter, a 21-yearold son, and a 30-year-old stepson.

I worked at Sephora as an Education Manager for years, but now I’m having fun with my YouTube channel (Plan On It) and going on camping trips with my husband. I have been planning and sharing on my Instagram® account, @plan_on_it, since 2016, mainly using the Happy Planner® products, which are my JAM!

MY SQUAD JOURNEY PAGE 14 PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS

PPE GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

BY MICHELLE MCCOLLUM IG PLAN_ON_IT YT: PLAN ON IT

“You did it! Welcome to the Happy Planner® Squad!” This is what I awoke to last year. I couldn’t believe it. I’d worked so hard after having not made the squad the previous year, and it finally paid off.

After all of the congratulatory messages from the community, we got started on our first project. Our very first assignment was to get to know the Squad. We had to submit photos, write a short introduction, and share our planning styles.

Future assignments ranged from: planner spreads, organization tips, lifestyle photos, projects to showcase the specific Happy Planner® products that we were sent: stickers, Happy Notes™, planners, journals, etc.

My experience on the Happy Planner Squad was incredible. It was fun receiving so many different products to use and plan with that I wouldn’t have been able to buy otherwise. The greatest part was making lifelong friendships with my fellow Squad members. We became so close, and we still keep in touch.

The highlight of my squad experience was definitely the trip to California for Squad Bootcamp.

We were flown out to Huntington Beach, where I met up with all the other Happy Planner® Squad members. We were treated to a lovely dinner and even got to visit Disneyland! My favorite part was touring the Mambi office and seeing how all the designs come to life.

If you applied and didn’t make the squad, my best advice is to work on creative content. Come up with creative ways to use Happy Planner® products to make them work for you in your everyday life: ways to organize your pantry, how to take care of your house plants, track things in your planner, etc. Just get creative! One thing I worked to improve was photo quality i.e. making sure photos were clear and bright.

My year went by fast, and although I’m sad for my term to be up, I’m very happy for the new squad and look forward to all the amazing things they’ll create.

Memory Planning PAGE 15 PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS

Documenting Milestones

BY SHAUNA DEVEREUX IG: SHAUNADEVEREUX

Last month, I shared with you that my daughter, Kayla, was getting ready to graduate from high school. Now my husband and I are preparing for the next milestone in our family: Kayla is going off to college and will be attending Clemson University! That means shopping!

And lots of it. While I love retail therapy just as much as the next person, outfitting a young adult for college is expensive. To make sure that we did not overspend, we created a budget and were determined to stick with it. I decided to use two different spreads. To the right, I chose to use a tip-in to document the school's information in my catch-all planner during the week that classes will begin. On the left-hand side of this layout (see bottom left), I cut the top from a page of The Happy Planner® Today Floral Block Pad and stapled it to the top for additional space I can use to take notes. In my budget planner (below right), I used photos of some of the items we need to purchase. I decided to add this cute mask image to her Bitmoji, and I love the result.

THE BEAYU STUDIO:: MASKING FOR A FRIEND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD COVID DIECUT: CREATED WITH SILHOUETTE CAMEO

READER'S GALLERY PAGE 16 PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS

CURATED BY DEATRICE MCFADDEN IG: DEEPLANNERBABE

EMMA REID IG: PLANWITHEMM YT: PLAN WITH EMM

LIZ IG: A.KRAZY.KRAFTER

BRITTNEY MEADOWS IG: HEARTSANDAPLAN YT: HEARTS AND A PLAN

DENEA VENOY IG: FUNCTIONALLYBLUETIFUL_PLANS

CRYSTAL KNIGHT IG: CRYSTALCLEARPLAN

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NICOLE FLIEAR IG:Â MARATHON.PLANNER

ROBIN H. IG: CRAFTYPLANNER_QUEEN YT: CRAFTY PLANNER QUEEN

ASHLEY RANDERSON IG: ASHLEY.RANDERSON

JESSICA HIRSCH IG: KNIT.PLAN.JESS

ELIZABETH HARGRAVES IG: THE.JOY.JOURNAL

WENDY VERSTEGEN IG: WENVERS

WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR PLANNER SPREAD TO BE FEATURED IN OUR NEXT ISSUE? CONTACT: DEATRICE MCFADDEN ON IG @DEEPLANNERBABE OR SEND US AN EMAIL: SUBMISSIONS@PAPERPLANNERESSENTIALS.COM WITH THE SUBJECT LINE: ATTN DEE

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Planner' s Corner

BUDGET TALK: HOW I PLAN MY SPENDING

BY TOMECA HARDIN-HOWARD IG CHEASYPLANNING

I will start off by saying that I am not an expert in the area of budgeting. I do feel a little more confident with planning, and I have found a way to make budgeting work. If I can plan my life in my planners, why not use the same method with my finances?

My first dilemma, which caused me to procrastinate time and time again, was choosing which planner I wanted to use for budgeting. During the many changes that have taken place since the beginning of 2020, experiencing a world-wide pandemic gave me the push I needed to track my spending. It forced me to be accountable for how much I spent and how much I needed to save. Working for the school system, I was fortunate enough to still be able to get paid while working from home.

Self-discipline became my number one priority. When I found out that we would be getting out of school for two weeks, I was completely embarrassed, as I needed to go to the grocery store but had no money in the bank (thank God for a close friend who was able to lend me money at the time). We had just moved into our new home, and the kids and I were still settling into our new place. Rather than buying another planner, I decided to use a mini planner to jot down everything I needed to purchase and to record how much I spent each time I went to the store. Considering I was only leaving my home every two days, this task was a bit easier.

Using the mini planner helped me stay committed to making lists because it so easily fit into my purse.

Making wise choices with my finances really was the most adult thing I had done in a while. Before the pandemic I went crazy purchasing planner stuff because of all the amazing sales that were going on after the New Year begin. I can go

back and look at all the orders I placed on The Happy Planner® website, and I know it was well over $200. I had just finished my taxes, and my refund came right on time, the same time everyone was also receiving the first round of stimulus checks. I immediately decided to put a large portion of my money into savings. I also planned what I was saving the money for and what I needed to set aside for certain items we still needed in our home.

Keeping everything organized and in one place helped me avoid the frustration of trying to figure out where everything was. I decided that, no matter what, I had to stick to my system if I wanted to be successful. I added tabs to my mini: money coming in and money going out. I had a tab for checking, savings, gifts, weekly spending, and monthly goals.

Setting the goals helped me curb my appetite for overspending on things I simply wanted to buy. I had to prioritize the needs of my family and I first. I wanted to make sure we were going to be okay financially. My number one goal was to take care of home. I decided to pay everything in full and budget what was left. Being able to work from home allowed me to save money on gas as well, so that was extra money. One way of being responsible with my spending was to set limits. I am proud to say that I waited a few months before I purchased any planner items. I set my planner budget at $50. I also set a limit on clothing purchases and beauty appointments so I would not spend more than I should.

We all have different styles when it comes to how we budget our finances. So, if planning is a major part of you creating a successful life, why not consider planning your finances?

Wellness Chat

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TRAINING THE MONKEY MIND: USING MEDITATION TO REFOCUS, RE-CENTER, AND REDUCE ANXIETY.

BY FRANKLIN FAIRLEY IG SERGIOSAVGE.CO

“Meditation can reintroduce you to that part of yourself that’s been ‘missing’ for so long” - Russel Simmons Beep! Beep! Beep! 5:30 am… By reflex, I jump up to prepare to start my day with methodical and habitual actions. Turn on the coffee. Wash my face. Take my morning vitamins. Make sure the fur baby has food and water. Get washed up and dressed. Fix my coffee, and have my morning session with my planner. As I look down at the daunting two and a half page brain dump that I made out last night right before I went to bed, the white noise that was softly whispering in my head brews into a mental thunderstorm. All the tasks, appointments, and deadlines swirled together and became this big overwhelming monster, and then the anxiety sets in…

I am willing to bet my Happy Planner® Metal blue stargazer discs that many of you can relate to this. I thought I was ready to take on my tasks like any other day, but because I’ve just recently moved and still getting adjusted to my new living situation on top of my already pre-existing obligations, I was nowhere near mentally prepared to carpe any diems. I had to learn how to clear my mind and settle my thoughts so I could properly assess and prioritize the day. Only then I could effectively and efficiently accomplish each of my objectives. All it took was about 10 minutes of meditation.

Meditation was used by the Buddhists to combat what they called the ‘Monkey Mind’. This is described as the natural chaotic state that the mind goes into when there is no focus. The mindfulness exercise I’m about to share with you was first used by the Buddhitst monks and now it has spread around the world and within western culture. It is a very simple exercise and all you will need is a mason jar (or other sealable container), water & glycerin, and some dirt or glitter if you like a little sparkle!

Fill the jar with water. If you are using glycerin, add just a splash. This is help keep the glitter from settling too. If you don’t have glycerin, no worries! The monkey jar will still be just as effective! Now, sprinkle in some of your favorite glitter or sand. You can find different color sands and glitter from different craft and convenient stores! Seal it up and you have yourself a monkey jar.

This is how the exercise works. Imagine the glitter as a representation of your mind. Your thoughts, your feelings sometimes swirl around and cloud your mind making it hard for you to focus and see clearly.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed or recognize the feeling, grab your monkey jar and give it a good shake. Watch as the glitter falls and settles to the bottom of the jar. Now, you have a constant reminder that your mind will settle down, too, when given the opportunity.

Planner Bros THEY DO EXIST!!

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Being a guy in the planner community is, well, a unique experience. Fortunately, we are becoming more and more visible thanks to some brave men who, like me, decided to carve out our own spaces in these planner streets! I recently was able to have the opportunity to speak with one of the upand-coming planner bros: Happy Planner® Squad member Kevin Girad.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found the planner community!

BY: FRANKLIN FAIRLEY IG: SERGIOSAVAGE.CO YT: SERGIOSAVAGE.CO

Kevin: So, I found the planner community about a year ago. I always planned one way or another (with planners, bullet journals, school agendas, etc), but I never actually knew that there was a planner community online. I mean, I never thought that a personal activity like that could bring so many people together!! So at first, I started to follow some planners in the community on Instagram from my personal account! After a few weeks, I wanted to take part in the community. So I created my planner account and decided to share my first Happy Planner® spread! It was kind of big for me. I’m an introvert, I always do my own things and never really engage with people. So I was way out of my comfort zone! The planner community taught me so much about myself. I met some great people and I’m glad I took that decision a year ago!

What I’ve always loved about your systems is that the outside profile always looked so clean, professional, and chic. However, you are not afraid to use color and sticker kits.

If you had to describe your style of planning, what would it be in your words? Bonus: While you are at it, let’s give it a name!

Kevin: I don’t know! I mean, my style is actually just doing what comes to my mind in the moment that I’m working in my planner! I never really plan-which is a bit ironic- what I’ll do in my planner.

When I have an idea, I make it! Sometimes it’s great, sometimes .. it doesn’t look as good, but it’s always spontaneous. I get inspired by what is happening around me, a moment in the year or a sticker, but I try to never thought too much! If I do, Documenting Your PlansI overthink and do nothing! So I guess we could call that .. the spur-ofthe-moment planning!

I see that you are primarily use a lot of Happy Planner® products currently in your feed. What other planners/brands have you used before?

Kevin: I’m currently using a Happy Planner®. I always loved weekly planner since I can see at a glance everything that is planned for the week! I primarily use three planners. - One where I write everything down about my plans, my to-dos and everything. - One for my wellness (mostly my mental wellness) - One on the go (where I write shopping list, and places I have to go when I’m out and about! The only other planner that I use, and that I don’t share, is for work, but I don’t really decorate it, it’s just a plain weekly layout where I wrote my meetings and to-dos so it’s not that interesting! I used so many kind of planners before using my Happy Planner® I tried the Filofax®, I tried having a bullet journal… but those never really worked for me, after a few months I always stopped using them.

KEVIN GIRAD IG: THE_PLANNER_DUDE

You are banished to planner purgatory with your current setup/system and your two most necessary items. What are those items?

Kevin: Oh my! This is a tough one! I’m lucky, I always have a pen in my planner setup!! Phew! So I’d for sure bring some stickers pack- if I could only bring one, it would be a floral one- and … I’d probably also bring my punch! I’m pretty sure that planner purgatory has nice brochures that I could put in my planner!!

As you know, us male planners are few and far in between in this community. How does it feel to be known as one of the more prominent ones, and what would you like to say to the other male planners out there that are coming into the community?

Kevin: I don’t know if I’m really a prominent one, but the only thing I would say is : you’re not alone!! If you look closely, there [are] other planner bro’s out there! Maybe we aren’t that much, but we are here. And, all the planner babes out there are so welcoming, I realized really soon in that community that, being a male is not what defines you!

Just be yourself and do things that you love! This is the most important thing!

Planner Bros CAN I BE FRANK?

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BY: FRANKLIN FAIRLEY IG: SERGIOSAVAGE.CO YT: SERGIOSAVAGE.CO

June 2014. I will never forget this pivotal point in my life. It was my first time out in the ‘real world’ on my own and doing for myself. I just dropped out of college, got my own apartment with my friend at the time, and got a pretty solid job. I just knew I had it all together. I was sadly mistaken. I knew absolutely nothing about maintaining a home, a budget, or anything of the sort. I was flying by the seat of my pants most of the time and it showed when I got past due bills in the mail.

I just had to get a handle on my life! Digital apps just didn’t work for me, so I started soul searching. That’s when I came across the spiral bound planners and fell in love. Everything about the setup of this coil bound planner spoke to me. It was like my one stop shop for handling all my business. Then I got into the planner groups and that’s when I officially fell down the rabbit hole known as the planner community. Shamelessly, I may add!

But my story isn’t sheer perfection. Even though I was striving for organization and structure I still had setbacks. I fell out with my friend/roommate which led me to move in with my boyfriend at the time. It worked for a while until I lost my job. Our spending habits were our downfall, and we were evicted. I had no choice but to go back home to Mississippi.

This was my rock bottom. I couldn’t even sleep those three days I was back home. I didn’t know what to do. I was wrapped in my head with all the shoulda coulda woulda’s of the past, and they haunted me everyday until I finally made a decision. I decided to go back to school to finish!

So, that was that. Not only did I re-enroll into Stillman College Fall 2016, but due to the guidance of two of my best mentors, Dr. Andy and Dr. Krotzer, I was able to not only improve my academic performance, but also gain hands on experience and financial support that I would have never been able to gain on my own. For that, I am eternally grateful to them. In May 2018, I graduated with a Bachelors’ degree in Biology. Now, I’m working on my businesses and doing what I love most. Now, I have the right mindset and the support of the people in my life and in the planner community as well.

My point of sharing this is not only for you guys to get to know me, but to understand that there are ups and downs in life. They are inevitable.

What makes the difference is what you choose to do with what God gives to you. Like I say all the time: “Everyday you have a choice.” I choose to make plans (and make them look cute while I’m at it) because that makes me happy! I choose joy. I choose to be better than yesterday. I choose to be genuinely and unapologetically true to myself. I choose to share my story in hopes that testimony will help guide others. I choose to just be Frank.

Planner Events We know that life is a little uncertain right now, but we can still plan for the future. Here are a few planner events that have been scheduled for 2021. If you have an event you think we should add, send an email to contact@paperplanneressentials.com NOTE: Times and dates are subject to change. Please visit event pages to get the most updated information.

June 10-13 2021

GO Wild SoCal

February 12-14, 2021

PlannerCon 2021

October 22-23, 2021

VB Planner Social

March 20, 2021

Plan & Glam Speakeasy

Planner Challenge PAGE 22 PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS

BY: DEATRICE MCFADDEN IG: DEEPLANNERBABE YT: DEEPLANNERBABE Jasmin Gillard(@jazzuptheplan) introduced a challenge to the planner community to share their "Why" for planning. She came up with 4 main questions for plannerbabes to expound upon. The response was phenomenal!

Here Why Why Why Why

they are: are you in the planner community? do you return to this realm of Instagram? do you enjoy creating and sharing? do you want to continue to inspire others?

Just a few examples from this amazing planner community. Follow them on Instrgram! @planswithirene-Claire @plan.live.create- Jennifer Rees @deeplannerbabe- Deatrice McFadden @Jazzuptheplan- Jasmin Gillard @amyshappyplans- Amy @kenyadoll_plans- Kenya Patterso @DEEPLANNERBABE

@PLANSWITHIRENE

@JAZZUPTHEPLAN

PAGE 23 PAPER PLANNER ESSENTIALS

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IF YOU ANSWERED “YES” TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! To contact the Editor: contact@paperplanneressentials.com For general info: info@PaperPlannerEssentials.com For reader submissions: Submissions@paperplanneressentials.com

Vol. 1 Issue 6 August 2020 Editor-in-Chief Keisha Greene IG @DrinkCoffee.MakeStuff Contributors Monique May Tomeca Hardin-Howard Deatrice McFadden Shauna Devereux Franklin Fairley Graphic Design Monique May IG @theMayFlow Social Media Tomeca Hardin Howard IG @CheAsyplanning Resource Manager (Reader Submissions) Deatrice McFadden IG @deeplannerbabe Public Relations Coordinator Franklin Fairley IG @sergiosavage.co

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