The turmeric: What planner should I get?

You guys - everyone is giving the "tea" on something. Tea has this new meaning now that makes it sound so negative. Giving you the tea is like saying I'm giving you the gossip- and usually gossip is bad...so I decided I'm going to give you guys the turmeric lol- turmeric is healthy, good for you and has so many benefits Ma shaa Allaah (Allaah willed) so that's my new thing! Today I'm going to give you the turmeric on how you should start planning and some things to consider.

So after we got our new understanding now about this tea vs. turmeric :) let's talk about planners. 
The planner community has been so awesome since I started my journey a year go. I've learned a lot and so I'm going to share with you guys some things you should consider when getting into planning.

​2018 is here and you are probably thinking: “I want to start planning but I’m not sure what planner to get.” I can totally relate to that feeling because a year ago I was just like you. I wanted to know what journal/planner did I need and what pens to use.  I want to share with you guys how you should pick your planner if you already haven’t for the new year. This year I decided to go with four planners and though I figured a long time ago that having multiple planners wouldn’t be my jam – it turns out that it was after all! You gotta love this bujo/planner journey!
When you’re trying to pick your planner/journal to start your journey with then you should consider the following things:

1. Why? Why do you want to start planning? Knowing why you want to do something helps you have perspective and gives you a purpose for doing this.
2. What? Once you answered your why, it’s time to get into the what. What covers several things. What areas of your life do you want to use a planner for? You might be thinking: “I need to plan my day to day task” but at the same time you need to plan your health and fitness journey. Write it out. The next part of this what is- What kind of planner is going to meet my needs? This is where you’re going to have to do some research. Maybe you don’t want to carry around or manage multiple planners, but you have several areas in life you need to plan. I would recommend considering traveler’s notebooks. They allow you to house multiple inserts over multiple planners. Or if you have no problem carrying multiple planners then you should consider The Happy Planner or even bullet journaling. Once you answer all the what’s then do some research on Youtube. The planner community is pretty big and so you’ll be able to see tons of visuals and hear tons of reviews about planners.

Once you answered your what - I recommend Youtube for all the types of planners that fit what you need: Currently you have several planners available: Traveler's Notebook, Discbound Planners (which is what I use), Spiral bound planners and regular bound (like books) planners - If you see yourself looking to have several planners but don't want to carry so many planners then research Traveler's Notebooks. They allow you to plan for several things but you don't have to carry so many planners because your TN is going to house all your items. On Youtube look up: Traveler's Notebook, Recollections, ErinCondren.com and The Happy Planner <------ these are some of the big names out that have several planners for several reasons and for the Islaamic side of things you have several sisters who have done planners for your life with Islaamic reminders.

Ok while the turmeric is still pouring lol - I have so much to say :) -
Don’t get overwhelmed with all the options. It’s not going to be a difficult experience. Trust me! I wish I read an article when I first started explaining to me some steps that I could take to make a knowledgeable decision. I’ve spent enough money on planner items to know now what works.
But, also keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for you.
Now that you know how many planners you want to use and your why – it’s time to go a little bit deeper.
Here are some things to consider:

1. Do I want a planner with premade layouts? If so do I like horizontal or vertical layouts?
2. If I don’t like premade planners and I want to be creative do I want to: Use paint, stickers, markers, and various types of mixed media

Ok let’s discuss! Everyone has their fav layout design. I prefer vertical. If I wanted to purchase a mainstream planner then I would look for one that has a vertical spread. Now before you spend any funds – get some freebie planner printables and try it out for a week whatever you want to use. That way you can save money and experiment at the same time.

Next, if you aren’t into the commercial planner life and you want to make yours and customize it then you need to determine your style. Do you like the minimalist look but want the quality pen? If so then I recommend you get a journal that can handle a quality pen and that journal for me was a Leuchtturm. The pages of a Leuchtturm allowed me to paint, ink drawings with my micron pen and even scrapbook. If you’re into painting, drawing, and using various types of mixed media for your journal then paper is going to be important to you. Knowing the pounds of your paper is going to help you a lot because it will tell you how much your paper can take – especially if you’re into planning and art at the same time.
I hope that whatever planner or journal you decide to use, it brings you joy and keeps you productive throughout the year! What would you tell a person they should consider when purchasing their planner.