Right after I ordered this planner last January, I saw a humorous meme on Facebook that said something like, " Don't order the fancy planner. Just don't. You'll try to use it for two weeks and then throw it away." I felt a familiar feeling of failure creeping in and thought, "Why did I click on that to order it?" The truth is, I'm 58 and have never really used a planner. Kinda crazy, because I actually do like checklists, and I'll write them on the backs of envelopes when things get really crazy around here. And they do--I run two different businesses, am currently homeschooling our last child, and teach in the school program at Bible Study Fellowship.

This planner has helped me IMMENSELY. For starters, I realized that probably one of the reasons I have kept my distance from planners in the past is because I want to do what I want to do, and writing it into a planner makes me realize "There is no way you can possibly do all of that in one day." So it's pretty freeing to be able to actually divide things up.

The other thing that is SUPER awesome is the mini breakdown of household tasks, especially the 'one weekly targeted thing" to get done. For example, a week or so ago it told me to "Organize the cookbooks." I thought, "Well, I don't have that many cookbooks anyway, how can that possibly be a thing?" But I did it, and was AMAZED and how much other clutter had gotten shoved in with my cookbooks. And it led to me de-cluttering the shelf above and below the cookbook shelf. Which led to me leaving my kitchen cupboard doors open so that I could feel peaceful just looking at my de-cluttered shelves.

So here's the thing I've discovered. I rather like being told--or at least suggested--on what to do when it comes to organizing/cleaning things. I'm a pretty good cleaner and organizer mostly, but I lack consistency. This planner is a game-changer because I don't have to do the thinking of breaking down all the little household tasks into manageable, bite-sized pieces. I definitely don't do everything she has listed down (like, I have never been one to wash my sheets every week. Kudos to you if you do!!!)

Another thing I've discovered is that it makes a HUGE difference if you tidy the kitchen and do the dishes after supper. I always used to leave them till the next morning. (Gasp!) You know, "let them soak overnight." But by doing the dishes at night, what I've started to do in the morning is to quickly empty the dishwasher and then have family members put dishes straightaway into the dishwasher throughout the day. That way my sinks stay empty (GASP!), and there is WAY less work in doing the dishes because everyone is putting them in because it's EMPTY and they can do that! And what THAT little thing snowballs into is that it frees me up in the morning--when I would normally be scooping dishes out of the the dirty sink water and putting them into the dishwasher--and it allows me to fold a quick load of clothes or tidy up the living room. This ONE thing has helped my house become company-ready very quickly.

Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the plastic ruler that marks your spot in the planner. I wish they were sold separately, as I would buy more of them for my spiral Bible Study Fellowship notebooks. They're the bomb. Any way we could get a Scripture verse on those babies and order a few extra? :) Thanks for considering.

So if anyone is on the fence about getting the planner, ignore the funny New Year's Day memes telling you not to, and give it a shot. Don't beat yourself up if you can't do everything she suggests, and just build upon little successes that will make you feel more peaceful and ready for whatever God has for you that day.

My husband is a high school tennis coach and my daughter plays soccer...both are spring sports. And I work a lot of hours each week. This means that every Jan-May, we never have groceries to make a meal, eat out far too much, and I feel like I'm on a runaway train for months on end, just surviving one day at a time. But this planner + the 3 meal planning boxes I bought a month later (tipping my hat to the slow cooker box in particular), have changed my whole perspective on Jan-May. Instead of dreading it and always feeling like a (self-declared) failure, I've been able to look forward to each soccer match and provide my family with a warm meal to look forward to and enjoy at the end of a long day which warms my heart and makes me happier than I can express. I've also found that I can typically cook just 2-3 meals and that gets us through the whole week (including weekends)! My family happily eats leftovers...especially when they love the dish. Back to the planner though...it is a real joy to use! I take it to work each day and leave it on my desk. It is so pretty that I enjoy seeing it there and it helps me remember to add things to it as personal, family and work things get added to my schedule. Lastly, I'm pretty cheap. I have to really love and believe in something to spend "more" on it than what I could find at TJ Maxx. I can honestly say this planner will be an annual purchase for me for the rest of my years!

This is the best all inclusive planner out there. It will not be a waste of money to purchase because it saves so much time and the value along for the organization is well worth it.

I love this planner so much! It keeps me in line financially and the chore chart helps keep the household running. My husband is very competitive so once he sees I have more check marks, he starts doing extra chores to “win” 😂

I'm 58 and never used a planner before. Bought this one and let me say that I'm learning at my age to organize my home cleaning, planning meals and keeping track of finances. Seriously this planner is wonderful to help if you just don't know where to start or if you just need some encouragement.