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Every year, after the holidays pass and the new year is about to begin, I do something kind for myself: I buy my yearly planner! It’s funny how excited I get about it, really. It’s only a planner, I know, but I love having a planner. After trying many different planners, I’ve settled on a favorite the last few years. I love this small pocket planner. It’s high quality, made in Maine, and I like the way it’s set up. I first came across it at a bookstore and later ordered it from Amazon each year because I never seem to get to the bookstore anymore. When I get my new planner in the mail each year, I love writing those very first words in it and transferring my information over from the last year’s planner (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) I like the nice small size of this planner, yet there’s still room to write down everything I need to. It’s something that gets a lot of use: I literally use my planner every single day. I write down things I need to get done, sometimes plan meals ahead of time, and just generally keep track of things. Having it helps me sleep better at night because I can write down what I need to, rather than having it all bouncing around it my head keeping me up. Having a planner is such a simple thing, but it helps me stay centered, grounded, and focused. Sometimes I’ll check my planner during the day, “What was that thing I needed to get done today?….. Oh yeah!” and other times I’ll check it before I go to sleep and realize I forgot to do quite a few things. It helps remind me. It helps keep me on track. I really like things organized. Our life feels way too messy and chaotic sometimes and if I can have even a little corner of my life- my planner- that I can keep organized, it brings me a lot of peace.

How about you, friends? Do you use a planner?