My new April planner, Day 19

Wednesday, April 1

The past few days have been much more difficult than usual. As the kids wrapped up spring break and did their best to start online learning this week, the realization has set in that this is our new reality for the foreseeable future. We know school will not resume in April, and it’s possible they won’t return to the classroom this school year.

I typically love working from home. But the monotony of it is starting to play with my brain. I feel like it’s hard to focus or to come up with creative ideas. I spend hours on Zoom calls with my co-workers, which at least provides some level of human interaction. But there’s something about that barrier of the computer screen that starts to drive me a little crazy.

I have been looking forward to this day though because I have been ridiculously excited about using my new April planner. There is nothing I love more than a good planner, and I have tried many. In the past, I’ve created my own planner, I’ve used a bullet journal, and I’ve spent the past few years just jotting down notes in an unlined journal.

I’m not satisfied with just a daily calendar. I want something that is cute, has pretty colors and is more focused on reflection and looking ahead, rather than just planning out my days. I love a habit tracker, goal-setting space and lots of room to jot down notes.

I’ve longed for something that combines all of those elements in one place, but I haven’t been able to find just what I wanted. Then, a few weeks ago, Facebook read my mind and an ad popped up in my news feed. When I started learning about this monthly planner from Silk + Sonder, it looked like the closest thing I might find to the planner of my dreams.

I decided to order it for April as a birthday gift to myself. The planner only covers one month, so I ended up buying a yearly subscription, which brings down the price of each month’s version. Each month features a different color scheme and focus for the month. Plus, I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy receiving some happy mail if we end up continuing social distancing for a while.

The theme for April is “vulnerability.” Here are a few of my favorite pages so far:

On the mood tracker page, you color in the key at the top and assign a mood to each color. Each day, you get to color in a little hexagon to indicate how you were feeling that day. I especially love the habit tracker. You establish the habits you want to work on for the month, and then color in each day that you complete your goal.

On these pages, you can recap your previous month and write down your intentions (or goals) for the coming month. I love reflecting on what went well and what I would like to change, so this is totally exciting to me!

I love keeping a gratitude log, but I’m bad about writing this down in one place. I’m looking forward to having space to log what I’m grateful for each day.

The planner includes writing prompts, recipes and even a coloring page.

I really love the format of the weekly page. This is very similar to how I used to structure my week in my bullet journal.

The planner also gives you lots of room to make a to-do list for each day and write down the one thing you really want to accomplish at the top of each day.

Halfway through the month, you can record how things are going in these specific areas.

I started filling in my planner this morning, and it really was a bright spot in my day! I felt more focused and motivated with all of the prompts and guides to keep me on track.

I know this little planner doesn’t solve the world’s problems and feels like a superficial mood booster in the midst of all of the pain and suffering in the world. But it was a bright spot in my week that I wanted to share!

How about you? Do you get excited by the perfect planner? Have you found something that works well for you?

Read my past posts:

Life is canceled: Day Zero

What does this mean for us?: Day One

Sunday morning painting party: Day Two

This isn’t difficult: Day Three

College and corona: Day Four

Working and learning at home: Day Five

It’s getting real: Day Six

Dividing the time: Day Seven

“All the hours are the same!” Day Eight

Art journaling for mental health, Day Nine