Living Well Planner – Finding the right tool for how you work

Wondering if the Living Well Planner is right for you? Let’s take a deep dive look inside the planner so you can find out for yourself.

Now if you are a planner addict like me you have looked inside an ungodly amount of planners. The first of November is my favorite time of year not because of the upcoming holidays, no, it’s because every store has a planner display I could spend HOURS in.

I have tried so many different styles it is not even funny. And some came close. But no cigar.

I came close for a while and was building a planner of my own out of the planner aisle at Hobby Lobby. You know the style with the three wrings in the middle just like a binder? Yeah, those ones. I even bought a hole puncher to make my own special pages.

I was happy for over a year with the one I was using but do you know what happened? THEY STOPPED CARRYING MY FAVORITE INSERTS!!!!

A little dramatic typing that in all caps? Well, that is how it felt. Anyway…

Then I tried the traveler’s journal style. It was cute but mercy they are way too small for someone running a blog and a second business out of one. Never mind planning out daily tasks.

After a lot of frustration, I bounced around from one online planning tool to another trying to make one of those work. But trying to make a mind that likes paper best… well let’s just say it got ugly.

Using The Right Tools

Using the right tools for your mind is where productivity starts. Trying to “make due” is not always better.

I had seen the living well planner before I but was always trying to be careful with my money. When it came to the planning tools I thought that one place I could save was in the tools I use both personally and in business.

The problem with fighting to use tools because they are free or cheap and don’t work with how you think or naturally flow you are not going to be working at your highest performance. Costing you time AND money.

Then I bought my first living well planner and I was hooked!

Ok ready to stop hearing my planner saga and see what is inside the Living Well Planner? Ok, let’s do this.

Living Well Spending Less Planner

This twelve-month planner is not just a plain old month and weekly spread-type planner. This planner is a tool that will help you plan your year with intention and be your guide for reaching your goals.

The living well planner starts with you figuring out your areas of growth in all areas of your life. Personal growth, fun and recreation, health and fitness, home improvements, finance goals, and even people you want to connect with are all areas this planner will help you focus on throughout the year.

Year At A Glance

Are you a bit of a nerd and like to see where your busiest times are? Me to! This planner has a year-at-a-glance spread that will help you know when you should say no to that spur-of-the-moment thing that someone surprised you with.

That’s ok to do by the way…

Project And Goal Planning Pages

At the beginning of each month, there is a goal planning page and a project planning page. While ideally, you would use one for a goal you are trying to reach and the project page for something you are actually working on.

Personally I think you could use each page interchangeably.

Monthly View

Remember the big goals you set for the beginning of the year? Well, you can’t just say ” I want to lose 50lbs” at the beginning of the year and call it good. No, no, you have to take it a little at a time and break your big goals down into small actionable tasks each month.

To help you do that there is a page at the beginning of each month for you to put three smaller tasks that will get you closer to your goal. Wondering what I mean?

• To lose 50lbs this year you need to go through your house and get rid of all the junk food that would cause you to stumble from your goal.
• Second, you will need to decide how you plan to eat? Are you going to start with healthier foods and make wiser choices? Or are you actually going to find a diet plan and stick to it?
• And third, sit your tennis shoes out every night to give you one less excuse not to go on a walk.

Does that make sense? The planner gives you a space to put your monthly action items to reach your goals.

Then they have the monthly spread to keep track of your big tasks. With some space for notes on the side.

Living Well Planner Weekly Spread

This is what sold me right here. The hours are marked on the weekly spread. AND they go all the way from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. which is not something that other planners do if you are lucky to find the hours marked at all. The inserts I used to buy only had about 12hrs with the hours marked.

Time blocking gives you a realistic view of what is possible in your day. So many times we try to fit 25 hours’ worth of work into a 24 hr day. If you want to learn more about time blocking you can read this post here.

Under each day in the Living Well Planner, there is a “Must Do” task section. You put your top three most important tasks for the day in that section.

Then there is also a space for meal plans under that.

Planner Budget Pages

I am going to be totally honest with you. I don’t use this spread for our household budget because that is just not how we do our finances as a couple. But I think the page would be extremely helpful if you chose to use them. (you could also use them for your farm business and keep track of your farm expenses and income with those pages)

The categories are well thought out and the estimated percentage of how much you should spend on each category is very helpful and insightful.

Keep in mind this is a BUDGET page, not a balance sheet. So if you like the envelope system this is something similar just on paper.

There is an income and expense equation at the top so I personally think you could put your total starting balance there if you plan out your budget month to month.

Then there is an expanse page after the budget page which is great for tracking expenses for your farm. Remember how I said I think better on paper? Well, I love using this page for my business and what I spend money on personally.

Click here to get your copy of the living well planner!

Living Well Planner Features

• Notes and Ideas page at the end of each month.
• Thoughts and thanks page for reflections on grace and gratitude.
• Motivational quotes at the beginning of each month on the divider pages.
• A collection of lined note pages at the end of the planner
• A planner members area to help you use your planner to its potential.