Well guys, it’s been a couple years since I wrote one of these. For I believe 5 years in a row, I LIVED in my Erin Condren LifePlanner. As a social worker in a school setting, there was no way I could keep my evaluations, meetings, and lesson planning in one place. But then I moved to another district that used Google Apps for everything and it didn’t make sense for me to have both a paper and Google Calendar.
I definitely missed my time with a paper planner, but I just couldn’t justify copying events by hand from one to the other. I tried a stint in bullet journaling to keep track of my to-do lists and organize other parts of my life, but making all the layouts was SO MUCH WORK! I’m a full-time working parent with two kids. If it’s not efficient, I’m not going to be able to stick to it.
I realized while bullet journaling that what I needed most was a space for daily to-dos. In my current role, I end up with about 5-7 tasks I have to do each day. The time isn’t important but they have to be done on a certain day (such as sending out consents for special education evaluations, scheduling a Birth to 3 transition meeting, filling out state reporting forms). I kept checking back on the EC website and none of the layouts really seemed to meet my needs so I just kept going along with my notebook paper to-do lists. Then came this year! Erin Condren has made some big updates this year – including a layout that looks almost exactly like what I was doing for bullet journaling!
You can read about my past experiences in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. I placed my order they day they launched and it finally came today! SO, here are my thoughts about this year’s new edition!
Pros:
- Lots of layout choices. I opted for the new compact vertical layout. I’m not sure how I’m planning to use Saturday and Sunday yet, since I use this for my workweek only, but I’m thinking I might put some stickers over the day title and use them for future planning or random personal-life to-dos that enter my mind while I’m at work:
- 12-month date academic-year option! In the past, you could opt for 12-months (January-December) or 18-months (June through December the following year). It didn’t work out great for people who wanted an academic year calendar. I’d pay extra to get the 18-month version and then promptly rip out the last 6 months. It was one of the biggest downsides to this planner and I hated that.
- Adorable month intro page! For those who like the look of bullet journaling without all the work, this page is great! Provides plenty of customizable space for lists, future planning, inspirational quotes, or anything else you can think of.
- Cute, customizable covers with words and pictures. This year I opted for a simple “2022-2023 School Year,” but in previous years I’ve had pictures of my kids. Like previous years, the Erin Condren covers are removable and interchangeable so you could swap it out for something else if you need a change during the year.
- Rear storage pocket and dry erase back cover!
- Tons of size options. Prefer A5? Coils? Rings? They’ve got you covered!
- Accessories! From magnetic bookmarks to covers, washi tape to sticky notes, and snap in dashboards. You can customize your planner as much or as little as you’d like!
- Fun extras! My planner came with some stickers in the back for free as well as inspirational quotes throughout.
Cons:
- Cost. I’m listing this as a con because it’s the most common complaint I hear and yes, I do feel a bit of sticker shock each time I order. However, let me justify it to you this way: I work 185 school days and probably spend 10-15 minutes per day using my planner. That works out to 32 cents per day. 32 cents. 15 minutes of coffee? $3. 15 minutes of a massage? $15. 15 minutes in a car? $1.50. 32 cents is pretty darn cheap! Do yourself a favor and just get one 🙂 Once it arrives at your door, you won’t look back!
- Shipping time. So, the nature of custom items is that they do take longer to manufacture. That being said, the website will always tell you an approximate ship date for your products. This year, mine was 10-15 business days! Therefore, don’t wait until 2 weeks before school starts back up and expect to have it for the first day of school. Just go ahead and order as soon as you can and enjoy filling it out whenever you start to feel the “back to school blues!”
To get a coupon to use on the new Life Planner, add your e-mail address here:
I promise this is all I will use it for – I won’t sell it, or give it away, or anything else nasty like that! You get a coupon – I get a coupon and we both win!
Note: Some pictures in this post are from Erin Condren. I get coupons if you shop through the links on this site, but all opinions are completely my own! I just really enjoy the planners 🙂
