I just stumbled upon “One Book July” last week and since then the whole idea has been stuck in my head and has really made me look at the way I plan. What is One Book July? It’s the idea that you use one planner or system and simplify the way you plan. I’ve watched the video that explains it all and it seems very open to interpretation. There are no rules. There are guidelines, which means you make this work for you. This isn’t about you trying to fit into a mold and do this only one way. The main focus behind the challenge – I’m not sure I see it as a challenge, as I typically only plan in one planner; is you’re only to use one planner/notebook/journal for the month of July. There are some that use one planner and one pen for the month; which is great, if that’s the route you want to go. After watching the video I think the entire concept is up for interpretation.
It seems as though One Book July is all about simplifying your planner/planning style. Whether that means just one planner or bullet journal for the month, or one book for one specific purpose; it just needs to be simple. I’m not saying don’t use stickers, or plan how you typically plan and just use a pen. That’s not it. Just make it a simple system that will work for you. Be willing to change that simplified planner/planning style if it isn’t working for you during the month. It seems as though One Book July is a time to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Since watching the video and doing some research on what others do and how they’ve implemented it into their planners, I’ve sat and really thought about what I need my planner to do for me. It needs to hold all of our upcoming plans. I need to be able to plan in advance for the business, I also need to be able to see what everyone in the house has going on at any one time. That’s what I need from my planner. Your needs may be entirely different.
So,what is my plan for One Book July? My plan is to use one system for everything – business and home life for the month of July (and maybe beyond, we’ll see how it goes). Am I only going to use one planner for a whole month? The answer is no. But hear me out! I will be using an A5 planner the business and home stuff and my B6 travelers notebook will be my every day carry. But I said I was going to use one system for everything, what does that mean exactly? It means I’m going to have an identical set up in both planners. I’m going to be using the same weekly layout and monthly inserts in both planners. Nothing fancy, no extra inserts – there will be a meal planning insert in my B6, and a section for the business in my A5, but that’s it. Simple.
Why 2 planners though, isn’t One Book July just one book? I do not plan on carrying the A5 planner when running errands, shuffling kids to their activities, etc. It’s just too big. I’m currently using an Erin Condren Planner for the business and it’s too big and heavy to throw in my purse and take it along with me during my day. I plan to leave the A5 planner on my desk and carry my travelers notebook. Then I have decided to keep business stuff in the A5 planner. I do not need to carry my to-do list, future business plans etc. with me when I’m out and about. I did try to merge my business planning into my B6, and I can tell you for sure that having that lumped in with my every day stuff did not work for me. It could also be that I couldn’t find quite the right insert to house all of my business stuff, but I have moved back into the Erin Condren Hourly planner that I was working out of prior to the B6 move.
I think this whole idea of one planner for one month has really resonated with me, as it’s that time of year where I start planner hopping. For some reason around now I get the Summertime Blues and then I get restless with my planner. I don’t know if it’s that never ending quest for planner peace – I find it and then I either decide it’s not working for me any more, or I hop on the “I must have this” band wagon. This is about the time I made the move into my Happy Planner last year, which only lasted until October and then I moved into my traveler’s notebook. I think taking some time to look at what works and what doesn’t in my planner is going to benefit me in the long run.
I am really hopeful that this new system is going to work for me. I’m going to give it a valiant effort during July to see if this way of planning will work. Who knows, I may just decide that one planner for personal and one for business is what works for me; I mean, having to use 2 planners can’t be THAT bad, right?!?
So, there you have it. My reason why I’m participating in One Book July. I want to see if I can streamline my planning and find a planner that works for me. If it means switching things up in a couple of weeks, then I’m open to that and will do so until I find what works for me. Fingers crossed it only takes a month!
