Two Reviews!
It’s open season for purchasing your 2021 planner system, so I am definitely a bit heavy on the reviews lately.
(This won’t last TOO long as to be honest I’m ready to move to some other topics! But next week is one more review after this one.)
This week’s planners are the Canadian relatively small batch myWeek planner by Crystal Reynolds, and the popular Cultivate What Matters goal-setting system. Please note: I did receive both of these for free for purposes of review, unlike most of the products reviewed previously!
myWeek
First comes myWeek! You can (of course) see even better professional photography on Crystal’s site. She designed her planners for high flexibility with a focus on prioritizing and task list management.
They are undated to allow you for a fresh start any time of year! Each planner contains 24 weeks of undated weekly pages + 6 monthly layouts.
My favorite part is the highly organized task list setups at the beginning of each week. If you keep your master calendar digitally but want a place to time block and organize your tasks on paper, this product might be for you.
There is a Top 3 listed on the weekly layout for each day prevent you from prioritizing too many things (because we know that doesn’t typically end well!).
This planner is made (and sold) in Canada and has a nice weight to the paper. Smudging was a non-issue. Color is bright white – look at those vibrant mildliner tests below! The only thing I would change about it would be to add more lines. There are a few unlined boxes/portions by design, and I HATE attempting to write in a straight line without guidance! But that might just be me. You can join her mailing list for a free printable weekly template, to see if this system would work for you.
Crystal kinda emailed me a discount code for you all to use! I do not get credit/payment for use of the code, but it will get you 10% off: code is BESTLAIDPLANS and it is good until May 7 2021!
Cultivate What Matters
Do you like to keep a separate goal setting planner — a place for fun, dreamy planning about the future?
Cultivate may then be for you. Lara Casey a line called PowerSheets years ago and it has evolved into a larger company with a number of offerings. One of their most popular is the 6 month Goal Planner. During the fall, I was sent the 2020 version for review.
It is very very pretty! My photos do not do it justice.
There are stickers to make things even more fun and add emphasis where you feel it fits.
The paper is bright white and the rings are sturdy. Everything about this planner feels well-made and relatively luxurious. Bright colors, shiny gold corners & rings, etc.
There are about 20 pages front and back (so really, 40 pages) of goal-setting templates in the front of this planner. A lot! I have heard they streamlined for 2021 and am curious to see what is different.
I filled out about half of them. I do think it’s nice sometimes to just have prompts so you can sit there and daydream about what is really important to you.
Then, there are 6 sections designed to be used over the course of each month. The Tending List is a page you are supposed to use to track your progress towards various goals.
I will be honest – to me this page doesn’t seem all that functional to me. But I know some out there absolutely love it.
Similar to the myWeek, there are a number of unlined boxes to fill in – not my fave (give me ALLLLL the grid lines!). Again, smudging was a non-issue – the paper is quite nice and took to gel and ink pens wel.
I don’t really plan on using a separate goal-setting planner in 2021, because I’d rather have everything in one place! But I know many people love to have something extra to dream/scheme in, and I see the appeal of this product. It is quite beautiful and would be a fun way to start a planning/goal-setting ritual if you do not have one.
Of note: the company makes some products that are marketed toward those of religious Christian faith. However, this planner is appropriate for secular users as well, which made me happy as someone who does not fit that mold. There wasn’t any prescriptive language or content about religious practice in this product, though of course those aspects could be included in your goals if you so choose.
Happy Monday. One more planner review ep to come, and then I promise some other content is coming!!
Is anyone planning on a goal-setting-specific planner for next year? Which one and why?
15 Comments
I use Powersheets for goal setting. I use my regular planner to actually track on a daily basis, and then bring it back to power sheets 2x/month for posterity and big picture view.
That makes sense! The PowerSheets are just so pretty and I can see how they would compel consistent use!
When I used Powersheets a couple of years ago, I used the weekly section for things I wanted to do a few times a week but not every day. For instance, Iām trying to do yoga three times a week so Iād put yoga 3x and then check off that week if I completed it. That worked very well for me and helped me track things that I wanted to do but not every day. I did the same thing with monthly if I wanted to do something twice a month but not weekly.
Great reviews. I love the Powersheets but wanted to incorporate all of my goal setting a send tracking into my planner. Seeing the pretty new ones almost makes me want to change my mind for 2021.
I think I’m going to get PowerSheets this year, but I’m not 100%. I like the tear out tracker sheets. I was thinking about weekly goals and thought of stuff like researching my genealogy once a week, vacuuming once a week, etc. I also really like Joy’s idea above.
Very helpful review! I do not like blank pages either… my writing has a downward slope to it so it does not look good if I don’t have grid lines! That’s why I love my bujo so much – it has dotted grids. I think 2022 will be the year I will possibly return to a true planner instead of the Leuchturm 1917. Maybe by 2022 I’ll be doing more planning, like I did pre-kids? Will you be talking about the W222 on an upcoming episode? That sounds like it might be a good fit for me…
next week š
Random Q – does anyone use a planner that doesn’t devote much space to weekends? I don’t mind having them on a monthly and weekly layout but I don’t need devoted pages. I currently use the Full Focus planner and it devotes 4 pages to Saturday/Sunday. I hate planning my weekends and never use those pages. š Just curious if anyone is like me and has a planner they can recommend.
I know what you mean, Beth! Agendio has some layouts where you can choose smaller sections for weekends compared to weekdays, might be worth looking at!
Thank you! I’ll check it out.
All these reviews are making me excited for a planner for the new year! I’m still undecided about whether to go bullet journal, amplify, or maybe Cal Newport’s time block planner. I’m enjoying listening to all the reviews and browsing all the different planners.
I am loving your podcast!!! Look forward to each episode! This is a bit random, and not necessarily related to this particular episode, but I know you love *pens* as much as I do, and HATE smudging! I just have to know bc you haven’t mentioned them, but have you tried TUL gel pens? The “needlepoint fine 0.5” is just … *lovely* … i always look forward to using it! I also enjoy their “fine 0.5” here and there, but there is a distinct difference in the way they write, and the needle point fine continues to be my favorite!! I’d love to hear if you have tried them or if you do try them / how you like them! Thanks for all the fun content!! I even listen to some eps multiple times! keep it up! š
So interesting – I tried them and they seemed WAY too thick and smudge-prone for me! I will have to make sure I got the right ones. They did write very smoothly and I know they have a big following š
No girl! Needlepoint 0.5 gel is where it’s at! The 0.7 definitely has too generous a flow, and so do their cap gel pens. Gotta be clicky-top! haha! š
ok, after seeing the W222 review, I can see why gel is not for you with the smudging on that paper… but, for regular old non-hobonichi/W222 copy paper… sigh, tul needlepoint is glorious! š you should try them for your non-planner writing for sure!
also, (wrong post to mention this on, but i’m already here soooo) I do love the W222 layouts!!! but that show-through paper! Girl I don’t know how you do it!!! Would drive me crazy haha!! but I don’t mind carrying around bulky things š i don’t know why, but a love a thick spiral bound! Maybe the size just a visual for me of allll the possibilities to plan for!!! š
Anyway, loving the podcast and blog!!! Look forward to EVERY episode!! Can you pls go to twice a week??!! haha! JK š (but not really)
Great Job!