I’ve been asked to share more behind-the-scenes peeks into how I plan. So…here are some spreads from my 2025 Weekly Sprouted Planner!
Exercise Tracking
I’ve been using Sprouted planners for almost 4 years (a huge thanks to SHU for first introducing me to the brand), and one of my favourite new features is the year-at-a-glance spread. I’ve been using it to track exercise.
Green = gym; pink = not gym. The sudden drop-off in gym attendance? *Sigh*
I took this photo a few weeks ago, but I did walk every day in April, so it’s not like I was sedentary.
Fun Things/Goal Tracking
I gave an update on my “fun” list earlier in the week. And then…John spontaneously suggested we stop for ice cream on the way home from Indy’s first soccer team formation session Thursday evening. You know I went for chocolate mint! Another fun thing crossed off the list.
Monthly “Social” Summary
The kids sometimes complain It’s been forever since I’ve had a friend over (which means it’s been more than 24 hours).
Clockwise from top left: Guests/playdates (these are at our house or when I’ve taken my kids/their friends on an adventure but I’m the one organizing/driving – I don’t track when we/they go elsewhere), snail mail sent, birthday reminders, visits to local cafes, non-grocery shopping list.
Monthly Schedule + Recurring Tasks
Left-most column = repeating tasks; calendar spread = known timed commitments (with the times highlighted in yellow)
I don’t include regularly occurring commitments on the monthly page. For example, every Wednesday both kids have activities, starting at 4:15 pm. I leave these off my monthly layout and do the same for things like church on Sundays, Indy’s once-a-week after-school program, and Belle’s drama class.
Weekly Planning
The left-hand spread has timed events, highlighted in yellow and/or reminders that are date specific.
The right-hand spread has:
- Home and Work to-dos (that aren’t recurring)
- Meal ideas
- My *Happy Things* for the week
- Grocery items – a very eclectic mix the week of February 3-9: Cool Whip (why – I use it in one recipe and only at Christmas?), cottage cheese, pickled herring (Solomon Gundy), and a rotisserie chicken.
I don’t always use the flexible grid spaces. Ideas? I’m fine with leaving it open for whatever I need in a particular week but it also looks rather sad when it’s not filled in! (Here’s the post based on this week of Happy Things!)
Brain Dump Pages
I LOVE a good brain dump and there are lined “bonus” pages after each monthly calendar spread that I use to jot down all sorts of things. Blog post ideas, notes if I’m in a meeting, lists. I really appreciate having a space to write down miscellany and often find myself referring back to these notes throughout the year.
Your turn.
- Do you prefer digital planning or are you paper all the way?
- What do you track that I’m missing?
- Do your planners get messier or tidier as the year goes on?
- Do you have a planner ritual (Sunday setup, morning check-in)?
- Are you team sticker, team highlighter, or team keep-it-simple?
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Birchie
I love it! I used to be staunchly digital, but I fell under the SHU-spell and got a paper planner this year. Jenny got the same one. It’s very plain but very functional. Sadly my best use for it is work, but it is worth its weight in gold. I have whole horde of monthly tasks that I cannot forget or all hell will break loose, so it’s very helpful for me to be able to see the month at a glance and then to have a weekly sheet where I can get into more detail.
I like the planner that I got, but I can see wanting something prettier and trying out different ones. So we will see what the future holds for me, planner wise.
Elisabeth
I used a Dollarstore planner for years and it was…great! But I will admit that I’m kinda ruined now that I’ve tried a much nicer planner. The paper really gets me! It’s so thick and crisp.
Of course, I always pick the cover that makes me the happiest. Teal and pink flowers? YES!
Suzanne
I got a paper planner last year and… threw it away last weekend. Whomp whomp. What a waste of money for me. I love the IDEA of planning, and I think your planner looks beautifully organized and useful. I just don’t know how to make it work for myself!!!
How was the chocolate mint ice cream??? Was this the first time you tried it? If so, I hope it fared better than the Dr Pepper experiment! We had spontaneous ice cream last night and I had mint cookies n cream, which was scrumptious!
Elisabeth
For years and years I didn’t use a planner. Now, I literally can’t imagine organizing my life without it! But everyone has different ways of planning their days and it is NOT a one-size-fits-all.
The ice cream was good. I mean, it was just from a farm stand and not small-batch homemade, but it scratched the itch. I have had chocolate mint ice cream many times. In fact, the best ice cream/gelato experience I’ve EVER had was last summer in Portugal. Each scoop was like $5 but it was some of the most incredibly delicious food I have ever put in my mouth.
Alexandra
I use to love a good planner when I was in full time work. But these days? Use my little Luechettrum notebook to jot stuff down in. Mostly my health stats and what I’ve eaten each day. I really don’t need to track much these days, unless it’s the odd lost sock from the tumble dryer or washer.
I’m definitely team highlighter and love using stickers. Mine also tend to get messier as time goes on and, by years end, look like chicken scrawl and Picasso finger painting. Yes, I do love to doodle.
I do miss a good planner though and this one you’re using looks kind of spiffy. What is it and where did you buy it?
Elisabeth
I don’t think I’ll use a planner in the same way (or maybe at all) when my kids are grown! Right now, I’m still juggling my schedule PLUS theirs.
Sprouted planners are from the US which will give me pause next year (though it’s a small, female-run business, so I’m heavily in favour of that!). I have only used the weekly planner, but they do also have monthly and daily versions. Full disclosure, I gave one away on my blog in November and the owner Heather sent me two planners for free – one to keep and use and one to give away. I pay all the shipping and duty costs to come to Canada which means I end up paying about the same amount as the website listing price.
Katie
I have been really tempted to get a Sprouted Planner and I may next year! This post might convince, me, LOL. I was also considering the Cultivate What Matters goal planner.
I love paper planning, but I weirdly don’t have a great spot to set a planner down in our house, and so I haven’t used one as much in the last 4 years! Seems like a small reason, but it often works better for me to have something hanging on the fridge where I can see it. I do think as my kids get older I’ll want something more robust.
Also, I’m so curious what made you decide to grow your hair out! (I may have missed this!).
Elisabeth
I think there are so many amazing planners on the market and I am not the go-to girl for insights (see The Shubox!). But I have loved Sprouted and am so familiar and comfortable with the layout that it feels like an extension of my brain in some ways. Plus, the quality is SO good.
I will say that it is quite big and heavy which is fine for me since I work from home, but having a hard-cover, ring-bound book might not be great for people that have to commute with their planner.
I didn’t use a planner at all when my kids were in the littlest stages. Now with all their extracurriculars, it’s much more needed.
I don’t think I talked about the why? I find short hair just takes more effort and I really do resent every second I spend on hair care. Ironically, because of what my hair is like, long hair is actually LESS work in many ways since it’s easier to pull it up into a bun or ponytail. For years I’ve dabbled in shorter hair and I LOVE the aesthetic, but I just have to admit that I do not enjoy spending time on hair and stop with the shorter cuts.
SHU
well you know I love this post 🙂
gridded area ideas:
random quotes or song lyrics
workout info if you do hit the gym
weather stuff
put stickers on there if you happen to have them (not saying to buy stickers but sometimes they just materialize)
Kate
I also am firmly in the camp of Paper Planner, but I’m partial to the Passion Planner! It’s bound like a regular book and while I typically don’t need to take it anywhere, it’s portable enough if I needed it to be. It also has monthly and weekly spreads with open space at the bottom of each weekly spread for additional notes (I use that space to jot down shopping list items or miscellaneous notes), and then it has grid and blank pages at the back that I use for tracking various things throughout the year: packing lists, food/guest lists for parties, tracking Christmas cards received or gifts received (in order to write thank you notes), etc. I also list my workout plan and menu plan on the weekly spread. My previous 5 years of planners are filed neatly on one of my bedroom shelves and it is so fun to flip through them!
Maybe I missed this, but what is Charts?!
Elisabeth
I am one of those rouge people that throws out my planner at the end of the year – I always feel a pang of regret, but I’m also a minimalist AND I have a 5-year journal so all the important tidbits are there or captured in photos.
Charts is my favourite local coffee shop. If you ever come visit, I promise I’ll take you there!
Bijoux
I love being organized, but girl, you outdid yourself and me! I’m super impressed!
I’m a paper calendar person all the way. I tried using my phone but kept forgetting to add stuff and it was too much of a hassle. At the beginning of each month, I fill in the weekly stuff we always have (Bible study, piano lessons, etc.) but most of my stuff is Dr appts and dinner dates that I just add when it’s scheduled. I keep things like meal planning, grocery lists, and to do lists separately.
Elisabeth
Thankfully it’s NOT a competition! I really enjoy seeing how “real” people fill out their planners. When I see example spreads that aren’t actually lived in, I’m not quite sure how to take little tidbits of planning ideas. Mine is messy(ish) but super functional for me!
I love paper. I keep tracking of…nothing digitally.
Michelle G.
I love seeing your planner, Elisabeth! I absolutely adore the planner you sent to me! But…I don’t actually use it to plan things. Is that crazy? I write down the 5 things I’m most grateful for each day. I use the bonus pages for brain dumps. I use all the extra little spaces for writing down things I notice or things people say. It’s really more of a journal for me, and I love it! The paper is so nice, and the cover is so gorgeous. Thank you once again for drawing my name and sending it to me! ❤️
Elisabeth
That’s not crazy at all. And with the month-end prompts, it really does seem ideal for a journal.
You know it makes me so happy to hear you’re using the day slots to capture FIGs <3
The paper is SO nice and I agree - it was my favourite cover for 2025. It was a random draw, but I'm thrilled it made it's way into the hands of someone that is enjoying it.
J
I don’t have nearly as much to keep track of as you do, but I love my paper planner. Mine is a refillable from Franklin Planner, every year I buy a new filler that has a month at a time. I keep them, I think I have about 25 years of them, though I tried just going digital a couple of years ago and I did NOT like it.
For family things, we have a big desk sized calendar on the front of the fridge, which we’ve used for decades. That’s where we keep track of appointments, activities, parties, that kind of thing.
I like yours, it’s really pretty!