There’s a recent emergence of what I’m calling “prompted planners.” By prompted planners, I mean planners with built-in reflection questions.
I’ve documented my love for them here, here, and here. And for you Do-It-Your-Self-ers, there’s this, this, and this.
But what if you just want a plain, old-fashioned, un-prompted planner? Do they even exist? Luckily, they do! My friend and colleague of almost 15 years, Ana Gutierrez, is here to share her Minimalist Planner. (sidenote: we spent three summers leading Teach For America’s summer training program in Houston together!)
PS Together Planner criteria can be found here!
Let’s take a peek inside. First off, there’s a very strong monthly view for your Comprehensive Calendar and Later List. Ana says, “Seeing a month in one shot is helpful when looking at my husband’s travel schedule to see how it intersects with the general flow of the month.” As awesome as digital calendars can be, their monthly view does not provide enough of a big picture that so many of us need!
Amazon shows us the full page spread as well.
The Minimalist also allows for the the all-important weekly view, aka the Weekly Worksheet. There’s room for priorities, whats, and whens!
Ana chose to use the Minimalist because, “I needed something that would help me determine which day of the week I wanted to take on a task. What I liked was being able to plot out times below To-Do’s for specific work blocks. I can balance appointments on the lower half with my daily list of tasks on top.”
There are a few other reasons I’m digging this planner:
- It is COIL-BOUND. This lets it stay open flat. Amen. Seriously, Moleskine, I love you, but your stitched binding is killing me.
- It is SO simple. While the prompts and quotations in other planners are awesome and inspiring, some days you just don’t want to make a gratitude list.
- It is made of high-quality, environmentally friendly paper.
PS. Wondering about those snazzy monthly tabs? That is all Ana. She couldn’t resist!
