Spotlight on a Planner featuring Sharlene Lovell

Welcome to Chasing Planner Peace's 'Spotlight on a Planner' series. We aim to show the world how planning has changed people's lives and showcase the different methods people use when chasing planner peace. This month, November 2019, we chat to Sharlene Lovell and find out about her planner setup and favourite products.

Tell us a bit about yourself 

I'm a woman from the east coast of Tasmania. I love living here in Tasmania. I have health issues and am currently working on my mobility, while I await the NDIS to approve my application. I am in the process of creating different planners for all aspects of my life.

How did you get into planning?

I started planning in 1992 while serving a mission for my church. I loved the concept and have continued using something similar throughout my life. I have had trouble finding the right planner (who doesn't, right?). I loved the Franklin planner back in the 1990s but found I wasted so many of the daily pages. So using the classic binder I created my own weekly pages and had them printed. I've been creating different versions of a planner page since then.

Last year I found Happy Planners and loved the concept but the size was too much to carry. Come forward to today. I currently have 5 A5 and 3 B6 ring planners. I love the A5 for each section of my life e.g. medical, finance, church and goals. I use the A5 to set up my B6 everyday carry for each week/month. I'm about to use several Happy Planner Minis for my weekly spiritual life and health to do' s. I swap my B6s out each month. But I prefer my Chasing Planner Peace B6 planner.

What products are you currently loving?

I'm loving my A5 and B6 ring planners. I recently tried the week on two pages with the to do and other boxes on the left, and love the style for me. I'm seriously loving my mermaid dividers and my Chasing Planner Peace B6 planner. My preference is for a zip as I love just dropping loose pages in my planners. My favourite has to be the B6 with the mystery Planner Peace Box inserts. I love having blank, lined and grid paper just to journal and write quick notes. I only use 100+gsm paper.

What are your best tips for achieving planner peace?

1. Keep trying - don't give up. It has taken me years.
2. Don't be afraid to try.
3. Have fun with your planner. Sure, have a serious planner cover but have fun on the inside. Stickers, stamps, drawing (I'm terrible at drawing), get creative make it your own.
4. If you need one for work go ahead and have a separate one. You can NEVER have too many planners. You don't need to use them every day just have one everyday one with dividers for each section of your life.

Happy planning.