planner pickiness
I realized that my current planner--which is perfect for my needs--is outta pages, and needs replacing. So, I ventured out to a couple choice stores to get a new one, and jeez--the state of planner design is abysmal these days.
Maybe it's because I'd rather write in my own goals and such, but do planners really need a 2"x2" section dedicated just to water consumption and another 9 square inches for daily gratitudes? That's a lot of paper real estate, and at big box stores, these types of designs tend to be the norm. Yeah, I could use those sections for some other thing to track or note down, but another big chunk of these boxes is set aside for a large header in curly bujo-tiktok font, so it's annoying.
Just give me a page with a week-long spread and a page for notes or to-do lists. These don't need to be complicated and bloated with features someone will use for maybe a week or two, and abandon like every other new year's resolution. I wouldn't care that much if these things also didn't cost $15.99 plus tax for cheap, already-warped paper, spiral binding that'll get caught on things, ugly aesthetics, and pages dedicated to useless extras that are more fit for a scrapbook or a journal than, y'know, an organizational tool.
Anyway, thankfully the nearby chain bookstore realized that if you don't move planners in the first week or two of the year, they will simply gather dust, so all 2025 planners were half off. I managed to find one that more or less does the job. It's sturdy enough and has a really basic spread--just a page with each day of the week on it on one side, and a few sections for notes, to-do lists, goals, and looking ahead on the next. The margins of the page are a little too thick for my tastes, but it could be worse. The cover is damn bright compared to my old one, but at least I won't misplace it.
On the subject of plans, I'm thinking of doing a buy-nothing year. For one thing, I've got PhD applications out and about, and all are for schools out-of-state. The less shit I have to move, the better. For another, liquid cash is a precious resource I could use more of. I'll probably adjust the rules of a typical buy-nothing challenge, which allows for purchasing second-hand goods, because I enjoy going to thrift stores.
We'll see how it goes! "The best-laid plans of mice and men", after all.
- Marc