It’s only a few days until the new year!! I haven’t had a lot of time yet this week to really dive into prepping my 2022 system, and it feels like it’s sneaking up on me. I kind of wish I had the 31st OFF and could just spend a few hours puttering around getting my planner pages set up.
At the very least, I did do a little inventory to make sure I have the “supplies” I need. I thought I’d share in this post the little accessories I’ve been using in my day to day planner life.
1- The actual planner (Wonderland 222) + Notebook
These two books are my primary, and only, system. I just listened yesterday to the BLP episode about Sarah’s (7 book!!) stack of planner items. Impressive! I am not at that level or anywhere close, so, I just have these two.
The planner holds: my calendar (monthly + weekly layout), the place I capture my “to-do” list (on paper- also use Google Tasks electronically), my Habit Tracker, and Monthly Goals lists.
The whole back half is just blank pages, and holds my “lists”. (Mostly my version of brain dump pages- books I want to read, places I want to go, gift ideas, etc. etc.)
The notebook (second book) is essentially my “journal”. I’ve shared these pages before, but here it is again:
The book has 365 pages, so I have ONE page for each day.
Top half is free writing/summary of my day (I fill it out the next morning).
Middle gets a “quote of the day”.
Bottom half I write in bullet points: Workout, Walk (Y or N), Screen time (mostly just social media minutes 😬), Books/podcast listened to, brief summary of my meals, things I “accomplished” that day, things that made me happy that day, and then my Gratitude/ Bummer section.
2- My planner cover
I am 100% planning to reuse my cover in 2022. I keep the planner in the cover, and the notebook/ journal on the shelf in my office.
I bought this one (well, apparently they aren’t selling mine anymore. But this is the latest version I guess?) It is perfect for me though. It was around $20, simple, functional and durable. And I surprisingly like the red/ brown combo!
3- My writing utensils
I primarily write in this using a Jetstream Uni-Ball 0.5 pen. It works great on this paper, no smudging at all. I wouldn’t say it’s THE MOST lovely, smooth writing experience of all times, but it works well and so far I’ve been too lazy to experiment with other options.
4- Repositionable Tabs
The planner doesn’t come with “tabs”, so I bought these last year. I just got these Avery Ultra Tabs, which worked perfectly for my needs. I like that the sticky part is clear, so I can write over it.
I just labeled each month, plus my “Tracker” page for easy access, and I labeled my “Index” in the back half.
5- Mildliner markers
I use these on my journal pages (see above) and prep this page each morning. I do the same color for each section, always the same.
I also use these on my Weekly spread to sort of divide it up into little sections. It really makes a huge difference on the aesthetics of the page!! Makes it easier to utilize the space well, too.
I think that’s about it! I seem to be set on fresh tabs, markers, pens, etc. Now I just need to sit down and get these BRAND NEW, blank books filled out!!
Are you all set for 2022 with a new planner? Which system do you use, if any? This will be my 2nd year in the W222. Overall I really like it, and I’m not a huge fan of constant change. Once I get situated, it seems like too much effort to figure out something else! So I’m happy to stay with this one.
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful Ivan got home safely in the snow last night! Why does it always seem to snow the hardest during rush hour traffic time??
GRATEFUL KAE 
I also will be using the W222. I started using it in November since I wasn’t in another planner. I was using a bullet journal but was ready to move back into something more structured. I’m still figuring out how I want to use the various sections. I did buy an accessory notebook but am finding I don’t need it but that may change down the road. I use the blank pages in the back for lists/things I want/need to write down. Like most recently it’s where i tracked my holiday spending as I was curious how much we spent on gifts. But I don’t do a daily layout like you and Sarah do.
I also can not imagine having 7 different books! To each their own but that is SO MUCH!! Eeks! I know they each serve a purpose for her, though. I also have the mildliners and just realized this morning that they are double-ended. I never realized that until I looked at the cover! I bought some monthly tabs from Jet Pens. And I actually use a pilot G2 0.38 gel pen. The bleed through is so minimal and I haven’t had issues with smudging. I did buy a uniball pen that Sarah recommended but I hate ball point pens so much so once I realized the 0.38 gel pen worked fine, I stuck with that.
I love the feeling of a fresh planner/new year! Have fun getting your planner all organized! Oh, and I bought basically the same cover as you, except mine is navy which is probably my favorite color. I’m really happy with it so thanks for sharing a link to what you bought earlier this fall!
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I am usually SO excited to start planning but the kids start back to school has already been delayed twice because of COVID and I’m just a bit wary to really dive in and sketch things out and then have to change stuff.
I LOVE you “lists” at the back of your planner. I’m going to talk a bit about what I do soon on my blog, but I usually just have a single planner + I write daily to-do’s on a notepad that I store inside my planner. SHU sent me her Sprouted planner and I’m going to use that as well, but it is a bit on the bulky side, so I’m thinking I may primarily revert to my month-view $1.50 planner I get at the DollarStore. I really do love it and it has a lot of really great features for such an incredible price point.
As asked for – and got – a 5-year journal, so I’m excited to start using that. I’m not big into journalling and never keep my planners, but this is a small, compact book that I will definitely plan to keep and the fact that it will cover events over 5 years is fun (and also a wee bit daunting. I’m not going to put too much pressure to make sure I do this 365 days, and I may do a few days memories at a time?
I think I might try to go to a coffee shop alone on New Years Day and spend a few hours laying things out (and maybe taking some pictures for a blog post – you’re inspiring me to share my system as well).
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No shame in the dollar store planner!! I really feel like for your “average” level planner, many of those basic calendars are perfectly fine! I used a Blue Sky planner from Target for YEARS and loved it, mostly. I only switched because I wanted to experiment with a vertical weekly layout (mine had a horizontal layout), AND I wanted to try a bit smaller, compact size because I DO like to keep mine. It always blows my mind when people don’t want to save their planners!! haha! I always feel like that’s half the fun, to be able to look back on them and see what I was doing, what was on my to do list in 2017 or whatever. The 5 year journal idea all in one book sounds so cool. I have basically been doing a version of this with my “journal” (shown above), where I write a little blurb each day. However, I feel like people who do a one line 5 year journal tend to often add things about “current affairs”/ what’s happening in the world, which I’m not as good at remembering to jot down in my journal. Those types of things are fun/ interesting to look back on. I tend to just write a general recap of “what I did” that day, mostly, mixed in with maybe some general thoughts or feelings. I do love the idea of seeing a comparison of 5 years, 1 line on a single page though! I’ll have to consider getting one of those maybe sometime.
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