Welcome back, everyone, for the last installment of my 2017 Mid-Year Planner lineup update! Previously, I shared updates on my work bullet journal, on-the-go Hobonichi Weeks planner, and primary Jibun Techo planner. I included what changes—if any—I had made to my setups as well as whether the planner and it’s intended purpose was still a ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ for me plus any lessons learned. This week I’m sharing an update on my blog/content planner which I completely revamped and setup using new planner products for 2017. So, is it still working or was it a complete fail?

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(*Note: Included below are some affiliate/referral links to help you find items I’ve purchased, use, and love!)

The purpose of my blog/content planner is to manage all my content creation activities which not only involve my blog but also my YouTube channel, email list, and all social media outlets.

Blog/Content Planner

Below is a quick overview of how I originally setup my 2017 blog/content planner:

To see a walk-thru and original setup of this planner, check out my YouTube video Blog (Content) Planner Setup for 2017 – Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly Planner below:

Yay or Nay?

The Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly planner was a new product introduced for 2017 with a unique format that I was really excited to try. Last year I tried using a regular planner with weekly pages and found I didn’t really use (or need) the weekly pages resulting in a lot of wasted space. That’s because I use a very different method of planning which is driven by projects and activities rather than by a daily schedule. On the other hand, in 2016 I had used a Moleskine Cahier graph notebook as a bullet journal which only contained monthly overviews and the rest of the pages I used to plan out the details of various projects. This is exactly what the Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly planner offered: monthly overviews followed by a ‘productivity’ page with areas to track items for 5 different categories on one page and blank lines with a long checklist on the other—perfect for my method of planning!

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Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly – Productivity page

In the back, there are 40 blank pages (which you could increase to 80 pages total for a nominal fee) perfect for notes and lists. The larger size, 7” x 9”, is also a plus because you have a lot of space to write, plan, track, and brainstorm ideas—don’t forget to create an index to make information easier to find!

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In the back there’s 80 (comes with 40, get 40 more for $5)

There are a lot of great things about this planner, some of which are the front and back covers which are designed as ‘white boards’. I use the Erin Condren wet erase markers—she had some fun and vibrant colors—to jot down quick notes, brainstorm ideas, and log high priority tasks on the ‘white board’ covers. I also bought the ‘productivity’ dashboard which is half the width of a page and snaps into the planner like a bookmark, to plan out my weekly routines and tentative monthly schedules. As for the paper in this planner, it’s decent (it’s been upgraded this year to be thicker and better). My favorite pens to write with are the PaperMate Flairs which I use to color code in my note pages so I know which content platform or content topic an entry is related to.

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White boards availabe inside the front and back covers
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Productivity dashboard (front)
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Productivity dashboard (back)
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Erin Condren Wet-erase markers (top); PaperMate Flairs (bottom)

Lastly, I use the stickers included with the planner on the monthly layouts to color code and record when blog posts and videos are published as well as highlight any special events or activities. I even designed a few custom stickers of my own to help me track and tag content creation activities.

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Monthly pages (editorial/event calendar)
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DIY stickers (for editorial calendar)

Despite all the great features, the one thing that this planner was severely lacking was storage and pen loops. I did add a MAMBI (Me & My Big Ideas) stick-on pen loop on the inside front cover but since the inside covers are also white boards, it’s not really ideal. That started my search for a planner cover as a way of gaining additional pockets and pen loops. I stumbled on a wonderful shop on Etsy called Woodland Cottage Farm which offers great, affordable fabric covers with tons of pockets for a variety of book types and sizes. The one I purchased was a lovely, neutral Paris-themed print with a snap-button closure and tons of storage, see below:

  • Inside left cover: secretarial pocket, vertical pocket (to slip in your front notebook cover or hold papers), mini square slot, and 4 long rectangular slots
  • Inside right cover: vertical pocket (to slip in your back notebook cover or hold papers), 2 vertical card slots, 2 long rectangular slots of varying depths, a notepad holder, and 2 pen loops (one vertical, one horizontal
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Woodland Cottage Farm, Gray Paris-themed cover
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Inside cover; it has pockets, and slots, and pen loops–oh my!

So after 7 months, what’s the verdict? Overall, this planner is a ’yay’ for me. The large size note pages are perfect to capture lots of information, the monthly layout is spacious enough to manage an editorial calendar, project deadlines, plus special events and the ‘productivity’ pages provide enough structure without being too restrictive so you can use it for almost anything. The additional supplies—i.e. cover, dashboard, stickers, markers, pens, etc.—makes it even more effective and organized so I can really focus on my goals and projects. Best of all, I found something that I was able to adapt to MY method of planning which just goes to show that there is a planner out there for everyone! 😉

 

What about you? Do you use a content planner for your blog, YouTube, and/or social media? What are some of your favorite planners, tips and hacks for managing your content? Please share in the comments below and don’t forget to like, share and subscribe!Until next time, 🙂

Until next time, 🙂

LilD

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