5 ways the Simplified Planner changed my life and career
In August 2016, I received my first Simplified Planner by Emily Ley.
One of her team members reached out to see if I would be interested in receiving a planner and, of course, I said, yes! I was absolutely delighted and, little did I know this planner would arrive when I needed it most.
I started my first agency job that spring and was navigating how to keep all the balls in the air, juggle fast deadlines and attend many meetings. It was a lot. At that time, I kept a notebook for tracking to-do lists and important notes. I was able to keep tabs on it all, but my notebooks filled up fast.
When I received my first Simplified Planner, I wanted to savor it. It was SO pretty and SO beautiful. I was waiting for the “perfect” time to begin using it and it wasn’t until the fall when I incorporated the planner into my routine. Can you believe I waited about two months before starting using it?!
After I started using the planner, that’s when everything changed for me.
Five years of Happy Floral. This year, I chose Happy Stripe because Emily Ley’s message behind it was so powerful!
I received the Daily Edition which gives each day of the year a page with the exception of weekends. Saturday and Sunday are combined on one page. The left column outlines the hours of the day and the right column has a checklist.
This format was perfect for me as a communications professional because with my days filled with meetings, conference calls and lots of deadlines, I needed a place to organize my day and prioritize the most important tasks.
I used the left column to fill in my meetings and calls and the right column to pick the essential tasks of the day. In those early days, it was challenging to pick the essential tasks because everything felt urgent. But over time, I worked at my prioritization skills and learned how to narrow down my to-do lists to three to four important tasks each day.
My first Simplified Planner in 2016.
Fast forward to 2021 and my sixth (!) Simplified Planner, I can tell you there’s no looking back. My life feels a lot less rushed (most of the time) and I’ve learned how to give myself grace during the slow and busy seasons of life.
In celebration of #SPStartDay next week, I wanted to share some of the ways the Simplified Planner has made a positive impact in my life.
“Grace not perfection.”
This message right here. It’s become the mantra of my life. The Simplified Planner community that Emily Ley has grown is all about “grace not perfection.” It’s about unlearning the old ways of being hard on ourselves and, instead, filling our lives with lots of grace and kindness. Emily Ley even wrote a book on the topic and I highly recommend checking it out.
“Less but better.”
Over the past five years or so, I have honed my ability to prioritize what’s important — both at work and at home. I’ve removed a lot of things from my life and say no more often which has created more space for rest and hobbies, and I feel less pressured to be involved in everything.
This summer, I finally got around to reading “Essentialism,” which is a book often recommend by Emily Ley. I can see why she recommends it and how it aligns with the Simplified brand.
“Less but better” is one of the themes from “Essentialism” and has served as a daily reminder to ask “What’s the most important thing to do in this moment?” And it becomes crystal clear. Nothing else matters when you focus on what’s essential.
I said “goodbye” rolling to-do lists.
We all know how to-do lists keep growing. There’s always something to add or something unexpected pops up, which means we continuously readjust and reprioritize our to-do lists.
You can see in 2016 how I used to keep very long to-do lists. There were some days when pages were filled from top to bottom. This often left me feeling like I got nothing done because I could only cross off two or three things, maybe four and then transcribe the list to the next day.
I soon realized this habit kept me in the cycle of always feeling behind or that I wasn’t enough. All I was doing was constantly re-writing my to-do list.
About two or three years ago, I got serious about picking the top three important tasks to complete for the day and only putting those three things on my to-do list. I would keep a master to-do list on a piece of paper, sometimes typed or written in a notebook, with check boxes next to them. The master to-do list would keep track of all of my projects and I’d use my Simplified Planner for day-to-day tasks. This has helped so much in helping reduce my guilt around unfinished tasks and, of course, focus on what matters most.
Today, I now use Trello to keep track of my master to-do list and use my planner for my daily to-do list.
A snapshot from my 2020-2021 planner.
My people are what matter most.
While for most of my early career days I saw myself as a “career woman,” I knew at my core I’m a “my people” kind of person. As I have gotten older, making time for my people — friends and family — has been more fulfilling than climbing a ladder. Sure, there are days where I still fantasize about awards and fancy job titles, but most days, I’m focused on how can I be my best version of myself at work and when I’m outside of work.
I decided it was clear that my mind was always focused on the future or past mistakes, and I had the hardest time being present. The Simplified community (along with Lara Casey’s PowerSheets goal planner) has helped me get really clear on how I live my life. And for me, I much rather have time for lots of laughs over dessert with my best friends after work rather than staying late at a networking event. But that’s how I roll these days.
It doesn’t have to be done today.
This has also been a slow learning process for me. However, my Simplified Planner has been helpful in reducing the amount of stuff I need to do in a day.
I used to cram my days, especially the weekends, with so many things. Chores. Errands. Fun activities. Catching up on work.
Now my days look a lot less packed, which allows more space to be spontaneous and do more of the things that spark joy.
There are many more lessons I’ve learned from my Simplified Planner and these are a few that have had a profound impact on my life.
Above all, the word “simple” has created meaning for me in my life.
Simple doesn’t mean boring or unsuccessful. It doesn’t mean lazy or unworthy. Simple means focusing on what matters most — focusing on the essential stuff. It means saying no to things that don’t matter and yes to the things that do.
There have been days when I think about the impact of the Simplified Planner and Emily Ley in my life and it just brings me to tears. And you might be thinking, “girl, it’s just a planner!” Yes, I know it’s only a planner, but it’s a planner that has given me so much time back in my life.
I know exactly where I would be if I didn’t have this planner or the Simplified community — I would be frazzled and caught up in the comparison game. I’d be busy focusing on what people think of me and striving to be more. But thankfully, I don’t have to live life that way.
I’m thankful for everything this planner has given me and it will continue to be my planner for a lifetime. Thank you Emily Ley and Team Simplified for making a profound positive impact in my life and the lives of women around the globe.
