The Essential Planner: a way of life

A film by Dan Rollings

I’ve been overjoyed with all the pre-orders coming in for The Essential Planner 2020; both our signature linen version and our beautiful collaboration with Lauren of Hunters and Heels.

With so many different planners around, I’m always delighted when someone chooses The Essential Planner. For those who haven’t used the planner before, I thought I’d share how this planner is more than a planner to me, but an integral tool to support a way of life that I am passionate about.

At the heart of our planner is one simple belief: less is more. In terms of things, commitments, goals, even plans. Over the course of the last five years I’ve refined this philosophy in my own life. During this time, I started a business, became a mother twice (baby number three is currently on the way) and renovated two houses, so it was no wonder that I became overwhelmed regularly. The saddest part was that I was feeling this overwhelmed at a time of life when so many wonderful things were happening. I love motherhood, I love running a business, I actually love renovating houses, but I was spread so thin I couldn’t properly enjoy these precious moments.

Over the past few years, through trial and error, I have found tools and approaches to help me, but I couldn’t find a planner that supported these approaches. Every planner I found encouraged me to do more; goal setting, daily gratitudes, endless hourly time slots. Not what I needed. In the end the thing that made the biggest difference was my mindset. When I truly began to let go of the idea that more is more, busy is better and that being successful is important, things finally began to shift. I shifted my perspective to create a life that felt good, not one that looked good, a life that prioritised how I spent my days, because in the end, how we spend our days is how we spend our life.

The Essential Planner was created in 2017 to give me a physical space to write down the things I wanted to do each week. Things that added true value. There is also space and some gentle reminders to enjoy life, make some time for yourself and to notice the little things.

Yesterday Arthur and I were walking to pick Sophia up from school, and as I watched him run excitedly and haphazardly down the road my background thoughts faded away, as I intentionally watched him and soaked in the moment. This is what The Essential Planner makes space for. The moments you want to soak up, whatever they may be.

Pre-orders for The Essential Planner 2020 close on Thursday 24th October. After this date, stock will be incredibly limited.

Image by Natasa Leoni