Side Hustle Sidekicks: A Good Planner

And on we go to post 4 of my five favorite side hustle side kicks! If you missed part one or two, check it out using the links at the bottom of the post. I’m sharing some of my favorite tools that help me live that hustle life while dream chasing!

There is a magical time twice a year. Just before school starts and at the closing of the calendar year, the most beautiful thing happens. PLANNERS! I just cannot help myself but to stop and thumb through pretty much all of them because I just HAVE to know what is inside! I used to spend a crazy amount of time picking out my planner for the new school year back in the day. Ok cool… I sound a little loopy but I legitimately get THAT excited about planners. Actually, I think I love all office supplies to an unhealthy amount. 

A few years ago, I painfully decided to go digital. I lose things a lot and as my world became more digitally based, it made send for my calendar system to do the same. Google calendars became the king of appointments and Omnifocus managed my to-dos like a champion. Then I started a business and suddenly found myself in need for new helpers. Google calendar works great for managing all my schedules in one place. Dubsado, which I talked about in a previous post, helps me keep track of everything going on. Those things are great, but they were not helping me make a road map for where I wanted my business to go. I wanted a dedicated space to prioritize, track, and plan goals specifically related to being a lady boss. 

There are a bajillion AWESOME options out there. As I have previously mentioned, I am a little crazy when it comes to planners and I spent a lot of time trying to pick the one that was right for me. My Cinderella slipper agenda was The Daily Greatness Business Planner. The top five reasons I love this planner are: 

• Allows me to plan on a yearly, quarterly, weekly, and daily basis. 
• Encourages reviews on those plans before moving forward. Example: at the end of this week, I am asked to look back and analyze how I did with the goals I set before I move on to plan to next week. Sometimes this process is very humbling.
• Every day, it asks for the top three things to accomplish that day. Sounds simple enough, but that little list has made sure that I do at least a few things EVERY SINGLE DAY to move my dreams forward. 
• It’s pretty!!!! I love color and good design. This planner certainly has both. 
• Each day, there is a section about mindset. It may ask you to list things you are grateful for or what I love about my business. Again, this is a simple thing. But, it really has helped start be off in the right mindset each day. 

This planner does not have specific dates so you can start it whenever you would like! Plus, that means if you take a week off, you do not waste a page. If you love how it sounds, snag yourself one. I am so proud to be able to stay I have stuck with using this journal since the first of the year. If you follow me on IG or FB, you see this little guy pop up all the time! 

But, hey! This is not a one size fits all situation. There are a ton of other AMAZING planner options out there to help you side hustle so we can take a look at a few. Because ya know… I love looking at planners! 

Passion Planner: I see these EVERYWHERE. People love them some passion planners. These planners also have ways to plan big picture and small picture while encouraging reflection. 

To me, this planner is like a bullet journal for people like me who still want a lot of structure. You start off with bigger picture planning through their “passion roadmap.” Then you lay out plans by month, by week, and followed up with monthly reflections. 

The biggest pro to this planner over The Daily Greatness Journal is the size. It comes in two sizes and both are far more compact and would easily fit in to most medium-large purses. There are dated and non-dated options and are all priced around $35 or less! 

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STARTplanner: These planners are pretty snazzy. They have accessory options which reminds me of my good ol’ Filofax. But, they go way beyond that with super original accessories and inserts such as coloring sheets or industry specific inserts for photographers, realtors, direct sales, and teachers.  The STARTplanner comes in a variety of formats but most feature a whole slew of planning help such as household budgeting options, grocery lists/meal prep, vacation planning, project tracking, and more. 

These planners are incredibly high quality and very durable. If you are like me and plan to shove it in a backpack or purse every day, durability is important! Price point is a little high with the average planner costing about $60. 

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Powersheets: Make It Happen PowerSheets are a little bit difficult to review, but they are such a big deal that I couldn’t leave them out. Fair warning, this journal is actually sold out and I am sure the 2018 edition will be even better! One of the best things is just holding this little beauty. It is a really durable planner. I usually steer clear of spiral binding because I always seem to destroy them, but this hardly plastic binder is the real deal. 

This planner is beautiful with lots of colors and STICKERS included. It also packs some serious planning punch with a ton of worksheets and planning guides to help you make great goals and follow through with your plans to achieve them. 

You cannot buy on of these right now, but you can head over to their website and snag a few freebies. 

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I could go on all day, but there real trick to finding your side hustle sidekick is investigating for yourself. Here are a few more options to check out if you are being a total Goldilocks about this: 

• The Day Designer
• Filofax (there is a reason they have been around so long)
• Free spirited? Check out Bullet Journals on Pinterest or Google.
• Etsy: it is certainly worth mentioning that there are TONS of more custom options available on Etsy. 

I hope that everyone can find the planner for them!!! I love them so much, I think I might design one some day!! 

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