Prayerful Planner

Hi. My name is Elizabeth and I love all things planning. I love planners, mostly pen and paper but digital is starting to grow on me. I love pens of all different styles and colors, washi tape, bright stickers, and cute little paperclip book marks. I love the beauty of the creativity and beauty behind decorating a monthly or weekly planner spread. I love the functionality of knowing what is coming up in my day/week/month/year.

I have been through a lot of different planning systems over the past several years. I have used planners from Erin Condren, The Happy Planner company, traveler’s notebooks, and off brand themed planners (like my Harry Potter planner I got for Christmas last year…but that is another story.) I have enjoyed different aspects of each of those planning system but for one reason or another I have moved on from those and went looking for something different that might fit my needs better.

When COVID hit the world and everything stopped so did my use of my planner for 2020. I just did not have the mental fortitude to try to write down things that were not happening in my planner. The days were the same with the ending of activities, events, and well…leaving the house so I just didn’t have it in me to try and keep up. When we got to the middle of October and slowly we were beginning to see things fill our calendar up again I realized it was time to look into a new planner for the last few months of 2020 and into 2021. I began to do some research and I discovered “The Prayerful Planner” as I was scrolling Facebook.

I searched the website, watched a couple of the videos walking through the planner on YouTube, and I decided this is the planning system I need in my life. It also helped that the they offered a cover in my latest print obsession, black and white buffalo check plaid. So I pulled the trigger (after some coaxing from a friend) and ordered my first “Prayerful Planner” Here is a peek at this beautiful planner.

The Cover

Ok. So like I mentioned before, they offered this planner in the print I am currently obsessed with. I can not tell you why I have fallen in love with the black and white buffalo plaid but it has basically taken over my life. I am decorating EVERYTHING in it these days from my home to my nails. I decided to go with the hard back cover this go round for 2 reasons. 1) It is undated which means I could start using it as soon as it arrived and 2) It is smaller and more compact so it is easier to get into my bag and take with me wherever I happen to need to go.

The only real con I have about this particular planner cover is the big space with the company name on it. I would love for that section to be more customizable where I could have my name or a Scripture verse or saying on it. There is a verse on there already that represents the company and the writing is pretty so I’m not to taken aback by it.

The Front Cover: Just inside the cover there is a beautiful bright green. The front cover also has a pocket for papers, receipts, notes…you get the picture.

Then the first page has a space for your name and really any other decorations you might want to include.

The Opening Section: The first several pages are probably one of the biggest reason I was drawn to the Prayerful Planner. I was really excited about the pages that were there to help me project my hopes, dreams, goals, and plans for the coming year. These pages are a place for prayer requests and the answers to those prayers, a section to track my yearly Scripture reading plan, a page dedicated to my word and verse of the year, a page to plot out my purpose for the year, a vision board page, and a goal setting page for all the various areas of my life.

The Monthly Calendars: The next section is dedicated to the monthly calendar. This is different from most planners I have used because all 12 months are in one section together rather than having the monthly calendar followed by the weekly spreads for that month. I am finding I like having them separated out this way better. There is the full calendar spread and a section on the side for notes. Below the calendar there are sections for the verse of the month, prayer for the month, a space for gratitude, a space for prayer requests, a space for specific goals in specific areas for the month, and a section for habit tracking.

The Weekly Pages: Ok this is the part that drew me in the most to the Prayerful Planner. First of all ALL 52 Weeks are together in the same place. That right there was a huge selling point. The other thing that REALLY excited me are the pages that come at the end and beginning respectively of each week. On one side there is a week in review page. There are a few sections to go over how the week went and what improvements can be made for the better the next week. The next page is for sermon notes and a small section for weekly Bible Study. I am a HUGE note taker in church and during my daily quiet time. I generally have to keep track of ALL. THE. NOTEBOOKS. With this planner I have most of my information in one place and I have less to have to carry with me, especially when we go to church on Sunday mornings. The next pages are the weekly pages. They are time blocked from 6 AM to 9 PM which is awesome! Below there are spaces where a post it note will fit, a place for prayer journaling, And a section for what I call a “brain dump”.

The top of the time block area has spaces for a daily praise and daily priority section. The bottom has a place for tracking your physical health and water intake (something I REALLY need to focus on!)

The End: The final page in the planner is dedicated to reflection on all the areas that goals were set for the year. It’s a nice spot to evaluate the year and make plans for the year ahead.

Wrap Up

I made the decision to get this one and start using it at the end of October so I have been using it since the first of November. I think it has helped me project the next year while already planning in it now. I may keep the system of getting a new planner in October from now on. Who knows.

What about you? How are you planning ahead for 2021? Let me know in the comments.