Finally settled on a weekly layout after months of flip-flopping

I kept going back and forth between a vertical timeline and a classic two-page spread. The timeline felt clean but cramped, and the spread took too long to set up each Sunday. Last week I committed to the vertical layout and used a single Tombow brush pen for all my headers. It actually saved me about 20 minutes of setup time and my tasks felt more organized. Anyone else find that a simpler setup just works better for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.tyler18d ago

How many pens did you have out before you cut down to just the one? I read a blog post about this exact thing, how our brains get stuck on small choices like pen color. It totally lines up with what @casey_ramirez35 said about taking stuff away. I used to have a whole cup of markers on my desk and I'd waste ten minutes just picking colors for headers. Limiting myself to two pens max was a huge relief. The setup became automatic instead of a whole project.

the_wyatt20d ago

Committing to one layout is the hardest part. I wasted so much time redrawing spreads before I just picked something and stuck with it for a month. That single pen trick is a game changer, it cuts down on decision fatigue. I found that when I limit my tools, I actually get more done because I'm not fussing with colors. The setup time was the biggest thing keeping me from using my planner daily. Now it's just open and go.

casey_ramirez3520d ago

Isn't it funny how we add more stuff trying to fix a problem, when taking stuff away is usually the answer?