Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Plan With Me: FAQ

Hey guys!

If you're visiting my blog, thanks for reading! This will help answer some of my most frequently asked questions - perhaps you've wondered a few of these things yourself! If you've been linked here, it means that the question you asked in the YouTube comments of one of my videos has been answered below. I've been answering some variation of the same questions over and over in the comments section of my videos, and it's starting to become both tiresome and time consuming. However, I want to make sure you get answers to your questions and aren't floating in confusion! I will be adding to and editing this as new FAQs pop up or as information changes.

**General Policy on Deleting Comments**

If you are mean about anything, I will delete your comment. We are each entitled to our opinion, but there is a nice way of saying it and there is a mean/hateful way of saying it. When in doubt, please just leave the video instead of leaving nasty comments about how much you dislike my spread or think I'm wasting money. I choose to simply delete these instead of letting them upset me. Mean spirited comments about what I choose to spend my time and money on will not be tolerated. I would like the comment section to be a happy, kind place. THIS IS NOT ABOUT CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK. If something isn't your favorite, you are more than welcome to say it! I love your feedback. But as I said, there is a nice way to leave constructive feedback. Simply telling me "what a waste of money" isn't constructive or nice.

What planner is this?

It's the Erin Condren Vertical Life Planner. You can find it at erincondren.com. If you click the link and sign up for emails, you'll get $10 off your first purchase. I also use SewMuchCrafting inserts that I keep in a Kikki K large planner. You can find a variety of inserts at SewMuchCrafting's etsy shop.

Why do you do this? What's the point?

I do this because it's fun! For me, it is almost like scrapbooking my week. I am also more likely to use my planner if it is pretty and fun to look at. There isn't a right or wrong way to plan. This is just how I like to do it! Decorating my planner is pretty much my favorite thing I do each week. If it wasn't fun for me, I wouldn't do it. So if no white space planning sounds like it would be stressful for you, don't do it!

Why are your videos so long/sped up?

Video length is a very fine line I have to walk. There are many who hate that I speed stuff up at all, and there are some who think they are too long as is! I try to include my WHOLE planning process, and speed through repetitive actions like laying down headers or checklists across the whole week. For instance, my 30 minute space themed PWM  was about an hour of raw footage. I only cut out a few minutes of it (long pauses while I was finding stickers, etc) and so speeding up the repetitive parts makes the video a manageable size for me to upload and also just the right length for most people to be relatively happy. If I am talking or sharing important information, I will return the video to normal speed. There are also videos in which I talk constantly almost the entire time I film - some people like these hour long chatty PWM videos and others don't. I can only please so many people at once, and I try to make the kinds of videos I would want to watch. If my videos aren't your thing, that's fine! We can still be friends :)

Why do you put down washi tape at the bottom of your page if you just put stickers over it?

I don't like seeing the white space between and around boxes. I also frequently use the Scribble Prints Co Half Box Heart Checklists at the bottom of the page and they have rounded edges. I just like the look of having the color around the boxes. Washi tape is an inexpensive way to achieve this look.

Why did you put down full boxes if you were just going to put labels over them?

I don't always know what is going to happen each day of the week and since I like the no white space look I go ahead and do the foundation of my planner (full boxes on the whole thing) and then add icons, labels, decoration, etc. both during my plan with me videos and as the week goes on. On camera, you also can't tell that the Planner Kate labels have rounded edges. It would drive me NUTS to see the tiny little triangles of white at the corners of these labels. I put the labels down on the full boxes to avoid this.

Why do you cover your whole planner with stickers?

I do "no white space" planning, which, as the name suggests, means I do not leave white space on my planner. Many people seem to think that I am covering my planner because I don't like the functionality of it. My planner decorating does add some functionality (with checkboxes and such) but for the most part I decorate because it makes my planner look nice and it is fun to do. I love that the EC Vertical is very much a blank slate so that I can decorate to my heart's content. If you do not like no white space planning, please feel free to click out of my video and watch a planner video that is more in line with your tastes instead of telling me that you don't like no white space videos. Come back for the videos you do like! I promise we will still be friends :)

This is so wasteful. (I know this isn't a question, but people keep saying this.)

I don't judge your hobbies, so don't judge mine. For example, I might think paying $5 for a latte is wasteful, but I wouldn't post this on every photo of a PSL I see on Instagram because we each find different value in different purchases. To each their own. There are many within the planner community who like doing no white space planning, and there are many who don't. It's all personal preference. Just because you like something different for yourself, doesn't mean my choices are wrong.

What are your favorite shops?

My top 3 favorite shops are (in no particular order) Scribble Prints Co, Planner Kate, and Vintage Gypsy Road. I love Planner Kate for her functional stickers and VGR for their decorative stickers & kits (though Whitney is starting to release more functional stickers, which makes me SO happy). SPC has both. Honorable mentions include:

Can you do a planner update video?/Can you show all your previous spreads?

I will be posting one every 6 months. If you want to see my midweek and end of the week updates, check out my Instagram.