Who else loves searching for and finding the perfect planner? One of my favorite things about this time of year is that all of the new planners are released in stores and online.
I typically spend 4-5 of my lunch hours looking at Target, Walmart, Michael’s, and online. It has to be the perfect size for me to tuck into my purse, but large enough for me to have plenty of room to write. It has to be cute and stylish. It must lay flat and the binding can’t be so big that I have to straddle my wrist over it to write on the left hand page. The cover must be durable. I love when they have inspirational messages, and stickers are a must!
As you can see, not just any old planner will do. I need the best planner for setting and achieving goals.
Well, about this time back in 2016, I came across a Facebook Ad for a company called Commit 30. I was first intrigued by the classy leather-look cover, but as I looked deeper into the concept behind this planner, I knew it was one that I had to try.
In a nutshell, the planner helps you focus on your 12 biggest goals, and then helps you break them down by month. Each day of that month, there are daily action steps that you check off when completed. Every day that you check off your daily action steps, the closer you get to achieving the monthly goal.
These are your own dreams, goals, and action steps, not just something that is already determined for you.
This is perfect for me, as I am not only a PLANNER junkie, but I am also a GOAL SETTING and CHECKLIST junkie, which is the entire basis of this planner. Since the planner was not to be released for another couple of months, the company offered printable sheets to get started during the last few months of the year. I ordered my planner and signed up for their free printables, which were delivered immediately by email as pdf files.
Within a few weeks of using the printables, I was in love with the layout and concept, so I went ahead and ordered 2 more planners. I ordered the two extras to give to two of my closest friends and accountability partners for Christmas. This was probably the most thoughtful and useful gift I have ever given, as both recipients dug right into theirs and posted on Facebook about how much they loved their gifts. We also had a couple of goal-setting dates in which we sat down together and brainstormed and shared ideas, as well as colored pens and stickers. Fun, fun, fun!
Ok, so the planner is cute, the right size, inspirational, and fits all of my requirements. There is also a place for a vision board, which I am a HUGE fan of creating, as well as lots of empty pages for notes, thoughts, and inspiration.
But let me tell you why I really think this is the best planner that money can buy . . . BECAUSE IT WORKS!
When I first received my planner, I immediately started filling in my 12 months of goals. They are categorized as below to help you start thinking in the right direction, but any of them can be altered to make them your own.
Physical Health
Mental Health
Marriage/Partner
Family/Friends
Pure Joy/Fun
Adventure/Travel
Spiritual Health
Personal Growth
Career
Home
Community
Finances
From here, each month you get to choose which category you will focus on for any given month, as well as develop your own action steps to achieve that particular goal.
Here is a sample of my January goal, which surprise, surprise, was to improve my physical health. More specifically, my goals were to improve my diet, improve my cardio health, and lose the stomach bloat and excess weight.
Action Steps:
1) Eliminate Junk Food and Reduce Dairy
2) Drink 80-100 ounces of pure water each day.
3) Walk on treadmill daily.
4) Use my dry sauna & use my FasciaBlaster 2 times per week.
5) Meditate for at least 15 minutes four times per week.
6) “Green Drink” daily.
Did I do all of these things, every single day? HaHaHa, no. I wish! But the days I was consistently checking off the boxes were also the days I was seeing the most results! I can only imagine how much faster I could have reached those goals had I stayed focused for the full 30 days.
This was the case for ALL my monthly goals. When I focused on my physical health, my physical health improved. When I became clear about what I was looking for in a relationship, the man of my dreams appeared out of nowhere. In 2017, I visited ALL the places that I had written in my adventure/travel circle, even though I had never shared those goals with anyone else. A business opportunity fell in my lap and I was able to pay off over $50,000 in debt.
What about the months that I completely slacked off and didn’t stay on top of filling out my goals and daily action steps? Well, my house is still not organized or completely decluttered, I still have not started a serious meditation practice, and I still do not send birthday cards to my friends and family in the mail.
Even though I did not complete these goals, I would still consider my year a HUGE success! And it’s not a total loss on these items anyway, as I will continue to bring them forward on my next planner until they are finished.
I’ve already ordered my 2019 Commit30 Planner, and I’m starting to think about my top goals and priorities for this next year. As the company states, Small Steps = Big Results. And that’s exactly what I am looking forward to achieving in 2019!
-Penny
