I collect planners. In fact, over the years I have been on a quest to find the perfect planner. I have learned, though, that I’m really not looking for the perfect planner. I’m really searching for hope.

Here’s what I mean…

Procrastination and multitasking are my superpowers. Well, they used to be. Combined with my memory superpower, they kept me strangely productive, sharp, and focused. I used to thrive on deadlines and get more focused the closer I got to one (that explains how the procrastination habit developed). The multitasking kept me interested. And the memory made it all possible.

Then it all changed. My memory started to fail me, and the foolproof system of the past 25+ years failed along with it.

It occurred to me that if I could just find the perfect planner to take over some of the memory role I could recapture the glory days and my other superpowers would kick in and all would be well.

The search was on! I’ve tried phone apps, online systems, printable planners, and the good ol’ fashioned bound planners (in a variety of binding types). Each and every one brought me new hope that it would make me instantly more productive. And why wouldn’t it? That’s what the marketing said. In fact, the sales pitch for each one promised that it would be the last planner I would ever need. It would be the perfect planner.

The Honeymoon Period

The first few days with a new planner always start out well. I ride high on the wave of hope it brings. I plan for the week, then each day. I dutifully undertake the tasks I assign myself and check them off victoriously upon completion. The planner and I are working together in a glorious groove of gettin’ it done.

Reality Sets In

Then the day comes that I forget to plan the day using it, and I remember in the evening. So I plan the next day right then. There’s still hope. I tell myself that this was just a little road bump.

Then I skip a couple of days because things got busy. Sometimes I even set an alarm on my phone to remind me to use the planner. I get back on track only to find myself in the next week with a week of blank pages behind me. What happened?

I instantly know what the problem is.

It’s the planner. Or it’s the system that the planner is intended to promote.

The solution? Find a new planner.

And the search begins again.

Deep down I know the reality. There aren’t enough planners on this earth to keep me organized and focused if I don’t adjust an entire constellation of productivity promoting habits. Once again I am forced to face the ugly truth that there are no quick fixes.

I know what to do. I set myself along that path and real progress is made.

New Hope

Then a shiny new planner appears in my Facebook feed. The sales pitch says it’s the last planner I’ll ever need! It says it’s not just a planner but an entire productivity system! It says it will solve all my problems!

Just $19.99 plus shipping for another big bite of hope.

I’ll let you know if this one works.

---

More posts about my writing journey:

The Blank Page

New Beginnings