Hey #PashFam,
🌈 The Rainbow 🌈
We have good news! Our website is up and running again with some of our inventory now available!!!
Our first round of inventory has arrived safe and sound at our new fulfillment company. There was a lot of red tape to work through in many emails, calls, texts, meetings, but we did it! We have safely transitioned about 25% of our inventory and are working on the remaining 75%.
The Storm
The bankruptcy of our old fulfillment company has left us picking up the slack, both physically and financially. We have paid thousands of dollars to untangle the web that they left us in. We have not only had to coordinate and arrange all steps of the transition, but manually count, organize, and re-palletize all of the inventory ourselves. It has been a beast of a project and I wish things could go faster, but there are so many things outside of our control. As a team, we have reminded each other that this is a marathon and not a sprint. We are doing our best to keep our foot on the gas pedal and not burn ourselves out.
Things have been difficult financially. January and February are usually impactful months for us. With no income due to the website closure, we have had to tap into our reserves to keep the company afloat. Not only did we not make any money for the past 3 weeks, we lost more than $30,000 issuing refunds.
In all honesty, I think I burned myself out a bit and have personally had to take a step back. Being on call and checking my phone constantly just to have parties not show up for meetings or block my phone number has been taxing. Getting trucks lined up to pick up our inventory just to have them turned away because our past fulfillment company “owed more money” was extremely frustrating. Heck, I was having nightmares about it all, but thank goodness I could still sleep!
But alas, WE ARE HERE! We are doing it! And we are doing it together!!!!
Q: What can I do to help?
Here are some ways you can help!
Thank YOU for your KINDNESS!
We have been overwhelmed by the kindness, concern, and support from everyone.
I have had friends reach out to me to volunteer their time and energy to help count and sort through the mess.
I have had members of the #PashFam send me kind voice memos, videos, and DM’s to remind us that the work we do is important and that using Passion Planner or the community they have found through us has changed their lives.
I have had other business owners share their empathy and words of encouragement.
I have had people message me to tell me that they have bought a digital product that they didn’t even need to support our business during this difficult time.
This has been an incredible challenge, but also an incredible reminder of the amazing community that’s been created over the last ten years.
We are filled with gratitude and relief that things are slowly getting back to normal! The clouds are parting and sunnier days are ahead.
With love and gratitude,
Angel and the Passion Planner Team
Hey #PashFam,
Our team is still working hard transitioning all of our inventory to our new warehouse! Unfortunately, we’ve hit a few more roadblocks along the way due to the recent rain in Southern California and subsequent technical difficulties from the weather damage.
Due to the delays, we will need to extend our pause on physical orders until further notice. We are just as excited as you all to resume orders for physical products and we want to ensure that when we do resume operations, it's with a solid plan in place. We understand the frustration of continually shifting timelines, which is why we've decided to only share a relaunch date when we are confident in our ability to meet it.
In the meantime, there are still ways you can support us during this transition period. Our Free Downloads are available again and our Digital Products are still available for purchase. Your continued engagement and support mean the world to us as we navigate these challenges. Thank you for being a part of our community and for your understanding during this time, PashFam.
With love and gratitude,
Angel & The Passion Planner Team
Hey #PashFam,
Angel here with a quick update on what's been happening behind the scenes (and spoiler alert, it's been a wild ride!).
Remember how we mentioned moving our inventory? Well, let's just say we didn't expect to be packing and moving all the boxes ourselves! We walked into a warehouse filled with planners, stickers, and everything in between, all piled high. Because of our fulfillment company's bankruptcy, we’ve had to handle it ourselves.
We're not ones to back down from a challenge (or a mountain of dusty boxes). We rolled up our sleeves, teamed up with the amazing crew at our new fulfillment company, and spent a week digging through, organizing, and building over 100 organized and labeled pallets. Imagine packing up a house and multiplying that by 50... that was the amount of work we knocked out in a week!
Right when we thought we were in the clear, life gave us a storm… literally. Just as we were ready to ship everything out, Southern California weather decided to join the party with some intense storms. ️That meant our shipment got delayed, and the first trucks available won't roll until Tuesday (fingers crossed!).
Once they arrive, our new fulfillment wizards will work their magic, counting, sorting, and prepping everything for their future journey to your door. This will take about 3-5 business days, and then BAM! You'll see 2024 Passion Planners and a few other products back on our website! All that being said, we will need to extend our pause for physical product orders, with our tentative relaunch date now Tuesday, 2/13.
To add onto the storm, our free pdf downloads and printables are also currently unavailable. We just so happen to be facing technical issues with the web functionality right now along with everything else going on. Our team is working to resolve this ASAP, and we hope to have our free downloads back up and running by next week!
Look, I won't sugarcoat it. This has been tough, tough on the mind, wallet, heart, body, and spirit. Seeing us have a negative week of sales, because of all of the refunds has been scary. Juggling this situation with everything else life has thrown our way outside of work has been hard, but there's one thing that keeps us going no matter what: you all. The #PashFam.
The outpour of support and kind messages has been incredible. While I can't let you join the dust-bunny brigade for liability reasons, the thought alone has been a huge boost. And let me tell you, our team have been rockstars! They’ve been waking up early, battling paper cuts, and pushing through stress with upbeat and positive attitudes to get this mission done. They're the real heroes of this story, and I can’t wait until we all can take a break.
We're not giving up. We'll weather this storm together, and who knows, maybe we'll even see a rainbow on the other side!
Thanks for your patience and understanding, and stay tuned for more updates!
With love and gratitude,
Angel & The Passion Planner Team
Dear #PashFam,
First and foremost, thank you for your continued support.
We know many of you have been waiting patiently for your orders, and we want to sincerely apologize for the delays or order issues. We value transparency and have an update for you all on our fulfillment and shipping situation. Our current fulfillment company has officially declared bankruptcy, and unfortunately leading up to this, they’ve been dishonest with us, other clients, and their business partners. We’re currently sorting through the aftermath of their lies and working through discrepancies.
This has been a tough situation to handle and our team is doing everything we can to get our operations running smoothly again. We've been working non-stop to find a new and reliable fulfillment company with a strong track record, and guess what? We found one! We have officially signed a contract with a company that values reliability and speed just as much as we do.
To move all of our inventory over as accurately and efficiently as possible, we will be pausing new orders for the next week.
What a Temporary Order Pause Means:
It sure has been a wild ride being a small business. Thank you for your patience, support, and for believing in us. We are a small team of 22 passionate people, learning to navigate this challenge as we go, and appreciate you for seeing us as human beings doing the best we can. We truly appreciate your patience as we start this exciting new chapter.
Thank you again for being part of the journey! We couldn't do it without you.
With Gratitude,
Angel and the Passion Planner Team
Angel here! We are now more than 3 months into the year and Passion Planner is finally getting into a good groove after the past two years of unpredictability with the on and off chaos of COVID and its chain reactions. *Collectively breathes a sigh of relief and gratitude*. For me, the start of 2023 has felt like the first 5 minutes after a hard workout. The first minute I am catching my breath and getting my bearings. And the minutes following, colors seem brighter, the air feels crisper and small things like a sip of water feels divine. Anyone else feel that way?
When Passion Planner went from selling 4 planners a day 4,000 planners overnight in 2014, it felt like repairing a car while moving. Things shifting and changing, outside entities out of your control swerving into your lane. Having to adjust things on the move. You generally know where you’re heading, but every so often must check if you’re on track. And then there’s luck and it’s paternal twin, bad luck. One minute you feel like you’re coasting downhill hand cutting waves through the wind, and the next you have a nail in your tire. It’s all a part of it!
As a company, and even larger as a community, there are many parts working together to create progress toward our collective goal. Our destination is a world where everyone has access to have the tools to live a fulfilling life. This is why we show up every day. I am proud of what we’ve built and how far we’ve come together. This year we celebrate ten years of Passion Planner. Ten years of Passion Road Maps filled out, Game Changer Goals reached, reflections filled with memories.. and just like the Honda Civic my dad had for what feels like forever, we’re still kickin!
Thank you for being here and thank you for being on this journey with us.
Thanks for reading, see ya next quarter!
Angel
]]>Dear #PashFam,
We need your help!
We need more people to know about Passion Planner. The pandemic has been tough on us, and even though we have learned to navigate what feels like the perfect storm, we need help from you, our community.
Like most small businesses the holidays are our make it or break it season, it is where we ensure that we can afford to be able to be around another year or be faced with some tough decisions.
The team feels stressed because so much work has been done to make this part of the year successful and much of it is out of our hands. When I feel stressed or overwhelmed I do my best to lean on my community to help me brave the storm.
So what can you do to help?
The world is changing and life can be overwhelming. We hope this product helps people deal with overwhelm in a healthy and focused way. We hope that this tool helps people prioritize what really matters to them.
This company was built on community power. Tens of thousands of people coming together on a common mission to bring a life changing tool to life. We want to ensure that Passion Planner is around for decades to come, and we need your help to make it possible.
Regardless of if you are willing or able to take action (or already have!), thank you for reading and I hope this holiday season is one of the best for you!
With love,
Angel Trinidad and the Passion Planner Team
Our #PashFam End of Year Reflection is your opportunity to reflect on what truly matters. With a supportive community to cheer you on, the Passion Planner Team will guide you through a series of exercises to help you reflect and celebrate your successes with confidence.
During this #PashFam End of Year Reflection, you’ll connect with other intention-driven people who are planning their most authentic life. Celebrate this year’s achievements (big and small) and set aligned goals for 2023.
Join us on December 29th, 2022 to engage with the #PashFam community, reflect on your year, gain inspiration, and discover what it means to live a life true to you.
From our full 2023 Passion Planner layout, to habit tracker inserts, gratitude challenges and more, we have over four dozen planner PDFs, printable inserts, and worksheets to choose from!
Our Bulk Sales Program offers huge discounts to nonprofits, businesses and retailers alike!
Bulk orders are available now with special pricing. The minimum order amount is $500 USD (10-12 planners), which is automatically discounted at 35% to $350 USD at checkout. From there, the discount goes up the more that’s purchased!
Wholesale orders are good for:
Interested in entering the digital space of possibility? Free a two week sample of Passion Planner Digital for free! Learn more about Passion Planner Digital on our Youtube Channel.
In this group, you’ll have access to resource guides to get started, goal guardians to hold you accountable, and a community that is actively pursuing a fun and stress-free life. We created this community to connect outside of our Monthly Reflections and virtual gatherings, all while sharing ourselves more authentically with you.
Gain insight into how we operate as a team, engage in our monthly themes and values, and continue to grow toward your goals. See you on Facebook!
]]>Sometimes life doesn't give you a grace period when change happens. In this article, we're going over how to navigate these unexpected life transitions.
]]>As a licensed therapist, I can tell you that there is a good reason why life transitions often translate into stress, even when the change is good: your brain can’t tell the difference.
Let me explain… I talk to clients often about resisting the urge to label emotions as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ We need all of our emotions because each of them serves a purpose. Anger tells us that something has pushed our boundaries, anxiety tells us that we are experiencing fear. And stress indicates that we are going through a period of change.
Your brain’s main job is to keep your body systems functioning by sending messages to those other systems when it encounters a new stimulus. But because your brain has this one super-important job, it is sometimes a bit overzealous. In psychology, we talk about the difference between “eustress,” or stress that energizes or motivates change, versus “distress,” which can be overwhelming, distracting, and over time, damaging to your health.
Your brain responds to both eustress and distress the same way: releasing stress hormones into the bloodstream, and once you are safely away from the threat, taking other actions to return your body’s functioning to baseline. This is why you might feel energized as you run away, but totally exhausted when you get home. We call this managing your allostatic load, or how your nervous system manages the amount of stress you experience.
In short, change can be stressful because, well, it is stressful. Even when it’s "good" stress. Take this knowledge and know that it is okay to be kind to yourself as you navigate this transition. You’re doing the best that you can with what you have.
Just like I strongly discourage folks from assigning values to their emotions, I also really resist using the word “normal” to describe someone’s emotions. There is no one perfect response to experiencing a stressful event. It’s more important to know what is normal for you, to help you notice when something is off and give yourself what you need.
You may still be wondering what is normal during a life transition, or at the very least, what to expect. This is valid — just like we talked about above, your brain loves certainty. Knowing exactly what to expect is a lot less uncomfortable than venturing into new territory.
That said, the only constant in our lives is change itself. Think about when you were young, and every year of school, you changed grades, teachers, classrooms, and sometimes classmates, too. After a while, you got used to the rhythm of ending school every spring with one cohort and starting anew again every fall. For many people, starting middle school or high school meant a lot of this change all at once: multiple new teachers, a new school building, new classrooms. But within a few days or weeks, these changes began to feel like the new normal. This is an important reminder: you’ve adjusted to change before, and you can again.
So before we dive into how to navigate this big transition, or how to use your Passion Planner more effectively in doing so, take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to be a little “off” right now.
Change can come in many forms. Sometimes life forces you into a change before you’re ready, like a breakup, an unexpected health problem, or losing your job. These changes can be devastating, especially when they disrupt not just your life, but your goals and plans for the future as well. It can be frustrating and overwhelming to look at your Passion Roadmap (literally, or metaphorically!) and realize that you’re further away than you originally thought.
Other times, you’re in the driver’s seat, and can decide when and if making a change is right for you. So, how do you know when something isn’t working?
Whether the change was planned or unplanned, you can reframe it as an opportunity to get reacquainted with your values. Values are the things that are important to you, that help you make decisions and build a life you love. Values can include things like honesty, kindness, work/life balance, family, friendship, frugality, ease, joyfulness… just about anything that you can think of.
To get familiar with your values, take a minute with your Passion Planner. Find a blank spot with enough room to brainstorm — maybe your Space of Infinite Possibilities or in your Daily, the Room to Grow — and put the word “values” in the center. Next, set a timer for 60 seconds and branch out from there with any word that you would use to describe what is important to you.
It can be helpful to do this by looking back on how you spent your time in the last week or month, or looking ahead to see what plans you’re most excited about. Maybe you worked a lot of overtime last month and found yourself missing out on watching your niece’s soccer games, something that you always love. Or maybe you’ve had a lot more free time lately and have been enjoying the solitude and slower pace.
Once you have a sense of your values, it’s time to put them to work. It may be useful to make a list of which values show up in different areas of your life, and map out how close you are to living them. Think of this like a mindmap in the traditional Passion Planner style – write “home,” “work,” or “family” in the center, and branch off from there. Write your values closer to the middle if you feel close to them right now, and further away if they are harder to reach. Use this as a guide for your action steps next. You can also create a chart of your values and graph out how well you feel like you’re holding space for each value at this point in time. If you notice that “flexibility” is far away in your work mindmap or has a low bar on your graph, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your work/life balance.
When a change happens unexpectedly, you may have to revisit your values to determine what to do next. For example, when you lose your job, it can be tempting to take any position that will have you just to make sure that you have a stable income. If you value financial stability highly, this may be the right move.
Your values can teach you when change is necessary, too. Let’s say you’re working that overnight job, but the only shift they have available is overnight. You value time with friends and family, and find that you are missing out on it more often than you would like. This might mean that the job can serve as a temporary stopgap until you find something that works with your financial needs as well as your schedule.
You might be thinking that wow, change and rebuilding yourself is a lot of work. And while you wouldn’t technically be wrong, that doesn’t mean that change can’t be worth the effort.
Because there is so much emotional work associated with making a life transition, your planner should be making that effort easier, not harder. Consider this your permission slip to completely start over if you need to. That’s right — if your layouts are getting clunky and cluttered, if your carefully-tended system has started to weigh down your days and actually makes it harder to keep track of everything you need to do, it’s perfectly OK to turn the page (literally and metaphorically).
If your schedule has changed dramatically, you might benefit from trying out a new layout, or recording multiple days on the same page of your Daily. Maybe stepping away from your current planning style and using your planner for something other than planning is actually what will be more supportive.
If you’re going through a difficult time emotionally or mentally, it can be helpful to use your planner as a space for reflection. Consider adding spaces for gratitude, self-care, journaling, or words of encouragement. The Passion Planner website can even get you started with some free quotes by BIPOC to paste in.
Or maybe you just have way too much on your plate, and need to keep it from getting jumbled. This is your reminder that you are under no obligation to make your planner pretty — minimalism gets the job done just fine. Yes, scrolling the #PashFam hashtag can make all of us a little jealous of other people’s perfect penmanship and cute stickers, but ultimately, your planner should work for your current life situation. If all you’ve got is one ballpoint pen and five minutes while you down your morning coffee, we’re ready to meet you where you’re at.
We resist change because we crave stability. We love a sure bet, and the certainty that comes with knowing what to expect is soothing and gratifying. But life has a way of complicating those best-laid plans, and it’s OK to be gentle with yourself as you navigate what comes next.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>Can you believe we're already over halfway through 2022, PashFam? For our mid-year update, we're looking back on 2022 so far and celebrating all the wins along the way + our CEO and Founder Angel shares some hints about what's to come!
]]>Hey #PashFam,
Can you believe we’re over halfway through 2022?! Here at Passion Planner we are on a mission to help as many people as possible live more intentionally. Even with that mission we find ourselves caught up in a whirlwind of life wondering where all of our time has gone.
Flipping through the pages of my planner I am filled with so much pride and joy for what our team and community has accomplished together. I think that is one of my favorite benefits about using a planner. My planner becomes a catalog of the good that life has given me and the bad that I have been able to overcome.
We decided to start writing these company updates to give a little summary of things we’ve been working on. I hope that these updates make you feel good about being a part of our journey, and that you feel how much we appreciate your support. We really couldn’t do this without you.
I can’t believe it’s been almost 9 years since that first Kickstarter campaign. What once started as me shipping planners out of my parents' garage, to a company helping more than 1,000,000 people live more intentionally worldwide, take it from me that it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to start.
Huge virtual hugs,
Angelia “Angel” Trinidad
CEO and Founder of Passion Planner
Launched 46 New Products This Year!
Launched our THIRD version of Passion Planner Digital in July!
Welcomed Our Newest #PashAmbassadors!
This June we welcomed new Ambassadors to our program! We currently have ambassadors from all corners of the world, including Austria, Japan, Australia, England, the U.S., Philippines, Barbados, Brazil, British Columbia, Germany, just to name a few! Follow them on social at #PashAmbassadors.
Interested in becoming an Ambassador? Join our waitlist to be contacted when more spots are opened!
Held our first in person partnership in 2 years by celebrating and sponsoring San Diego Pride!
Our team missed connecting with the #PashFam in-person, and for the first time since 2020, our team was able to table again at San Diego Pride 2022! This year we were hosted by the San Diego Queer APIMEDA (Asian Pacific Islander Middle Eastern Desi American) Coalition. This coalition is helping to build capacity and leaders within the LGBTQ+ APIMEDA community to promote connectivity, combat stereotypes and racism, and mobilize civic and economic power.
Geminelle, Marissa, and Chels from our Community Relations Team along with some local volunteers passed out over 800 Passion Planner Dailies to those celebrating at SD Pride!
Held our Passion Planner Team Retreat 2022 at Disneyland!
Retreat week is something our team looks forward to every year and this was the first time since 2019 that we were able to have over 90% of our team together for some in-person team bonding! From affirming team building activities, company reflections, competitive minute-to-win-it games, and venturing all the way to Disneyland’s California Adventure, this was a team retreat for the books.
Launched our Bulk Sales Program offering huge discounts to nonprofits, businesses and retailers alike!
Our wholesale, special and bulk order options are now more streamlined than ever! Bulk orders are available now with special pricing. The minimum order amount is $500 USD (10-12 planners), which is automatically discounted at 35% to $350 USD at checkout. From there, the discount goes up the more that’s purchased!
Wholesale orders are good for:
That’s all folks, thanks for reading!!
Wishing you a very productive and restful year,
Angel and The Passion Planner Team
]]>
A little back story: when I started my Master’s program in 2017, I had been using Passion Planner Weekly for a couple of years and thought I had my system down pat. The summer before school started, I was working two part-time jobs to save up money before classes started. I’d get my schedule from each job, block off the time in my planner, and use whatever free time was left over to soak up the last bits of summer. Until this point, the goals I’d been working towards in my planner were to apply to grad school and find an apartment nearby. Sitting in my living room in mid-July, I was feeling pretty good about my progress.
In August, I got my syllabi for the semester, and boy howdy, was I in for a reality check. As a social work grad student, not only did I have five on-campus classes per semester, but I also had an off-campus internship, plus other requirements for community service and campus involvement. The math was not adding up. When would I have time to work? To study? To make friends in my new city?
I needed to revisit my goals and adjust the way I was using my planner. I laid out my syllabi and internship schedules on the dining room table and got to work. Here are some of the solutions I came up with.
Once I got my syllabi, the first thing I did (after taking a few deep breaths) was take stock of what assignments were due and when. I opened my planner to the monthly spread and began copying in due dates for assignments in each class. I highlighted the major assignments to make them stand out, like a 20 page research paper due around midterms. Later on in the semester, this helped me to budget my time more efficiently. For example, our school’s fall break was about a week before midterm. Since I knew I had that research paper coming up, I planned to have the first draft done before fall break started so I could actually enjoy my time off. Setting clear goals for myself allowed me to be more intentional with my time.
Bonus tip: In later semesters, I started matching my color-coding in my schedule to the assignments on my calendar to keep it all straight. I knew even at a glance that if I saw a pink box, it meant I had an assignment due for my human development class that week. This is something I still do today to keep track of my private practice and freelance work by using the Passion Highlighters.
In the Weekly planner, I started targeting my study time towards specific tasks. For example, if I had 100 pages of reading per week, I knew myself, and there was no way I would be able to do that in one sitting. I broke it up across two or three study sessions by setting benchmarks in my studying time blocks. It was like writing a mini to-do list on my weekly calendar: From 3 to 5 PM, study at the library and read 30 pages for direct practice, finish SOAP note assignment, and write 5 pages of term paper.
Part of why this worked for me was that I was setting SMART goals for myself. SMART meaning Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Time-Sensitive, that is. The #PashFam has talked about the utility of SMART goals before in financial and career planning, as well as overcoming perfectionism. I think that overall, this framework gave me reasonable expectations and accountability to myself.
We’ve all been there: you get busy and neglect your planner for a week or two. My head was swimming trying to think of how to keep my schedule straight, so I decided to put those abandoned pages to good use. Using a pencil so I could easily erase and edit, I started blocking time for the things I knew I had to do: class, work, and my internship. I knew far in advance that my classes would always be at the same time and on the same day, so those went in first. I lived about a 10 minute drive or 30 minute walk from campus, so I factored in my commute time as well.
Next up: internship hours. I needed at least 20 per week to make it to 300 per semester, a requirement for graduation. I cross-referenced this with the hours my agency was open and when my supervisor would be available to, well, supervise me. I was a baby therapist doing crisis intervention and mental health counseling, and I was terrified of getting burned out. I settled on two full days and one half day at my internship to give both myself and my clients some consistency.
Lastly, I looked at what time was left for work, studying, and having a life outside of grad school. I was fortunate enough to have a job that didn’t mind me doing homework as long as I answered the phone and helped customers when they came in, so I double-dipped a lot. I had a rough idea of how many hours I needed to work per week to supplement my financial aid, and tried to give myself at least one day off from everything per week, even if that meant leaving class and going straight to work at night. It was important for me to avoid multitasking and give my full attention to each area of my life when at all possible.
Passion Planner releasing the School To-Do List was a game-changer for me. It seemed like every day, my to-do list was growing longer and longer, and even while using the Space of Infinite Possibilities, there just wasn’t enough room to accommodate it all. When I found out this tool existed, I immediately printed a copy for each week of the semester and pasted them into my weekly layouts. I was able to keep tasks organized in order of priority underneath a heading for each class, meaning the most important tasks came first. This meant that things like turning in my hourly internship logs every month were marked as high priority, whereas reviewing my notes from a lecture the week prior became an “if there’s time” kind of goal. It also freed up space in my planner for jotting down notes, reminders, and quotes that resonated with me.
There is a lot of talk in therapist school about “finding your niche.” As a grad student, this is something I struggled with a lot. I changed my concentration three times in two years, driving my academic advisor crazy, I’m sure. I ended up taking an additional night class that was outside of my concentration during my second semester because I was interested in too many things and didn’t want to narrow them down. While this created a lot of extra work for me while I was in school, it made me a more thoughtful clinician down the line.
At the end of my first semester of grad school, I sat down to revisit my Passion Roadmap. I noticed right away that a lot of the things I had set as one-year goals were already completed: choosing a degree program to become a therapist, applying to grad school, and moving to a new city with my partner. I’d even accomplished a three-year goal of adopting a puppy! I’d set these goals as a new college grad working a retail job and wanting something more for myself. But that begged the question… what’s next?
I started small, then built bigger. In 3 months, I wanted to have secured a paid internship for my second year of school, so I could cut back my hours at work and focus more on professional development. In one year, I wanted to have applied for my licensing exam to become a therapist. And in three years, I wanted to be at a full-time therapy job. Over time, I found my niche, and these goals became more specific as I specialized my practice and took small actions towards them daily. That’s what the Passion Planner is for: aligning your days with your dreams.
By now, I’m sure you’ve got the impression that I was a little bit type-A in grad school. And maybe still am to this day. Like many of us, my brain tends to move a mile a minute when I’m on a deadline or working on a big project. Probably the most important thing I learned about using my planner as a grad student was how to focus my energy on the Most Important Task.
At first, this was really hard. School, work, internship… it all felt crucially important, and I felt worried that focusing too hard on one would mean neglecting the others. But I learned that my Most Important Task didn’t have to be the only task I did that day, just the one that got top priority. For example, in my first semester, I had to give a speech advocating for a topic I felt strongly about. I was terrified of public speaking, and wanted to make sure that I came across as confident and knowledgeable about the subject. I penciled this Most Important Task into my Daily Focus as a mental reminder that even if I was totally spent after delivering this speech, just getting through it was a big accomplishment.
(And for all of my fellow anxious type-As out there: the speech went fine! My anxiety made anticipating the event so much worse than actually experiencing it.)
Whatever your semester looks like, your Passion Planner is an invaluable tool for keeping it all straight in grad school.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>Have you ever had to cross out changed plans or cover up your mistakes? With a digital planner, you can simply move or delete them from your layout. This is especially helpful when you need to quickly shuffle tasks on your to-do list to the next week (or even month). For those times when you have a bit too much on your plate, the flexibility of digital planning can help you to pace yourself. Copy tasks from one week to the next to plan out your projects when they become a bit more long-term than you were planning. Using a digital planner allows you to adjust and edit your plans with ease — no sticky whiteout or correction tape needed.
Maybe parts of your existing planner layout just don’t feel like your own. The digital planner gives you permission to let go of what is not working for you by easily erasing part of your planner layout. Use the lasso tool to capture a blank part of the page, then paste it over existing text headlines to relabel your sections. Maybe having a daily focus isn’t quite the vibe, and you’d rather set a daily intention instead. You could also dedicate space in your planner to writing a daily affirmation or a gratitude list. However you use it, the Passion Planner Digital helps you easily customize your layout to get back to crushing your goals.
Let’s face it: it can be time-consuming to rewrite your schedule day after day or week after week. This is especially true if you have regular commitments like classes or regular working hours at your job. Using a digital planner allows you to copy and paste set schedules every day, week, or month with just a few clicks. You can copy over just the calendar text, or include recurring tasks on your personal or work to-do lists as well, making sure you never forget those pesky once-a-month commitments. This planner hack is so easy that all you have to do week-to-week is add in all the extras, like that ice cream date with your best friend, or the yoga class you’re trying out on Thursday.
Digital planning keeps all of your tools centralized in one place. Not only does this lighten your load literally, as in less stuff to carry around with you, but it does the same thing environmentally, too. Using a digital planner is making a more sustainable choice for the environment by reducing the amount of paper products that are printed, as well as reducing emissions from production and shipping processes. The best part about using the Passion Planner Digital is that you never have to buy another physical planner again: you can keep reusing the digital version as long as you want or need.
Rather than carrying around a bag the right size to hold all your stuff, plus your planner, using a digital planner is infinitely more portable. After digitally downloading the planner pdf, all you need is a device compatible with the GoodNotes app or other PDF annotated apps like Noteshelf, Notability, or Xodo, to start using it. This could be your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Never again will you fish around in a tote bag for your planner to write down an appointment — your planner is right at your fingertips. This is also handy for times when you want to pare down your belongings as much as possible, such as traveling. Instead of having to make space in your carry on for your planner and accessories, now it fits in the back pocket of your jeans.
Printing photos to paste in your planner is a fun and cute way to add personal style and capture memories of your week. But getting photos printed can be inconvenient and sometimes expensive. Using a digital planner allows you to add in your photo memories directly to your planner without having to print anything. Now you can store those memories to look back on forever without spending extra on photo printing services. Bonus idea: add in your favorite inspirational quotes or graphics by pasting in screenshots to add to your planner. Or, if you’re tackling career goals these days, add in screenshots or notes from your work life to keep it all in one place.
This hack is one of our favorites for keeping your Passion Planner Digital organized. To create effortless organization, set up the hyperlinked index pages to easily navigate to your blank, dot, grid, and sticker pages. This comes in handy when you need to copy and paste things like recurring schedules or favorite stickers. Having an index also helps you to know where in your planner to find all of your information, and to quickly link to it with just a click. You can also add in hyperlinks to resources outside of your planner, like your school’s academic calendar or a webpage you visit often. If you’re trying to cement some new healthy habits, you might link to a daily workout calendar or a morning meditation channel on YouTube, that way the first thing you see when you open your planner is a reminder to take a moment for yourself.
Because it is so easy to duplicate your favorite formats and features, using a digital planner can be totally effortless. Using the GoodNotes lasso function, you can copy and paste more than just your schedule, but an entire template for your week or month. For example, maybe you like to note one thing you’re grateful for at the top of every day. Instead of having to create a space seven different times in your weekly spread, creating a template lets you quickly and easily copy over the basic structure for your planner layout. Another idea would be to create space for a one-sentence journal in your Space of Infinite Possibilities. To try this one out, you just need enough room for seven lines of text, which you can create as a layout on a blank page.
While one of the main benefits of using a digital planner is that it’s paperless, it can also be easily printed out if that’s more your jam. Creating your weekly schedule in a digital format gives you the flexibility to refine your calendar before you commit to a physical version to reference or share it with others. You might want to print out your weekly spreads to share an itinerary for a trip with your travel buddies, if you have a big event coming up, or if you’re staring down a busy week and use your planner to track your family’s schedules all in one place. A benefit of printing out your Passion Planner Digital pages is that you can neatly organize all of the week’s information in one place before you print it out.
Perhaps the most important reason to switch to a digital planner — no more anxiety about running out of your favorite stickers! Many of us are uncertain about placing stickers in the right place in a weekly spread, but in the Passion Planner Digital, you can move them around and adjust worry-free. Go ahead, copy and paste your favorites as many times as you want. This is extremely helpful for your functional stickers, like a hydration tracker, where you might be reusing them week after week. You can even get creative and make a template that includes your favorite stickers to use over and over again, without any fear that you will run out or use them up before you’re done.
Whether you’re taking on the world this week, or need some time to just be, a digital planner is a great option for creating doable habits and keeping yourself organized. If you’re curious about trying the Passion Planner Digital, you can try it for FREE with our Weekly Undated Sample! Looking for more digital inspiration? Visit our unique Passion Planner Digital Instagram or Youtube for even more tips, tricks, and tutorials. Welcome to your digital space of infinite possibilities, #PashFam.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>Looking to spice up your planning? In today's blog, learn 11 different ways to use stickers in your planning routine. From habit tracking to encouraging notes, these techniques will ensure FUNctionality on every page.
]]>The Magic of Using Stickers in Your Planner:
With the limitless possibilities of stickers, it can be overwhelming to choose the right ones for you and to find the designs that speak to you and support you. For instance, did you know Passion Planner has over 20 different sticker books, each with 30 pages and over 500 stickers? While it can be great to have choices, sometimes it’s hard to know where to start.
Let’s break down 11 different ways you can use stickers to stick with your planning journey.
At the beginning of every Passion Planner is a roadmap where you set your goals and define what’s important to you. Use the New Year New Goals Sticker Book to decorate this page with encouraging words and remind yourself to revisit your dreams. If you find the timelines suggested in the roadmap too broad or too limiting, you can also use stickers to cover these up and define your own categories.
While writing notable items down is important, using a sticker to call attention to it is even better. In the Ready Set Grow Sticker Book you will find all sorts of functional stickers including flags, icons, and banners. If you’re not exactly sure what kind of planning style you want to have, this sticker book can be a great first purchase to start your sticker journey and start to define what really matters.
While picking and choosing stickers to create a planner layout can be fun, it can also be daunting and time consuming. If you want an easy way to decorate your planner layout without the hassle of mixing and matching, each page in Decorate Your Planner Sticker Book has a unique theme and color palette that includes colorful illustrations, icons, notes and washi. These themes allow you the flexibility to decorate your planner with ease so no two planner layouts are exactly alike.
Money on your mind? Prioritize your finance journey by tracking your budget, expenses, and bills with the use of functional and encouraging stickers, like those found in the SAVE IT! Finance & Budgeting Sticker Book. If you want even more ideas, check out our video all about the different ways you can budget with your Passion Planner.
Habit trackers are a popular way to track tasks you want to remember to do (or things you want to limit). For instance, if you have a daily goal of walking 10,000 steps, you can use a habit or step tracker, like those found in the Functional Trackers Sticker Book, to embrace progress over perfection everyday.
Plans change. Mistakes happen! Stickers are a perfect way to seamlessly hide any schedule updates or mistakes. While any sticker book could work for this purpose, the Everything Cute Sticker Book features cuddly animals, pastel hues, and other kawaii stickers that feel like a satisfying addition to any changed plan or typo.
Let your planner inspire you and remind you of what’s important. The Gratitude and Affirmations Sticker Book allows you to embrace the good things that happened with uplifting phrases, illustrations, and trackers. Leave yourself affirmations and make note of all the things that help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
Engaging in self-care can improve your mental health, increase productivity, and prevent burnout. Self-care looks different to everyone, but some ideas include meditating, taking a walk outside, journaling, or spending time learning something new that is important to you. The Self-Care Sticker Book is perfect for putting yourself first, celebrating the small wins, and honoring the space you need to rest and recharge.
Maybe you bought an Undated Passion Planner, or you have an outdated Passion Planner lying around that you never got to use (we don’t judge!). Either way, our Calendar Date Stickers are a perfect way to add new dates to an existing planner. Choose a variety of different color options, or keep it neutral for a more minimal look. You can even use these stickers in a bullet journal to make a custom calendar or weekly layout.
Whether you’re planning for an upcoming trip or reflecting on your past one, your planner can be your companion in finding joy in the journey. Use stickers to maximize your vacation time and create a space to cherish the memories along the way. You can even print out photos to keep in your planner as well for memory keeping!
Coloring is a relaxing hobby that’s embraced by all ages. If you’re looking to add a little more play and creativity to your life, we recommend the Let’s Color! Sticker Book. Show your true colors by using your favorite pens, pencils, or Passion Highlighters to color in endless designs and wholesome illustrations to celebrate your inner child.
There are infinite ways to use stickers to support your goals and dreams, all while adding more fun to your planning experience. No matter what sticker books or stickers you choose, remember to embrace the uniqueness of your creative process and let your planner be a space for what really matters.
Rachel is a decorative planning fan who lives in the Vegas area. She also loves tea, walking, music trivia, and cruises. You can find her on Instagram at @motivatedbystickers and YouTube at MotivatedByStickers. If you’re a fan of the Passion Planner Small, you can also join her Facebook community.
]]>Sometimes just one planner isn't enough to align your days with your goals. In today's blog, learn how to use the Daily and Weekly Passion Planners together to create the ultimate planning system.
]]>How do you know if using two planners is the right move for you? Here are a few signs that this could be the right fit for you.
So you’ve identified the problem… now what? There are a few things to think about when you’re starting to use both a Daily and Weekly planner together.
After reviewing your goals (this is where a check-in with your Passion Roadmap can be helpful!) and understanding how both planners work, it’s time to decide. Does using two planners benefit your current needs? If so, what intention do you want to set for each space? Once you’ve made the choice to proceed using both the Daily and Weekly, you can define what you want out of each type of planner.
Whether you’re using the Weekly, the Daily, or both planners together, Passion Planner is infinitely customizable to your needs. Here are a few different ways you can use the Daily and Weekly planners together.
Manage multiple projects. Sometimes you might need to devote a little more space to one area of your life, and separating your projects between two planners can be a great way to make that space for yourself. For example, you can use the Daily planner to track exercise or meal planning and nutrition, while tracking your long-term progress towards a GameChanger goal in your Weekly planner. No matter which planner you choose to dedicate to what project, ultimately the Daily will provide you with a more detailed view of the day, while the weekly gives a broader overview of the week.
Keep track of multiple schedules.
If your schedule is a mix of your career, your family, and your personal life, having one planner might start to feel too cramped, or like you aren’t able to get as detailed as you need. This lack of space can make it feel overwhelming to look at all of the words crowding your page. In a two-planner setup, utilize the Daily to break down the part of your schedule that you think might benefit from having its own space. For example, moving your personal schedule to your Daily planner, while keeping your academic schedule in your Weekly planner can create an even balance of your priorities. Another way to think of this might be that your Weekly is what you expect to happen in the week, whereas the Daily is what actually happens every day.
Create balance between your personal and professional life. A final way of using two planners together is to implement more balance between the different areas of your life. Try utilizing one planner for your work schedule and professional goals, and use the other as a memory keeper or journal. This might work well with the Weekly as your journal and the Daily functioning as a high-level project planner. Doing this will allow you to have room for both your overall schedule and storing your memories and reflections, while also organizing your goals and tracking progress.
There are definite benefits to using two planners at once. If you feel like your current setup is not giving you what you need, remember — every day is (literally) a new page to start over! Check out our Passion Planner Daily and Weekly planners here.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>Having a year-at-a-glance is a feature of many planners, and a good place to store things like birthdays, anniversaries, upcoming appointments, travel plans, or other reminders. But rather than filling it in with what you know is coming up, why not use or Daily planner’s annual calendar to track your habits? You could add in stickers, symbols, or color coding to record your daily habits like reading, movement or exercise, or sleep. Another idea might be to color code each daily box to track your moods, like a Year in Pixels. Make sure to keep a key somewhere in your planner to refer back to so you can decode your tracking later on. Lastly, you could use each box to write in 1-2 words of daily gratitude journaling. This can be one way to look back on your year and remember the things that really made an impact.
Maybe you don’t have work tasks to do every day, or maybe you just need a day without a to-do list at all. Changing the headers in your Daily planner can free up that space to be used in all kinds of ways. You can cross them out, use correction tape, or put stickers or washi tape over the headers to relabel them as something else. If you’re trying to create new morning or evening routines, jot them down here as a reminder. You can use this space to make a list of your good-enough goals — the things that will help you manage boring self-care tasks like brushing your teeth, drinking water, or going outside for a quick stretch in the sunlight. If it’s your day off, you can also make a list of things you want to do with your free time, like going to the library, getting a latte, or taking a bike ride.
Even though the Passion Planner Daily is designed for you to have one page for every day, it is totally customizable to combine them if you need to. This can be a convenient way to plan out a weekend trip or look ahead to the next two days of a work project conjointly. You could also keep track of two separate schedules in one place using this method, like work and school, or yours and your partner’s or children’s. Draw a line down the middle of the hourly tracker to divide it into two columns. You can label the top to show what each side represents, or maybe color-code them to create a visual cue as well. This can also show you the pockets of free time you have that overlap with another person, a perfect way to prioritize quality time in your important relationships.
The free weekly overview PDF is a welcome addition to your Daily planner. It’s a great way to see your week at-a-glance or plan ahead. You can download the PDF on Passion Planner’s website and use colorful wash tape to secure it in place. There are two versions of the weekly overview: vertical or horizontal. After choosing which version you like the best, you can use your Space of Infinite Possibility for the weekly overview or paste it in the middle like a flippable tab between the two larger pages — it’s customizable to whatever your needs may be. Some creative ideas for the weekly overview might be tracking workouts, dividing up larger work or creative projects, or meal planning ahead of time. It’s also a great space for a quick gratitude practice or brief journal entries.
Sometimes one category just isn’t enough! You contain multitudes, and why shouldn’t your planner, too? One simple way to customize your Daily is to split up the personal or work to-do list sections. You might create sub-lists, such as for separate projects at work, or add a new category altogether, such as budgeting or errands. This is a great way to keep all of your reminders straight on the days when it feels like your brain is overflowing.
Maybe there are parts of your planner that just don’t get used very often. No shame in that game — we’re here to talk about how to make your Daily planner work for you. Try downloading the habit tracker PDF from the Passion Planner website and pasting it onto one of those unused sections on the left hand page. Now instead of empty space, you have a tool to track your progress towards different goals!
Did you know you can use your Daily planner to plan more than just one day? While that might sound like a riddle, it’s totally possible. Another way you can use your SOIP is to extend the hourly section onto the next page. If your day starts early or ends late, you could renumber the hourly section to reflect this, or even duplicate it to have multiple days in view at once. If you’re someone who likes to plan ahead, you might even use this space to sketch out your future schedule, or plan out your ideal day. This can be helpful if you are putting together a class schedule for school or just trying to fit more time for yourself into your busy life.
A creative twist on an existing Daily planner feature is to divide the Self-Maintenance section into a progress bar. You can try this customization out multiple ways, such as by splitting it into sections to benchmark your progress towards a goal, like drinking a gallon of water during the day, or even splits of work and breaks like in the Pomodoro method. Another idea would be to divide it into sections based on your different Self-Maintenance goals. These could include taking your vitamins, spending time outside, or anything you want to do during the day to keep yourself well.
For the times when you need a weekly planner, this hack can help your Daily to fit the bill. Take a ruler and draw four vertical lines down the hourly section of your planner to create a grid. Label the five columns with the days of your work week and ta-da! You’ve got a mini weekly planner right at your fingertips. This can be useful to block your schedule and create visual cues or reminders. You could also use it as a mini Week in Pixels to see how you’re spending your time. After tracking for a week, you might notice that you spent a lot more time outside than usual, or that it was an especially heavy work week, and use that information to make decisions for the future.
Do you love your Daily so much that you wish you could have more of it? Try printing out a Daily PDF from our website and pasting it into your SOIP. If you use your Daily planner like a bullet journal, this hack makes it super easy to copy over tasks that got left behind from the day before. With more space overall, you could also add different categories to your lists other than just work or personal. If you prefer having two days together to organize your weekend, then you could make a list of chores you need to accomplish, fun things you want to do, or things to pick up at the farmer’s market.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>Due to the increasing costs of business operations, we have made the difficult decision to increase our prices starting June 7, 2022.
]]>
For full transparency, this is why we must increase our prices:
On another note, with these changes we will also be able to offer:
AND more frequent free shipping promotions offered through our newsletter so stay tuned!
On a budget? As always you can download our full planner PDFs to print and use for free.
We appreciate your support as we continue on this journey to help more people live a more intentional life that is aligned with their dreams. We truly could not do this without you!!
With gratitude,
Angelia “Angel” Trinidad
CEO and Founder of Passion Planner
Burnout is a step beyond regular stress — it’s when you’re overextended in multiple ways, and it’s harder to recover from than your usual daily routine. Today, we’re going to define burnout, identify the common signs, and help you to make a recovery plan.
]]>What we’re describing is called burnout, and it is a feeling that many people are starting to identify in themselves for the first time. While it’s bound to happen to all of us, you don’t have to feel this way forever. Today, we’re going to define burnout, identify the common signs, and help you to make a recovery plan.
Burnout refers to the impact of repeated exposure to high levels of stress on your brain and body. In recent years, the scientific community has learned a lot about the effects of stress on humans. From elevated blood pressure and poor sleep quality to worsened mood and shortened attention span, stress can change how you feel in a variety of ways.
Burnout is a step beyond regular stress — it’s when you’re overextended in multiple ways, and it’s harder to recover from than your usual daily routine. Life burnout can also have different effects on the body. Maybe stress from work causes one bad night’s sleep this week, but dealing with burnout can lead to waking up feeling exhausted every day. When your mind and your body have been under this kind of chronic stress for too long, your quality of life starts to suffer.
So how do you know if you’re experiencing burnout in life? There are a few telltale signs that your stress level is heightened beyond the typical level:
Being burnt out on life looks different for everyone. If one or two of the things on this list resonate with you, take that as a sign to check in with yourself. Remember that you deserve to feel good and take care of yourself, too — not just all the people you love or things on your to-do list.
If you’re experiencing burnout, making a recovery plan might sound like just one more thing to add to your already full plate. But it doesn’t have to be a lengthy or in-depth process to still be valuable. Sometimes the most important part of taking care of yourself is “boring self-care” — things like hygiene tasks, getting enough sleep, spending time away from screens, and drinking water. Burnout often starts when the demands on your time get prioritized over your basic needs. In the field of clinical psychology, these needs are on a framework called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This theory says that your basic needs for things like air, light, heat, water, food, and shelter must be met before you can improve other needs, such as financial security, improving self-confidence, or relationships with others. Start by tending to your basic needs first to start healing burnout.
Once your basic needs are starting to improve, think about what immediate changes need to happen to lighten your load. Remember: managing burnout means doing less, not more. This is especially important for overachievers and people-pleasers recovering from burnout. Take a look at your planner or calendar. How are you using your time? Is it aligned with your values? If it is not, what can you take a step back from, and how would that make a difference in your daily life?
This might mean talking to the people in your life and asking them for additional support. It can be really hard to ask for help, especially when you are used to being the rock in your relationships with other people. In the spirit of doing less, not more, think about if anyone in your life could help take things off your plate. Maybe your partner is willing to take on some extra chores around the house, or maybe you don’t have to say yes to every invitation that comes your way this weekend. Sometimes saying no to one thing means saying yes to something else, like your own peace of mind or well-being.
Lastly, as important as it is to set boundaries with your time and in your relationships with others, the most crucial part of recovering from burnout is practicing self-compassion. You’re doing the best that you can with the resources that you have — no one chooses to walk headfirst into mental burnout. It’s an inevitable part of being human, and in many cases, it happens because you care a lot about the effort you put into your life. As you begin to pare down your priorities and focus on your own well-being, be gentle with yourself in the process. It’s not selfish to care for yourself, it’s necessary for your survival.
Our #PashFam are no strangers to using their planners to better their lives and make their dreams a reality. So why not use your planner to recover from burnout? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Use your planner’s hourly spread to block time for all of your priorities, including time for yourself. Prioritize time for what supports you rather than what drains you. When you know you’re burned out, instead of starting with plugging in all of your scheduled commitments for the week, start with the things you want to do to restore yourself. This could include a walk during your lunch break to get some fresh air, or starting your work day an hour later to grab a drink at your favorite coffee shop.
The first 15 minutes of your day can set the tone for the rest of it. Creating a morning routine could include committing to stay off your phone first thing in the morning, carving out extra time for breakfast at home rather than during your commute, or reading a few pages of a book when you first wake up. Pencil this into your Passion Planner as a visible reminder to put yourself first when you start your day.
Do you have a go-to routine when you need a break? What about a favorite activity when you have a night to yourself? Jot this down in your planner’s Space of Infinite Possibilities as a reference for the next time you’re feeling burned out. You can create a list, a mind map, or any combination your brain can cook up. If you get stuck, download our free Health and Wellness Reflection pdf to get yourself thinking about how burnout affects your body and mind, and create a go-to kit for when you need it.
Moving your body every day is a great way to combat the physical and mental signs of burnout exhaustion. It doesn’t have to be intense exercise for it to be beneficial to your wellbeing. Even a few minutes of stretching has the power to change how you feel. You can track this in your planner by making a list, adding it to your daily time-blocking, or using a tracker format. Our Functional Trackers Sticker Book can help you to set these up — just paste them into your planner and write in your goals for the week. Don’t forget to give yourself encouragement, too! A quote you find inspiring, a cute doodle, or even planning a reward for your effort can help to motivate you.
Burnout and chronic stress can really mess with your sleep schedule. You can use your planner to track your sleep patterns by recording the times you fall asleep and wake up, or even to plan for your ideal bedtime. If you’re feeling tired throughout the day, aim to go to bed an hour earlier than you have been lately. Getting enough sleep looks different for every person, and there’s no shame in an early bedtime.
Last but certainly not least, use your Passion Planner to schedule time doing absolutely nothing. Like we’ve been saying all along, overcoming burnout means you need to do less, not more! If you take anything away from this article, it’s that you deserve time to yourself. Use your planner to find time every day when you have no expectations of yourself. You don’t have to be productive during this time, or accomplish any of your goals, you just have to be.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>There are days where you’re checking off all the boxes, and days where you simply want to be. That’s what Passion Planner Daily is all about: meeting you where you’re at. Whether you’re a long time #PashFam member looking to make a change, or just started using a planner, the Passion Planner Daily can help you set a new routine. In this article, we’ll explore how to use the Passion Planner Daily to start aligning your days with your dreams.
First thing’s first: grab your Passion Planner Daily. If you don’t have one, you can always download the layout for free to check it out. The Daily is designed to meet you where you are, with just enough structure to get you started and plenty of blank space to take you where you want to go.
Passion Planner Daily is undated, meaning you can start today, and if you skip a few days here and there, you can pick right up where you left off. Each page is carefully crafted to suit whatever kind of day you’re having, whether it’s a full schedule or ample free time to rest and recharge. Here’s a quick guide on the structure of the Daily Undated Passion Planner.
Just like in the Passion Planner Weekly, your Daily planner starts with a classic #PashFam feature: the Passion Roadmap. Here you’ll transform your lifelong dreams into long-term and short-term goals.
The Passion Roadmap is broken into smaller sections including lifetime, 3 years, one year, and 3 months. Once you have your wish list, start divvying up your goals across these sections. This may take another five minutes or so while you reflect on what your timeline looks like for each goal. For example, running a 5k might be a three-month goal, and finishing your degree might take three years or longer. Don’t worry about coming up with dreams that sound cool or impressive to others — this is just for you. If you need a few ideas to get you started, check out our list of 60 New Years Resolutions for your Passion Roadmap.
Next up: the GameChanger. Here, choose one of your Roadmap goals to expand on. Break that goal down into smaller tasks, and set a deadline for each task, as well as the GameChanger itself. If we break down the goal of running a 5k, you might want to start running shorter distances a few times per week or alternate sprints of running and walking. You could create separate tasks like “run 15 minutes without stopping” or “run 1 mile” and assigning them a due date. It could be helpful to use a program like Couch to 5k, a free app that provides a structured program of guided audio to help users run longer distances, to plan out your tasks before setting the deadlines yourself.
At the start of your planner, you’ll find the Yearly Overview section. Think of this as a snapshot of your year to come: pencil in all of your plans, deadlines, and special occasions ahead of time and look back on it to see what’s up next. You can record birthdays, holidays, vacation plans, and upcoming appointments in the Yearly Overview, then copy them into your Daily pages when you’re ready. The Daily also includes three monthly layouts to give you a month-at-a-glance when you need it.
At the end of each month, the Passion Planner Daily includes a short monthly reflection. First, think about what stands out this month. Did anything special or significant happen? Make sure to take note of any accomplishments of your own, too, no matter how big or small. This is a good space to give yourself some props for working towards your goals. You can also jot down a few thoughts on what you’ve learned along the way.
Next, it’s time to choose your GameChanger goal for the month. You might be continuing to work towards the same goal, or choosing a new one from your Passion Roadmap. Set a timer for five minutes and sketch out a mini-mindmap of your new GameChanger. Once your time is up, the Daily Planner prompts will guide you through making your goal more reachable by planning out the specifics, including what (and who!) you can call on for support. Use this reflection space to celebrate the small wins and build towards the bigger ones.
When you open to a new daily page, the left side is set up with structure for you. Just fill in the blanks to get your day started and your creative juices flowing. The left hand pages are designed as a ready-to-go resource for you to brainstorm your day — just fill in the blanks. On the right side, there is an extra-large Space of Infinite Possibilities page. You can journal about your day, doodle, brainstorm, collage with stickers, make a to-do list, or whatever else you need space for. You do you, and make your planner your own.
Dual To-Do Lists
The Passion Planner Daily has separate lists for your work and personal tasks to make sure that they are both prioritized throughout the day. When you open your planner to check in for the day, start by choosing your Game Changer goal to focus on. You can brain dump all of the tasks you have on the dual work and personal to-do lists next. Then, fill in your daily schedule on the hourly calendar, and see if you can fit in these tasks around your scheduled obligations.
Daily Self-Care Practice
When you are busy with work or school, self-care tends to be the first thing to go. Use this section of your planner to incorporate a healthy habit into your daily life, or take note of the small moments that recharge you throughout the day.
Space of Infinite Possibility
The right side of your planner’s daily pages has the Space of Infinite Possibility, where you can write, draw, doodle, brainstorm or do whatever your heart desires. It can be a useful spot to expand your to-do lists, jot down a journal entry, add stickers, or glue in mementos from your day. When it comes to ways to use this space, the limit does not exist.
Feeling stuck on how to use the Space of Infinite Possibility in your Daily planner? On page 6 there is a list of ideas to get you started. Here are a few examples:
Now that you have filled out your roadmap and set your goals, it’s time to think about your daily routine. Ask yourself, am I someone who does their best work in the morning? Would I benefit from a little more preparation the night before? Or am I OK with filling things in on the fly throughout the day?
Choose a time to commit to checking in with your planner every day. It might be helpful to pair this with an activity you already do, or something you look forward to every day. For example, you could sit down with your Passion Planner Daily and a cup of coffee every morning, or pull it out at your desk at lunch time to prep for the next day.
Using your Passion Roadmap, note what your goal will be your focus for the day. It may be helpful to do this before you fill in your daily schedule, to see where you can fit in time to focus on this goal. Alternately, you may need to sketch out your day before taking stock of what your focus will be. You can revisit your Roadmap and GameChanger goals frequently to make sure you’re on track to meet them.
During your check-in time, take a few minutes to reflect and fill out the Self-Maintenance sections on the left page of your planner. If you haven’t taken time for self-care yet today, make a plan for something you will do later on, like going to the library to check out a new book or taking a walk outside. Ask yourself, what is the best thing that happened today? And what have I learned today? This is part of cultivating a daily gratitude practice, which can improve mental health and promote mindfulness.
Our #PashFam knows that we are committed to celebrating the wins, both big and small. And completing your first Passion Planner Daily is definitely a win! At the end of the Daily planner, there is space for both your self check-in and a final reflection page about how your life has changed since you started using this planner.
Whether you’ve been using your planner daily for three months or off and on for longer, think about what has happened in that time. What has been the most challenging? And what has brought you the most joy? Going forward, what do you want to dedicate more time to? This can be a helpful jumping-off point for setting up your next Daily planner, and a good reminder of your priorities to keep in mind. Wherever your path takes you next, remember to find joy in the journey and take your goals one day at a time.
Madeline Hodgman is a clinical social worker living in the Midwest with her husband and pets. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga, baking, reading, or exploring the national parks.
]]>If you’re new to planning, you may not know about all the different planning styles available. Thankfully you can find lots of inspiration and planning tips easily if you know where to look. We recommend starting on Pinterest using search terms like “Passion Planner” and “Passion Planner Layout”. This is a great start to see what type of planner layouts appeal to you and pin images to different boards for ideas.
We also recommend searching for various hashtags on Instagram like #PashFam and #PassionPlanner. Don’t forget that you can also use hashtags to narrow down to a specific size or type of Passion Planner too - for instance #PassionPlannerDaily or #PassionPlannerSmall. As you can see, there are many ways to discover different planner aesthetics and layouts. Now let’s take a more in-depth look at the specific planning styles you might come across.
Are you looking forward with your planner or looking back? Whether you’re doing one, or even both, it’s important to understand the difference between how these intentions take up space in your planner.
Functional planning is the style of planning most people think of when they first hear the word “planner.” Functional planning involves tracking the important tasks in your life you plan to do, such as scheduling appointments, making to-do lists or shopping lists, settling goals, or tracking habits. Sometimes functional layouts can feel mundane, so don’t be afraid to spice it up with some stickers! Our Functional Trackers Sticker Book is perfect for keeping your planner layout functional while adding in some color to help motivate you to tackle those tasks.
Unlike functional planning, which involves tracking tasks, memory planning is a way to use your planner to track the things that have already happened in your life. For instance, with functional planning you might have a list of things you want to get done, but with memory planning you would look back on what you completed. Some common memory planning activities include using your planner as a journal, writing down daily or weekly memories, or collecting daily gratitudes. Remember that memory planning does not have to be connected to completing tasks or being productive. Memory planning can be connecting with your thoughts and feelings to create a safe space for whatever’s on your mind.
If both of these styles sound appealing to you, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one! Many planners use a combination of functional planning and memory planning. For instance, you can use your Passion Planner functionally by putting in appointments and tasks, then use the empty spaces to journal about your day and how you’re feeling. Memory planning can also be great when you miss a week or two in your planner and end up with a blank week (which can happen to all of us!) You can use the blank pages to jot down what you did, where you went, and how you felt. If it’s been a while and you’re having a hard time remembering, you can also look through photos on your phone or browse through text messages to help jog your memory.
Just like there are different planning styles, there are also different types of planner aesthetics!
Decorative planning is popular with the planner community, especially if you’ve been browsing Pinterest. Just as the name suggests, this involves adding decorations to your planner to make it more aesthetically pleasing. The best part is, you don’t need artistic experience to get started. The easiest and most popular way to decorate a planner is with stickers. This is a great way to add art to your planner without having to worry about drawing it yourself. You can use stickers related to your tasks or you can stick down whatever appeals to you. There’s no wrong way to use them and for some, adding in stickers can be a relaxing practice and remind them to use their planner, too.
You’ll also find washi tape is a popular tool among decorative planners. Washi tape - also called decorative tape - is an easy way to add borders, lines, or just general decoration to your planner. You can also use it to tape in extra pages as needed, also called tip-ins. There are lots of places to buy washi tape, like The Washi Tape Shop, which has a huge selection of gorgeous tapes to choose from.
Some may find this style can also be time consuming or distracting. Minimal planning is another type of planning that is popular, especially if a decorative style is overwhelming. Minimal planning involves mostly pen or other writing tools, and while you can use stickers, they are often used very sparingly as to not be too distracting. Minimal planning doesn’t have to mean just black and white, though. You can use highlighters or markers to add some color. It is very common to use highlighters to color code your different appointments (such as green for work appointments and blue for social engagements). In addition to highlighters, Passion Planner offers a variety of printable inserts that allow you to customize your space seamlessly with inserts that already match. The best part is these inserts are black and white so you can leave them minimalistic or add pops of color as you wish.
There are infinite ways to make your planning style your own. Remember, you don’t have to commit to just one style or setup. You can mix and match different styles and change your approach from week to week (or even day to day!) During a slow week you may choose to use a more decorative style, filling in your planner with stickers, and taking a functional approach to help motivate you to get your tasks done for the week ahead. On a busy week you may stick with a more minimal aesthetic and use memory planning to reflect on how your week went.
If you don’t know where to start, don’t be afraid to practice different styles. While you can use Pinterest and Instagram as inspiration, try not to feel intimidated. Some planner users have cultivated their own style after much trial and error, so allow yourself grace to experiment and grow. No one ever has to see your planner layout; all that matters is what you think of it. It’s also perfectly okay to step away from the social media world of planning, too. If all the options make you feel overwhelmed, take a step back and focus on what works for you. At the end of the day, your planner should bring you joy, whatever that looks like. There are no planner rules to follow when it comes to using a planner effectively, and the “perfect” planner setup is the one that supports you best and meets you where you’re at in any stage of life.
Rachel is a decorative planning fan who lives in the Vegas area. She also loves tea, walking, music trivia, and cruises. You can find her on Instagram at @motivatedbystickers and YouTube at MotivatedByStickers. If you’re a fan of the Passion Planner Small, you can also join her Facebook community.
]]>Perfectionism can get the best of any of us. As a recovering perfectionist and aspiring imperfectionist, I know that staying in the comfort of perfectionism is enticing. One of my favorite books is The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, which states that we armor ourselves with perfectionism because we are afraid of vulnerability and connection.
I like to think of passion as a radical connection with ourselves.
Passion is unique to each person and marks endeavors and hobbies that feel authentic to them. With a tool like Passion Planner, the hope is to integrate these authentic connections into our daily lives, whether those are hobbies, relationships, or causes.
In this article, we’re going to deep dive into how perfectionism kills passion, and how to lean into imperfection to bring it back to life.
Have you ever created a goal at the beginning of the year that sounded something like this:
“I’m going to workout every single day at 5:30 AM before work.”
“This is THE year where I’m finally going to get my writing off the ground.”
But then you wake up at 7 AM and your running shoes are still in the closet. Or you’ve written a few pieces but are experiencing fear around showing them to others. We’ve mentioned this in a recent video, but militant attachment to a goal is more a deterrent to achieving it than actually giving it room to breathe. The attachment makes it into a demand, and you no longer feel passionate about it.
Here are some changes to the above goals we adjusted:
“I’m going to engage in movement that I love (yoga, dancing, hiking) 3-5x times a week.”
“This is THE year where I’m going to give my writing the exposure it deserves. I’m going to write at least three pieces and share them with five people whom I trust.”
There’s been a lot of inner child talk in wellness and therapy circles these days, and there’s a reason.
Our passions are often deeply connected to our childhood, through interests we’ve long forgotten about or even artistic expressions that went unrecognized.
Perfectionism can stop passion dead in its tracks because it needs everything to be right, but when we’re children, we do our passions for the simple reason that we enjoy them.
“Is my art good enough?” “Will people enjoy this?” In reality, our inner child couldn’t care less if the art is good to others, only that it’s good to ourselves. Connection and people resonating with it is just a bonus.
When reconnecting with your passions in a big way, never begin with other people, always begin with yourself.
No community in the history of our world was built on perfection.
In fact, the strongest connections are forged when we are real about our wounds.
When we are on this journey, chances are that we don’t know everything, nor do we have everything. We need to ask for help. We need resources. Perfectionism lies and tells us we need to do it all on our own, making it impossible to ever get the help we need because we think it makes us weak.
With perfectionism, we do not have the capacity to forgive ourselves or others because everything must be the “right” way. When we leave room for mistakes and imperfections, we’re leaving room for laughter, support, and community.
Your passion deserves to exist without the dictator of perfectionism breathing over it. Remember, your passions don’t have to be perfect, they just have to start.
Planning is only as difficult as you make it. There’s no set style or technique to follow. Your planner is your space to go as wild (or not so wild) as you want. In reality, you don’t need to use your planner to plan. If you want to use your planner to track who gets eliminated each week on The Bachelor, then do it! You are in control.
Decorating a planner is all about finding your planning flow. Your individual style will help you design the planner that works best for you, visually and functionally. Try experimenting with different styles until you find one that motivates you to plan each week.
I totally get that feeling when I see other planners and feel intimidated by their style or their lettering skills. Don’t be discouraged! Turn your intimidation into inspiration. Draw from other people’s layouts and make it your own. No matter what your handwriting might look like or how many supplies you own, you have the power to create your own beautiful layouts. My hope is for you to take inspiration from this blog and bring it to life in your Passion Planner!
The Women’s Empowerment Sticker Book will motivate you to create HERstory. Created by 6 female artists, this sticker book is the definition of womxn empowerment.
This Nature Sticker Book is perfect for the adventure-seeker. With over 800 stickers to choose from, you’ll be planning your next adventure in no time.
Got goals? The New Year New Goals Sticker Book will set you up for success any day of the year. From fill-in-the-blank stickers to motivational phrases, you will go from a goal-setter to a goal-getter.
When you’re looking for planner inspiration, stickers are a great place to start! Stickers can reflect your mood and personal style. We have so many sticker books to choose from; whether you’re striving for new goals or growing in your journey, stickers put the fun in functional.
Time-blocking is the best way to visualize the amount of time you can dedicate to your tasks. You can also use time-blocking to task batch your important projects--breaking down what needs to be done in that time-slot.
Another time-blocking style is using artsy scribbles over your timeslots! This is a fun and easy way to add color to your spread.
Bring some dimension into your layout with 3D time-blocking!
Track your moods, progress, or activities with the FREE Year in Pixels PDF! Create a unique color key and start filling in the pixels everyday throughout the year. At the end of the year, you’ll be able to see an overview of everything you tracked!
Track your reps and break that sweat! This FREE Workout Tracker PDF makes it easy to see your workouts each week and plan for your next one. It can fit anywhere from your back pages, monthly calendar, or weekly layout!
Bills, subscriptions, taxes, oh my! This FREE Finance Tracker PDF is a quick and easy way to track where you spent your money over the week. Place it in your back pages for a full financial overview, or weekly in your Space of Infinite Possibility area.
The FREE Yearly Overview PDF is one of the unique features of the Passion Planner Daily and is one of our PDFs you can download for free! The yearly overview is like the Year in Pixels but with more space for writing. You can track your gratitude, word of the day, or even your best memories each day of the year.
The blank and dotted back pages in your planner are designed to be used for literally anything. Whether you love BUJO style layouts or want a break from the weekly spread, you can create your own layouts in the back pages.
Bucket lists are perfect to include in your back pages because you are able to revisit these goals throughout the year.
Consistency is key. If there’s a goal you really want to accomplish, create a game plan in your back pages that you can follow each month.
What are you thankful for? What blessings do you want to highlight? Your back pages have endless room for journaling gratitude.
PRO TIP: Save a few back pages to write down your blessings throughout the year! By December, you’ll have an entire log to look back on and appreciate.
If you’re looking for a BUJO feel to your planner, add scraps of paper and create your own layout style.
Need spare paper? Grab our FREE Dotted page or Graph page PDFs!
PRO TIP: Use different colored paper for creativity!
Stickers can transform the vibe of any planner cover!
Bring your planner design ideas to life by painting the cover! It will not only reflect your personal style, but it also makes it stand out from your other Passion Planners.
Sometimes a few words says more than a paragraph. Release the pressure of having to fill in all the blank space by going big, bold, and brief instead.
When you’re creating planner setup ideas, monthly tabs are a must. A #PashFam favorite, our new Monthly Tabs make it easy for you to plan ahead. The best part? They come in 14 different colors, so you can find one that matches your planner or fits your vibe! Our Flush Monthly Tabs are perfect for those who like to keep the outside of their planner the same, but still want to mark each month’s location.
All of our weekly Passion Planners include challenges to encourage intention in your week. Use the Space of Infinite Possibility to mindmap and journal your responses. Here's one where we asked the #PashFam to list 10 things that make them happiest.
Doodles are a fun way to express your creativity and practice your skills. With our thick and sustainably sourced 120 GSM paper, you can draw, paint, or doodle to your heart’s content. Need some doodle ideas? Get some inspiration in our YouTube series, How to Draw with Passion Planner.
Does your self care routine need a refresh? Download our Free Self Care Reflection PDF to prioritize your wellbeing in a way that feels authentic to you.
Our regular handwriting is usually the only writing we use when we plan. To add more contrast, try calligraphy or lettering to showcase the important aspects of your schedule. This allows you to see the bigger picture and spot the difference between a task and a title.
One of the best planner pages ideas is using your planner to scrapbook. Add photos, stickers, and even shopping receipts to track your daily or weekly memories. Memory planning can positively impact your mental health and provide you with a space to remember your precious moments each year.
Another form of memory planning is journaling. Utilize the timeslots as lined paper and journal your thoughts or moments from that day.
Using washi tape is another #PashFam favorite. Washi tape can be used to cover up particular sections you don’t want to use or add flair to your layouts.
A mind map is a classic way to use the Space of Infinite Possibility. Create mind maps for your goals, GameChanger, or ways to think positively. Mind mapping helps you gain clarity, break down your goals, and create tangible steps to achieve your goals.
Write down notes from your quiz results to your next doctor’s appointment. This space is just the right size to fit notes big and small.
Practicing gratitude is one of the best ways to focus on the positive things in your life. It can strengthen your relationship with yourself and others while also serving as a space to write down your favorite memories.
Don’t know where to start? Try these journal prompts or participate in our 21-day gratitude challenge.
The Space of Infinite Possibility underneath the calendar overview is one of the planner sections that can get overlooked. In this space, create a birthday calendar that tracks your loved ones’ birthdays each month. You know you want to be that friend who knows everyone’s birthday, am I right?
Make opening your planner fun! Add stickers, photos, or doodles to the cover page that represent you and your unique style.
Your planner is all about you, so why not put more YOU into it? Create a scrapbook introduction page in the front of your planner! When you look back at this planner in the future, you’ll see who you were at this time of your life.
Planner accessories can go beyond stickers and washi. Create your own bookmarks that represent your personal style!
Another accessory idea is adding beads to your planner ribbon.
Write down self love affirmations to soothe your spirit.
Who said you need to mindmap the Passion Roadmap? This popcorn roadmap is a great example of making your own rules. This PashFam member wrote down their goals as one piece of popcorn. The possibilities are endless.
Our sticker books make incredible accessories for your planner! In this roadmap, a #PashFam member used one sticker that signified each goal they want to achieve.
Creating a theme is essentially creating a vision board of what your goals may look like or how they make you feel. If your goals consist of hiking, traveling, and other outdoor adventures, you could make your roadmap look like a nature landscape or grab stickers from our Nature Sticker Book.
Learn more about how to use your roadmap on our Passion Roadmap YouTube video.
Print and bind your own Passion Planner! With the Passion Planner Daily, you’ll have more space for flexibility and fun.
When printing and binding your very own Passion Planner, you have plenty of options to choose from. Available in Dated, Academic, and Undated formats, there’s a structure that works for everyone. Oh, and did we forget to mention? We have full Undated downloads available in Spanish, French, and Italian too.
The best part about the monthly reflection section is that there’s no set way to fill it out. The prompts are there to help guide your reflection and it’s up to you to represent your month the way you want. Try creating bold titles or mindmaps that break down your reflections.
Stickers can act as visual representations of our month or the emotions we felt throughout the month. Was your month full of adventure? Did you do a lot of self-care activities? Add stickers that reflect what you did and how you felt. You will be able to look back and understand how that month impacted your life.
No matter how you decide to use these planner ideas, your planner will become the pinnacle of fun and function. We hope these cute planner ideas will help you give your planner the glow up it deserves! Happy planning, #PashFam!
Ready to decorate? Shop our Accessories page to get started!
One of the most effective tools for cultivating self love is journaling. Wherever you are in your journey, intentional journaling can help you build, strengthen, and celebrate your self love.
For the next week, we challenge you to open up your Passion Planner and follow the journaling prompts below. You’re always welcome to download the FREE 7 Day Self Love Challenge to track your progress. (It’s designed to fit perfectly in the Space of Infinite Possibility section in your Passion Planner and for you to take it as many times as you want!)
Because each person is unique, how someone begins and continues their journey is also unique. But as with our relationships, we can look to the basics and foundations of love: trust, respect, and communication. When self love doesn’t come naturally, these other bits might not come as naturally either. Focus on building these up in baby steps.
Let’s start the week with a bit of a benchmark test: what do you love about yourself? Come on, we know you can do it!
Even though we’re highlighting our self relationship, sometimes it’s easier to recognize love in our external relationships, especially when we’re exploring these self love questions for the first time.
When was the last time you felt really seen and loved by someone? How did they show their love for you? How did it make you feel?
Now let’s take some of those acts of love we identified yesterday, and ask: How can I do those same things for myself?
Think of it like one of those takeout menus you keep in your kitchen drawer - pull it out and remember your self care checklist when you’re not sure if you need a face mask, a call with a friend, or (literally) a big takeout order.
Pro Tip: Grab your Self Care Sticker Book and make this page one you’ll want to revisit often!
This is where I’m going to ask you to dig a little deep. I once asked this as a rhetorical question (think flailing arms, yelling at the sky vibes), but realized that this was an important thing to identify before I could progress toward self love.
What self-deprecating thoughts keep coming up in your day-to-day? What negative memories, experiences, and feelings are you hanging on to? What would you need to do to let them go?
I credit this one to my therapist, who once asked me, “Where did you learn to talk to yourself that way?”
I am reviving the word “shook” just to say that I was SHOOK - I realized that I was so used to putting myself down it never occurred to me that (like literally everything else we do!) I had to learn it from somewhere. We don’t come out of the womb knowing how to be mean to ourselves, just like we don’t come into the world knowing how to crawl.
Where did your self blaming, self deprecating, and other negative self talk come from? How do you want to start speaking to yourself from now on?
Need some self love affirmation ideas? (We have 102 of them!)
My guess: a lot of stuff! But let’s just start with one challenge that you’re proud to have tackled, and that helped you become who you are now. Our most formative experiences are often ones that don’t feel so awesome in the moment. But when we look back on our trials with hindsight, and recognize that they’re really, truly behind us, it’s hard not to feel a sense of “Oh yeah… I did THAT.”
At the end of your 7 Days of Self Love Challenge, circle back to the beginning. Add at least 5 more things to your original list. Or 50. Go off!
Did your self love thoughts come to you easier than they did at the beginning of the week? How do you feel looking back on your previous week of journal entries?
And just because I LOVE talking to you about self love, here are a few honorable mention self love and self care exercises.
Set a Sacred Solo day each week. We all know quality time with those you love is great - do the same thing for you. Use this time to deep dive into a hobby, pamper yourself, or whatever else your soul desires for the day. Commit to it by writing it down in your planner as if it were another appointment on your calendar.
Take care of thy temple. Whether it means dressing to the nines or just making sure to take a shower today, your body carries you through love and life - take care of it!
Learn what others have to say about mental health, body image, and whatever aspects of self love you want to hone in on. Create your own “self love team” so to speak! That way when the going gets tough, you have a plan in place. Here’s a few of our faves:
Practice talking about your feelings. Letting others know how you feel has the underlying effect of teaching yourself that your feelings are worth hearing (and worth loving). Fellow Aquarii, I’m talking to YOU right now!
Daydream, plan, work toward, and believe in your goals. Nothing says “I love you, Self” like investing in your hopes and dreams.
Okay, seriously… self love isn’t always easy, friends! The highs are high, the lows are low, and it can sometimes feel like we’re starting from zero.
The good news: you’ve already been putting the work in for your entire life! Even in times when love is the farthest thing we’re feeling toward ourselves, we are always collecting the experiences and lessons that will ultimately bring us to our highest, most self-loving selves.
Download the FREE 7 Day Self Love Challenge PDF here!
But that is exactly why we at Passion Planner believe self love is so important to talk about. We live in a society that fattens up then feeds on our insecurities. Loving ourselves is a radical journey that will take us through our entire lives.
Today, we are celebrating that journey with 61 self love affirmations.
Believe me, if I knew THE answer, I would tell you all about it! The truth is that each one of us will constantly define and redefine our unique understanding of what self love means for us. That said, my (current, ever-evolving, moving target) self love definition is this:
Self love is the understanding that no one knows me like I know me. I am the only person on this Earth who can know the full beauty and depth of my spirit.
Self love is a commitment to expand, explore, protect, and honor that knowledge, so that I may give the gift of Me to the world.
To answer this, let me expand on that last part of my Self Love definition: “So that I may give the gift of Me to the world.”
Each one of us has unique gifts and experiences to offer, but we have created a society hardwired to make us forget our worth. It tells us to be thinner but also thicc-er, to speak our minds, but not too loudly. To be smarter, sexier, richer… It tells us we are always lacking.
We often wonder how to achieve self love, whether tying it to being productive or waiting for that 'one thing' that will finally allow us to embrace ourselves as we are. But really, that IS love: it’s the vulnerable, critical act of revealing our most genuine selves. It reminds us that we are worthy of being seen, despite all the noise that tells us otherwise.
And when all else fails, there’s a mantra for THAT! No matter how good we get at this self love thing, we can all use a reminder once in a while. Affirmations for self esteem, affirmations for self worth, confidence affirmations… you name it, we have one for you here!
Above: Sticker from Self-Care Sticker Book
Above: Sticker from Women's Empowerment Sticker Book
Above: Sticker from Self-Care Sticker Book
Above: Sticker from Women's Empowerment Sticker Book
Above: Sticker from Women's Empowerment Sticker Book
Above: Sticker from Self-Care Sticker Book
Want to fill your planner with self love affirmations? Try our Women's Empowerment, Self Care, and NEW Gratitude and Affirmations Sticker Books!
Wendy Sigler is Passion Planner’s resident Sometimes-Copywriter. When she’s not pondering love and life on this blog, she’s probably doing it on her podcast Before the Fern Dies. Follow her on Instagram @wendylin.h to see what she’s cooking up next!
]]>There are many benefits to journal writing. The most important is having the space to organize your thoughts. Being able to record your emotions, ideas and the memory connected to each day allows us to make space in our minds. This practice can be impactful to understanding the pattern of our daily routine. As we all know, the world can move too fast to keep up with. Journaling is an effective way to carve a healthy corner for reflection. It is a way the heart searches for a voice.
Everyone has a different journaling style. Use this opportunity to embrace your individuality and the unique way you show up in the world. There is no right or wrong way to journal, just a unique one. Some people are critical and neat while others are playful and stylish. It is more important to begin the work than to get stuck on planning. The most effective form of expression is execution. As you embark on this journey, you will discover which ‘style’ is best suitable for your thoughts. Start where you are, as you are.
We are in constant communication with the universe. With planning we have the ability to create the future that we want. Through experience, reason and emotions, we become empowered to transform our reality. This 30-Day Journaling challenge will help you tap into that power to bring your desires to life.
You may have heard the phrase, ‘direction is more important than speed.’ It is important to set an intention before you embark on this challenge because you can go fast headed the wrong way. To avoid any misdirection, envision the frame of mind you want to adapt. Then connect your actions to embody those traits. Being intentional vitalizes authenticity. Keep showing up.
Day 1 Prompt: List at least three things that make you feel grounded. How do you want those things to carry you today? How do they make you feel more connected to yourself and others?
The practice of gratitude is necessary for connecting the mind to the present. This expression provides a unique opportunity to enhance appreciation for what we have, what the world offers and ultimately who we are. Through gratitude we minimize the clutter in our minds and the need for comparison, as well as emotions that trigger resentment or envy.
It is important to begin here with gratitude, to ground our focus on the goal of self-improvement. It is a bridge to intimacy and a stronger relationship with self.
Self love is a gentle commitment to oneself. A graceful act of devotion to growth and embracing who you are. It is a key to true happiness and emotional strength. Gratitude gives you the power to navigate through this journey. Self love is a compass that will bring you back to yourself.
Through healing we acquire the necessary strength to recover from old wounds. Though every journey is different, healing is a walk of patience. It is a process you endure through humility, self love and compassion. You have to trust that your effort has been planted and will grow with time; and that it is good enough.
Healing requires grace for the mind to transform.
Journaling is a powerful tool to declutter the mind from life’s tempo. Through this practice, transformation becomes possible. When you put pen to paper, you give your mind the permission to feel your transformation. This is important for accountability and activates the belief that you are worthy.
As this challenge comes to a close, I want you to reflect on the small ways you have regained control. It is an essential need for transformation because true power is internal. Transformation requires intentional observation. It asks for us to slow down our thinking to create space for new thinking. Journaling gives us an opportunity to organize our thoughts to reflect our experiences. Through practice and commitment, it can also reshape the pace of our world. When we reflect, we connect deeper to the world around us.
Day 30 Prompt:
In what ways has your mindset shifted from scarcity to abundance? Write about the small changes you notice in your daily routine that has affected you in a positive way.
Are you ready to transform? Supplement your challenge experience by downloading our FREE 30 Day Journal Challenge Checklist PDF.
Malanda Jean-Claude is an interdisciplinary artist whose works range from literature to photography and film. Jean-Claude creates work that focuses on the possibility of intimacy. Through internal dialogue, his work examines one’s interdependence of spirituality and personal identity to infiltrate the eternal world of vulnerability.
]]>The vast world of bullet journaling is promising but also overwhelming. In this article, we break down the absolute basics: from the tools you’ll need to key spread ideas to get you started.
In his book The Bullet Journal Method, Ryder Carroll describes a bullet journal as a notebook that goes at “the speed of life.” In many ways, it’s more than a notebook with dots in it. Much like Passion Planner, it’s meant to be a companion to living with intention, to minimize the chaotic noise of our lives and drill down to what matters most.
Consider it a bespoke notebook tailored exactly to fit your needs--because you are the one creating it. Many bullet journal spread ideas on Pinterest may contain intricate hand lettering and complex planning systems. But that doesn’t mean yours has to look that way too. You can make it as colorful or minimalist, as complex or basic as you’d like.
The only things you’ll really need are a journal of your choosing and your favorite pens. I’m using a dotted Passion Journal here because I enjoy the minimalist but structured feel. (The two ribbons and page numbers are a bonus too!) If you don’t care for structure too much, I’d recommend the lined Passion Journal; if you plan on creating lots of lines and boxes, I’d recommend the grid format.
There are lots of different bullet journals to choose from, so we’ll give you a quick rundown of our bestselling Passion Journal to shorten your search! Here’s why you’ll love it:
As far as pens go, one reliable pen will do. Though if you enjoy color coding like I do, you can equip yourself with a wider variety. Here are a few of our team’s favorite pens to use:
All other tools are optional, but you’re welcome to use rulers, stickers, and other stationary favorites.
If you’re feeling anxious about putting pen to paper in a brand new notebook, I hear you! Begin with an intention: who is the person you want to be? How do you want the BuJo to help you get there?
And another thing: think of systems first, then aesthetic. It’s easy to get caught up in the Pinterest vortex of bullet journal ideas. Start with what will functionally make sense for you then explore ways to customize it later.
Here are 13 spread ideas to include in your bullet journal. Remember, you don't have to use all of them! Maybe start with three to five that you love and go from there.
Keep a running list of your variety of spreads and trackers.
Create a legend of shorthand symbols for your journal. If you color code, write a key for what each color represents.
If you could be anything, do anything, and have anything, what would it be? Write your life’s wishlist on one page to refer to as the year progresses.
Need a little more guidance on your goals? Download our FREE Passion Roadmap goal setting exercise to reflect on the ambitions that matter most to you.
Your entire month at a glance, all in one place.
Keep an easy, no fuss schedule in your bullet journal of your weekly appointments. Decorate with stickers and washi tape or go without for a minimalist feel.
Prefer to take life one day at a time? Keep it simple with an appointment calendar for the day and optional sections for gratitudes, highlights, and goals.
Monitor paying off debt and building your savings with an easy to create finance tracker.
The best way to keep up with a bullet journal is to include spreads you genuinely enjoy. Record all the movies you watch this year and write down which scene was your favorite too!
Draw a shelf with the reads you want to take on this year and include a section of your favorite quotes from each below it.
List all the things, big and small, for which you’re thankful.
Use the ever popular Year in Pixels method to track your mood each day.
Focus on a few habits you want to build. Color code based on whether or not you met a habit goal for the day.
If weekly scheduling isn’t your thing, opt for a weekly to-do list instead. Write down your most important tasks and cross them off as you complete each.
Want more bullet journal and planner inspo? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest!
Paula Palomar is a copywriter with Passion Planner. In her free time she enjoys bullet journaling and spending time with her English bulldog, Bella.
]]>What is it about goal planning that paralyzes us?
We go into the new year bright eyed and bushy tailed, but when it comes to writing down what we want to achieve--crickets. How can we ask the perfectionist within us to take the back seat and chasing what we want most out of our lives, especially at the risk of being imperfect?
The Passion Roadmap goal setting exercise is one of my favorite ways to start anew. The activity allows us to deep dive into goals centered around your dreams and desires. Within the first few pages of the Passion Planner, we are posed with two questions:
“If I could be anything, do anything, or have anything, what would it be?”
“What goal is going to make the most positive impact on your life right now?”
These are not easy questions to answer. While they do require some thought, we can put more pressure on ourselves than we need to. In this article, we’ll break down how to set goals (minus the stress) and the different types of goals you can create.
Let’s get back to basics for a moment. What are goals? I won't waste your time with a Merriam Webster definition--I think on the surface we all know what a goal is: an end result we're working towards.
Though dictionary definitions tell us what something is, they don't tell us how we make meaning of the word in our own lives. This is why we Google words like “relationships,” “productivity,” or “antiracism.” It’s why we’ve read countless goal setting articles but never turned to the dictionary. We don’t just want to know what something is—we also want to know why it matters. Or rather, how we make it matter.
Simply knowing what a goal is won’t help us achieve it.
So here’s a more important question to ask yourself: what are goals to you? What do your goals mean to you?
In Atomic Habits, James Clear states that the most effective habits are identity driven habits. For example, if a person identifies as an artist, one of their habits may be drawing every morning. Our habits are a manifestation of our beliefs about ourselves. They're an investment in the person we’d like to become.
No amount of productivity hacks can motivate us to build habits we are emotionally disconnected from.
Defining goals is the same way. If we are setting a goal from a place of shame or fear, we have centered our ambitions around what another person thinks of us, not who we truly are. We are, as the saying goes, “shoulding” ourselves. I’ve participated in the should-storm more times than I can count. An offhand remark at Thanksgiving propels me into a week of salads and miserable HIIT workouts. A week later, my efforts fizzle out. (Surprise, surprise.)
Before you define goals in your Passion Roadmap, ask yourself the following questions.
Going into this new year, I am exploring my identity as a creative writer. It is a lifelong passion of mine and a part of myself that I cherish. You may be different. Maybe you’re an organizing maven. A supportive and present parent. An assertive community leader. A die-hard knitter. Focus your goals around parts of yourself that give you meaning and joy. You may find the pressure of setting a goal transforming into excitement to get started!
So you've identified the goals that light you up, but maybe are still feel the anxiety of committing to them. Even for a structure-lover like me, goals (especially the SMART kind) can feel like trapping myself in a box. If the last few years have taught us recovering perfectionists anything, it's that plans don’t always work out the way we mean them to. That’s why we’re reframing the specific, measurable, time-bound goals we’re used to into a more flexible goal plan.
Here are 5 types of goal setting to make your plans more adaptable from the get-go.
One way we can escape the claustrophobic nature of setting goals is to be a little less specific. Instead of choosing one deadline or metric, identify a range instead. I call these Ballpark Goals because we won’t hit all our goals out of the park every time (if you'll forgive the pun). But we almost always will hit it within.
Choose a range beginning from what you consider more than achievable and ending at a high expectation of your abilities. This way, your goal is easy to attain but leaves you enough flexibility to build on your existing efforts.
When we make goals, we often go straight for the big guns: Write a book! Double my savings! Start my own business! Of course we can do anything we set our minds to with the right resources, but when the year goes by and we haven’t done that big thing, we can feel like a failure.
This happened to me when I set the goal of reading 4 books a month. I strayed away from longer reads because I wouldn’t hit my goal, even if it was a book I've always wanted to read. I kicked myself whenever I gave up on reading a boring book because it was time I could’ve spent reading a book I’d finish. That’s when I realized I was tracking the wrong metric.
Instead of books completed, I started to track pages read, even for books I didn’t finish. Reframe small steps into milestones and make them their own standalone goals, or as I call them, microgoals. Break down books to pages. Miles to steps. Meditation sessions to deep breaths. Adjusting what we measure may be what makes all the difference.
At Passion Planner, we define your GameChanger goal as the goal that would have the most positive impact on your life right now. The reason why goals can be overwhelming is because we make too many. We want to be everything to everyone, including ourselves. We want to eat right, workout, be a devoted partner, parent, or both, and then some.
The point of the GameChanger is to give us the power to name the one goal that’s going to make all the difference. Choose one identity-driven goal to which you’ll devote all your energy. Not only will you find clarity, you’ll have a defined outcome of where to direct your efforts.
When we make goals, we usually track what goes right. The trouble I’ve found with this is that when I go to look at my goals, what I track does not capture the amount of effort I put towards it. For example, if my goal is to “land a counseling job,” and I don’t get one, I’ve disregarded the 43 job applications I filled out that year.
Detour goals are a reframing of our “failures.” In his hilarious TED Talk, Jia Jiang explains how he transformed his biggest curse, rejection, into a gift. He even made it into a measurable metric with 100 Days of Rejection. He made failing fun and we can too. Track your detours and challenges as if they were a natural part of your plan. When we befriend our mistakes, we propel ourselves to the success we are searching for.
One of my favorite life coach entrepreneurs Kayley Robsham bases her business around the phrase, “feelings as outcomes.” As someone who had SMART goals drilled into me my entire adult life, I found this concept eye opening. It never occurred to me that I can create a goal around my emotions.
The premise of a mood goal is asking yourself, “How do you want to feel?” vs. “What do you want to accomplish?” When you identify the mood you’re striving for, you can then find habits and goals that work towards that feeling. If your mood goal is to feel relaxed, you can then list all of the activities that make you feel at peace and schedule them into your day. Use our free Year in Pixels PDF download and track your mood goals.
When it comes to goals, it isn’t a battle between structure and flexibility. It’s a combination of both. Passion Planner isn’t about working ourselves to the bone, nor is it letting ourselves rest on our laurels. It’s a journey over which we have the power to choose our pace and destination. Writing our goals down may be daunting, but we can recognize that writing on a piece of paper does not define us.
What’s one goal you’re setting for the new year? Let us know in the comments!
Paula Palomar is a copywriter with Passion Planner. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing and watching British period dramas on the couch.
]]>The answer is YES! Despite coming out of a year that has taught us just how quickly our plans can change, it’s important to hang on to the things we can control: our intentions, our habits, and our outlooks.
New Year’s resolutions can sometimes get a bad rap, but at Passion Planner, we’re all about creating goals that fit YOU and your unique journey. It’s time to refresh your Passion Roadmap with 60 of our top New Year’s Resolution ideas to reclaim your 2024.
Above: Weekly Annual Passion Planner, Women's Empowerment Sticker Book
With so many of us spending more time at home and indoors, connecting with people on a deeper level (let alone connecting at all) has never been more challenging... or more vital. This new social landscape has called us to find new ways of communicating, to set and reset boundaries, and to remember just how much community and justice mean to us. While the last two years may have been the year of social-distancing, there is no better time to nurture what's most important: our loved ones and the future we create together.
Above: Weekly Annual Passion Planner, SAVE IT! Finance and Budgeting Sticker Book
Managing your money can be an intimidating topic, even under normal circumstances. With so many of us facing financial hardships right now, it can feel like starting from square one. But as we #PashFam always say, “It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to start.” No matter where you are in your financial health journey, investing into yourself and your goals is always a great use of money.
Above: Weekly Annual Passion Planner, Self-Care Sticker Book
We’re reclaiming many things at Passion Planner, but self-care just might top the list. In a society that celebrates “the hustle,” self-care is nothing short of radical. And of course, self-care goes beyond pampering yourself for a night (although we do LOVE that!). Honoring your personal boundaries, practicing gratitude, and self-reflection are all ways to care for the most important of relationships: the one you have with yourself!
Above: Weekly Annual Passion Planner, Nature Sticker Book
When I think of “New Year’s Resolutions,” the first thing that seems to come to mind are fitness goals. Get a gym membership, lose this much weight… goals that enforce an idea that there’s some ideal that I’m not meeting. But fitness is only one aspect of something far more sacred: the act of taking care of my body. Yes, this might include incorporating more movement into your lifestyle, but there’s so much more we can do to honor, listen to, and celebrate our physical bodies.
Above: Weekly Annual Passion Planner, New Year New Goals Sticker Book
You may find yourself asking: What’s the difference between self-care and self betterment? They certainly go hand-in-hand, but let’s take our goals around the self a little further. If self-care can be defined as acts of self service that help you rest and recharge yourself, perhaps we can think of self betterment as the thing that self-care helps fuel. Here are some ways to pursue personal development, from learning new skills to becoming a more effective goal-getter.
We hope that these New Years Resolution ideas inspire you to look forward to 2024 with renewed hope, excitement, and joy!
What 2024 resolutions are your writing in your Passion Planner? Let us know in the comments!
Maybe you’ve just bought your first Passion Planner, or maybe you’re trying to decide if the Passion Planner is the right personal planner for you. Either way, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ll go over how the Passion Planner is set up and how you can use the Passion Planner to build habits to create the life you’ve always wanted.
It’s important to understand how the Passion Planner is set up because every part of the planner is integral to your overall success. The Passion Planner is broken down into five major features: the Passion Planner Roadmap, the GameChanger, monthly layouts, weekly layouts, and monthly reflections. Let’s dive into each of those sections together.
The most important part of your planner is the Passion Roadmap, which is designed to help you realize your long-term goals and work towards them each day. It’s our version of a vision board but for the big goals in your life.
1. As you sit down to start your Passion Roadmap, set a timer for five minutes. As the timer ticks, write out all the things you want to accomplish in your lifetime. The goal of this space is to help you realize what your true ambitions are in life. Don’t stress yourself out, just write what comes to mind naturally.
To simplify this process, the Roadmap is broken down into sections based on how soon you want to accomplish your goal. Write out your dreams organized into the next three months, one year, three years, and lifetime.
Example: If you want to get in shape, that could be a three-month goal or a one-year goal. If you want to buy a house, that could be a three-year goal or a lifetime goal.
2. Once you have all of your goals on paper, set a new timer for one minute. Then, go through each of the four time frames and circle the one goal that would have the biggest positive impact on your life. You should have four goals circled at the end of this process.
Don’t worry too much about the details of each step. Remember, this is supposed to be fun!
The next section of the Passion Planner is the ‘GameChanger’ section. Aptly named, as this is where you figure out exactly what you need to do to accomplish one of your biggest goals. This section helps you turn your big goals into actionable steps.
Let’s focus on the goal of ‘Getting Healthy’. If your goal is to get healthy, what will you need to accomplish to achieve that goal? Write those tasks down. These will be your tangible actions to accomplish getting healthy. This may include: meal prepping, running, going to the gym, sleeping, and meditating.
Once your tangible actions have been determined, write out what you need to do to accomplish each of those actions. Then, create deadlines for each of those tasks. When do you want to achieve your goal by?
Example: If one of the focuses of getting healthy is to get more sleep, your tasks could include going to bed before 11pm, getting 8 hours of sleep a night, and/or putting your phone away at 9pm.
Once you write out your goals and break each one down into steps, you’ll see how easy it is to reach them!
Congratulations! You’ve now figured out what your lifetime goals are and have broken those goals into smaller milestones that you can reach through the year. Now, let’s talk about how to schedule those milestones into your life.
Each monthly planner layout has a space for you to write your focus for your personal life and your work life for the month. Reflect on the goals you set for your GameChanger project and incorporate those into your focuses for each month.
Additionally, you can fill in sections that include people you want to see that month, places you want to go, and things you want to focus on not doing. As soon as your monthly priorities are in place, you can use additional sections to write out your personal and work projects based on priority and due date.
Being able to plan ahead and see what your month will look like will help you build effective habits to reach your long term goals. Think of it this way - as you plan each month, you’re planning for your future. You’re working towards the goals that you set in your Passion Roadmap at the beginning of your planner in each and every day.
It’s important to set a time each week to check in with yourself and plan ahead to make sure you’re staying goal-oriented as you work through the month. The Passion Planner weekly layouts simplify your monthly goals into a daily planner that you can digest. Break down the daily tasks you need to complete in order to stay the course for your monthly goals. Incorporate those daily tasks into your personal and work to-do lists to ensure you stay focused.
Tip - Create a Planning Habit: Sunday is the best day to sit down to input your responsibilities because it prepares you for the week ahead. With that in mind, every Sunday, input all of your mandatory daily responsibilities into your weekly layout. This would include work hours, class times, and appointments. Then, add additional things you need to get done to your to-do list in order of importance.
Once you can see everything that you have to do, add in weekly and daily focuses that match the goals you created in your Passion Roadmap. If your goal is to get fit, schedule in gym time. If your goal is to eat better, be sure to add space for meal prepping into your schedule.
We also include a Space of Infinite Possibility each week to allow you to embrace your creativity through doodles, note-taking, or stickers. If you want to truly customize your planner, you can print out our free downloadable PDF inserts for this area that will help you track your finances, track your workouts, or collect contact information from new friends you make throughout the school year. To make sure you stay grounded in gratitude, there’s also space for you to write out the good things that happened each week.
Planner Hack: Color code the tasks you complete daily to analyze what you’re spending your time on. Sound complicated? We know. That’s why our CEO made a video to demystify color coding your Passion Planner.
At the end of each month, you will have the opportunity to complete a monthly reflection where you can see how close you came to achieving your goals. This section is laid out so that you have seven journal prompts to answer, as well as three checklist questions to make sure you realign your focus for the upcoming month.
This is a time for you to reflect on the good things that happened last month, the progress you made, and the areas you can improve on next month. Think of this monthly reflection section as the area where you can hold yourself accountable. Identify how productive you were last month and move forward setting goals for the upcoming month.
The eight monthly reflection question prompts are:
The end of the month checklist includes:
Make sure you go back to your Passion Roadmap after you complete each monthly reflection to see if there are any goals you can check off! Need some inspo? See how our CEO, Angelia Trinidad, does her monthly reflections in this video.
At the very back of your planner, there is extra space for you to jot down all of your thoughts or doodle fun designs. If you don’t have enough space to write out your wildest dreams, you can always download free graph paper or dotted inserts to add to your Passion Planner! Or, print out a free habit tracker PDF and track how often you sleep, workout, or walk your dog.
Remember that the Passion Planner only works if you do, too.
The Passion Planner is an incredible tool to hold yourself accountable and manage all of the projects in your life. It’s your chance to create the life you’ve always wanted. Remember, big things happen one day at a time, so plan accordingly!
That’s why we compiled a list of meaningful gifts to give your loved ones this holiday season.
At Passion Planner, we believe the best gift is the one that allows people to be themselves.
We define a meaningful gift as one that considers the personality and interests of the person receiving it:
A thoughtful gift reflects the receiver’s unique quirks and passions. It doesn’t always have to be custom engraved knives or expensive jewelry.
The list below may be a tad different from other meaningful gift lists you’ve seen. Some suggestions are quirky, practical, and maybe a little out of left field. There aren’t any personalized items or framed inspirational quotes, but you’ll find some unique gift ideas based on the qualities or characteristics of the person you might be shopping for.
Show mom or dad how much you appreciate them by giving them the gift of prioritizing themselves! Our bestselling Passion Planner allows them not only to manage their parenting and work obligations, but also to make time for the projects that mean most to them. Dress it up with monthly tabs or our collection of sticker books.
Image via Universal Yums
Food is the unofficial sixth love language. If receiving something traditionally sentimental would make your sibling feel awkward, opt instead for a snack subscription! Sometimes the best way to say “I love you” is through a few bags of chips.
Image via Uncommon Goods
Treat the resident baker of your family with something that’s just as much a gift for you as it is for them! This bread warming set will be the highlight of your future family gatherings. Enjoy baked goods as if they’ve just come right out of the oven.
Image via Crate and Barrel
The family you choose are some of the most important people on your gift list. Give them a gift that’s as timeless as your relationship—a beautiful decanter that can dress up any home or bar cart.
If they’ll stay up until midnight to text you on your big day, they’ll stay up to answer these conversation starters with you! Gather your group of friends and make a night of it over some pizza and laughs.
Are you ready, kids?! Give the Patrick to your Spongebob the gift of a spa day in Bikini Bottom with these hysterical face masks.
Friends who are embracing their success and desires? We love to see it! Commemorate the incredible person they’re becoming with self care they can wear.
One of the most bittersweet parts of growing up is parting ways with friends who move on to new chapters. Let them know you’re still thinking about them with a candle that reminds them of your memories together.
For many people, being out in nature is their home away from home. Give the happy camper in your life this practical mini pocket blanket for their many picnic and camping adventures ahead.
There are folks who prefer not to receive gifts during the holidays, which is all good! If you want to let them know how much you care this holiday season, make a donation in their honor to a cause they’ve expressed passion about.
Anyone else have a big Hydroflask or Yeti bottle that won’t fit into your car’s cupholder? Enter the Swigzy Cup Holder Adapter! Now your partner will finally have somewhere to put their water bottle without it rolling around on the car floor.
If your partner’s a doting pet parent, there won’t be a better gift than a custom royal portrait of their favorite animal pal. Take it to the next level with an ornate frame fit for a gallery at the Met—it’s the least we can do for our fur babies.
Not all heroes wear capes. A thoughtful neighbor is a lifesaver, especially during the holidays when we’re out of town often and have a tidal wave of packages coming in. Show your gratitude with an indulgent bag of assorted Lindt chocolates and try not to take any for yourself!
Let’s give it up for the office mates who make the workday go by just that little bit faster! These quirky Post-Its will help them remember all the probably important deadlines for those probably important projects.
If they go out of their way to care for your babies and/or pets, they just might have a love for all things adorable. The Everything Cute Sticker Book is the perfect gift for them to dress up their planners, journals, or greeting cards.
Say thank you to those who care for you with the gift of caring for themselves. These mini spa sets are a small token of appreciation that may make all the difference for someone who dedicates their lives to serving others.
Paula Palomar is a copywriter with Passion Planner. In her free time she enjoys bullet journaling, eating pizza, and watching British period dramas. Usually at the same time.
]]>How much difference can three weeks make in your life? If it’s three weeks of consciously practicing gratitude, it could be a real life changer. The benefits of gratitude — or more specifically, of consciously practicing gratitude — are fairly well documented. If you’re looking for ways to foster a positive attitude and get more enjoyment out of life, download Passion Planner's FREE Gratitude Challenge PDF and find out for yourself how much better life can be when you make gratitude a priority.
There’s a surprising amount of research on the benefits of gratitude on health, relationships and general well being. Some of the results seem fairly intuitive - people who are thanked for helping someone are more likely to help another person in the future, for example. But did you know that people who make it a habit to cultivate a grateful attitude sleep better at night? There’s research that proves it. Or that people who express a grateful attitude are more patient and may make better decisions as a result? Gratitude can help deepen relationships and improve your physical health. Even more specifically, keeping a gratitude journal not only helps people feel more positive, it has positive effects on their physical well-being. In a study by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, college students who wrote a few sentences about gratitude each week for 10 weeks were more positive and optimistic about their lives than those who wrote about irritations and frustrations. They also exercised more and had fewer visits to the doctor. Being grateful is just good for you all around.
What if you’re just not a naturally grateful person? Luckily for you, you can “learn” gratitude by practicing it. The 21-day gratitude challenge helps you foster a new attitude of gratitude by pushing you to look for the good around you and express thankfulness for it.
There are multiple versions of the 21-day gratitude challenge floating around. While each is a little different from the next, they all share the same idea. Each day for three weeks, you focus on finding things (or people) you’re grateful to have in your life, and then you express your gratitude for them. Some give you specific exercises to follow each day. Others are far less structured — some as simple as “write three things that made you happy each day for three weeks.”
So which is the right one for you? If you’re new to the idea of practicing gratitude, a more structured challenge can help you get past the “I’m grateful for my family and the roof over my head” stage, and start really paying attention to the world around you. It helps you cultivate a state of mindfulness and appreciation for the simple things, and to recognize the positive aspects of even the most difficult and challenging situations. The great part of gratitude journaling is there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Simply starting and finding what comes most naturally to you is the best start.
Your gratitude journal should focus on just one thing - gratitude. It should be easy for you to use, and easy for you to keep separate from other types of journaling - daily planners, to-do lists, diaries, and the like. It doesn’t have to be written — there are apps for gratitude journaling, even ones specific to the 21-day gratitude challenge, which will send you prompts every day. Writing things tends to slow you down, though, and make you fully appreciate what you’re thinking and doing. You also don’t need a whole new book just to keep your positive thoughts in. If you use a journal like the Passion Planner, for example, you can easily set aside a section for your gratitude pages or use the back pages to create a “happiness journal.” Make it easy to find with colorful divider tabs or washi tape edging. And don’t forget, Passion Planner even has a place for journaling your gratitude in the Monthly Reflections.
Sometimes it’s easier to stay on track if you’re following a list of prompts. Sometimes you just need a little nudge to kickstart your gratitude instinct. That's why Passion Planner created their own FREE Gratitude Challenge PDF to help you along your journey. Whether you’re looking for 21 days of prompts or an occasional jump-start, you’ll find something on this list to help you get started.
Here are a few of my other favorite challenges:
The Tiny Prints 21-Day Gratitude Challenge Calendar
Ideas for Items for Your Gratitude Journal
Five Steps for Creating a Gratitude Journal to Cultivate Positivity
Read the public gratitude journal at Thnx4.org
How to Start a Gratitude Habit in 21 Days
Cultivating gratitude pays off in so many ways. Grab your favorite journal and make the commitment to find time every day to be grateful for some small thing, and you’ll be surprised to find out just how good your life really is.
Deb Powers is a freelance writer with much to be grateful for in her life. She manages social media activities and online for several nonprofit local advocacy groups, and has been keeping a gratitude journal for more than 10 years.
Happy Mercury Retrograde, #PashFam! (Not really though.) Before the craziness settles in, here are 12 Passion Planner layouts based on your astrological sign featuring our NEW It's in the Stars Zodiac Sticker Book! (Use your Sun sign as reference.)
Sharp in your endeavors, you, Capricorn, never let anything get in between you and the prize. You are in it for the long haul, therefore the Passion Roadmap and long-term goals are your bread and butter. Driven to succeed, create intentional To-Do lists and ensure that all appointments in your schedule are directly connected.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Undated Passion Planner (Monday Start), Calendar Date Stickers (Black)
Aquarius, you are the essence of fluid and innovative. You use your Passion Planner as a vehicle of unapologetic self-expression, no matter your art form. Whether through vibrant stickers or artistic illustrations, the pages of your Passion Planner are a reflection of your unique personality.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Deeply reflective, you, Pisces, take the time to examine the quality of your inner landscape. You believe that there is something to learn from every experience, no matter how big or small. Colored by your many emotions, you use each day as an opportunity to journal about your feelings and mood.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Audacious and bold, you, Aries, are a goal getter. Marked by your appetite for success, you never let a big goal intimidate you. Your planner layout is full of big plans for your future, including an ambitious GameChanger like starting your own business or traveling solo for the first time.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Nobody knows the strength of focus like a Taurus. A grounded Earth sign, you believe that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. You take the time to fill out all the focus boxes of your Passion Planner, eager to stay on target despite the challenges.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Geminis are the quintessential multi-passionate sign. Zealous in all your pursuits, you are a true Passion Planner, with a schedule filled to the brim with hobbies, social outings, and special events galore.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Undated Passion Planner (Monday Start), Calendar Date Stickers (Black)
Ah, Cancer. You have a depth and emotional intelligence that makes those around you feel heard and understood. You diligently record memories and reflections in your weekly layout, including sentimental quotes and your favorite moments of the week.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Undated Passion Planner (Monday Start), Calendar Date Stickers (Black)
There is no sign more passionate than you, Leo. A page of your Passion Planner is a peek into your inner universe, where you are the Sun and all else are mere stars and planets around you. You deservedly celebrate your accomplishments each and every day, and note the week’s wins in your Good Things That Happened section.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Virgos, you bring a practical awareness to their day-to-day, ever conscious of where your energy is directed. Your no-frills approach to life ensures that everything gets done, with a schedule planned down to the second. You make the most use of the Personal and Work To-Do Lists, with all tasks prioritized and deadlines assigned.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Balance is your middle name, Libra. You endeavor to manage your responsibilities and passion projects with ease. Your desire to ensure equity and harmony in your schedule manifest as avid color-coding, with each hue representing a different category of your life.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Annual Passion Planner (Sunday Start)
Scorpio, your unrelenting power is your secret weapon. Calculated and intense, each appointment in your Passion Planner is in service to your personal growth and transformation. You use the Habit Tracker insert to ensure that every ounce of your energy is in alignment with your ambitions.
Shown Above: It's in the Stars - Zodiac Sticker Book, Undated Passion Planner (Monday Start), Calendar Date Stickers (Black)
You, Sagittarius, see life as a never ending journey for self-knowledge and abundance. Motivated by the desire to explore, your inner wanderlust makes it easy for you to dream big. Your Passion Planner pages are adorned with images of your next travel destination, and quotes that resonated with you on a soul level.
We just debuted the all-new Passion Planner Daily yesterday, our newest endeavor to bring intentional living to the masses. Designed for every type of every day, the Daily was built to align your days with your dreams.
Before being hired at Passion Planner, I was a huge #PashFangirl, so being able to get my hands on the Daily before it released was an absolute dream. I’m here to answer your biggest question:
“What is Passion Planner Daily and how is it different from Passion Planner Weekly?”
Passion Planner Daily harkens to many of the signature features of the original Passion Planner, now with new additions to make every day count.
In the Daily, we want to make sure that you're not only taking care of business, but taking care of yourself too. That's why we have even more reflection prompts for you to check-in with yourself, assessing the emotional and psychological quality of your day. There are 93 dotted pages for each day to ensure that everybody has room to express themselves, whether through writing, drawing, photographs, or your personal art form.
Now that we know the general anatomy of the Passion Planner Daily, we can jump into specifics about how it differs from Passion Planner Weekly.
Above: Passion Planner Weekly Size Differences
* IMPORTANT: 2023 Large sizes are now 7.8" x 11"
Above: Passion Planner Daily Size Differences (Available in Elite Black only)
All Passion Planner Weeklies are available in three sizes: Small (5.8"x8.3"), Medium (6.9”x9.8”), and Large (8.3”x11.7”). (You can always test which size works for you with our free Handwriting Test PDF.) *New 2023 planners now have an updated Large size of 7.8" x 11".
Elite Black Passion Planner Dailies are now also available in Small (5.8"x9.8"), Medium (6.9”x9.8”), and Large (8.3”x11.7”) sizes. This is a limited release to test the waters before launching new colors for Passion Planner Daily. All other colors are currently only available in Small.
If you decide to purchase both a Weekly and a Daily, you can immediately tell the difference between them by the word “Daily” debossed on the spine of all our daily planners.
Above: Weekly 2023 Annual Alpine Lake (Benefits charity: water)
Above: Weekly 2023 Annual Rabbit Moonlight (Benefits Malala Fund)
Above: Weekly 2023 Annual Celestial Blue (Benefits Our Own)
Above: Weekly 2022 Annual Sakura Melody Burgundy (Benefits Acacia Roots)
Above: Weekly Undated Cosmic Purple (Benefits The Cosmos)
Above: Weekly Undated Birds and Bees Rose Gold (Benefits Movemeant Foundation)
Above: Weekly Undated Champagne Bloom (Benefits Movemeant Foundation)
Above: Weekly Undated Forest Green (Benefits American Forests)
Above: Weekly Undated Cosmic Mint Planner (Benefits The Cosmos)
Above: Weekly Undated Elegant Marble (Benefits Movemeant Foundation)
Above: Weekly Undated Woodland Brown (Benefits Acacia Counseling and Wellness)
Above: Weekly '23-'24 Celestial Blue Holo Academic Planner (Benefits DREAMS+DUCATS)
Above: Weekly '23 - '24 Digital Gray Academic Planner
Above: Weekly '23 - '24 Tiger Burgundy Academic Planner
Above: Daily Undated Sagebrush Green
Above: Daily Undated Caramel Brown
Above: Daily Undated Celestial Calm Blue
Above: Daily Undated Rabbit Moon Ivory
Above: Daily Undated Bird & Bees Yellow
Above: Daily Undated Arctic Blue
Above: Daily Undated Tiger Orange
Above: Daily Undated Moss Green
Above: Daily Undated Cosmic Blue
Above: Daily Undated Blossom White
Above: Daily Undated Amethyst Dream
Above: Daily Undated Sakura Melody Rose Gold
Above: Weekly Undated Hardcover Elite Black (Available in Undated only)
Above: Elite Black (Available in Weekly Undated, Weekly Academic, Weekly Dated, and Daily Undated)
Whether you're considering the Passion Planner Weekly or the Passion Planner Daily, there are a variety of limited edition colors to choose from. Limited editions are unique to each release, meaning that the cover design and color will only be available for that year. Our classic Elite Black is available no matter which Passion Planner you choose, now with our new Undated hardcover and Annual spiral bound variations.
Above: Passion Planner Weekly Roadmap and GameChanger
Above: Passion Planner Daily Roadmap and GameChanger
The signature Passion Roadmap is the same across all Passion Planners, including the Daily. All members of the #PashFam begin their planner on the same foot: breaking down goals into 3 Month, 1 Year, 3 Years, and Lifetime.
On the other hand, drilling down your GameChanger goals differs between the original and the Daily. For Weekly #PashFam, you take the goal that is going to make the most positive impact on your life right now, and mindmap actionable steps and deadlines to achieve it.
The Daily takes it several steps further. In addition to defining your “why” and visualizing achieving your Gamechanger, you are also prompted to identify resources and support to help you along the way.
Above: Monthly Layout inside Passion Planner Weekly
Above: Monthly Layout inside Passion Planner Daily
Above: Yearly Overview inside Passion Planner Daily
With the original Passion Planner, you are able to see your month at a glance. There are areas for This Month’s Focus, People To See, Places to Go, Personal and Work Projects, and a Gamechanger mindmap. There are plenty of opportunities to hone in on the details!
The Passion Planner Daily has both monthly pages and an annual calendar, giving you a snapshot of the entire year. You get an abbreviated look at your month, now with an expanded, linear view that allows a side-by-side peek of the previous and following months. Fill in the blanks with anything you like, from appointments to vacations, birthdays, and anniversaries. The layout is minimal but comprehensive, giving you the freedom to make it as specific or as unstructured as you’d like.
Above: Passion Planner Weekly Layout
Above: Passion Planner Daily Layout
There are a number of distinct differences between the original Passion Planner and the Daily, but perhaps none more significant as the Weekly and Daily Layout.
The Weekly and Daily layouts offer both action and reflection items, including Today’s Focus and Personal and Work To-Do Lists. Passion Planner’s Weekly schedule has seven days worth of planning with the option of beginning on Sunday or Monday. Undated Passion Planners are also available if you require a bit more flexibility.
The anatomy of the Daily layout is the perfect balance between structure and freedom. New fill-in-the-blank additions like Free Space to Grow, Self-Maintenance, and a Mood Tracker ensure that you are committing to caring for yourself while pursuing your goals. An entire page is devoted to the Space of Infinite Possibility, which means lots of room to brainstorm, journal, and draw however you please.
Above: Passion Planner Weekly Monthly Reflection
Above: Passion Planner Daily Self Check-In
One of the defining qualities of the Weekly Passion Planner is the Monthly Reflections. Checking in with yourself regularly ensures that you are celebrating the small wins, reminiscing on memories made, and looking for ways to improve for the next month.
Weekly Passion Planners have a series of seven questions to reflect on your month. Answers are in lined form, structured for written insights but can certainly be used for drawings and photographs.
The Passion Planner Daily keeps it simple with a four question Self Check-In. The answer box is dotted, making it conducive for any type of creative expression: lists, long-form writing, doodles, you name it. The reflection questions are followed by another GameChanger page, so you can strategize your focus for the upcoming month.
I usually find the #PashFam in two camps when it comes to figuring out which planner is right for them. Folks who value structure and require increased accountability are often comfortable with an Weekly Academic or Weekly Annual Passion Planner, while people searching for more flexibility but still seeking to stay organized may enjoy the Weekly Undated or the Daily Undated.
If you’re like me, you may enjoy owning both a Passion Planner Weekly and a Passion Planner Daily. The Daily is extremely versatile in its use, so instead of seeing it as managing two planners, I see it as owning one planner, and one specialized journal.
That said, I am only one member of the Daily family. There are so many different ways to use the Passion Planner Daily: as a daily scheduler, a wedding planner, a health tracker, and even more. It can be useful for detailed everyday scheduling or looking at your year holistically. Whether for special short-term endeavors or bigger aspirations, the possibilities are truly endless.
Still unsure about which option is right for you? Try before you buy with our free Passion Planner downloads!
There may be a lot of nuanced differences and similarities between all of the Passion Planners, but one thing’s for sure: you know you’ll be living intentionally, no matter which planner you choose.
Get your Passion Planner Daily here!
Cottagecore is a popular aesthetic that romanticizes simple living and countryside life. This lifestyle encourages traditional skills such as gardening and baking bread. The cottagecore aesthetic is ideal for those who love nature and appreciate a spontaneous picnic by the river. This aesthetic is an up-and-coming theme for school supplies and we’ve got the perfect list to help you start living out your cottagecore dreams.
Here’s the ultimate list of cute and aesthetic back to school supplies that high school and college students or teachers will love.
The Academic Passion Planner in Celestial Blue Holo has an out of this world cover with a squishy hardcover feel. Keep your assignments organized while having the space to plan your next farmer’s market adventure. Use the Passion Roadmap to dream up your perfect cottagecore life, from tending to the lush herb garden in your future backyard to frolicking in an open meadow with friends before a makeshift picnic.
Use a free downloadable PDF of the Academic Passion Planner to take it for a test drive or check out our tips to achieve academic success with your planner.
Image via memopad Etsy Shop
This is your sign to ditch boring ball point pens and try these cute pastel pens instead! These cute little creatures will make you smile every time you take notes.
Image via Amazon
Printing memories and labels has never been easier with this mini wireless printer. It connects to your smartphone via bluetooth or your computer via USB for a quick set-up. Print labels, photos, and designs to place into your planner or notebooks. The cute bear design of the printer will make you feel at one with the cozy cottagecore vibes. As a thermal printer, you don’t need to purchase ink—it will print your images with heat! Try creating your own nature-inspired labels to add an aesthetic touch.
Organize the months of your Academic Passion Planner with monthly tabs! These tabs allow you to move through your schedule with ease and decorate your planner in a cute and simple way. For the ultimate cottagecore vibes, we recommend Earthly Neutrals, Green Haven, or Calming Tones to pair with your planner.
Image via GoodNotes
If you have an iPad or a Macbook, the GoodNotes 5 app is a great space to elevate your note-taking. Jot down notes about your favorite plants, tips on composting, or your favorite salad recipe. From annotation abilities to endless customization features, take your notes further than using Google Docs or Word.
GoodNotes is also compatible with our new Passion Planner Digital! Create cottagecore themed layouts, use endless digital stickers to decorate your planner, and more. Learn more about what makes Passion Planner Digital special in our latest blog post!
Image via Baggu
A laptop sleeve keeps your computer safe when you’re on the go! The beautiful floral design is perfect for those who dream of laying in a flower field all day. Use it as a cushion under your laptop for extra height and comfort.
Image via Amazon
Staying hydrated at school can be a huge challenge for many students and teachers. This water bottle is designed to track your water intake throughout the day, so you’ll always know when to pause, breathe some fresh air, and take a sip.
What’s a cute school supplies for college list without cute stickers?! This sticker book is the epitome of cute and cottagecore. With magical fungi, charming woodland creatures, and more these stickers will keep you comforted and dreaming your ideal cozy life all year long.
Image via Walmart
A dry erase board is a classic school supply that can help you stay organized, track your progress, and remember important dates. The nature of the dry erase board is perfect for students or teachers who want a clean slate each day.
Image via Amazon
A backpack is the best investment for any student or teacher. This backpack has padded straps, 7 pockets, and can fit a 15 inch laptop. Plus, the material is waterproof and scratch resistant. With 37 cottagecore colors to choose from, you can match your backpack with your personal style.
Image via NotebookTherapy
Index your thoughts with these adorable file-shaped sticky notes! From bookmarking your textbook pages, to jotting down your farmer’s market shopping list, sticky notes are essential school must haves.
Image via Notion
Notion is a digital all-in-one workspace that allows you to organize your tasks and projects aesthetically. Create various boards and tasks to keep track of your cottagecore dreams. From building habit trackers that record the progress of your garden, to spreadsheets that track your plants’ watering schedules, you can design your life, your way. Notion is available for free, but offers a few paid plans to enhance your capabilities. This program is a great alternative for those who feel limited creatively by other online organization tools like Google Calendar.
Image via Urban Outfitters
Protect your laptop camera screen with this adorable silicon frog camera cover! This cover will block your camera for privacy and add a cute element to your online work.
Image via Amazon
The coolest school supplies are the ones that turn food into fun. Keep your pins in a safe place with this unique sushi shaped holder! This holder comes in a set of 50, so you can pin lots of your photos, assignments, or notes on a bulletin board or wall.
This fun and functional sticker book for students, teachers, and life-long learners alike is the perfect tool to spice up your planner and notebook. The sticker book also contains lots of pages with cottagecore color palettes. These colorful stickers will help you track due dates, log your assignments, and make planning for school exciting!
Image via #PashFam @ariashion
The Passion Journal is the ultimate high-quality notebook that will allow you to keep your goals, class notes, and trackers all in one place. The Index page feature helps you organize your notebook by subject, as well as navigate your pages.
Available in blank, dot grid, graph, and lined pages, this is the best notebook for all your needs, from solving math problems to doodling your dream cabin in the woods.
Image via Smoko
Diffuse your favorite essential oils with this adorable boba diffuser. The scents will transport you to your dream cottage in the european countryside.
Back to school accessories are not complete without the perfect set of markers or highlighters. Passion Highlighters offer both a chisel tip and a fineliner tip that are water-based and bleed-resistant. The double-sided feature is convenient for school because you can underline with the fine tip and highlight important sections with the chisel tip.
Check out our tips on how to color code with your Passion Highlighters to organize your tasks or classes.
Image via Creativelifejenny Etsy Shop
Lunch bags are one of the fundamental student and teacher essentials for the school year. This lunch bag is not only aesthetically pleasing, it is lined with aluminium foil that provides great insulation for both hot and cold meals. The fruity designs will inspire you to plant seeds into the garden you’ve always wanted.
Image via PlumTreeIllustration Etsy Shop
Live in your cottagecore and dark academia dreams with this cozy bookmark set! Never lose your place in a textbook or notebook again.
Image via Box Lunch
Add something sweet to your mistakes. These scented macaron erasers will not only smell amazing, they will transport you to a Parisian café each time you use them.
Image via Tombow
Nothing screams cottagecore more than an aesthetic color palette! This Tombow dual brush pen pack is perfect for your planner layouts, notes, and other marker needs. Create the ultimate cottage themed layout with these 10 beautiful colors.
Image via Notebook Therapy
A sturdy pencil case is a must-have for all students and teachers. This adorable pencil case can be extended or compressed with the sliding feature! Choose between 8 different animals to fit your cottagecore aesthetic.
Image via Amazon
Who says flash drives have to be boring? Transport yourself into your outdoor garden with this butterfly shaped USB flash drive. It will safeguard all of your important files and ensure you won’t lose track of your drive with its unique design. Plus, the 64GB storage is the perfect size for big and small projects to store.
Image via Amazon
Take your homegrown herbs and veggies on the go! Keep your lunch fresh and cute with this bento box container. This set comes with 3 stackable containers, a fork and spoon, and is microwave safe.
We hope this cute back to school supplies list adds some fun into your school year! Let us know in the comments which supplies are your favorite and your academic goals this year. Whether you’re going back to school in-person, or continuing online, Passion Planner wishes you all the best of luck. Have a great school year!
Looking for a thought provoking beach read? We partnered with Insider School founder Brandon Hakim to bring you 21 books to read in your 20s! (We threw in a free Book Tracker PDF for you to keep tabs on your summer reads too.)
]]>
She didn’t.
She said they were working on it.
I realized that to succeed in life, you need to learn things you’ll never learn in school.
Any problem we could ever face has been written about in a book. There are thousands of must-read books out there. How can you make sure to read all of them?
Here’s the problem. You want to read more, but something always gets in the way. You don’t have the time. You read too slowly. You don’t have the motivation. I wrote an entire article on building a reading habit last summer which covers these issues, but it all boils down to this:
Develop a love for reading. How do you do that? It’s like Naval Ravikant says: “Read what you love until you love to read.”
Most people finish school and stop learning. So they go through their entire lives feeling stuck. But just imagine the possibilities if you got passionate about learning again. You can excel in your career. You can have a love relationship beyond your wildest dreams. You can take control of your health.
All you have to do is learn what you need to do. And then do it.
Here are 21 of the best books to read in your 20s to thrive in your career, relationships, happiness, and making an impact.
Do you find yourself spiraling down thoughts of depression? Every thought you think is a train. You don’t have to get on every train that passes by. And you don’t have to believe every thought you think.
If you’ve ever found yourself lost in a vortex of negative thoughts, this book is the answer.
Favorite Takeaway: Stressful feelings are alarm clocks telling you, “Warning: You’re believing an untrue thought!”
Favorite Quote from the Book: “A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but the attachment to our thoughts that causes suffering.”
Does it feel like you’re never able to be in the present moment? You wake up in the morning, and you’re telling yourself how bad you don’t want to get up. You’re working, and you tell yourself that you have to succeed in what you’re doing. (We’ve all been there!)
This book will re-shape how you think about your thoughts and give you tools to come back to the present moment.
Favorite Takeaway: You are not your thoughts. There is you, sitting here, reading this article, and then there is your mind, that is always running in the background.
Favorite Quote: “There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind--you are the one who hears it.”
Do you find yourself drifting through life? In 1938, Napoleon Hill wrote a book where he interviewed the negative side of life. If it had something to tell us, what would it say?
This book is that interview. It will get you seeing life’s challenges in an entirely new way.
Favorite Takeaway: Your mind is an empty jar. Either you consciously fill it with positivity and purpose, or life fills it with negativity and fear.
Favorite Quote: “Your only limitation is the one which you set up in your own mind.”
Do you want to experience deeper, more authentic relationships? The perfect relationship looks just like the relationship you have with your dog. Because you never tell yourself, “gee, I wish my dog were a cat…or a horse.” The people in your life must be perfectly okay with you, just the way they are.
This book will help you develop more love for yourself, and for the people in your life.
Favorite Takeaway: Accept people exactly as they are, and exactly as they’re not.
Favorite Quote: “You cannot change other people… To try to change them to fit what you want them to be is like trying to change a dog for a cat, or a cat for a horse…”
Do relationships ever feel like a struggle? This book helps you move from having co-dependent relationships to what they call “co-committed relationships,” and is packed with wisdom.
Things like taking full responsibility for the problem, keeping your agreements, and living in a state of continuous positive energy.
It also gives you powerful questions to ask when stuck in a conflict.
Favorite Takeaway: Take full responsibility for problems, regardless of whether the other person takes responsibility for it or not.
Favorite Quote: “You are almost never upset for the reasons you think you are.”
Have you ever gotten a pay raise and had even less in your bank account? If you’re broke month after month, making more money won’t solve the problem. Because most people, when they make more, they spend more.
This book will get you thinking about saving and investing your money in a way you never have before.
Favorite Takeaway: The key to wealth is knowing how to save and use your money regardless of how much you make.
Favorite Quote: “Most people, given more money, only get into more debt.”
Do you ever wonder how to invest your money? Ramit Sethi says that instead of worrying about getting your investing perfect, shoot for getting it just 85% right. Because 85% right is WAY better than 0%, which is what most people who try to get it completely right get.
This book will show you how to get it 85% right.
Favorite Takeaway: Most of us are incredibly lazy when it comes to managing our money. That’s why we have to make managing our money simple, and automatic.
Favorite Quote: “The 85 Percent Solution: Getting started is more important than becoming an expert.”
Are you looking for your passion in life? This book flips the “follow your passion” advice on its head and tells you that instead, you should focus on becoming so good at what you do, that they can’t ignore you.
Because you’ll come to love what you’re good at.
Favorite Takeaway: If Steve Jobs had followed his own “follow your passion” advice, we would have probably found him as a popular Zen teacher, and not as a tech entrepreneur!
Favorite Quote from the Book: “The more we [focus] on loving what we do, the less we [end] up loving it.”
Want to feel inspired to go after your dreams? This book is the story of how a lost, 24 year old kid follows a crazy idea, flies to Japan, and over the next 18 years builds one of the biggest companies in the world: Nike.
If you’re wanting more inspiration in your life, this is the book for you.
Favorite Takeaway: True success in any calling, whether it’s painting or building a billion dollar brand, takes a village. It’s impossible to do it alone.
Favorite Quote: “What if there were a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel? To play all the time, instead of working? Or else to enjoy work so much that it becomes essentially the same thing.”
Do you feel like there’s so much more for you than what you’ve got in your life? Alex Banayan was an 18 year old pre-med student who set out on a five year quest to track down and interview the most successful people of our time.
This book is the story of his journey. And it will open your eyes to what’s possible.
Favorite Takeaway: When you re-define what’s possible in your mind, you change your life.
Favorite Quote: “While you can give someone all the best knowledge and tools in the world, sometimes their life can still feel stuck. But if you can change what someone believes is possible, their life will never be the same.”
Are you stuck in small thinking? We all limit ourselves with our thinking. And you’re exactly as big or small as the size of your thinking.
This book will show you exactly how to think Bigger.
Favorite Takeaway: Master the habit of not letting your mind dwell on problems. Instead, direct your mind to dwell on what you want.
Favorite Quote: “The size of bank accounts, the size of happiness accounts, and the size of one’s general satisfaction account is dependent on the size of one’s thinking.”
Do you feel unhappy? David Hume said that ingratitude is “the most horrible and unnatural crime that a person is capable of committing.” Yet, most of us find it hard to feel grateful in our day to day life.
This book shows you how to bring a gratitude practice into your life.
Favorite Takeaway: The key to gratitude is to be specific about what you’re expressing gratitude for.
Favorite Quote: “Gratitude empowers us to take charge of our emotional lives.”
Are you tired of clutter in your life? Clothes you don’t wear, books you don’t read, papers you don’t look at, kitchen utensils you don’t use?
This book will help you get over clutter once and for all. It will also change your life.
Favorite Takeaway: The key to beating clutter is to first make a mess. Then take every single thing in your hand one at a time and ask: does this spark joy?
Favorite Quote: “The lives of those who tidy thoroughly and completely in a single shot are without exception dramatically altered.”
Do you worry a lot? It’s the early 1900’s, and Dale Carnegie is at home with his family. One of his neighbors rings his doorbell and says, “You have to get the smallpox vaccine!” Dale Carnegie says that he had lived in New York for many years. And that no one had ever rung his doorbell to warn him against an illness that had caused ten thousand times the damage of smallpox…Worry.
This book will do exactly as it promises. It will teach you to stop worrying and start living.
Favorite Takeaway: Every day is like it’s own room. Don’t let thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow enter the room of today.
Favorite Quote: “Today is our most precious possession. It is our only sure possession.”
This book says that the starting point of achieving anything is a burning desire. A desire so strong that it’s an obsession that you eat with, sleep with, and have top of mind basically every second you’re alive.
It then walks you through how to develop that burning desire and what else you need to do to achieve your wildest dreams.
Favorite Takeaway: All success starts with thinking the right thoughts.
Favorite Quote from the Book: “Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Do you want to become a more inspirational leader? On August 28, 1963, 250,000 people from across the country stormed into Washington D.C. to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. give a speech. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t lead. He inspired.
This book is all about how to inspire others to action by getting clear on what you believe and communicating it to others.
Favorite Takeaway: Get good at communicating what you believe.
Favorite Quote: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Does it ever feel like you don’t get much done? The superpower of the 21st century is being able to work with distraction-free concentration. In a world where most people don’t do this, those who master this superpower will thrive.
This book will help you develop this skill.
Favorite Takeaway: Your ability to thrive in today’s world depends on your ability to master the Deep Work Superpower.
Favorite Quote: “The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy.”
Do you feel overwhelmed by everything you have to do? William of Occam said in the 1300’s, “the simplest solution is almost always the best.”
This book takes simplicity to the next level by helping you focus on the ONE THING that matters most instead of getting lost in the many things that don’t.
Favorite Takeaway: Ask yourself: What’s the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
Favorite Quote: “Extraordinary results happen only when you give the best you have to become the best you can be at your most important work.”
Do you want to build better habits? James Clear was the only junior cut from the varsity baseball team. But then something changed when he started college.
By his senior year, he was named top male athlete at his school and named to the ESPN Academic All-America Team.
That’s the power of habits. This book will show you how to develop those habits.
Favorite Takeaway: All that’s standing between you and your dream life is a collection of habits.
Favorite Quote: “Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.”
Do you wake up every morning tired? Sleep is one of the most misunderstood concepts, especially among young people. This book will blow your mind with what you’ll learn about sleep. And it will make you think twice before you have an urge to sleep too late, or wake up too early.
Favorite Takeaway: Most of your dream sleep happens in the second half of the night. If you wake up too early, you’re robbing yourself of crucial dream sleep.
Favorite Quote: “Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.”
Are you excessively hard on yourself? What if you could feel the same love for yourself, as lovers do for each other?
That’s what this book is about. Why loving yourself is so important — and exactly how to do it.
Favorite Takeaway: When you start to love yourself like your life depends on it, your life will start to feel magical.
Favorite Quote: “As you love yourself, life loves you back.”
Ready to kickstart your reading habit? Check out the FREE Book Tracker PDF from our free downloads library!
Brandon Hakim is on a mission to help you get unstuck. He was so frustrated by what he was learning in college, that he went to the dean of his university to say he felt like students were getting an outdated education. He’s since read over 1,000 books, and helped over 200K students online get “unstuck” through his online courses. Connect with him at Insider School or Instagram.
]]>You may be wondering, what is the Passion Planner Digital? How is that different from paper planning? How do I get started?
We've laid out the basics for you in our FAQ list, along with our own Passion Planner resources, to show you the way.
]]>You may be wondering, what is the Passion Planner Digital? How is that different from paper planning? How do I get started?
We've laid out the basics for you in our FAQ list, along with our own Passion Planner resources, to show you the way.
Digital planning encompasses the same experiences as pen-to-paper planning, but with different materials. Digital planners are PDF files created to interact and respond to PDF annotated apps (think GoodNotes, Notability, Xodo, Zoomnotes, etc.) on all tablet-like devices.
Yes! We offer a FREE sample of our Digital Weekly Undated Sunday Start in Elite Black. This sample digital planner has all of the essential Passion Planner layouts to jumpstart your digital journey. It includes a sample Sunday start layout with one Passion Roadmap, monthly spread, monthly reflection, and two weekly spreads, PLUS one bonus Hearto Sticker Sheet for the full digital planning experience.
Absolutely! Please browse our free downloads library and enjoy to your heart's content. We are not planning on discontinuing our free PDFs now that we have an interactive digital version of our Passion Planners. We intend to keep our free PDFs available so all members of the #PashFam have access to our products, no matter their financial situation.
All of our digital products have mainly been tested through the iOS system and the GoodNotes app. The Digital Passion Planner is compatible with ZoomNotes, Noteshelf, Notability, Drawboard, Xodo, and most PDF readers. However, the recommended apps for use is GoodNotes for iOS, Drawboard on PC, Xodo on Android mobile, and Noteshelf on Android tablet. Please note that these apps are available for purchase on the app store that works specifically for your device. Another important thing to note is that if you decide to use the Passion Planner Digital on two separate devices that have two different operating systems (ie, iOS and Android), they will not automatically sync with each other.
Apple devices need to be upgraded to iOS 13 or higher & Androids need to be v6 and higher. The Passion Planner Digital may work with previous iOS versions, but we can not guarantee functionality.
The devices listed below are incompatible with iOS 13:
No. Since these are purely digital products, there will be no items shipped out to you. Our digital products are available instantly through the order confirmation that is emailed to you, similar to how you would access your free digital downloads.
In your order confirmation page and email, you will see a link that says "Click here to download your digital goods."
When you click on the link, it will take you to a separate window where your digital goods will be accessible for instant download. Click on your digital goods and download them to your device. You will receive your files as a "zip file" initially; click on the "zip file" to uncompress the files to unlock all your digital goods. From there, you are able to import your digital files into your preferred app.
Our current system prevents users from downloading their digital goods unlimitedly, as there is a 5 limit cap on how many times you can download your purchased files.
Our recommendation is to upload your original files to a cloud or Google Drive to permanently save your files in case you need to access them at a later time.
Technically, you are able to continue to use your Undated Passion Planner Digital after a year worth of planning. However, there are limitations to this. You will not be able to keep up with the correct Yearly Calendar dates (our Undated Passion Planner Digital has yearly dates up to 2024). In addition, any revision updates for possible future planners will not be available for your current Passion Planner Digital, if not purchased every year.
Unfortunately, digital planner files are not designed that way. They keep the same model as pen-to-paper planners, as you need to fill everything by hand.
Depending on the app you choose, the best reference for getting more familiar with the inner mechanisms of navigation is to visit the app’s support website. They do a great job of creating and curating tips, step-by-step instructions, and guides on how to best utilize the app's functions.
Our current policy allows refunds of our digital products if not found satisfactory. However, as our policy states, we don’t process exchanges for items. You can read more about our policy here.
Feel free to keep on top of great content featuring our Passion Planner Digital by following our YouTube channel, Passion Planner Digital IG, and blog posts!
]]>