I’m a sucker for planners; organisation and stationery combined is just 10/10 in my opinion. I’ve been a big fan of Dot Creates for a while now, in fact I own and reviewed her last planner here, and so when I saw the “I Can Do This” blog planner, I didn’t hesitate. I use a planner pretty much every single day, but having one for my blog and one for my personal life did mean that I’d often have to cart round two which could be a little inconvenient, so I couldn’t wait for this one to arrive! Read on for my review with lots of pictures.
First of all, this is a very sturdy hardback which is my personal preference when it comes to planners. I like to take mine out and about with me and feel like they are much more long lasting when they aren’t too flimsy. The gold foil lettering and gold corner protectors only increase the luxurious feel, and the spiral binding means that it’s easy to write in without creasing the spine or smudging any ink. The whole planner is hand drawn and illustrated too which blows my mind; it’s seriously stunning!
The planner opens up onto a “this planner belongs to” page. There’s only one line to write on but plenty of room to add extra information such as contact details if you preferred. Next we have the two yearly spread of 2018 and 2019 which is super handy for you all of you who like to plan way ahead. I love the colour scheme, illustrations and typography which add a little extra touch to your standard spreads.
The next page includes a list of key dates throughout the next two years, including highlighting those that are bank holidays here in the UK. I love that DotCreates haven’t included every single one for the sake of it, but tailored the list to suit the audience. So, along with the need-to-knows such as Mothering Sunday and Good Friday for example, #WorldStationeryDay, #WorldStarWarsDay (I’m sure you all know this is May the 4th… be with you), #NationalBookLoversDay and #WorldMentalHealthDay are also included.
Some super cute stickers can also be found in the planner, and I love using these on my to do lists or when making plans. Under the stickers we also have a list of blog post inspiration and ideas which I haven’t seen in a planner before!
Now we get stuck in to the part of the planner that everybody loves, the main body of organisation. Each month begins with a quote, space to write which month you are planning for, your monthly goals and any key dates or events that may be taking place over the next thirty or so days. The fact that this planner is undated is one of the main reasons I decided to buy one. I hate having to wait until January to use a new planner (especially one as beautiful as this) and it means that if you fall behind for a couple of months, you aren’t stuck to the rigid layout of a regular planner and don’t have to waste any pages, you can just hop straight back in.
Each month there are around six weeks worth of weekly planning pages, where you can jot down any plans for the week ahead, fill out your to-do list and note any important tasks that you need to complete. The second page in the weekly spread is my favourite out of the entire planner I think; with space to write down any blog post ideas, emails you need to reply to, weekly stats and a review of your weekly content, any blogger is sure to get on top of their game. Because six weeks are included, if you’re a perfectionist like me (or hey to you fellow Virgo’s), then you don’t have to worry if you maybe, potentially, have to rip a page out.
After the weekly planning pages, there are two pages (12 in total throughout the month!) of blog post or video planners. The last planner I had from DotCreates was full of these, and I loved taking my time to write down all of my thoughts are reading a book before heading online to type them out. I love that you can work your way through the checklist to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything before uploading, and who doesn’t like putting a big tick through a “completed” box when the work is all done, huh? These pages are also super useful for planning posts for the future, or even just to brain dump your ideas onto.
After twelve months of these, there are several pages to keep track of any sponsored content, such as who the company or client is, the date the item arrived, the deadline and whether it has been published and you have received payment. I think that this section can also be super handy for those who don’t do paid work too! For example, I’ll be using mine to note down any books that I receive from publishers so that I can keep on top of what I need to read and when it needs to be reviewed by.
DotCreates have also included a section of lined pages at the end, because we all love to make notes don’t we, but sometimes messier ones that don’t have to go on our planning pages.
I’m so excited to sit down and start planning for the next month… in fact I’m going to do so right after I’ve finished writing this. If you love planning for your life and your blog but don’t enjoy the rigidity of an everyday planner, then the beautiful I Can Do This Blog Planner by DotCreates is the one for you!
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