• Home
  • Blog
  • CBD
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Balancing Today

Learning To Balance It All

  • Ashley’s Life
  • Around DC
  • Motherhood
  • Self Care
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Fitness and Workouts
  • Weight Loss

in Organization

Comparing my Erin Condren and Simplified Planner

After a few months of using the Erin Condren Life Planner I realized it just wasn’t working for me.  I searched around, looking for a day planner that would meet all of my needs, and stumbled upon the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley.  Comparing my Erin Condren and Simplified Planner, I thought it’d be helpful to show y’all the differences between the two planners.

Erin Condren Life Planner

What originally drew me to the Life Planner were the colors, monthly calendar views, and all of the rave reviews I had read online.  The planner, which has a laminated cover, is really durable.  The pages are bound well, and although it’s a little bulky, the size worked well day to day.  It’s definitely not a planner you can carry in your small purse, but it works around the house and at work.

Comparing my Erin Condren and Simplified Planner

The monthly view with tabs worked really well for me.  It was helpful being able to flip between months and to see an overview of what was coming up.  On the other hand, the weekly view did not work for me at all.

Erin Condren Life Planner Review

On the far left side of each week was a place for notes, but it really wasn’t enough space to write down what I needed to accomplish that week.  The days were split into morning, day, and night, but again, it just didn’t work for my schedule.  I really needed something that broke down the days by hours.  At the bottoms of each day was a place to write down meal plans, exercise, daily dos, thoughts, and inspiration, but seriously?  Who can write all that down in 5 lines?

Erin Condren Life Planner Review

The Life Planner does have a lot of organizational additions in the back, which I really liked.  I appreciated having two pockets to place documents and to have a zipper pouch to store various stickers, coupons, etc..   Overall, the planner is bright and easy to use, but it just didn’t work for my schedule.  Having the days broken down into morning, day, and night didn’t allow me to see how much time I was working with and all of the little things I needed to get down within a 24 hour period.

Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

When I first received the Simplified Planner in the mail I was really surprised by how large it was.  This is one bulky and heavy planner!  This planner lost points because the cover is not laminated, which scares me because of my amazing ability to spill coffee on my day planners.  My hope is that the cover and the spiral binding lasts thoughout the year, but it doesn’t seem as durable as the Erin Condren Life Planner.

Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

Much like the Life Planner, the Simplified Planner has a monthly calendar view with colorful tabs to give you an overview of what’s to come.  On the left hand side of the calendar view is a place to note important dates, and each day gives you plenty of room to write in events.

Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

What really sold me on this planner though was the daily calendar view!  Each day has it’s own full page spread, with Saturdays and Sundays sharing a spread.

On each single day you’ll find an hourly breakdown from 7:00AM to 7:00PM on the left hand side.  This allows you to write down the things you need to accomplish at specific times within elongated business hours.  On the right hand side of the single day page you’ll find a 12 line To Do list, a place for notes, and a place to plan dinner.  It’s really everything I need and gives me plenty of space to organize a full day.

The weekends are broken down by AM, Lunch, and PM and only has room for 3 To Dos and notes.  That’s probably the only thing I’d change about the calendar itself is to give Saturday and Sunday its own page.  I have so many things to get done on the weekends and I wish the planner provided a place to plan for that.

Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

Overall, I’m extremely happy with the Simplified Planner.  I wouldn’t personally recommend the Erin Condren Life Planner, but that’s because it just didn’t work for me.  I know plenty of people that love it, but as time goes on and life gets busier, I really believe the Simplified Planner will give you the space you need to plan out your days.

Have you ever used the Life Planner or the Simplified Planner?

Related Posts

  • Creating Shared Lists With WunderlistCreating Shared Lists With Wunderlist
  • 5 Things To Do In Your First 10 Minutes At Work5 Things To Do In Your First 10 Minutes At Work
  • Balancing Family, Work, and YourselfBalancing Family, Work, and Yourself
  • Organize Yourself With a Brain DumpOrganize Yourself With a Brain Dump
  • Out of the House Checklist – Free PrintableOut of the House Checklist – Free Printable
« WIAW: Celebrations at Lia’s
Smart Ones For Everyone »

let’s connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

Archives

More about Ashley

I'm Ashley, a full-time working mom who lives in the Washington, DC area. Balancing Today is all about learning to balance family, work, wellness, and most of all, life's simple joys! Read More!

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Looking for something?

“Turn and take a picture momma!” Treasuring t “Turn and take a picture momma!”

Treasuring these days! So thankful for my little photographer.

Side note - I really need to hang things on our walls!! Hold me to it.
Today was an absolutely beautiful day. This aftern Today was an absolutely beautiful day. This afternoon while the kids were having some downtime I sat on the deck with Theodore and planned out the week ahead. It was heaven.
Easter looks very different than my childhood and Easter looks very different than my childhood and early 20’s. I am forever grateful to have left a cult masked as a church. It’s been 12 years, and though I still very much believe in God, I find him in nature, in the fruits of the spirit, and in his grace. So today, I am spending Easter morning at the park, with my kids and my journal.
Someone said this the other day and honesty, I hat Someone said this the other day and honesty, I hated it. At first I felt discouraged. Thinking about years wasted and some things I wish I could go back and change. 

But then I swung to the other side. She was right! There is no redo. So what am I going to do to make the most of today? What am I going to do this year to make myself proud and to live boldly. 

As I near 40, I’ve experienced this spectrum of emotions. Wishing I had used some of my past years differently but being excited and grateful for the years ahead of me. 

What I’m learning now, more than ever, is all that matters is this moment. All that matters are today’s decisions. All that matters are the people in my life right now. 

I don’t want to waste any more time and I don’t want any regrets. The past is the past and today is today. There’s no redo.
Before March 2020, I was so focused on the grind a Before March 2020, I was so focused on the grind and our routine. Getting the kids out of the house and to daycare, commuting 3 hours total each day, working 8...9-5...:30, and getting the kids to bed so I could get back to work or tackle things before my own bedtime.

It makes me tear up thinking about it. 

My top priority was work and I was so lonely and depressed. I had put myself and my family on the back burner. All because I thought I had something to prove. The harder I’d work, the more valuable I’d feel. The harder I’d work, the more purpose I’d feel.

What this year taught me is that it’s all a lie. I had it all backwards. I knew I had it backwards but I fell into the system that told me to pour myself into my job. That work held the keys to my future. 

What I lost was my health. What I lost was time with my kids. What I lost were all the little moments that make life great. 

I’ve always known the life I want to live, but I was so far from it!! I’ll never stop working hard, but it was time for me to reprioritize my energy and focus. 

This moment on the beach, when my daughter called me over to see what she had done, was a beautiful picture of shifted priorities. I’m so thankful and look forward to all the days to come!
Time off is good for the soul. Time off by the wat Time off is good for the soul. Time off by the water is good for the mind. So thankful for time to rest and recharge, especially by the water.
One of my hidden talents... 🌸 👑 So thankful One of my hidden talents... 🌸 👑 So thankful for this distraction free time to play outside and play pretend.
Today was an extraordinary day. We are on vacati Today was an extraordinary day. 

We are on vacation. A vacation that was paid for entirely by the money I made back in January thanks to my little side business.

That little side business is the same side business I was terrified to start. I was nervous if I could be successful in direct sales. I was worried about what people would think and say. 

Deep down, I knew I wanted this, I knew I needed this, and I knew I was capable of this. 

I said yes, because I needed more extraordinary days. I needed more joy. I needed more time with my family. I needed more money. I needed more friends. And most importantly, I needed to prioritize me! 

Today, just 3 short months after joining Green Compass, I was promoted to Director!

I am forever thankful for my leap of faith and for all of the people I’ve been able to help these past few months. 

The hopes I had for myself before joining Green Compass are becoming a reality, and I can’t wait for all the extraordinary days to come!!
I want to be the best I can be for her. I want to I want to be the best I can be for her. I want to be an example. I want her to look back when she’s my age and say “my mom was a great mom”.

What I don’t want is for her to look back an say, “my mom was working all the time”, “my mom wasn’t really around”, “my mom didn’t really play with me”.

This year opened my eyes to the path I was on in my pre-pandemic life. I allowed work to take whatever I was willing to give, and for me, it was myself. 

I raced to get my kids out of the house, having them eat breakfast in the car, just so I could get to work as early as possible. I worked a full day, having my kids stay at daycare right up to closing time. Some nights I was back on my work computer in those few hours before my kids went to bed and then worked until my own bedtime.

I thought my worth was determined by how much and how hard I worked. And what did I have to show for it? Nothing. Instead I lost time with my kids, my health was in the gutter, and I was still trying desperately to be heard and valued at work. 

Though I’m still learning, I will never go back to being that person. My family and my health will be my top priority, no matter what. 

I am forever grateful for this slow down and opportunity to prioritize my life. I am doing this for her (and Neal and my son), but also for me.
Today we slept in, made breakfast, went on a drive Today we slept in, made breakfast, went on a drive to see the house I lived in in Yorktown, VA when I was in the 6th and 7th grade, played at a park, went for a long walk, ate lunch and took naps, played in the hot tub, and now we are enjoying the shore before dinner. Vacation is so good for the soul and so good for our family. We needed this time together and I am thankful!

Copyright © 2017 · Balancing Today is running the Genesis Framework using the Market theme and is powered by Accelerated WP.