Planner Review and 24 Ideas for Journaling in a Spaces Planner

This week’s article is a bit of a two-for. I am excited because it combines a planner review and a some (yes, more) ideas for journaling!

I have seen reviews of this planner for two years running from one of my favorite planner review YouTubers, Amanda’s Favorites. She does such a great job of going through the details of the planners she reviews and gives her honest opinion.

When I watched her first review a Spaces Planner in 2019, I thought it was a really interesting planner, but I couldn’t think of how I would use it. Fast forward to 2020 where the scripting planning method made a splash.

I’ve mentioned scripting in a prior post on Decoding Planner Terms and more recently in last week’s article on Morning Journaling. The method, created by Planner Perfect, relies more on journaling than list-making when it comes to planning your days.

After reading about scripting and seeing the Spaces Planner, I realized there might be a way to incorporate a version of scripting with this unique planner. In this article, I go through the 2020 planner and all of its very unique features. After that, I’ll explain how I use it in my own version of scripting out my goals.

The Spaces Planner

This weekly planner is truly unique. As the creator states on the first two pages, the planner can be used in many ways. This is because the weekly layouts are sectioned off according to categories, instead of being organized by the day.

Because I’m still experimenting with it, I have only purchased the 2020 version. But, I think I may keep going with this method of journaling, so I probably will order a 2021 planner.

That said, from what I can see of the 2020 and 2021 versions, there aren’t any true significant changes between them. Here are the specs:

Main Features

Time span: This is a 12-month calendar-year planner that runs from January through December.

Size: According to the Spaces Planner website, the planners are 8 ¾” tall and 9 ¾” long, including the coil. This means that the planner pages look to be a nearly perfect square. However, since they are so wide, when the book is open, it takes up a good bit of space. The books are about ¾” thick, which makes them feel more manageable to hold and handle.

Binding: This is a twin, o-ring spiral bound planner. The coil on the one I purchased is rose gold and is nice and slim.

Covers: The book has hard covers with a glossy coating that comes in three different designs. There are metal corner protectors that match the coil. On the inside back cover is an accordion folder that seems sturdy and roomy.

Paper: The pages are made of thick 100 gsm, bright white paper that is smooth enough to have Frixion gel pen ink easily and quickly erase from them but tough enough to take gel and other ink pens without bleeding through or ghosting on the other side.

These are the pens I’m currently using. I have been enjoying how the green one looks in this particular floral planner. (#Ad)

Instructions: There are two pages after the nameplate page at the beginning of the planner that provide some information on the purpose of the planner (such as placing “[p]eople over projects”) on the first page and ideas on how to use the weekly spreads of this planner on the second page.

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Yearly Overviews: This planner has not one, but two years of yearly overviews. The 2020 overview spans two pages and has a small view of each month with four lines beneath it for taking notes, which is perfect to list out important events for the year or to use it for budgeting. The next two pages are set up the same except that it has the months for 2021, which allows you to use the book to write down appointments or for other types of long-term planning for the following year.

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Dividers: One of the features listed for this planner are the “inspiring quotes,” all of which are written on the beautiful dividers found throughout the book. The first of these is for February, since the January divider is the second page of the next year’s overview page. The dividers are made of a sturdy, cardstock paper and have laminated tabs with shortened versions of the months. The last two dividers are for  the “Big Plans” and “Notes” sections.

Monthly Spreads: The monthly calendar has a Sunday start and spans across two pages, with a lined sidebar on the right for notes. The first page of the monthly spread is the back of the month’s divider, so it is made of a sturdier cardstock, although the texture of paper matches the rest of the planner paper. The top of the monthly spread pages are decorated with a design that flows from one page seamlessly to the next and matches the theme of the planner. Because the books are so wide, the daily boxes are sizeable: 1 1/3” tall by just under 2” wide. There are some general U.S. holidays written in small letters on the bottom of the holiday’s box, but other than the numbered date at the top, left-hand corner, the boxes are unlined and empty.

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Weekly Spreads: This is where the planner’s uniqueness shines through. Rather than a horizontal, vertical or dashboard spread arranged by the day, sometimes with a notes section to the side, this spread is labeled according to the week of that month and arranged by category. There are 52 of these spreads. As the name of the planner implies, there are 11 main “spaces” where you can plan out various aspects of your life. Five of these spaces are pre-labeled as “Personal,” “Housework,” “Errands,” “Health,” and “Relationships.”  All of these spaces are lined. They are different shapes and sizes, so you can use assign the blank ones whatever makes sense for the space provided. For example, there is a long, narrow column on the right-hand side that I’ve seen people use as a shopping list. Along the bottom of the weekly spread are 8 unlined boxes that are the same size as the daily boxes in the monthly calendar layout. The first 7 are labeled with the days and dates of that week, so if you’re using this as a planner, this is where you could add appointments for particular days. The last box is titled, “Next Week,” so you can write your looking ahead reminders in that space.

Special Features

Monthly Notes Spaces: Just when you thought this planner couldn’t have more space to take notes, at the end of each months’ weekly spreads, there are 3 additional notes pages. The first is evenly divided into four lined boxes, with a small line at the top of each one for a title of some sort. The second page has two lined notes boxes running horizontally across the page and also sporting a short line for a title. The third page is a simple, full-page lined notes page with the word “Notes” in the top left corner rather a title line.

Big Plans and Notes Sections: After the December calendar and weekly spreads there are two final dividers for “Big Plans” and “Notes.” The Big Plans section can be used in whatever way you wish and is set up almost identically to the weekly spreads except that instead of there being 8 boxes at the bottom, the left-hand side of this spread has one, long horizontal lined space, with a title line and the right- hand side has two spaces- a medium and smaller space, also lined with a title line. There are six of these “Big Plans” layouts. The “Notes” section has 13 single pages of lined notes pages that are identical to the large Notes page at the end of each monthly section.

Again, this is one of the most unique planner layouts I have seen. Given all the “spaces” provided in this book and that nearly all of them are lined, it’s no wonder that this planner has been called a “list-maker’s dream.”

However, given the variety of spaces and lack of checkboxes or bullet points, that I typically associate with a planner list section, this planner can be used for so much more than just planning.

My Version of Scripting: Journaling with Intention

Journaling has become such an important part of my life. As I mentioned, I start my day journaling, and in this article, you’ll see how I end my day with this practice.

There is something about putting pen to paper that encourages me to more carefully consider what I’m going to write. And, that thoughtful practice helps me to better process my thoughts and feelings.

So, as I noted above, what inspired me to get this planner was my interest in scripting as a planning method. For those who use the scripting method, there are two ways it comes into play: scripting out a daily plan and scripting goals.

With scripting, you write in paragraph form what you wish to realize in your life. You write about these dreams and desires in the past tense, as though they have already come to pass.

It’s a bit like making a vision board or using creative visualization, but instead of cutting out pictures or meditating on thoughts, you are putting these images and thoughts into words. The beauty of this is that you can get really detailed about the things you are hoping to achieve in life.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos on scripting and saw that people would take a blank journal and just write paragraphs related to the goals they had. But, I didn’t really understand how the process worked over time.

For me, I need repetition and engagement for something to sink in. When I broke out my journal to begin scripting about my goals, I started to become overwhelmed.

I tend to write enough to fill the space available to me, which meant I wrote enough to fill up a whole page—about a single goal. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this every week or month.

Those who use Planner Perfect products are usually filling up pages in a traveler’s notebook pages, which have less space than my full-sized journal. But, even in a traveler’s notebook, I knew I would not be motivated to keep it up over time. I needed something simpler that I could do in just a few minutes a day.

The Spaces Planner allows me to focus my attention on one or two goals a day without feeling like I need to write a novel about each one. Because I write about them each week, I can see my progress on these goals and notice when my attitudes and thoughts about them evolve.

(Note: I am not an affiliate for the Spaces Planner, so I don’t get compensated for my reviews of their products. Any product of theirs I review are ones I think might be helpful to others. If I ever become an affiliate, you’ll see a disclaimer.)

Ideas for Using a Spaces Planner for Journaling

The Spaces Planner, with its differently sized lined boxes, was exactly what I needed to encourage me to journal about my various goals each week without becoming overwhelmed. Here are some ideas for using it:

Monthly Layout

The side bar is completely lined, so feel free to use it for a list or, as I do, for extra journaling. The daily boxes in the calendar spread are so spacious (pardon the pun), it is also a great space for lists! Here are some ideas:

• Gratitude. I fit in about 5 things to be grateful for each day, and it doesn’t have to be general things. I use this layout to write out gratitudes about particular people in my life I want to think about more generously.
• Memories. One way to remain in a grateful and positive frame of mind is to write down some good memories. One a day in the monthly layout will give you plenty to look back on when you have a rough day.
• Daily Wins. I wrote about this in my review of the latest PowerSheets planner. Write down any victory/progress made toward a goal that day.
• Goal-Planning. Plan out when and which goals to tackle each day.
• Content Ideas. For content creators who are hoping to build their online presence, it helps to have a plan for posting on social media. This calendar is large enough to plan out what to post each day.
• Budgeting. Either to track income, expenses, or both!
• Household Tasks. Either plan out or track which tasks you tackle each day. (This is particularly helpful if you use the planner as a household chores planner, which some folks do).
• Prayer Concerns. If being more intentional about your prayer life is a goal of yours, consider dedicating each space to a different concern. It can be people or issues.

Weekly and Big Plans Layouts

As I noted, the weekly section has 5 pre-written spaces categories and another 6 that you fill in as you like. There is no right or wrong way to do this.  

Here is how I use the main spaces in the weekly layout (which are similar to the Big Plans in the back of the planner):

• “Personal.” I use the personal category to journal about the goals I have for myself, although this could easily be a space devoted to mental health. I typically write about my self-esteem and self-worth. I write about the ways I care about myself and how I am enough. It is basically a place where I repeat my mantras and remind myself that I matter.
• “Housework.” I take this one to be about my home in general. I write about how I want my home to feel. This is also where I journal about decluttering my space and making repairs to my home so it will remain a welcoming and inviting space for years to come.
• “Errands.” I actually write about errands here and expand it to any chores or things that have to get done. Because I can get a little anxious about all that I need to do to keep my home running, this is a space where I journal about things being fine, work getting done, and letting go of perfectionism.
• “Health.” I write about my overall health and fitness in this section. Any goals I have for my body, whether they be about how my body looks or feels, go in this space.
• “Relationships.”  This section is devoted to my marriage. I write about where I want us to be and the kind of relationship I want us to have.
• Finances. Not hard to imagine how to journal about desires in this section. I mostly focus on thoughts of having enough and being content with what we have. I also journal about saving for things like my kids’ education and my retirement.
• Creativity/Art. This section has had a lot of different names. I’ve also titled it self-care in the past, but I decided to get more specific since the particular type of self-care I want to focus on are my creative pursuits. I will journal about the types of art mediums I plan to try and how the things I create bring me great joy and satisfaction.
• Spirituality. This is the space I’ve devoted to writing about my faith and relationship with God. I describe myself being more in tune with my creator and, by extension, having a greater connection to the world around me.
• Blog. This section could also be for any hobby. I like blogging and have enjoyed writing encouraging thoughts about my mission for this blog, the hope I have that it will be of use to others, and the joy I feel in writing it.
• Work. I also like my job and find it gives me purpose in life. But, the work I do is hard and can be discouraging at times. In this section, I write out the ways my work benefits my clients and is making a difference in the world.
• Kids & Family. The long, list section that most folks use for writing their shopping lists is where I write about my children and our family experiences. I will usually write a few paragraphs about my hopes and dreams for my children and our relationship as a family.
• Daily Tracking. The daily boxes at the bottom of the page, which are dated and have equal room from Monday through Sunday, are perfect for daily tracking and can work as a habit tracker. Since, I use my PowerSheets planner for that, I use these daily spaces for mood tracking. I note how I felt both during the day and in the evening to see if I notice any patterns based on how things are going in my life.

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Monthly and Extra Notes Pages

The notes pages, divided into four, two, and single, full-page notes spaces (both after each monthly section and at the back of the planner) are great for any kind of journaling you may want to do. They are also perfect for note-taking. Here are some ideas for those pages:

• Bible Study. If you only want to write about your scripture studies a few times a week, these notes spaces pages are perfect for everything from a little journaling (like the four smaller boxes) to more in-depth writing in the full-sized notes pages.
• Book Reading Notes. If you’re in a book club or find you remember more of what you read when you write it down, the notes pages will work for that.
• Personal Growth. Whether it’s listening to inspirational podcasts or reading a self-help book, journaling is often encouraged by the content creators. The notes sections are a great place to keep up with what you’ve learned from month-to-month as well as an additional 13 pages in the back to really dig in.
• Ideas and Inspiration. Whether you are a content creator or just a leader in some aspect of your life (work, family, etc.), you may wish to keep track of the ideas you have that will inspire yourself and those around you. These pages have plenty of room to journal it out.

If you want to try this really interesting planner, for journaling or weekly planning, but are not sure you want to invest in a 2021 version, the 2020 planners are currently on sale here at a great price that is perfect for giving them a try. If you already own this planner, how do you put it to use? Leave a comment below!

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** Image of person in yellow jacket journaling found on Pixabay. Images of sunrise, journal with coffee, hand journaling, and hand list-making found on Unsplash.

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