Yes, I have a Separate Weekend Planner

I know it seems silly to have so many planners, but I am here to admit to the world that in addition to my Ban.do weekly and Simplified daily planners, I have a separate planner just for my weekends. (Full confession, I have more than just these three. 😮 More planner posts to follow). But, hear me out. There’s a method to my madness. After featuring the lovely Emily Ley Simplified Planner a couple of weeks ago (see blog post here), I mentioned that each weekday has a full page but the weekend days share a page. This is common in most planners- the weekends are seen as not being as busy as the weekdays, and both days are relegated to sharing the same amount of space that is reserved for one weekday. But, most women I know have weekends that are just as busy, if not more so, than than their weekdays. What’s a gal to do? Perhaps try an undated To Do Planner!

Before finding my To Do Planner, I used to run around with a disorganized lined list pad.

I have used several list pads over the years for weekend planning, but found one I really liked while on vacation one summer. It is A Charley Harper Ladybugs notepad. Cute, right? I used it to write down all of my weekend plans- meal ideas, chores, and errands. I tried using my weekly planner for appointments but found I rarely took it out before my Sunday night planning session. So, despite all my efforts to stay organized, I often missed the appointments noted in my weekly planner, and the single list format in my Ladybug notepad made it hard to prioritize my tasks. Frustrated, I often ended the weekend with things left undone. This is why I switched to a Lilly Pulitzer To Do Planner.*

The Lilly Pulitzer To Do Planner makes weekend planning so much easier.

These planners are such a gem, and it surprises me that so few people have heard of them. They are similar to the Lilly Pulitzer dated planners in that they are beautifully decorated with watercolor designs that grace the hard cover, line inside the covers, and the pages themselves. I’m a sucker for pretty paper, so its nice to have a planner I do not feel the need to decorate. As a bonus, if you use them as a weekend planner as I do, they are a total bargain at about $25. Each planner has more than 300 pages, with a two-page spread devoted to each “day.” Since I use the pages only for weekend planning, I have had mine for nearly two years and have only used 2/3 of the book!

Here are the specs:

• Each planner is hard-covered with sturdy wire-O binding (but no gold corners- I added the ones you see here).
• The planners are a bit smaller than their dated counterparts, measuring 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches.
• They come with a built-in elastic gold band to hold the planner together when closed.
• Before the planner pages is a double-sided cardstock folder page.
• After the nameplate page are 316 pages of beautifully decorated paper (the same design for each entry).
• Each entry is a two-page spread.
• The left-hand page includes sections for “Today’s date,” “To get,” Top Priorities,” “Appointments,” and “Calls & emails.”
• The right-hand page is the “To do” page, which looks like a full notebook page (see photos).

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Every aspect of this planner feels like it is designed for weekend planning.

Despite the “Today’s date” line, every aspect of this planner feels like it is designed for the weekend. First, although the planner is 1.25″ thick, it is a relatively compact size (compared to the Simplified Planner at 7.75″ x 9.25″), and I often slip it into my weekend purse. The To Do Planner has just the sections that I need during the weekend. I appreciate having blank lines under the appointment section rather than having the hours pre-written since I can fit in two-days’ worth of appointments that way.

Here is how I set mine up and use it each weekend:

• First, to make the planner more user-friend, I added a Happy Planner pen holder for my Frixion pen.
• Under “Today’s date” I note “Weekend of (DATE)”
• Beneath “To Get,” I list out any unusual things I need to purchase (e.g. Halloween costume supplies or ingredients for a Church potluck).
• I use the “Top Priorities” section pretty much the way it suggests and list out the tasks I know I most need to get done that weekend.
• I split the “Appointments” section into two days with Saturday written just below the section title and Sunday in the middle. I then write in the specific times in the order in which they take place for those days.
• I use the “Calls & emails” section as reminders for calls, emails, or texts I need to sent that weekend.
• I start the “To do” list at the top with my menu for the week. After that, I list a few recurring weekend to dos such as making a grocery list, going grocery shopping, and other chores. From the bottom up, I will plan out other meal ideas such as lunches for the week and (as you’ll see in this week’s pages) potluck food ideas.
• Since I only use the planner for the weekends, I store coupons in the cardstock folder page.
• To mark my page, I found a matching “Get it Done” binder clip, also from the Happy Planner accessory line.
• This year, I added rose gold corner protectors to the front and back covers as more than a year of using my planner was wearing out the round-edged corners.
• As with my Simplified Planner, I do not typically start weekend planning ahead of time. On Saturday morning, I make some tea, take the planner out on to our porch, and plan out the weekend on blank pages.

The “To do” and “Calls & emails” sections have lines that run the full width of the page, leaving me room to easily give myself detailed task reminders. And, it’s nice to have a planner that just lets me brainstorm without having all of my ideas jumbled up on the same page. More importantly, the two-page spread means I have space to jot down everything I need to do and buy for myself or my family over the weekend.

I cannot recommend the Lilly Pulitzer To Do Planner enough for weekend planning.

Now, I still use my beloved Ladybug list pad for brainstorming various projects or as a reminder list before going on vacation. But for weekends, my Lilly Pulitzer is my go to. That said, I am curious to know if folks use another planner or planning system for the weekend. Leave a note in the comments to share your ideas!

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