Tag: planning

creativity

When I was young, I was obsessed with stickers. I put them on every surface of my room. My desk, drawers, walls were all covered with hearts, stars, and random stickers of Tweety.

As an adult now, I’m still sticker obsessed. In fact, I love anything and everything that has to do with stationery. Pens, pencils, markers, brush pens, stickers, notebooks, notepads, etc. Everything! All of these things were a big part of my childhood that carried on through my adult life.

The reason I love stationery is that it brings a sense of comfort and happiness in my life.  I can sit down and just write down all my thoughts in my bullet journal, all my stories in my notebooks, draw in the notepads, jot down my to-do lists in my planners. I can select from a variety of colors, from red to mustard to teal. I can pick whether I wanted to use a 0.5 pencil, a brush pen, or a marker. I can choose from stacks and stacks of sticker of quotes, hearts, unicorns, cats, anything! Everything was up to me. There was no right or wrong. I could create anything I wanted.

A few years ago, I found a brand called the Happy Planner. They had planners, stickers, and everything I loved. I was instantly sucked into the planning community. For a while, I kept up with my planning, but once I graduated college I lost touch with it. That is when my anxiety and depression began settling in and soon all the things I used to love became meaningless to me. However, the Happy Planner always tempted me. I would see the stickers that the Happy Planner had and I could feel that small spark of happiness in me.

One day, I decided to listen to it.

It was the best choice I have made. The Happy Planner has helped me deal with my anxiety in more ways than one. I carry my planner with me along with my bullet journal and other notebooks. It is a part of my everyday life and it helps me cope.

I love writing and I love planning. Together, they are two of my greatest happiness. It’s a part of my journey because it is one of the creative outlets I have found that has helped bring happiness back into my life.

I hope to share this aspect with everyone.

 

procrastination

A huge event in my life is happening at the end of next year. If you ask me now if I am ready, you can expect a huge “NO!”. Not because I am not mentally or emotionally prepared, but because I haven’t taken one second to plan anything about it.

I tell myself that I should have something planned by now. Every time I think about planning, the most I do is acknowledge that I should probably do it, but I quickly dismiss it with an excuse.

For me: Excuses = Procrastination

The excuses I use help me justify the constant delaying. Is my anxiety delaying the planning because sitting down and thinking about all of the things I have to do cause me stress? Or is it the lazy part of me that will try to wing this (which this is not something that should be winged)? These are the thoughts that run through my head when I try to find reasons as to why I’m procrastinating.

I asked myself those questions today and realized something so simple. The only thing stopping myself from planning is me. Not the anxiety. Not the laziness. These are the excuses I used to justify the delay.

Instead of making more excuses, I am choosing to acknowledge that 1) yes this a big event that will take a lot of time to plan and 2) I may not solve everything in one day, but I am capable of completing this.

It is okay to not have everything figured out today. I know that it will be ok. I will be okay.

No more excuses, only action.