My New Erin Condren Life Planner First Impression

My New Erin Condren  Life Planner

      I just got my very first Erin Condren Life Planner! I am so excited! I first learned about this planner from Elle Fowler's Planner 101 video. Then I realized there is a huge planner community on the internet. I saw many posts and videos online about how people decorate and organize their Erin Condren Life Planner. I finally decided to get one myself. Before I start my first impression review, I am going to tell you the story of why I got this planner.

      I haven't been keeping a planner for a long time. I used to use agenda in high school and college, but I always have trouble keeping up with it. I would write a few months than forget about it, maybe it's because I never develop a system that works for me. When smart phones came out, I start using calendar apps since I am a person who is all for digital things. An app is really convenient, it's easy to carry around and can sync with other devices. But, it is hard to find an app that can see everything clearly. Everything is in small dots, and I have to click in to see all the information.

      The first time I saw the planner video, I thought it was crazy. Who would spend so many money on a planner and stickers, spend so many time to plan the planner, and carry this heavy book around. But, I understand people who decorate their planner is also using it as a scrap book, it's like a hobby to them. Because of this understanding, I start to watch more of the planner videos, and starts to find them interesting. 

      Finally, I decided to get the Erin Condren Life Planner myself. Maybe spending more time organizing and focusing on my schedule will help me get things done easier. Besides, keeping a beautiful planner makes it more interesting to plan my day.

Erin Condren  Life Planner Package

Erin Condren  Life Planner Package

Erin Condren  Life Planner Front Cover

Erin Condren  Life Planner Back Cover

      I got the ready-to-ship version, the cover is not customizable, so it can ship earlier. I placed the order on June 16th, and they informed me that the order is ready to ship on June 17th, then all I have to do is track my order on Fedex. I used international economic shipping, and the package arrived at June 23rd, as promised.

      The front cover is dark blue with colorful texts, and the back cover is a rainbow colored design I really like. The covers are laminated, and feels very thick and durable. It is interchangeable, so you can purchase other covers and change the whole feel to the planner. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner Inside Cover

Erin Condren  Life Planner Title Page

Erin Condren  Life Planner Quotes

      The inside cover and title page looks really pretty and colorful. There are a lot of quotes, inspirational words, and fun designs throughout the pages. This is one of the reasons why I like Erin Condren so much.

Erin Condren  Life Planner 2015/2016

Erin Condren  Life Planner Goal Setting

      Then, there is the year at a glance page, going from July 2015 to the whole year of 2016. After that there is the goal setting page with 12 blank boxes. I would put goals into 12 different categories or make goals for each month. But, this doesn't have to be a goal setting page, you can put down anything you like. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner Monthly Tag and Note

Erin Condren  Life Planner Monthly Layout

Erin Condren  Life Planner Vertical Layout

Erin Condren  Life Planner Vertical Layout

      At the start of each month, there is a note page and a monthly tag with inspiring quote. The monthly page have different color schemes for every month, and has a goal setting side bar. I also like the small new moon and full moon signs in the monthly layout. A lot of holidays and traditions in Taiwan follows the lunar calendar. The new moon shows me that it's the 1st day of the month, and the full moon shows the 15th day of the month. So, it's easier for me to track the lunar calendar. 

      The weekly pages follow the color scheme of the month. If the week is divided into two months, it will separate into two different colors. Erin Condren also provides horizontal layout for this year, but I decided to get the  original vertical layout. In the vertical layout, the days have 3 boxes and additional note area both on the bottom and on the side. There is also a special "Thankful Thoughts" area to write down positive things. I think I will use the weekly layout to write down everyday to-do lists, and put them in 3 different categories. I will use the bottom note area to write down random to-dos that doesn't fit into the categories. As for the side bar, I think I will write down things that has to be done on the week, but is not scheduled on a certain day.

Erin Condren  Life Planner Lined Notes

Erin Condren  Life Planner Checked Sketch Notes

Erin Condren  Life Planner Blank Sketch Notes

      There are a few note pages on the back, 8 lined pages, 4 checked sketch pages, 5 blank pages that all comes with beautiful designs. These note pages are not much, but since the planner is already huge, it may not be a good idea to have more note pages. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner 2017 Year at a Glance

Erin Condren  Life Planner Event Stickers

Erin Condren  Life Planner Event Stickers

      After the note pages is the 2017 year at a glance. The planner also comes with 4 sheets of event stickers, 2 of them are already printed with birthday/ appointment, etc; 2 of them are blank sheets for you to customize. I really like these stickers because they are removable, so you can move it around if the event rescheduled. You can buy more of these stickers on the Erin Condren website, it is available in blank sheets, but you can customize with special events and colors. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner Keep It Together Folder

Erin Condren  Life Planner Free Gifts

      On the back of the planner, there is a "keep it together" folder and a clear zip-lock pouch. These are very convenient to store things and organize. Inside the pouch, Erin Condren puts in a few free welcome gifts: 3 compliment cards, 3 referral cards, 1 sample sheet of the do-it-all dots stickers, and a coil clip sample . They comes with a card that teaches you how to use these free gifts. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner Perpetual Calendar

Erin Condren  Life Planner Perpetual Calendar

Erin Condren  Life Planner Perpetual Calendar Contacts and Passwords

Erin Condren  Life Planner Perpetual Calendar Holidays

      Inside the folder, there is a small perpetual calendar book. This is for writing down annual events as a reminder. There is also 1 page of important contacts, and 1 page of important passwords. Also, there is a spread to remind you different holidays. I don't think I am going to use this book, most of my holidays in Taiwan follows the Lunar calendar, so it won't appear on the same day every year on the regular calendar. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner Welcome Gifts

Erin Condren  Life Planner Free Cover Coupon Code

      There are even more free gifts in this package. There is a package of cute gift stickers for my first purchase, and it comes with a $10 coupon code for my next purchase. Also, there is a coupon code for a free cover. This is only for people who purchased the ready-to-ship planner, this coupon code gives me a chance to customize the cover later. 

Erin Condren  Life Planner Tags

Erin Condren  Life Planner Monthly Layout

Erin Condren  Life Planner Weekly Layout

Erin Condren  Life Planner Holidays

Erin Condren  Life Planner Big Coil

      I really like the Erin Condren Life Planner. I am so excited when I finally get it. I have watched so many videos about it, so it feels unreal when I finally got the planner. The coil is really big and sturdy. Planners tend to get thicker after a while because of the stickers and add-on, a bigger coil can help hold the ticker book. And, since the planner is supposed to last 18 months, the sturdy coil can be more durable. However, there are some downsides about this life planner. The planner is huge and bulky, I don't think I will carry it around with me all the time. Also, the laminated cover and the ruler have a bit of scratches that I don't think it's caused by me. I understand this can easily happen to this kind of material, I just hope it comes brand new and shiny. 

      Still, I am really looking forward to start planning and organizing my life. I can't wait for July to come! I still need to figure out a planning system that works for me. I don't think I will go big on decorating. I like things that are more practical and have some function to it other than  just decoration. But, I will still use some stickers, washie tapes, or stamps to mark and highlight things.

      I got a $10 coupon code when I bought this planner, using the referral link Elle Fowler provided. Many people have this referral link, but I decided to use Elle's because she's the one who introduced me to the Erin Condren Life Planner. If you would like to get a $10 off from your first purchase at Erin Condren, you can use my referral link. Erin Condren will send you the coupon code by Email for you to use on your first purchase. Please note that the code will only last for a month, so make sure you are going to place an order before you get the code.

Have you used the Erin Condren Life Planner before?