PLANNING 2019 WITH GOLDEN COIL

I like having a physical planner, just like I like reading a physical book instead of an ebook. There is something about having a copy I can write on, add stickers to (yes I’m a child at heart), and physically have in front of me. Several people have asked why I don’t just use an app so that I wouldn’t have to carry a book around with me. I have used the excuse, “if I lose my phone then it’s gone”, but that’s not really true, the cloud backs up all of my data. I don’t have a great reason behind liking a physical copy of my schedule, maybe it has something to do with the escape of screens. All day, everyday, I am looking at a screen. At work, I have my phone and computer that I am constantly checking. Then at home, I am looking at my phone and at the TV.

I have always had a physical planner and don’t intend to switch to an app anytime soon. I like being able to use it as a daily planner, recipe collector, address book, budgeting tool, and so much more. I use a million sticky notes and gel pens to color coordinate and give myself reminders, and I LOVE it!

As January 2019 was quickly approaching, I felt like I was behind the game when it came to finding a planner. I figured everyone else would have bought out all of the cute ones, or that I would have lost a months worth of my planner already. I asked around, frantically hoping to find the perfect planner. I am so picky when it comes to planners, honestly I’m picky when it comes to anything, I know what I want and I refuse to settle for anything less, you shouldn’t either.

Golden Coil was recommended to me by a good friend and she loved her planner. I checked out the Golden Coil website and immediately fell in love. They have patterns but they also have gorgeous neutrals, plain colors, and many different textures. I wanted something that would fit my lifestyle, something that had the features and layout I was looking for, that was trendy but also professional. I work in a business environment and I wanted to have a planner that I could take into meetings with out feeling like I carried in a hot pink patterned distraction during every meeting.

When you go to the Golden Coil site, it gives you all of your options to create a planner or a notebook. Something you need to understand, Golden Coil is essentially helping you build a planner from the ground up. You will choose your cover, link your calendar, drop in your address book, choose layouts, and add in extras.

There are so many options, it took me a while to choose exactly what I wanted out of my planner. Here are my selections:

Cover – I chose the Tan Faux Leather cover, I knew that if I got a color I would probably get sick of it after a few months, so I tried to pick something very neutral.
Fill Page – I entered in a funny comment about how lost I am without my planner and my contact info, pretty basic stuff.
Contacts – Thankfully, I had recently asked most of my friends and family for their addresses to send out my Christmas cards. I added them all to an Excel spreadsheet and was able to drag and drop it into the Contacts Upload.
Dates – This is great because no matter where you are in the year, you can start and end your planner whenever you like, there is no fear of missing out on months in your planner. I started mine on January 1st, 2019 and went through the end of 2019.
Calendar – Like I said, I don’t have a digital version of my calendar, but if you do this is where you would sync it to your new planner.
Layout – This is where you can choose the layout that best fits your lifestyle. I chose the Weekly – Double Page Horizontal 1 option. This allowed me to have my to do lists but also write in appointments and reminders.
Extra Pages – The planner builder then allows you to add other pages that you need through out the month/year, where you would like to add them, and the frequency. They have all kinds of options, from basic extra pages to meal and social media planning. I would be shocked if you couldn’t find what you need in this planner builder.
Below are all of the extras I added:
– Calendar: Year At A Glance 2 (Start of Planner)
– Calendar: Holiday Gifting (Start of Planner)
– Lifestyle: Budget (End of Planner)
– Lifestyle: Kitchen Conversions (End of Planner)
– Projects: Social Media Planner 2 (Monthly)
– Standard: Lined (End of Planner)
Add On – This is where you can add weekly quotes to pages. I chose the Motivational/Inspirational quotes. Like everything else, this is completely optional, but I like that I am given a little extra motivational quote each week.

The functionality is great and the quality is beyond compare. I have used gel pens and markers on other planners in the past and they bleed through, but not with this planner, the pages are thick and durable to stand up to (almost) any marker. The cover doesn’t bend easily and will hold it’s own when thrown into a book bag. The spiral binding is also very durable. I’m telling you, this planner isn’t just for looks, it will last all year round.

I have been using my planner for about a month now, and I am loving it. I really wanted to put this planner to the test before putting up a review to ensure that my post was as genuine. If you are as picky as I am about your planner, and want to be able to organize your day effectively, I truly think this is the planner for you!

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