5 Reasons to Chose The Happy Planner Over Other Planners

Ask any planner enthusiast and they’ll tell you they’ve tried more planner systems than they can count in the never ending quest to find what has been dubbed ‘planner peace’. I readily admit I am one of those people. Now, have I tried every planner system out there? Not likely. But, sometimes it sure feels like it! Then one day I walked into the local craft store and I come upon the Happy Planner display. It was the first time I had ever heard of the Happy Planner which is a disc-bound planning system. The first thing you will notice about Happy Planners are the beautifully designed covers. Their paper is a good weight that holds up to most pens, markers and there is a plethora of accessories to indulge yourself in.

Did I buy one of those Happy Planners? Keep reading to find out in this 1st planner tip series. But, first let me give you a little background on exactly what the Happy Planner is and what they are about.

In 1998, Terri Gick (mother) and Stephanie Fleming (daughter) teamed up with Kay McConnaughey (artist) to create something BIG. It started with stickers designed for scrapbookers and quickly grew into planners and planner accessories -specifically, The Happy Planner by Me and My Big Ideas (MAMBI).

When I discovered the Happy Planner in April 2016 it was a period in my life where I felt like I needed, well, a little happy. I had experienced an incident at my day job and my work life was completely turned upside down. Which left me a little sad, confused and disconnected. This even caused me to lose interest in my handmade jewelry design business. To make matters worse, I was struggling to manage my day and workload. What used to be so crystal clear for me all of a sudden was a struggle to remember and keep organized.

By now you know that indeed I did buy one of those planners. My very first planner (shown above) was the classic size black and white striped planner with the quote ‘Make Every Day Count’. This message just spoke to me at that time. I chose this cover and planner because:

1. I liked the black and white striped pattern because it reminded me of Kate Spade (and I’ve been loving her look lately) and;
2. The quote on the cover inspired me to revive my DIY craft planning blog, Behind the Designs.

So, I scooped it up along with some add-on accessories and happily went home to get started setting up my first Happy Planner. Then one night while checking email, I saw an ad for a planner class at my local Michaels. I thought to myself ‘a class for planning?!’ But, I went with it and signed myself up. I didn’t know what to expect at the planner class, although in some ways, I did expect it to be somewhat like a traditional craft class. Instead, it was more laid back, sort of a planner meetup. But, I really liked that about it! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming (most had known each other for some time already through their common passion for planning). We spent a few hours getting to know each other, learning more about our planners’ and also learning lots of tips!

The Happy Planner is also great for memory keeping and as most know, anything to do with scrapbooking can easily and quickly become an addictive craft. Just forewarning you. {wink}

Going to that planning class was an opportunity for me to be able to meet like-minded individuals who were passionate about planning, productivity, stationary and being crafty (like me!). The decision to go to this class was one that I would never, ever regret.

I remember quite vividly a fellow planner brought in her Happy Planner that was just super stuffed (on expander discs!) and the pages were decorated so beautifully. We were all so mesmerized by her Happy Planner and she so graciously showed it off to all of us as we ‘ohhhh’d and ahhhh’d’. She asked if I was following the Happy Planner Facebook Group. When I answered, ‘no’ she leaned in and quietly said, “Oh yes, join that group! There’s a whole underground planner world. You have no idea!”. So, guess what I did when I got home?!

When the class ended and I was headed home, I felt light and happy and grateful that I decided to attend. It was also where I met so many new planner friends! To this day, I still call all planner friends and the planner community #mytribe. Hello Happy Planner!

5 Reasons to Get A Happy Planner (you won’t regret it!):

1. The Happy Planner is perfectly priced for the market (and my budget!).
2. There is an abundance of options to choose from to customize the planner to your liking including covers, discs, weekly layouts, stickers, dashboard, folders, washi…..you get the picture.
3. Looking for a daily dose of joy or motivation?! The Happy Planners’ inspiring cover messages and throughout the pages of the entire planner will do just that. How’s that for daily planning inspiration!
4. Their whole disc-bound planner system allows for the planner to lie flat. I lost count of the number of planners I’ve tried over the years and it’s very annoying they don’t lie flat.
5. The Happy Planner community of fans are so welcoming, helpful and inspiring!

So you can see why it was so easy to chose the Happy Planner. I’m also a left-hand writer and the fact that I could easily pull out the pages to write on and I don’t lose that writing space along the left margin is fantastic (6th reason). Lastly, when I close the planner, I don’t have to hear that annoying SNAP!! like those old-school ring planners (7th reason).

Above is a snapshot of the monthly layout in the planner I chose. Although I had already slightly decorated the August monthly spread, the Happy Planner is designed so well that you really don’t even need accessories or stickers to get started. Although, let’s be real here…no stickers?!? HA HA! Don’t make me laugh!

Below are some of the very first accessories I purchased when I started planning using the Happy Planner. These are just some of the additional productivity tools available to pair with your planner of choice.

You don’t even need to worry about being a “creative” person to use the Happy Planner. You simply choose a Happy Planner that inspires you, open it and start planning. However, if you really want to dive in you can pick up just about anything (and everything) including sticker books, elastic bands, folders, page protectors, filler paper, dashboards, pen holders, plastic tabs, expander discs and even washi tape in coordinating colors and patterns.

If you have already purchased your first Happy Planner, in planner tip #2, I offer 5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Happy Planner For You that you won’t want to miss. I’d also love to plan together with you over on Creative Planning Expressions the Facebook Group for Behind the Designs.

Let’s talk about washi tape. On second thought, that’s a whole other blog post!

Since purchasing my first Happy Planner there have been more new MAMBI products rolled out (or will be forthcoming). Excitedly, there are a lot of fans (im)patiently waiting for the new horizontal layout (coming mid-July to Hobby Lobby). Additionally, there are five new box kits and four new value pack sticker books, to name a few. So, if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by all the options, check out one of the boxed kits! They come with a little of everything you would need to get you started.

I’ve been using The Happy Planner now since April 2016 and I absolutely love it! Not only are there numerous accessories already available from MAMBI, if you do a planner search on Etsy, you will be blown away by how popular this planner is. That said, only three months later, I already have multiple Happy Planners that are all used for different reasons.

It’s not easy to narrow down what I’d like to try from the new MAMBI products, so here’s the short list (HA!), in no particular order:

My Happy Planner Wish List:

• The Happy Planner Big 12 Month Box Kit -Be Happy (would love to try out the big Happy Planner).
• Classic Happy Planner Student Edition (Here’s To A Brilliant Year)…I’d love to get this for my 10 year old daughter. I’ve started her with an ARC planner but would love to get her into The Happy Planner.
• The Happy Planner Recipe Organizer
• Everything new from the Black, White and Gold line (loving this color combo right now!)
• Elastic Bands -Neon
• Planner Basics Stickers -Bright

Okay, I’ll stop there….although I could easily add more.

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Happy Planning!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I just really love the product(s) I’ve willingly chosen to feature. All opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.