right now | using a planner (but I have no plans)

At the end of last year I purchased the Simplified Planner (pictured above) from Emily Ley. Pre-baby I used it in the traditional sense: keeping track of to-dos and other lists, appointments, work deadlines, social events, etc. It felt good to sit down at night and plan the next day and then check-check-check things off the list.

Recently, I was flipping through my planner and realized that several weeks were basically empty. I used to host things, attend things, do stuff! The arrival of a new baby had slowed life way down and this snail's pace was showing up in my planner. And it seriously bummed me out.

But here's the thing: my days aren't actually empty. They're filled to the brim with great, unscripted, unscheduled moments. So I decided to use my planner in a different way, in a way that suits my life right now and helps me focus on what's important at this particular moment. 

I now spend a few minutes at the end of each day jotting down what I did (past tense!) that day. I'll still schedule out appointments and to-dos, but for the most part, everything I write down has already happened. It seemed strange at first, like I was cheating the system or something, but now I love it.

I'm documenting our routines, jotting down new things Ben says and keeping track of kind gestures from friends and neighbors. I'm cultivating habits of reflection and gratitude by looking back over what might be an ordinary day and writing down little moments that matter. I also no longer have the toxic "I didn't do anything" feeling at the end of the day (a ridiculous thing for a stay-at-home mom to think, but let's be honest - it's real). 

So my life is not particularly exciting, spontaneous or busy these days. I don't have a lot of places to be or things to do outside of making sure we have food in the house and the kids have what they need. And you know what? That's totally fine with me. 

It's great, actually. Not being so "busy" leaves room for the things that matter (like sleep). And now those things are written in my planner.