I am a long-time planner. My journey into planning first began in 2013 when I started my career as an elementary school Art Teacher. I loved how it helped me organize my day while combining my love of art and scrapbooking. Planning helps me be myself, helps me plan ahead so I feel less stressed and more accomplished, unleashes my creativity, acts like my diary and memory keepsake, keeps my mind sharp, and is a great relaxing and hands-on activity.
Helps Me Be Myself
Planning is my therapy because my planner is my own personal space where I am free to be me. I can draw and decorate what I want in my planner, fit what's important to me into my daily schedule, and even write notes that describe exactly what I'm thinking and feeling. When I'm in my planner, I'm able to go directly into my own world where I can express myself, write down my goals, and make plans to make all my dreams come true.
Unleashes My Creativity
I love planning because it unleashes my natural creativity. With my planner, I can decorate my pages in my private space without worrying about the feedback of others. If I'm in a festive mood, I can decorate my planner with extravagant stickers, bright markers, and colorful washi tape. If I'm in an artsy mood, I can draw my own artworks and place doodles in random places on my pages. If I'm feeling simple, I can jot down just the bare essential notes using only a pencil. I can decorate, or not decorate, exactly how I want, when I want.
Reduces Stress and Helps Me Feel Accomplished
Because planning helps me be myself and unleashes my creativity, it reduces the stress in my daily life. Staying on top of goals and crossing items off my to-do list gives me a wonderful feeling of accomplishment that is hard to experience without planning. This feeling of accomplishment reduces my stress even more. This in turn gives me more energy and motivation, allowing me to move further towards my goals and dreams.
For more reasons why planning is my therapy, stay tuned for part 2 of this series. If planning is your therapy too, please share some of your reasons with us on Instagram: @artsoultx. Thank you for reading and see you in Part 2!