(11 is how I print my pictures. 😉 )
01. why call it "memory planning" when it's already happened? it's not really planning...
sure, it's already happened, but it's in a planner soooo...
i like to call it memory keeping because that's a little more accurate, but the term memory planning seems to be what people use so that's what i call it. my version of it is more like scrapbooking on a small scale though. i journal and put in pics. i do not just repeat a spread or do any sort of back-planning.
02. why memory planning?
i wanted a way to memory keep and this seemed like a good way to do it because i'm already so into planning. i missed scrapbooking and always felt like that was cathartic. i saw other poeple start backplanning in their planners and some even included pictures so i was inspired to try something new! it took me a few months, but i figured out what i wanted and needed. it has turned out to be a great stress reliever. if my anxiety is super high, it helps to sit down and have control over creating something beautiful and reflective.
03. how is it different than normal planning?
i do not include habit trackers or anything like that. there aren't any to do lists either. i do use a lot of labels and half boxes to mark events or happenings. i incorporate pictures often. i tend to use most or all of my full boxes. my sidebar is a short journalling section with a highlight of the week. i use the monthly view for monthly highlights.
04. is this the only way to do it?
no!! there are a hundred ways to do it. some people enjoy back-planning, some use only script stickers, and some use a much more simplified style. do whatever your heart desires!
05. do you have more than one planner?
yes, i actually have four. i know it's excessive, but it's a system that works. i added in my memory planner to my stack a couple years ago. i use small vertical planner for my everyday planner and a lights planner action vertical planner for my memory planner. i find the vertical style works so well for my "plan as i go" style of memory planning that i'm going to switch back to it for my everyday planner when the time comes. along the way, i added my teacher lesson planner and my goal planner from mäksēlife.
06. how do you choose what to put into a spread?
i just choose the big stuff, the important stuff. things that i want to remember later. they may be very small things sometimes. but they're the memories i want to keep. i also include quotes and memes that spoke to me that week.
07. how do you keep track of what to include in your memory spreads? i feel like i would forget!
me too! so i use my mäksēlife to keep track of it. i use it to preplan and note what i'd like to put into my memory planner. it's messy but it works!
08. what do you include?
i like to say that i include "big events and big feelings". if there's something that happened that i want to remember, that makes it a "big event" and i'll include it. a lot of times, i get in my feelings and need an outlet for it so i'll write about what i'm feeling at that moment. sometimes i'll find a great meme or lettering pic that encompasses what i'm feeling that day, and i'll use it as a jumping off point to journal.
09. since you share your memory planner with the world, how do you choose how personal you get?
i'm kind of an open book when it comes to a lot of things, and i enjoy sharing. however, there are times when i am very vague about certain situations to protect the people involved and myself. or i will use a fold over box to write underneath. i do share things about my family, but i'm careful not to share too much and to only share my side. i don't ever share the school district that i work in or any pics of my students for confidentiality reasons. if i include a pic of my nephews, i make sure it's okay with my sister or that she's given me permission. one thing that i am pretty open about is my anxiety and seasonal depression. i think it's important for others to hear about it and for me to be vulnerable and open about it. i have people tell me all the time that they love that i share that part of my life because they can relate to it and experience it too.
10. what supplies do i need to get started?
it's as simple as a planner and some simple office supplies like a glue stick, washi, and some colored pens. if you want to get fancy, you can buy sticker kits (i suggest mini kits bought on sale), glitter or foiled headers, and character stickers. i graduated from a glue stick to a permanent tape runner from tombow. i definitely recommend it!
11. how do you print your pictures?
i literally get this question every single day. i do not have a fancy printer. i use the picframe app on my phone to make a 3x3 collage (with 9 square pics) and then upload them into the walgreens app. (depending on where you get them printed, it might be helpful to put a white or black border around the collage to counteract the printer from cutting off parts of your pictures.) they automatically print as 4 inch square prints. they print literally within minutes, and i can go pick them up whenever. it's convenient because of the apps, and there's a walgreens a block from my house so i can just drop by after work. then i just cut them with my paper cutter when i get home and then use tombow double-sided tape runner to attach them to the page.
12. what size are the pictures?
i print a 3x3 collage on 4 inch square prints. so the pics are usually about 1.3 inches square.
13. what should i know before i try?
you're going to have some duds before you find your style. i looked to a couple other planner girls for inspiration, but when i tried their styles, it just didn't fit me. after about a month or so, i found my groove. also, this can get expensive. my main, everyday planner is my priority so it gets first pick on which kits i use. (not literally - that would be weird.) so my memory planner tends to be kits that got moved down my list to use in my every day planner, really pretty kits, simple 2-3 page kits, and things i find on sale. shops that offer good sales/good prices are usually where i look to find things for my memory planner. but not always! sometimes i find something really special that i keep just for my memory planner.
14. what about those boring weeks when nothing happened?
those are tricky. i usually take the time to journal. on busy weeks, i don't have the room for it, but on the slower ones, i do. it's a good opportunity to reflect because usually the boring weeks are when i have the time to think and get all in my feelings. not in a bad way - just a reflective way.
15. how often do you sit down and memory plan?
about every week or two.
16. do you memory plan every week of the year or just some of them?
i plan every week in my planner, but i usually do them in batches or two or three at a time. if i wait too long, i forget what happened or lose interest so i try to get them done quickly.
OH HEY, FOR BEST VIEWING, YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE