Now that autumn’s here there’s a distinct whiff of planning in the air. Work/ Home/ Uni/ School schedules are well and truly locked down (and hopefully working well); we’ve got a few day trips in the diary; and we’ve even started thinking about where to spend Christmas (eek – surely it’s not almost that time of year again!?). So it’s no surprise that the planners among us are rubbing our hands in glee. Forget the spring clean, autumn’s all about planning like a pro. What’s more, given the amount of time we’ll be spending indoors, it’s the time of year to sort out your space, clear some clutter and get organised.
So with all this in mind, we were thrilled to read in Grazia Magazine about Planner Addicts, or Planfluencers as Grazia calls them. These masters of bullet journalling or bujo are a new breed of influencers who have thousands of followers for their artfully annoted to=do lists. As Grazia explains, a bujo is a beautifully presented, hyper-organised masterpiece complete with illustrations and words of encouragement – a bit like a diary with pictures. This trend is BIG in the digital world (especially on Instagram). And according to JWT Innovation trend forecaster Emma Chui, the appeal of these planfluencers is that they squeeze so much out of life. The mindset now is very much about living life to the full, filling our days with experiences, achieving every goal. And yet, at the same time…they are a way to mitigate burnout – in the same way that adult colouring books are calming.
Fancy planfluencing your life? Grazia, offers four simple ways to get started:
- Start small and make tasks manageable. For example, write novel will feel overwhelming, whereas write first chapter stands more chance of getting it done.
- Try kanban. This Japanese system arranges tasks into three columns – to do, doing and done. You should never have more than three tasks in doing at any time.
- Pick out priorities. To start your day, write down everything on your mind, then go through with a highlighter and break into categories. Strip out anything you can get rid of then asterix three things and do them straight away before the emails start coming in.
- Don’t get overwhelmed. The most important part of a journal is the act of thinking, planning and reflecting. All you need is a paper and pen
Futon Company says: We like this trend very much. It’s a bit like a journalling version of Marie Kondo’s approach to life and is all about getting organised, and finding joy and simplicity in the small stuff. To get you started on your planfluencer journey we’ve got some super suggestions to help you on your way….
