I used to think that there was no room for creative play in daily planning. I mean – c’mon, most daily planners have hourly layouts meant for structure, maximum organization, and maximum efficiency. And what could be less ‘efficient’, than taking time to lay down a stamp or a sticker AND having it take up space on the page meant for productivity?! Surely decorative kits like the ones at Cocoa Daisy can’t be in the same league as a daily planner…

But since burning out from my profession, adding one more to my family, and realizing that a creative fire was being subdued within me, I decided to take on that challenge in my daily planning life and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my mental and emotional health. Creative play -daily- even in planning on paper, is self-care!

 

 

If you’re going to be mapping out your day anyway, why not add a little décor and let it be the pause and exhale before the bustle of the day? This creative space in your day could be the moment of clarity you need to tackle the list before you.

In the upper left-hand corner of my daily page, I used a sticky note from the Moss & Mirth Stationery Kit to create a texture change to the paper. The soft birch print is a beautiful backdrop for the ‘A season to be grateful’ stamp from this month’s subscription. I layered on top of the sticky note a clear sticker from the Moss & Mirth Stationery Kit. I love how the layer of a sticky note, a stamp, and a sticker set the tone for the rest of the planning page. The key to creative play in functional layouts like a daily, is to keep your decorative elements in the margins, the upper and lower corners, and along dividing lines between sections.

 

 

I really wanted to utilize the ‘thankful’ stamp from the Moss & Mirth Stamp Kit, so I placed it along the dividing line between the task list section and the spare notes space. I cut a clear leaf sticker to create a straight edge and placed it underneath the ‘thankful’ sticker to act as an underline.

On top of the script, I added a mushroom stamp on the right side, leaving enough room to continue using the task list lines of the to-do list section. While these decorative elements take up space, they still leave enough space for me to write around. And I’d argue that when you “overcrowd” your page by the end of the day, there’s a satisfaction of a hard day’s work that can’t be beat!

 

 

I have found so much joy over the years making creative space in my world of to-do lists, and an overscheduled life, and I hope this example encourages you to enjoy the planning moment by adding a little flair to your daily planning pages! Your to-do list will thank you later!

Elizabeth

 

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