Over at a mountain resort, I was showing off my backpack to a new friend. It’s a camera & laptop bag with a bunch of sectional compartments– truly an organizer’s dream. Out of all the convenient little pockets, the one thing that stood out to him was my five year planner, tucked behind my laptop.
I get why he thought this was strange– upon seeing a five year planner for the first time, you immediately wonder how someone is able to fit SO MANY PLANS into a quarter-inch thick book. You may even start to question the effectiveness of limited space for a long term commitment.
It’s a simple, little, paperback book that has 5 yearly & 60 monthly calendars. There isn’t much writing space for day-to-day details, so it may not be best for students, but there’s an appropriate amount of room for notable plans in the years to come.
I was recommended to buy a five year planner from an Instagram story I opened up earlier on this year. I researched it on Amazon, decided that an $8 planner that lasts 5x the time of a traditional planner (if I can maintain it) is the MOST financially responsible option, and I ordered one that day.
After anxiously waiting on the arrival of my planner, I had a long moment to myself when I first opened the box. I immediately brainstormed a ton of things that could happen in the next five years. I know that I’ll turn 30 years old within these pages (wow), but what else will I write in this book? Will I get married? Buy a house? Travel to new continents? Get more tattoos? Experience hardship? Live in Outer Space? Have babies? Break a bone? Follow weird trends? Win a billion tax-free dollars???
When I hold this book, I’m holding a precious time period– my late twenties– in my hands. This is sure to be a time of growth, adulting, and lots of big (unknown) life moments.
The coolest part, in my opinion, is that upon holding this planner I no longer thought of the laundry I planned to do that night, the work assignment I was invested into, or my stress to pay bills later that week. I thought of my bigger dreams– the life changing achievements that will be considered important when this book ends. My growth as a person, all of a sudden, seems easier to measure… I feel more focused, motivated, and hopeful.
This book has no space for tiny goals, but it makes the bigger goals seem more attainable. It helps me balance out my adult timeline and focus on a greater mindset.
I’m equally excited to reflect on past years with only the important memories. I’m sure there will be a lot of unfinished mini-lists, incomplete goals, and huge surprises I don’t get to plan, but I also know that I will surpass my expectations and grow into something amazing in the next five years!
Maybe you don’t need a new planner right now, but this might be something to consider next year: 2020 seems like a perfect year to get a five year planner going!
-organized ksex
KSL 