I’ve had a lot of conversations lately—at the shop, at Chicago Planner Con, and in the DMs—about what happens when the "planner guilt" sets in. You know the feeling. You open your journal or your planner at 9:00 PM, and you realize... you didn't actually do anything worth writing down.
No big milestones. No fancy dinners. Just a lot of emails, a mountain of laundry, and maybe a quick trip to the post office.
So, you close the book and think, “I’ll wait until something happens.”
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned while building LPA, it’s this: The "boring" days are actually the heartbeat of your story. If we only document the highlights, we lose the full picture of our lives.
The Future You will Thank You!
I often tell people that I don't just make planners; I make time capsules.
In five years, you aren't going to need a journal to remind you that you moved house or changed jobs—those are the big plot points you’ll always remember. But you will forget the name of the song you played on repeat while packing boxes. You’ll forget the specific way the light hit your kitchen table in the morning, or the way you felt when you finally found the right creamer for your coffee.
When I look back at my old layouts, it’s the tiny, mundane details that make me smile the most. Those are the bits that make me feel like I’m visiting a past version of myself.
Lowering the Bar For Your Own Sanity
One of the biggest hurdles to being a "consistent" planner/journaler is the pressure to be profound. I’m here to give you permission to be ordinary.
If you didn't have a life-changing epiphany today, that is okay! Write down:
The "Right Now" List: What are you currently reading, watching, or obsessing over?
Small Wins: Did you actually drink enough water today? Did you hit all green lights on the way to the studio? That counts.
A Quote: Something funny a friend said, or a line from a podcast that made you pause.
The Weather: It sounds basic, but looking back at how the changing seasons affected your mood is so grounding.
How I Use My LPA Layouts to Capture the Small Stuff
You don’t need a separate, elaborate scrapbook to be a memory keeper. I love using my functional inserts for more than just tasks:
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White Space is an Opportunity: On days when my schedule is light, I don’t leave those boxes empty. Add one or more of the suggestions above!
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Leftover Washi: I’m a huge fan of using those tiny "end-of-the-roll" washi scraps to frame a quick note about a meal I enjoyed or a funny interaction.
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The 5-Year Journal: This is my holy grail for the mundane. With just a few lines per day, the pressure is off. It’s the perfect home for the "unimportant" things that actually matter.
It’s All About Noticing
At the end of the day, documenting the mundane is a form of mindfulness. When you go through your day looking for just one small thing to write down, you start to pay better attention. You notice the kindness of a stranger or the way the trees are finally starting to turn.
It shifts the focus from "What did I get done?" to "How did I live?"
That’s what organizing the chaos is really about. It’s not just the to-do list; it’s about the person behind the pen.
My Challenge to You
Open your planner right now. Find today’s date. Ignore the errands and the chores for a second. Write down one thing that happened today that won't make the history books, but made you feel like you.
Write it down. I promise, your future self is going to love reading it.
Ready to start capturing your story?
Browse our Handmade Journals and Planner Inserts. Everything is made to order right here in the studio, designed to help you document the big, the small, and everything in between.
