The Peony Planner 2018 Review

I asked on my Instagram whether people wanted me to review the planner I was using throughout 2018 and 98% said yes. I thought I would break down my thoughts about the planner and whether it is worth the money.

Disclaimer: I was gifted the planner by 'The Happiness Planner' however my opinions are 100% honest regardless. The company is not sponsoring this post (although I wish they were). 

The Peony Planner is a beautiful faux leather planner with metal detailing. It comes in several colours, however I chose Black with Rose Gold accents. It is possibly the most stunning planner I have ever seen. It almost looks like a clutch bag, which makes it so elegant and feminine. It's definitely made to sit as a centre piece for your desk.

The description of the planner by the company:

'The Happiness Planner is a planner like no other. Instead of focusing on productivity, it focuses on “your happiness”. It is designed to help you welcome more positivity, joy, and happiness into your life by applying the practices of positive thinking, positive affirmations, mindfulness, gratitude, and self-development. 

On top of the typical daily pages, this planner is packed with questions and guides that help you become a happier and more positive person.'

When you first receive the planner, it comes in a beautiful box (The same colour as your chosen planner), and the product is carefully wrapped in tissue paper. Not only is this great for keeping your planner in perfect condition, but it feels so luxurious when you open it up.

Things that came in the box:

• 1 Rose Gold Pen 
• 3 Rose Gold Paper Clips
• 2 Rose Gold Binder Clips 
• The Planner 
• Loose Sheets 
• Some Stickers 
• A Note from the Company 

I was so surprised to see how much came in the box. I honestly expected to just have the planner and a pen but it comes with so many worksheets that stimulate reflection and help to build a vision. I loved this throughout the year because it ensures that you always remember your goals. At the beginning of the year you are required to fill out some pages. Some of the things include writing your goals for the year, where you want to be in 5/10 years and your achievements so far etc. I honestly found it so therapeutic to sit down and look back at the past and focus on the future.

Every month you have a calendar, where you can write down any important events you have. I also decided to highlight the boxes where I knew I was working, so I could keep track of my shifts. This really helped me to stay organised. If someone ever wanted to make plans, all I needed to do was flip over to the calendar page and see if I was working that day.

Following this, you have a monthly spread where you can give yourself personal and professional goals, highlight things you can look forward to and write a quote or message of encouragement. I often wrote bible scriptures in this section. The planner also comes with stickers with quotes that you can use to decorate any of the pages.

Everyday there was a page to fill out. At the top you had a quote and 4 boxes. These were 'Today I'm excited about', 'Main Focus', 'Exercises' and 'Meals'. Then beneath this was a section for your schedule and To-do list. Finally, there were 4 more boxes at the bottom, that were labelled as 'Good Things About Today', 'What I'm grateful for', 'What I hope for tomorrow', and 'Notes'. I really loved having this as part of my daily routine, because it forced me to see the good in every day. Even when I had days that weren't so great, sitting down and having to complete the page prompted me to think positively. Looking back, I can definitely tell that doing this changed my mindset for the better. 

At the end of every month you have to complete a reflection page. I really enjoyed doing these as I was able to look back at the struggles I overcame, goals I met and memories of the month. The page includes a table where you must rank certain areas such as health, productivity and moods. At the end of the year, you add up these scores and you are able to clearly view how your mood progressed and changed throughout the year, as well as your habits. I found that happiness was my number one mood of 2018, which clearly indicates that the planner works, and my productivity was pretty constant. One thing I found interesting is that my energy levels were low throughout most of the year, so I know this is something I need to change in 2019. 

My favourite thing about this planner is that it always focuses on the positive. Although you may be required to write down your monthly struggles, it also asks you to write down how you overcame or will overcome them. It acknowledges that your year won't be perfect, but it focuses on the things that make us happy, by having daily focus on gratitude, areas to write down your happiest moments and what we can look forward to.

I truly believe that this planner has changed my life. At the end of the year I was able to see all the challenges I overcame, the memories I made and the goals I met. I met all my goals for the year, which makes me so happy. I definitely think this is an extraordinary planner that could help so many people. It gets you to evaluate every area of your life and come up with ways to develop. The planner itself is definitely not cheap. The 2019 planner is currently £54.00. HOWEVER, it is an amazing product. I actually bought the weekly inserts for this year, as I was so happy with it. I think it is worth the money, if you have it. I will definitely be buying new inserts every year, unless I find a new planner to try. 

I've found a new desire to find the best planner out there. I've always been into organisation and journals etc, but The Happiness Planner has really brought out a love for planning out life. Maybe you'll see more planner reviews in the future. 

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this planner. Not only do I have the dates for all the BEST days due to documenting them, but I finished the year HAPPY. 

Here is the link to the website if you would like to purchase the planner or any other product from the company: 

https://thehappinessplanner.co.uk/ 

I hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know in the comments what blog posts you want me to write this year! 

Thanks for reading, 

Have a great day x