Valuable Tools for the New Year

A planner, a devo journal, a prayer journal, pens & markers

Starting out into a New Year is much like starting out on a long journey. We may have limited space as we travel, and we try to take along what is most important, the things that we could not do without. 

I've been using these quieter days and weeks after the holidays to prepare for this journey into the New Year. We had some wonderful and full weeks prepping for the holidays, and then the greatly treasured days with family home. I am holding these memories close, and thanking God for a precious, wonderful Christmas season with most of our family home.

(in)Courage Devotional Bible, my devo journal, verse cards

For me, my journey all starts with a focus of spending time with Jesus, reading His Words, taking notes of what He is teaching me. Writing out my prayers and desires, pausing and listening. Every year I learn in deeper ways than before, how essential this is. I think it becomes even more essential with each passing year, for each year there are more and more voices that call for our attention. And we need to purposefully immerse our hearts and our minds in the source of Truth, Love, and Wisdom.

My main reading plan this year is to continue on with reading chronologically through the Bible. I use the NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible for the chronological reading format, sometimes reading from there, but often reading the passage from my (in)Courage Devotional Bible (CSB). I also sometimes listen to the passage being read on my Dwell App as I follow along with the text. This is my second time reading through the Bible in chronological order, and am loving reading it in this order. 

And then, of course, taking time to write out my thanks, my prayers, what I have learned in my devo journal. For me, it is the writing down, that helps me connect my heart deeply to what I read and learn. 

My planner for 2026

My planner is also an essential tool for me, a tool to keep me focused, and on the right course. It holds so many things, and helps me out so that I don't have to try to hold it all in my memory. What would I do without a planner? It keeps me going in the right direction, with the priorities that are important to me. All coming from time in the Word, listening to His promptings and desires, and using the giftings He has given me. 

Some of the sections in my planner: a calendar for each month, a page for each day, home care and cleaning charts, a menu page for each week, a record of books read, an exercise/health record, and on and on. This year I am using a new type of notebook, click here. I love that I can freely move pages around, and also add additional pages where I want them. I have used purchased planners already set up, but in recent years have made my own pages directly tailored to my own use. And as you get a glimpse of in the photo above, I love post-it-notes. I especially love using some vintage colored post-it-notes, that I also cut down to various sizes that work good for me. (Click here and here to see the ones I use.)

Here are a few photos of some of the pages I have created for my planner. Sharing these in case they would be helpful or encouraging to you, with your own creations. 

Left: a monthly page/post-it notes to write in important priorities
Right: a weekly page, writing some of the monthly priorities into the current week

Left: a sample of the daily page/adding a post-it note of things that need to be done,
and then often filling in what I actually did at the end of the day
Right: a weekly menu chart/post-it notes for possible recipes to use

These are my most valuable tools to have with me as I journey into this New Year. What are your most valuable tools? I hope to connect here as I travel along this journey through 2026 by posting here a bit more often than I have in the past few years. And I'd love to hear about your journey, as well.

A New Year: Journals and Planners

January is the new week

between Christmas and the new year.

(Emily P. Freeman)

Here we are at the end of January, one month into the new year already! Christmas was such a joyous time for us with all of our six grown kids home + most of those dear ones they have added to our family here with us, as well. We were 24 in all here in our home for Family Christmas on Dec. 27th! (Click here to see a photo of all of us around our big dining table for Christmas Dinner ... scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the photo.)

And since then, we have been cherishing the memories, at the same time that we have needed to enter into a New Year with all the responsibilities that life brings to us. I have also needed to totally embrace the quote above, giving myself room this whole month long, to pay attention to all the things that I love to do after Christmas and before the New Year! January has truly been my week between Christmas and the New Year.

At the beginning of a new year I love taking time to pause, to reflect on all the ways God has been with us in the previous year, and also to think through and pray through the thoughts and ideas on my heart and mind for the new year.

And so, in the midst of other responsibilities this month, I have been making space all through the month for my "beginning of a new year" process ... reminding myself not to hurry and rush with these steps, but to give my heart and mind space to take all the time that I need.

Are you a journal and planner person? Setting up my journals and planners at the beginning of the year has always been a process that brings me joy. Having a well-kept home, a home and life that is run with creativity, care, and organization are things I love. They are a reflection of the love and character of God, feeding my own soul, as I serve and love those around me. So I love to reflect back, and to look ahead to another year.

The place I start, and of most importance to me as I start out in a new year (and also each season and day of the year) are my (in)Courage Devotional Bible, and my "Devo Journal" (pictured above). (I also use other tools; my Chronological Study Bible plus various books and study guides.) These are what hold my heart and my mind together ... pausing during my days, reading God's Words to me, listening, and allowing His Truth to settle deep into my heart. I use my devo journal to write down what I learn, to often write down some verses word-for-word, so that His Words, each word, can sink in deeply to my heart. I love to make verse cards, as well, with my favorite verses, as seen in photo above. I also write down my responses in my journal as i read and learn, sharing my heart and my thoughts; writing out my thanks to God, and writing out my need of Him, asking for His help. 

Show me the right path, O Lord;

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by Your truth, and teach me,

for You are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in You.

(Psalm 25:4-5 NLT)

From this connection and relationship, made possible by God's love, grace, and mercy ... I also set up my planners for the new year. I've used so many different planners through the years, some purchased, and now for quite a few years, I have created my own. It does take some time to do so, but is a joy to personalize them for myself and the interests and passions He has given me.

I've used a blank notebook (purchased through Amazon) for several years in a row now. It's divided into six sections, each section with pastel colored pages. It is my Yearly Planner, set up for the entire year. I use the first section for monthly calendars, the next four sections for the four seasons of the year, and the last section for misc ideas. I have created different charts and pages to print out, and paste into the notebook.

Within each of the four seasonal sections, I create a pretty cover page, because beauty always lifts our hearts, and encourages us! The next pages under WINTER are set up to help me keep on track with the things of priority to me. These pages cover a variety of topics: ideas for my devotional time, life together with my dear hubby, our family, friends. Also keeping track of health/exercise, home care (including cleaning), "In the Kitchen", writing on my Pursuing Heart blog, digital scrapbooking, and more. 

Also, I have another notebook I use weekly and daily, implementing the ideas that are recorded in my Yearly Planner. These weekly and daily notebooks are set up seasonally, one notebook for each season of the year. This probably sounds rather tedious, but for me, it is life-giving. Writing things down helps me to think more clearly, helps me stay on focus, and encourages creativity for me. So it is a joy.

I have a two-page spread for each week within each season. On the first page, I've created a print-out with my main focuses/priorities, where I write specifics in through the week.

Across from the print-out of priorities, I have a weekly calendar page where I record events for the week.

Next are the daily pages. At the start of the day, you would most likely see multiple post-it notes covering the daily page, reminders of things that need my attention that day. I most often choose to write down what I actually did on a given day, in late afternoon or evening, instead of listing things directly on the page at the start my day. This helps me, task-driven person that I am, to hold tasks more loosely, and depend on God to lead me through each day. And at the end of the day I can celebrate what He has helped me get done by writing the things down. (Maybe this practice is partly due to my age, in my mid-70's, helping me remember more clearly what each day held!)

Well, this is just a brief glimpse into the journals and planners that I use. They are not an end in themselves, but they help keep me on the right path. Maybe one small part could be an encouragement to you, even if you are not one who needs to write things down. We are each uniquely made!

As we journey through our days this year, in the good and the hard times, we can continually find moments to pause, to slow our busy lives and notice the gifts from our loving Father. His greatest gift to us is His presence with us. From Christmastime continuing throughout the entire year: Immanuel: God with us. Our journals and planners can be a tool to help us focus on what is of most importance, instead of being a slave to busyness and confusion.

The Start of a New Year - Journals and Planners

 

Can you believe we are already in the second half of January? It has been a full first half of the month. And I do love this time of year ... a pause after the holidays, a time to catch our breath, to look back and look ahead. A time to savor memories, and a hopeful, prayerful time looking ahead to the new year.

These two weeks have also been a time to re-organize, and to set up planners, journals, and care for various home-keeping things as we step into a new year. Most of my set-up for this new year is in place. And I am thankful. And I am also very aware that, even with all the ideas, all the setting-up and organizing, that the most important, most integral and essential part of a New Year, is Immanuel: God with Us. His Love, His Promises, and His Presence ... each day, each and every moment. 

Much of my writing here on my blog first begins in my journal (as was true with this post), pictured in the first photo. This is where I connect deeply, through written words - writing out His Words, listening to His heart, and responding from my own heart. And then, the other two notebooks (pictured above) are helpful to me in the actual living out of my weeks, days, and moments.

This is the second year in a row now that I have used this notebook (pictured above), for my main yearly planner. I found this on Amazon (click here), and I really do love it. (I notice it is currently not available - hoping it comes back in stock!). I use the six sections for some of my main focuses each year, breaking them down month-by-month. Categories for keeping up with our big family, various aspects of home-keeping, and also the many projects I have in this season of life. The beautiful calendar pages in the first section of this notebook are printed out come from this online source.

These two photos show the notebook where I break down my main focuses into weekly, and then daily pages. I go through one of these notebooks each three-month season. This is where my main focuses (from my main yearly planner) flesh out into the weekly, and the daily. 

Planners are helpful for living out each year, each month, and each day. For keeping the main things in the forefront, and also for keeping on track with all the small, but necessary things of life. Of course, using these various notebooks would all seem quite tedious to those who don't love planners, but for me, this is a joy. It is very helpful to me to put things down on paper, rather than carrying ideas and plans around in my mind. And, also, I love all the pretty notebooks! 

But as important as planners are to me, most important is living each day connected deeply with the One who loves us more than any other. Who knows us more completely than we even know ourselves. Who created us to uniquely reflect His Love to those around us. 

Thanks for reading my first post of 2023! Sharing about my planners at the start of this year because it gives me joy ... and also with the hopes that in some way my words can be an encouragement to you. Maybe even in some simple, small way.                              Wishing you a Happy New Year!                                    

                                                     

New Every Morning

Our months and our years,

our every days, and our lives,

are marked by 24-hour days.

And there is not a day,

in the past or in the future

when we will ever be alone,

left to ourselves, on our own.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

(Lamentations 3:22-23)

A Collection: Indoor Herb Garden, Essential Oils, and New Planners

I actually forgot about this type of post that I tried out in mid-2018. And I liked doing it! But then life happened ... summer, then the fall season came, and with it our big trip out east, then the holiday season. And I forgot all about it.

But here I am again, sharing a few random things that I have been enjoying recently!

Indoor Herb Garden

The first, is that we've experimenting with an indoor herb garden! We loved growing herbs last summer, and loved using them in food preparations. So very tasty! Last fall, we got the idea to see how they would grow indoors, throughout the winter. 

Our patio doors face south, which is the perfect direction to catch the best of the winter sun. We purchased a two-tiered plant stand which fits just right by the patio doors, and bought some pots, and a few fresh herbs from Mulhall's. I love having these herbs indoors, and it has been fun to snip a few leaves here and there. I admit we're still in the process of learning, as the plants are not doing quite as well now in January as we had hoped. But it has still been a fun project for the cold winter months.

Essential Oils

Another new venture for me this winter is ... trying out essential oils! I've been intrigued for awhile with all that I've heard about essential oils, and in the fall listened to a podcast that brought a lot of clarity to my mind about the benefits of their use. So ... at my suggestion, my dear hubby gave me the Young Living Premium Starter Kit for Christmas!

 

January has been a month of fun experimenting with my new oils. I've been diffusing different blends many mornings and evenings, and have also purchased some little roller bottles to use the oils topically, as well. My starter kit was purchased through Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room, and I am loving all the tutorials on the Dwell Well Collective website, as well as on the private facebook group that Melissa and her daughters provide for those who purchase through them. You'll likely hear more as I continue to learn along this new venture.

Click here to listen to the podcast that brought clarity to my mind about the benefits of using essential oils. And click here for a great place to purchase your oils through, also a source of many very helpful tutorials.

New Planner for 2019

And what would a new year be without sharing about my planners? I love planners, as they are so very essential for me. Writing things down takes the burden of tasks and responsibilities off my shoulders. It also helps me keep on target with the things that are most important for me.

It seems that I mix up my planner routine every few years or so, as I like variety, and also, as there are many types of fun planners to use. I used Emily Ley's Simplified Planner for three years in a row recently, and really do love it. 

However, for variety, I'm trying a new idea this year. Using some fun notebooks that I purchased at Target (sold in packs of three and in a variety of patterns in 5.75 x 8.25 size), I'll be using one notebook for each month. I started this for the month of December, and am loving using a fresh notebook each month, and also am loving being able to create my own pages, using washi tape to add some color to the pages, and also adding a few printed charts I've made on my laptop.

Above are just a few of the pages that I've been preparing for the new month of February ... a monthly calendar printed from an online source, weekly calendar pages, and a chart to track good health habits. Other pages track a variety of projects and responsibilities. And the main portion of each notebook holds weekly task pages, plus daily pages. It also holds my prayer journal for the current month. 

One of the biggest benefits of using these notebooks is that they are very portable, fitting very easily into my bag when leaving home.

What has been new for you recently?

We are all made uniquely by our Creator, and it's been fun for me to share a few of the things that have given me joy at the start of this new year! I'm so thankful for the beauty all around us ... of indoor herb gardens, the scents and health benefits of essential oils, and the creativity we can use with new planners. 

Planners 2017

Though I love planning, and love planners, I am actually a bit hesitant to post about this topic, as I don't mean to imply by my sharing, that the way I do my planning is the way for everyone. For we are all different in what works for us. But, as I am occasionally asked about my system of planning, and as I love to share about it, I am writing this post! I hope it will be an encouragement to you.

The basics of my planning have remained the same for many years, but the actual planners that I use have changed over the years. For me, I like to find planners that are beautiful, as well as practical. After all, if we are going to use them all year long - and every day - they should bring us a sense of rest and joy as we use them! 

In the photo above, you see my planner choices for this year:

The bright-colored Simplified Planner on the bottom of my pile is my daily planner. Yes, I do pay more than I would like to for this daily planner, but I use it every single day. 

The soft blue notebook is my daily journal, where I record my thoughts and prayers as I spend time with God each day. It's not really a planner, but yet, it forms the basis for all my thoughts and my planning. I don't know what I would do without a journal to record my thoughts and prayers. Writing is how I process what I learn from God's Word, what I learn through prayer, and what I learn from others through books, speakers, and in real life. It is how I connect deeply with God. I usually fill up about 5-6 or more of these journals each year.

The lovely white notebook is new to me this year. Though the Simplified Planner holds daily pages, this notebook holds my monthly, and weekly goals and desires. I was delighted to find this Recollections binder (Metallic Ivory design) at Michael's. And especially delighted to find it on a great sale day! This binder has multiple add-ons that can be purchased: various kinds of planner pages, stickers, etc.

And on the top of my planner pile is my iPhone, which I use in a variety of ways to keep track of projects, lists, etc. I use the "Notes" app for keeping track of a lot of things, such as: a running list of books that I hear recommendations about, gift lists, medical info, home maintenance records, and much more. (This "Notes" app on my iPhone syncs automatically with "Notes" on my laptop, which makes it very easy to use, and print things out from, as well.)

The two notebooks above are my mainstay for keeping myself on target with my priorities, goals, and desires - the things that are important in caring for family, home, ministry, and personal projects. Aren't they beautiful? I am so thankful and blessed to have these notebooks that bring me joy as I use them, and also, that are so very practical and useful.

My Planning Process ...

Monthly and Weekly Planning ...

The notebook above is where I keep track of my monthly and weekly planning. It also holds various records such as birthday and anniversary lists, a list of books I would love to read this calendar year, etc.

The first step for me is my monthly planning. 

A year ago I purchased a very helpful tool to use in determining which goals to pursue each year ... Lara Casey's Make It Happen Powersheets (intentional goal planning system). It was very eye-opening, and inspirational for me to go through the process of finding the ten top goals that were deepest on my heart for 2016. 

This calendar year I am using this same concept of discovering my ten top priorities and goals for the year. And I will be using the notebook above to keep track of them each month. I was quite pleased to find some add-on pages for this notebook  - pages that hold a list of 10 items (photo above)! Each month I'll list my 10 main goals for 2017 in abbreviated form (a word or two), and then list a few specific steps to help make these goals actually happen during that month.

The next step after the monthly planning, is the weekly planning. 

This is where I take from my plans for the month, and break them down into specific weeks of the month. The notebook has a two-page weekly spread for each week of the year. 

Instead of using the two-page weekly spread to write out what to do each day, I have chosen to use "wite-out" over the days of the week, and instead, use it to write down the goals and tasks that I wish to focus on during the week. Writing them down by category, instead of by days of the week.

The categories I am using are: First Love (God), My Honey, Family, Friends, Cru, Home/Desk, Home/Care, Personal Projects.

At the beginning of each week (usually on a Sunday evening), I will take some time to look over my monthly list of goals, and then fill in my two-page weekly spread with those things that I want to focus on during the coming week. Also adding other tasks and responsibilities to the weekly spread, as well.

Daily Planning ...

Next comes the final step ...  the daily planning.

This step is where it all happens, and this is where this beautiful Simplified Planner comes in! This planner for my daily planning is amazing - I love it! While I take time each weekend to think and pray through the weekly planning (in my white notebook), I take a bit of time each evening to fill in the priorities and to-do's for the following day in my Simplified Planner. There is one page for each day of the week (though Saturday and Sunday are on the same page). On the left side of the page is a place to write in appointments, and events. On the right side is the "to-do" list.

You can see that I have colored in the dots (six different colors) on the right side to correlate with priorities that I learned years ago from Linda Dillow's Priority Planner. I wrote a series on these priorities here on my blog a few years ago - you can read them by clicking here. (God, My Husband, Family, Home, Personal, Outside Ministry). 

Each evening I look over my weekly list of goals/tasks in my white notebook, and then enter the ones for the next day on the daily page in my Simplified Planner under the priority category where it goes.

- - - - - - -

These steps of planning may seem like quite a process. And I do spend a focused amount of time with it at the beginning of a new year. And also at the beginning of each month. But the time spent in the weekly planning, and also the daily planning is minimal. 

And, of course, it is something that I love doing - the process of writing things down takes burdens off my shoulders. It's something that I enjoy, and yes, something I love doing! So though this process may sound burdensome to some, it is a joy and a help to me. And it helps me keep on track with what is most important.

In summary, my planning process:

1) Time spent with God is the thing of most importance - listening, learning, following His leading as to what He wants me to focus on. Each day. From this connection with God, I seek to follow the priorities and plans that He has for me. 

2) Next come the monthly goals and priorities. If I do not keep these in front of me, then the busyness of life crowds out what is most important.

3) After the monthly goals, are the weekly goals/priorities. An important step in keeping on track with what is most important.

4) The last step is to write these priorities, tasks, events, etc. onto the daily pages of the Simplified Planner. This is the planner that stays open on my desk, or my kitchen counter throughout the day. I am thankful that I only see one day at a time, instead of having everything for the entire week in front of me. It keeps things simple, and focused. For the day. Encouraging me to live in the moment. 

Sometimes I don't even fill in very much for the day, just the main obvious things that actually must be done that day. I'll refrain from writing in too many other things, as a long list of things can sometimes make me feel pressured. But then, at the end of the day, I will fill in those "extra" things that God gave me time to do. These "extra" things are not always "tasks", or "to-do's", but are blessings of connections with family or friends, or even extra time for pursuing some personal projects of mine. 

So my Simplified Planner actually becomes a recorded memory of not only the happenings of the day, and the things accomplished during the day, but also a record of  living in the moment on any particular day. 

- - - - - - -

And finally, even though I love the planning process, we all know that life happens, and we need to hold all of our plans loosely. We are not in control of our days, of our moments - and we need to continually surrender our time and our plans to God. 

Though God continually teaches me that it is good to plan and to set goals in order to accomplish what is most important, He also reminds me over and over that it is very necessary for me to willingly release my plans for whatever He may have planned for me on any given day. 

This brings us back full circle to our main focus: spending time with God each day, communicating with Him throughout the day, and following His leading. Each day. Throughout the moments of each day.

- - - - - - -

Thanks for reading this long post - may it be an encouragement to you in your planning during this new year! 

Welcome 2017

It's been a quiet transition here. After a full and wonderful Christmas season, I've taken my time. Moving from one year to the next is cause for quiet moments, times of reflection, and pausing from the busyness. 

Time is such a fleeting thing ... we hold a moment in our hands, and then it silently slips into the past as quickly as it came. We find ourselves treasuring our photos and our written memories, holding onto the blessings and the gifts of each day. And also holding onto how God carries us through all our days, the days filled with heartaches as well as the days overflowing with joy.

And now it is time to pause, and to start over again ... a brand new year is here. It will pass as quickly as this last one. Maybe even more quickly, as that seems to be what is happening with each year. Each one speeding up, and we need to make more of an effort to live in the moment.

Welcome 2017!

I love the new calendars, new planners, all the fresh starts. It always brings me so much joy to pick out a planner - it needs to be beautiful, as well as practical. And one of my favorite times of the year is this time right now - the transitioning from one year to the next, pausing for reflection, and starting out into a new year. (I have a post coming up soon with a glimpse into my planner system for this coming year.)

And as much as I love to write down my dreams and aspirations, goals and plans for a new year, there is something very important that lays the groundwork for the coming year, something that actually becomes part of my dreaming and planning for a new year ...

For I am learning more deeply as the years go by, that the greatest gift is to live right now, right in the moment where I am, in the present. To treasure the moment, and to hold it close. Holding it loosely, not clenching our hands - but holding it close. Cherishing it. 

To fully enter into the moment, to give my full attention to it. To give my full attention to whatever I am working on. To give my undivided attention to whoever I am with. To engage fully, with an attentive heart and mind. 

This may not be my natural focus, as often my default is to focus on tasks and to-do lists - but it is my prayer and my desire. And it is a challenge in this fast-paced world to pause, and to focus on the present. By God's grace, I am learning ...

For it starts with centering our moments on God. On connecting with Him, moment by moment. Bringing everything to Him. Bringing Him into all our tasks, our to-do lists, asking for His direction and help. Talking with Him about everything, for He cares about everything. Listening to His heart, filling our minds and our hearts with His thoughts. Each day, throughout each day. Living in the moment. With Him. And from this oneness with Him, an overflowing, bubbling stream of His love and grace - spilling out to those around us.   

Each moment, a gift from Him.
Each moment, with Him.

May all our days of this new year

 be filled with moments

overflowing with His grace and His love.

Photo Credit