review: Erin Condren planner

So you know how I've said that the Erin Condren Life Planner is the best planner ever and everyone should have it? Well, I said that without actually having one. But now that I have one, I can safely say my predictions were correct (which is good because if it weren't, that would've been rather embarrassing).

I finally got this amazing planner as a Christmas present for my mom. When I asked her for it, I wasn't sure which design I wanted - I texted her some options and asked her what she thought. At first, she gave the whole "This is your planner so I can't decide for you" bit, but after some persistence, she told me that she liked the "Favorite Things" design. And you know, so did I, so I went with it. The hardest part of making the list of my favorite things was getting started, but after a while, I had a good sized list going.

The planner came out perfect (albeit my spelling mistake of "frapuccino"). And, my mom surprised my mom surprised me by adding "Mama" to the list (although she put it between "instagram" and "John Mayer" in my otherwise alphabetical list). But seriously, y'all, I am in love.

Another thing: my parents don't understand why I need a paper planner. "You have a phone, a computer, and an iPad, why on earth do you need a paper planner?" Well, lovely parents, there is this thing called "sorority meetings" that I must go to every Monday, and they have outlawed electronics (along with riding boots, leggings as pants, and *almost* chambray shirts), so my only option of recording upcoming events and news is by pen on paper. How archaic, I know. But it does give everyone else an excuse to buy cute planners. Most girls opted for the Lilly planners in August, which I had predicted, so I'm excited to be unique and the envy of all my sisters.

My favorite things about my planner are the colors, the format of the pages, the ample space to take notes, and the pouch and folder in the back for keeping loose papers organized. My mom also got me a stick-on pen holder, a 6-pack of colorful pens, three stretchy bands for keeping it closed, and extra stickers to write on. And because I'm addicted to them, I restocked my Lilly Pulitzer Academic and Greek sticker sets. If that doesn't say colorful, I don't know what does.

I've been stalking my school schedule for weeks waiting on syllabi to be posted so I can write down assignments and put stickers in my planner. I can't wait to fill it all up with assignments, activities, and other fun things. It was by far one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year.

What do you think? Will you make the switch to Erin Condren?