Limelife Planners Blog

Thankful.

By Leslie Sleesman
on November 17, 2022

Limelife Planners started more than a decade ago as nothing more than a planner I designed for a friend and me. I never even considered the possibility that it would end up being such a large part of my life for this long. My youngest son just turned 10 years old, and it’s crazy to think that these planners are older than he is.

November is a good time to reflect on your blessings and what you’re most thankful for. I am always thankful for you, the Limelife customers who have supported me for all these years. I am forever grateful that I was able to build a business that allowed me to work around the hectic schedules of my three children and husband. I am incredibly thankful for the people I've met through this community -- so many of you are customers who turned into friends.

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a small part of you through your orders. I know your names. I’ve typed your favorite quotes and put family photos on your covers. I know who prefers designs in purple, who wants me to put a hidden Mickey on your cover, or who likes grid lines on your weekly layouts. I don’t take a single order for granted. Whether it’s a first time customer or someone placing their 84th order (and I’m not exaggerating here!) — you all make me smile.

I love making custom products. Anyone can start a company and just order planners in bulk from overseas and pop them up on a website — those companies are a dime a dozen. I did things the hard way on purpose. I wanted to be able to tweak a planner for a working mom getting ready to go back to school or a homeschooling mom who needs to keep track of a child with a medical condition. It’s a joy to be able to hear from so many of you about how my products have made a big difference in your life.

I wanted to share all this stuff so you know that what I’m about to say next didn’t come without a lot of thought, prayer, and tough conversations:

In March of 2023, I will be closing Limelife Planners.

Why? Well, the truth is that I’m just ready for a change. I can feel it in my bones that it’s time for me to start a new chapter in my life. People don’t talk very much about the fact that you can have something good, and yet be ready to close the door and look for what’s next. Just because you own a small business doesn’t mean you must do it forever. You have permission to move on, and I have given myself that permission.

So, what’s next?

The website will be up until I run out of products (like tabs, vinyls, etc.) or until March. I’m prepared to fill orders for the next few calendar years. (I just had a customer order a 2027/2028 monthly planner, actually!) If you order further out, things will likely take longer in production, but they’ll get done. I would STRONGLY urge you to not wait until the last minute to order so I have time to fill everything. If I have more orders than I can fill, I’ll pull those items off the website. I might get the urge to design a few new things, and if I do, those will be available too.

Just as starting a business was a new experience for me, so is closing a business. I'm not exactly sure what the next couple months hold, so please reach out if you need something or have any questions.

And again, THANK YOU for your support over the years and thank you, in advance, for helping me finish strong.

(This picture is of some of the very first planners I ever made -- my how things have changed over the years! Thank God I found a tab supplier, lol.)

Helpful Planning Tips

By Leslie Sleesman
on January 06, 2022

Every January it feels like such a magical time of hope and promise (and okay, after these last few years maybe a bit of cautious optimism). Even though New Year's Resolutions have gotten a bad rap, I still love the idea of being reflective and looking for ways to become a better version of yourself, or to make changes that make life a bit easier and more streamlined. Not surprisingly, it's a great time to start using a planner to help you accomplish those changes.

I am often asked how to plan and/or what the "secret" is to planning.

My advice might surprise you. People make assumptions that I'm a very Type-A person who is an obsessive planner (not a crazy assumption given that I own a planner company), but I'm much more relaxed about planning than all that. Planning should be a fun, helpful way to make life a little easier -- not stressful and complicated!

First off, there is no secret to planning. A planner is not a magic bullet. It's not going to make your life more organized or make you crush all your goals, and anyone that tells you a planner WILL do that is lying to you.

If you want to be successful you need to put in the work. Not surprisingly, like most everything else in life, this is about consistency. A planner can be a great tool to help you navigate life and goals when used consistently. It's as simple and as complicated as that. However! I do have a few helpful tips I've learned over the years that can help you use this tool more effectively.

I find that one of the biggest struggles people have with using a planner is just getting into the rhythm of actually writing in it. It can take weeks or even months in order for you to be able to form the habit of using a planner if you haven't used one before. So my first helpful tip is to keep your planner visible. The old adage "out of sight, out of mind" is really true. Until you're used to reaching for your planner, keep it out on the counter, on your desk, or on your bedside table. Eventually it will become second nature to grab it.

My second helpful tip is one that surprise people. Don't be afraid to use technology as a companion to your planner. I will often look at my planner in the morning or at the beginning of the week and set phone alarms to help me with meeting reminders, appointments, etc. There's no doubt that using a paper planner has some pretty big advantages (which I will get into in a bit), but a planner is a tool and your phone is a tool -- make the most of both and use them together when it makes sense. A quick word of caution. If you're a person who is easily distracted when you pick up your phone, and that's not a behavior that you want to encourage then using phone alarms might not be a good fit for you. Know yourself and do what best aligns with your needs and goals.

Okay, taking a little sidebar here to tell you why paper planners are great. There's been research done that found that when we write something down on paper, we are much more likely to remember it than when we type the very same thing into our phones or into a digital calendar. Even if you never look at the phone or the planner again, just the simple act of writing it out means you're better able to remember it. Simply put: our brains are wired for paper planners.

If you're a person who has dipped your pinky toe into the online planner community, you might see planner pages beautifully adorned with stickers and washi tape, and other fun elements. While I love the look of stickers in a planner, it's not necessary in order to use your planner effectively. My third helpful tip is to keep it simple -- or, better yet, keep it simple if simple is what you need. Do not feel the need to turn your planner into something that doesn't suit you. If the thought of decorating stresses you out, by all means do not decorate! If what works for you is using a regular #2 pencil and not color-coded pens and coordinating highlighters, use a #2 pencil. Your planner. Your rules.

Finally, my last helpful tip is to try to keep it all together. If you're trying to accomplish multiple goals or tasks, consider using your planner to track as many of those things as possible. We sell lots of add-ons in addition to just the basic weekly or monthly planner. Having one "go-to" place for everything makes things easier. Instead of keeping track of grocery lists in one place, bills due in another, and notes in yet another, your planner can be home to all of that.

If you've gotten to the end of this post and you're excited to jump in to your planner, great! If you don't yet have a planner and want to get one, please try out all of our printable test pages from our website. You can view them right here.

At the end of the day, the best and most effective planner is the one you use. This is at the heart of why we sell so many different sizes of planners and why we have so many different layouts and add-ons and covers. We want you to find a planner that fits your life so you use it. We wholeheartedly believe that a planner is an amazing tool to help you untangle some of life's complications and get things in order.

Travel Planning Using a Dot Grid TN Insert

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 28, 2018
38 comments

There are a lot of different options for travel planning out there, in the ‘planner world.’ I’ve seen whole planners for trips, pre-printed traveler’s notebook inserts, printable inserts, and more. But, nothing out there really struck me as the perfect solution. So, staying in line with my “use Limelife dot grid notebooks for all the things” philosophy of late, I decided to make my own!

Travelers Notebook Hacks

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 21, 2018
2 comments

Have you found yourself following the trend of TNs, aka Travelers Notebooks, and wanting to know some more tips and tricks for decoration or uses - check out this small list of TN “hacks” to get you started if you’re new or step your game up if you’re a seasoned user.

How I Created A Master Camping List

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 14, 2018

Whether you are camping or staying in a 5-star hotel, getting organized with a Limelife notebook makes packing quick and efficient.

Limelife Notebooks For Extended Planning

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 07, 2018

Limelife Planners has more than just planners. The dot grid notebook is absolutely fantastic for more freedom when you plan—freedom to jot things down horizontally or across multiple lines without feeling like you're wasting paper.

Teacher Planners! A Tour of the Insides, Some Ordering Tips & More!

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 03, 2018

Limelife team recently updated their teacher planner, so why not take a little walk through it with me? I’ll give you some tips and tricks along the way, and suggestions for ordering yours when we get to the end.